Tomorrow it will be a week since I left home and it seems like a long time. But that is what happens when you travel, you are exposed to many different places, people and things that time seems to slow down.

I am staying in a hostel tonight in the town of Nazare, which is good bit larger than San Pedro yesterday. It only happens to be 12 miles down the road, so no marathon today. That is ok. I am realizing that I don’t know what will happen with this corona virus thing and how it will affect travel, so if an area is interesting then slow down and take it in. Today was laundry day anyways. The laundromat was just around the corner so it was all very easy. That is once I figured out the machine. I did not have laundry soap so I went to ask someone where to buy it. The lady tried to tell me just to put the money in, but I didn’t want to wash clothes without soap! Finally, the light went off in my head that maybe the machine dispensed the soap as part of the cycle. What a novel idea! Why is America so far behind in laundry technology?

Clean clothes in the bag, I headed to the shops and barst along the beach. The sun was shining, the temps in the 60s so it was a good time for a beer. Sitting on a bench with a value sized beer, I was mesmerized by the waves. They really are gigantic here. A man offered to take my picture so we did and I then sat down with he and his wife. They were an older couple from Brazil who were in Europe to visit their daughter in Dublin, stay in Paris for a month, and then half a month in Lisbon. We had lots of laughs using Google translator and even found out a few things about each other.

Next, it was time to get some wave videos, and then walk the shops. I found a ball cap with Portugal on it, so how could a southern boy resist a ball cap from a “furrin country”?

It was now time for dinner and the prize went to the most animated and welcoming restaurant barker. I said sure and that I wanted to sit next to a table with two young girls and their older aunt as I found out. They were from Venezuela and one of the girls was working in London. She spoke English, I speak Spanish, so the conversation was definitely bilingual. Soon, a couple from Spain chimed in and he seemed to be quite the comedian as they were laughing at everything he said. The Spanish banter was way too fast for me, so I was laughing at them laughing. I ordered the fried octopus and rice and it was delicious and abundant. We all took a group photo and went on our way.

Back at the hostel, there is young guy from Canada just graduated from high school and a fellow from Morocco working in Paris. Caleb and I plan on getting up early and taking the incline railway (no, this is not Rock City) to to top of the cliffs and see the lighthouse.

Waking up at the hotel, my bike was packed and I looked at it and said a prayer in gratitude for having the opportunity and ability to do what I’m doing as well as a “Please keep me safe” request. After filling up at their breakfast bar, I was out the door with the clerk taking a ceremonial “start of tour” photo. As with anything new, stuff takes getting used to. For navigation, I am using Ride with GPS to create, save routes and syncing them with my Garmin bike GPS. If I get off course, I can look on my phone to see the big picture with a map and figure it out. Hard to do with the Garmin, since it only shows turns, no big picture. So… it was a little tricky at first reading streets, everything is “Rua de (something)” but as the day progressed got much easier just looking at the arrow and my location and turning at the right time. Riding with a loaded bike has one plus on the flats, more weight means more momentum. Another thing on the hills, just go slower. Luckily is was very flat leaving Porto.

As the title suggests, OMG! I can say without hesitation that today was the best day of cycling in my life. Riding thru town, all the streets had bike lanes either separated from traffic or on the side. My route took me thru parks and cycleways. If we could only understand in America how important alternate transportation modes are to quality of life! Took a ferry across the river and there the walking/cycle path followed the water for many many miles. My first sight of the ocean surprised me with the ferocity of the waves hitting the rocks! Portugal has big waves, some of the largest in the world. Little restaurants are scattered along the beach and are basically metal prefab structures with lots of glass moved to location. People are out walking, running, talking, cycling… generally enjoying being outside although the wind was gusty and had a bit of a chill to it.

What stands out next in my mind was a cycle path next to a small road that went thru a forest of small diameter trees without bark. Tall and thin, it was like being in an enchanted forest. Soon after that I turned down a gravel road and saw buses with a gaggle of school kids running and chatting around. Hmmm… The attraction was a raised boardwalk over the marsh with sea grass taller than me all around. That was my treat to ride on for 3 to 4 miles. It formed a big loop back to the start, but I got off at the far end to continue south. Small residential towns with most roads being one lane and stuccoed walls and houses cozily hemming me in. Farms in between the towns with the smell of manure created a nice balance. Then the hills began. The incline made walking mandatory a couple of times. A farmer pulling a trailer with basically a riding lawnmower chugged up the grade and I followed.

One thing I am finding is that there are not as many stores or diners to be found. So I skipped lunch (no need, big breakfast) but twice during the day I felt pretty low energy. First stop was a small store in a small town for water. The owner couple filled my water bottles and I spied and craved a soft drink. Problem was it was in a 2 liter bottle. She graciously offered me an ice cold glass of it from her own fridge. “Garda, Garda” or keep it she said as I offered to pay her. The next time during the day was thru a more industrial area at a small grocery where I purchased chocolate and candy covered almonds. Energy boost was needed as it turned into a long day.

