As per yesterday the picture doesn’t always tell the complete story. As pretty as Jalance was, I sat down on the bike for the 95 km push into Valenica and 5 km into the ride came across Spain’s most powerful nuclear just outside the town of Cofrentes.
Taking 9 years to build it opened in 1984 and provides all of the electricity for the entire province of Valencia including the city itself .
The first 10 km or so were not a good guide for what lay ahead given they were 10 km of undulating roads around a river basin.
This non descript photo of some random bushland was only taken to show where about 30 seconds earlier I had seen a deer effortlessly bound off the road and into the brush . The first such sighting of a deer on his trip .
I came across a sign that even with my pidgin Spanish I could tell meant that 9 km further on the road was closed due to a landslide . They weren’t wrong . Closed for cars at least. Have Surly will travel. So I picked up the bike and pushed onwards .
Passed by an impossibly green lake
Then climbed out of the canyon basin. And climbed and climbed and climbed and ....
I took several photos of the steep roads I encountered early today and this one wins the record .
That little speck of green water at the basin of the photo? Yup that is where I have come from.
888.88 km Into the trip. Lucky numbers for some .
Over the top of the plateau and down into the basin leading to Valencia. What do you expect to see? Valencia oranges of course !
3 mins later he/she had been consumed .
Yes ! Valencia has a bull ring too .
Valencia is my stop for two nights with the delightful Eddie and Heather. B and their 11 year old son TJ as my hosts.
Rest day tomorrow beckons . After 6 days on the bike it will be a welcome relief.