Spring into summer in Spain

[jumartoo]

Best laid plans, and all that

We had a message to say the van was ready to pick up. The garage was open until 1.30 pm and reopened at 4.00 pm. We'd planned to go down to the coast and have a walk and then get some shopping. Not being convinced we could do all that before 1.30 we decided to walk locally to the garage and then I'd go shopping and Martin would bring the van home.

We had a nice short walk and then turned up at 11.45 to find the garage closed. We went shopping and Martin read a WhatsApp message to say that the garage wouldn't be open until 4.00. If only he'd read it when it was sent at 10.00 we could have resorted to Plan A.

Never mind. He's now picked the van up and it has an icy working aircon. Good for the summer.

My passport has been sent for printing ...

This area is normally very dry and last year was almost desert-like.

 

[jumar]

Thanks...we have left the MH in trusted hands at a nearby Spanish mechanic...should be ready for our next adventure...

Air con fixed...a couple of leaks on condenser which was replaced...a regas and other bits and pieces..
Feel very confident with this local garage always there to provide a good service..
Getting away next week is looking more likely...

 

[jumartoo]

We had a longer than normal ride today. We set off without a planned route in an area we knew. We were riding the canal. At our normal left turn, we decided to continue riding along the canal. The ride became longer when, after perusing Google maps, the road we'd decided to eventually turn left on, appeared above us, with no access from where we were . A few more kilometres further and a road with proper access, even a roundabout, appeared and we began the, now long, ride back towards the car. We ended up riding 56 km instead of our normal +/- 40 km. But it was such a lovely morning it was no hardship.

No water shortage in this reservoir now.

We thought this was fennel, the leaves look like it, but it isn't.

It's pretty tall though.

Sierra Espuña in the background

 

[Terry242]

So we loaded the bikes on the back of the car, put the "to be returned" freestanding solar panel, suitably packaged, in the car and set off for Alhama. We picked up a light to hide the wiring in the van ceiling, dropped off the panel and headed towards the blue in the sky.

View attachment 1044147

We parked up and offloaded the bikes and had a nice road and track ride up into Sierra Espuña. The bar/restaurant La Perdiz was open so we stopped for coffee and shared a delicious sandwich of hot pork, cheese and tomato on a toasted barra.

View attachment 1044145View attachment 1044146
The old tuberculosis hospital, abandoned years ago, is now (allegedly) going to be renovated to become a hotel.

The Nisperos (loquat) are ripening and the first fruit on the figs (breba) are growing.

Fig - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

View attachment 1044155View attachment 1044156View attachment 1044157View attachment 1044158

I remember having a great walk to the restaurant and having pigs cheek with a strawberry sauce. Sounds weird but was bloody brilliant. Never seen it since.

Terry

 

[Peavy]

Sounds weird but was bloody brilliant

That's really yummy. Not weird at all, to me at last
Delicious dish

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[jumar]

Shhhhhh. Getting away in van next week is on the cards...
Judith has been planning , I've been preparing the home on wheels, it all depends on a couple of deliveries, this will make a possibility a reality
The weather is somewhat improved, more settled, quite warm at times, we have been having lunch outside on the terrace for the past few days
Some of the trails we rode must have been like melted chocolate last week but now like peanut brittle...
Planning riding today, that's my duty...my Komoot app is a good tool for this.. transferring the planned route onto my Garmin cycle computer...
Let's see what today brings, many areas are in need of serious avoidance due to their popularity with our Easter weekend visitors...

 

[jumartoo]

I remember having a great walk to the restaurant and having pigs cheek with a strawberry sauce. Sounds weird but was bloody brilliant. Never seen it since.

Terry

Didn't we have a great Christmas all those years ago? 2016 can you believe and, I think, the last time we saw you. Certainly the last time we saw some in the group.

 

[Terry242]

When that picture was taken we were the only couple that was not full-timing. Now we are the only couple to still have a van!
Andy & Gwenda have moved from Manchester up to Cumbria near the Scottish border.
Gerry & Sue have moved from Preston up to the Newcastle area to be nearer their daughter.
Dave & Lynn have moved from Canterbury up to the Lincolnshire wolds - we're visiting them this week!
Yes, a brilliant Christmas.

 

[jumartoo]

When that picture was taken we were the only couple that was not full-timing. Now we are the only couple to still have a van!
Andy & Gwenda have moved from Manchester up to Cumbria near the Scottish border.
Gerry & Sue have moved from Preston up to the Newcastle area to be nearer their daughter.
Dave & Lynn have moved from Canterbury up to the Lincolnshire wolds - we're visiting them this week!
Yes, a brilliant Christmas.

Thanks for the above. It's good to know what people are doing.

Give Dave and Lynn a hug from me. They're the only ones we've seen since then when they rented an apartment in Camposol.

