The Way

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This initial entry is just to set the groundwork for the trip coming up... soon.  I know I'm a bit later than usual in taking our (my) annual vacation, but after moving from Pensacola to Simpsonville, South Carolina, and all the quasi-renovations plus yardwork (leaf and tree removal), and getting some dental work done, this is about as earlier as I could manage.  Now, for what really makes this "vacation" different than our usual is:

1) I am going alone... for the most part. Manoli will fly to Rota to spend time with her family in Chipiona and wait for me to arrive, so we can return together.
2) I am flying out on a military Space-available flight to Rota, Spain
3) I am going to walk the Camino de Santiago. Yes, the one from the movie "The Way".  If you've never seen it, check it out. It can be found on NetFlix last time I checked.

A little background might be in order here.  A bit over a year ago, I saw the movie "The Way", with Charlie and Martin Sheen.  Besides enjoying the movie very much, I was enchanted by the idea of hiking the Camino myself. Ever since then, I have been planning on doing it.  I've seen the movie at least 2 or 3 other times, along with another movie/video on the Camino.  I've also read hundreds of blog and journal entries and watched dozens upon dozens of amateur videos.  Originally, I had planned on going in the beginning of April, so I could be on the "trail" during my 65th birthday, but my getting laid off from General Dynamics (after 22 years), and our moving to South Carolina during that time period, made it a not-so-good idea.  I had been biking and running alot previously, but for the last year or so I've been walking... alot.  I am currently walking 3 to 10 miles a day, 3 or 4 days a week.  I'm not the sort that loves listening to music, and since I'm walking on urban streets and highways, I've taken to passing the time, and avoiding boredom, by looking along the road for items of interest. I've included a photo showing just "some" of the stuff I've found, such as hundreds of sockets and wrenches; probably a couple of hundred dollars in coins (many in too poor shape to spend!); 6 rings of varying value; a girl's gold necklace; a functional TomTom GPS; dozens of credit cards, driver's licenses, and gift cards; and more "trinkets" than you can imagine.  I do get the occasional stare by motorists, since I'm not only looking down at the side of the road, but frequently stopping to pick things up, and wearing some unusual gear such as my safari hat, hiking boots, fanny pack, and water bottle pack.

I have bought all the gear I think I'll need for the trip. Oh, in case you didn't know, the trip, as I call it, is walking over 500 miles from Saint-Jean Pied du Port in soutern France to Santiago de Compostela in nortwestern Spain.  This will be done in about 35 days, averaging 15 miles per day, with a couple of "down" days.  I quickly realized my original backpack from our Inca Trail hike would not do. I purchased an Osprey backpack from REI on sale, but quickly found out after a trail hike that it didn't fit my body well. I am tall, but pretty skinny. So, I exchanged it for a pack that is adjustable and now have an Osprey Kestrel 38 that fits wonderfully.  I read early on about how import shoes are, so I bought a top-of-the-line pair of Salomon shoes that have already been somewhat broken in by my frequent walks.  I also have 4 pairs of Merino wool socks and 4 pairs of Infini toe socks, along with 3 hiking pants with removable legs, and 3 stay-dry shirts, and of course my Safari hat. I had originally planned on taking my little Dell Inspiron Mini 10 PC, but after it crapped out and I realized how much any new PC weighs (with power adapter and mouse), I've changed that plan.  Since I already planned on taking my phone; for photos, reservations, and emergency calls; I've now settled on using it as my "PC".  I have a wireless bluetooth roll-up keyboard, a power bank charger, and a Ravpower Filehub.  The later will allow me to transfer photos and videos from my GoPro Hero 5 Session video camera, and condense everything onto 64Gb MicroSD memory cards.  The GoPro is awesome, in that not only does it take great, stabilized videos, but it is voice-controlled!  All I have to do is say "GoPro start recording" and voila!  So, with my GoPro on one shoulder strap and my phone on the other, with my power bank in a side pocket, I'm ready for multimedia.  Hopefully I'll be posting blogs with photos every day, and hopefull some short video clips of interest.

I am currently waiting on a flight to show up, preferably from the Joint Base in Charleston, South Carolina.  I signed up in the beginning of July, figuring I'd be ready to go in the beginning of August and be somewhat high on the priority list.  Unfortunately, things took longer than expected and I am just now ready to travel, so I only have a couple weeks left on my 60-day request.  If I don't get out by the end of August, I will have to sign up again and drop to the bottom of the list.  For those of you that don't know about military space-available flights, I'll explain.  Many bases, mostly Air Force and Naval Air Stations, have frequent "cargo" flights to bases and places all over the world.  One of the few remaining benefits of being retired from the military is the ability to get on those flights that have room for seats.  You sign up, via email application to each base you are willing to depart from, and provide up to 5 destinations.  This application is valid for 60 days.  As a retired veteran, I am in category VI, the lowest after active duty on orders, active duty on vacation, dependents traveling on orders, and just about everybody else that is eligible.  Not very many people know about, or take advantage of this benefit, but also, there are not that many flights available.  Each base provides an online sight on Facebook, where they show a 72-hour flight schedule, for security purposes.  When I see a flight show up to Rota, Spain (or maybe Germnay, Italy, or the UK if I get desperate), I drive to Charleston, park my car in the long-term parking area, go to the terminal and sign up as present, then wait to see if they get to me for a seat.  If so, I'm outta here. If not, I drive back home and look for another flight.  I won't know I'm on a flight until an hour or two beforehand.  I'll make another post when that time comes, if I am able.  If not, I'll make one at my earliest convenience.

Most nights on my Camino, I will be staying in what is known as an Albergue, or hostal.  I'll have to share a room with anywhere from 3 to 100 other hikers, but the cost is really cheap, anywhere from "by donation" to about 12 Euros. Most of these hostals also have WiFi, showers, laundry facilities, kitchens, and or meals available.  You'll hear and see more about this when I'm on my "Way".

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Photos

Roadkill
Just some of the "roadkill" I've found walking.