My plan was to make it back to the beach, but it was farther than I expected. The last 10 miles were along a hard packed trail following the tidal river towards the sea. Very calming, very quieting. The sun was setting as I hit the main road. Too late to camp. Looking for hotels there was one only 1.5 miles away. Closed. The next one was 2.5 miles but getting dark. Luckily I found a backroad with no traffic to get there and checked in. I was totally exhausted as I showered and plopped in bed to rest. A good exhaustion it was though.

Turns out I rode 73 miles that day, more than I expected. Lesson learned… more planning needed! I looked at the map for tomorrow, and the route follows the shore for about 25 miles before heading inland. A small town at the mouth of a river lay at the end of the road with a camping park. Short day, camping. Sounds like a good plan…

Here is a link to my route today: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32060590

I’m awake. It was a long day yesterday… about 31 hours from getting up in NC and arriving at the hotel in Porto. There was one glitch that could only make me laugh after the initial frustration. After arriving in Lisbon and making it to the gate for the connecting flight, they called my name over the loudspeaker. Oh no. Turns out that my bike speaker in my checked luggage had not been turned off and the play button was pushed. The gate agent told me that there was a vibration or music coming from the box. Bomb? Well, they didn’t go that far, but gave me the option of getting on the next flight in 2 hours so I could go to lost and found, reclaim my box, remove the speaker, recheck my box, go thru security again, come back and get on the plane. Lovely. So I did and when the box came down the conveyer belt, sure enough it was playing Steely Dan loud and clear! Remove offending music, recheck bag, go thru security and find gate… laughing to myself at how the smallest random things can cause the biggest hassles, but that attitude makes all the difference in the experience.

Arriving at the airport, I was a bit concerned about how to go about getting to the hotel. I was tired. I knew putting my bike together at the airport, loading it, getting to the hotel was not going to be good. As everyone knows who has travelled, that the taxi drivers all stand at the exit looking for customers. When I heard the word “Taxi” it was the sweet music to my ears. When he saw my bike box, he gave the international sign of rotating of hands… “I’m not sure about this”. But it fit in his hatchback with a few adjustments and off to the hotel.

This morning, I am rested as best as a 5 hour time difference will allow. The breakfast buffet was unlike any other I’ve seen for a $60 a night hotel. Fancy espresso machine, fruit galore, smoked salmon and even champagne to add to your orange juice. Mimosa anyone? So now I am off to explore the city with a recommendation to go to the Historic Center, a museum in an ornate, beautiful building. That sounds pretty unique now, but just may become the norm from here on out. Buen dia!

This morning I had a little fun going through everything I had laid out to bring. I decided to make a movie and get a little practice in video editing. So, without further ado, Here is a video showing what I am bringing and how it all goes on the bike. Spoiler Alert: The best part is at the end!

I am sitting in a restaurant with WiFi having lunch in Sullivans Island South Carolina and writing (actually talking into my phone)

I started out on Saturday morning leaving the snow in western North Carolina.

Time to go South! Headed to the Lowcountry of South Carolina, arriving at Givens Ferry State Park that afternoon. Time to load up the bike and ride the 100 yards to my campsite. 😀 All the campgrounds here have a two night minimum, so I decided just to camp and ride out from the campground.

The next morning, it was 37° and I needed a cup of coffee. Haven’t figured out my camping coffee set up yet, but it is imperative! Headed out in the truck to find it and ended up in Summerville, a sweet little small town where I used to do a favorite craft show. Found a great little restaurant, I had a cup of coffee and breakfast and then explored the town some. Back at the campsite, I loaded up the bike and set out to ride. I started out heading towards a historic site. Everything seemed balanced well in the panniers, GPS working well and the day was warming up. I eventually ended up on Highway 17, which is a major road following the coast thru several states. Decided to turn off onto something less traveled and ended up in Summer’s Corner. This became a huge residential development with huge houses set 3 feet apart from each other. There were pools, parks, trails, a performing arts center (!) and an elementary school. The nice surprise was a little cafe which had someone doing live music. Good time to stop and have a cup of coffee, which turned into a cold beer since it was after noon and the weather was warm now. After listening awhile, I headed back, getting in about 30 miles.

On Sunday, I was up early after a comfortable night in the 60s. Decided to hike the river bluff trail wow the birds were still singing. Lovely hike, returned to the campsite and packed up. Then headed into Charleston, where I had booked a ferry trip out to Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter is where the Civil War began, when South Carolina militias fired on the federal government after seceding from the union. The trip across the bay was lovely, saw lots of dolphins. On the island, there was a flag raising ceremony by the Ranger. He gave a very unifying talk about how the subjective meaning of the flag means different things to different people. But the objective meaning of the flag is the United States , that we are all unified as one.