 

[Terry242]

We'll pass on your ❤

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[jumartoo]

We had another different ride today. Lots of farmland and again lots of wildflowers.

We think this is a field of chard?

We're riding one of our local mountain routes tomorrow and then we'll be impatiently awaiting two postal deliveries, hopefully sometime early next week. We'll be preparing the van anyway, jic.

 

[MichaelT]

We had another different ride today. Lots of farmland and again lots of wildflowers.

View attachment 1045694

We think this is a field of chard?
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We're riding one of our local mountain routes tomorrow and then we'll be impatiently awaiting two postal deliveries, hopefully sometime early next week. We'll be preparing the van anyway, jic.

I think it's cavolo negro a cabbage like vegetable.

 

[jumartoo]

I think it's cavolo negro a cabbage like vegetable.

I've Googled it and I think you're right. So it's more like kale rather than chard. It's the first we've seen here.

 

[MichaelT]

I've Googled it and I think you're right. So it's more like kale rather than chard. It's the first we've seen here.

Probably grown for other markets like UK.

 

[jumartoo]

We started our ride today 9km from home so we didn't have to ride the via verde out and back. We preferred to shorten the ride and start from the nice part. We were thwarted when our intended parking was closed due to a moto (motorbike/scooter) meet, so we parked well away.

We rode the lovely mountain road. It was the old road to Mazarron for many years. It's recently had some surface repairs. We stopped at a fig tree, where the figs (brebas) are growing nicely. Unfortunately, just up the track is a small, donation, motorhome area, owned by a Swiss guy. A German motorhome is now there permanently so first dibs of the figs will be taken by them. Martin had to adjust his bike saddle.

Track to "Peter's place". The parking is just around the corner.

Our mountain ride then took us around the mountain, Algorrobo, and on the south side we had sea views down to Puerto Mazarron. It's been a cloudy day, with intermittent spells of sun and a touch of rain. I got a spot on my camera lens!

I got some of the photos in order

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[Jays2]

Lovely, lovely, lovely what a nice track.

 

[jumar]

Nice day today..got a bike to sort out, service due and a wheel that needs trueing, local Tech Bike shop will sort the wheel, I'll be hands on with the service..
Bike will then go and hang out as another bike gets prepared for next van trip..
Where's my Solar Panel...in a distribution unit somewhere in Spain, that's where..

 

[jumar]

Quite a productive day yesterday overshadowed by hearing of the passing of Robby..quite saddened as always for the loss of one of our clan,
On a positive note I needed my bike rear wheel rebuilding as the rim showed some hairline cracks..
Renogy Solar due today, this returns my array to 600w, which can appear a little OTT but , we do need to put our van in the shade in the heat of the summer, the Renogy being freestanding sited out in the sun...needs a bit of careful positioning but it's worked over the past years..
Getting nearer to be able to pack n go..

 

[jumartoo]

Solar panel arrived early. Guess where Martin is right now? And what he's doing?

Our friend Angéla is coming here for lunch. She doesn't eat meat but does eat spicy food so we're having some open prawn fajitas.

Still no news on the passport delivery

 

[Barriesimpson]

Solar panel arrived early. Guess where Martin is right now? And what he's doing?

In the lounge doing the hoovering

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[jumartoo]

tentative smiles. The passport is coming tomorrow

We'll be on the road as soon as it comes.

First planned stop is at Biar, Alicante region. We've not been there for many years and now it has an official motorhome area, register with the police, but it's free to stay.

 

[Peavy]

Biar

I know you know your business, Judith, and probably you have an excell file for the trip , but, seeing where you are heading, I have a suggestion for you.
Carricola is a nice little place, calm, with a free area de autocaravanas, maybe with some small asphalt roads that could be good for a bike trip, not sure about that, not our area of expertise
We enjoyed some bird watching there also.

Camperplaats Carrícola · Carrícola, Valencia

maps.app.goo.gl

(Ignore the Dutch naming, no idea why is that, probably a Dutch person pinned it in Google maps)

 

[jumartoo]

I know you know your business, Judith, and probably you have an excell file for the trip , but, seeing where you are heading, I have a suggestion for you.
Carricola is a nice little place, calm, with a free area de autocaravanas, maybe with some small asphalt roads that could be good for a bike trip, not sure about that, not our area of expertise
We enjoyed some bird watching there also.

Camperplaats Carrícola · Carrícola, Valencia

maps.app.goo.gl

(Ignore the Dutch naming, no idea why is that, probably a Dutch person pinned it in Google maps)

Thanks for this recommendation. We're heading towards Xativa after Biar so we may well call in here. It looks our type of place.

We really don't know what to expect with regard to occupancy. Now many snowbirds have gone home and Semana Santa is over we're hoping for fairly quiet parking areas .

 

[jumar]

Panel tested... functions well.. storage adapted..ready to go..