Ucero

Today we had a short but sweet ride from Quintanar de la Sierra to the Cañón del Rio Lobo national park. We passed through lots of pine forest on extremely quiet roads.

As we approached the national park and our campground for the night I asked Carrie when we would actually see a canyon. It was nothing but pine forest as far as I could tell.

Two pedal strokes later we arrived at a viewpoint. We parked our bikes and walked through the trees and then before our eyes appeared the canyon. The canyon wasn’t as massive as our grand one at home, but it still left an impression. Large vultures were floating along the red and white canyon walls in search of lunch. And at the bottom of the canyon a snaking line of poplars hugged what we assumed to be the Rio Lobo, although at this point in the season rio was perhaps an overstatement. If there was any water down there it was at best the width of a creek but more likely a rivulet.

We rode some switchbacks down to the canyon floor and to our campsite just south of the park entrance. It was much cooler in the canyon. That night I was wishing for the down jacket I sent home during the heat wave in June in Ireland.