“Never let your fears decide your fate” – unknown
May 30 Las Herrerias to O’Cebreiro
Today’s miles – 5.3 Total miles 394.5
Elizabeth: We are officially in Galicia, a new province in Spain. We love this region. We are from Vermont originally. Gary says Galicia reminds him of being in Vermont in the 1800’s. Lush green forests, rolling mountains, pastures, cattle and barns.
Chelsea, Cooper and I rode up the hill to O’Cebreiro on horseback! We had booked the ride with Victor months ago. (Al Paso on Facebook or WhatsApp +34 638 04 18 23) Gary walked the hill (about 5 miles) and we hoofed it to the top! It gave Chelsea and I another day of leg rest.
After meeting Gary at the top in O’Cebreiro we had a drink and some tapas with Victor and he then took the horses back down the hill readying for another group leaving at 2pm the same day. Victor just started an e-bike rental service and Chelsea lit up! “You mean we can ride a bike to the next town 14 miles downhill?!” It was set in stone. We would help Victor’s business and he would help us! Victor said he’d have the bikes brought up to our hotel at 9:30AM. SOLD! E and Chelsea were, yet again, saved from a long downhill, gained another day of rest on knees and shin pain, and added to our adventure of doing the Camino our way! We were both a bit nervous taking off on our own but we balanced each other out. She was familiar with e-bikes, I have never ridden one. I was familiar with where we were going, from previous years on this stretch. We both were a bit fearful of the long downhill and being on a black top road. With the cars. We decided we would do this together.
O’Cebreiro was founded in 836 (yup, 3 numbers not 4!) The church has some interesting history and stories about the miracle of the O’Cebreiro Holy Grail – a chalice, currently within the church since the 800’s – if you are intrigued, you can read about it online. Cooper found it very fascinating and while I was in front of the church in the evening, a couple of people asked me to take their picture due to its interesting and long history. We attended the pilgrim blessing and reconnected with lots of people we have been passing and they passing us for weeks.
We are all on the same path, The Way of St. James, the Camino Frances. Each one of us is experiencing our own emotions, revelations and realizations. Some like the up hills, some (few) prefer the downhills, who takes the alternate routes vs. the primary route; do you stop to sit on a quiet hill alone just outside a small village or stay an extra night in the big cities. Is one walking alone, or joined by a new found Camino friend, walking with a family member or neighbor from home. Are you riding a bike, are you doing a small section or walking the entire route? Someone recently divorced, had a loss of a spouse or close friend; did you sell everything you own or quit a job to walk the Camino as a new beginning. Whatever the reason, we are all walking in the same direction, in search of something, whether religious, spiritual or just for a long walk of contemplation. One thing is for sure. Love, tolerance and understanding is abundant on The Way.
Gary: Cooper and I continue to walk extra miles every day, so he can reach his goal of 1,000 kilometers. So far he has about 50k extra – 30 miles. Last night we walked 2+ miles up the hill (900’ of vertical) Chelsea & E rode the horses up. As we were walking down, we saw some friends who were very confusing to see us walking backwards on the path in the late afternoon. Tonight, we again walked to the top of a near by hill and then did a loop enjoying the scenery. So far so good. We both feel great physically, so why not? I walked 300 km on the Portuguese route, so I think I passed the 1,000 km mark today.
I really enjoy the walk up the hill. Today as I was looking for a geaocache and a South Korean woman asked what I was doing. She was very intrigued and was excited to sign the log. We all had a great day.
May 31 O’Cebreiro to Triacastela
Today’s miles – 13.3 Total miles 407.8
Elizabeth: Cooper and Gary left O’Cebreiro at 7AM to walk the over 13 miles to Triacastela, our next stop for the night. Chelsea and I got breakfast at 8:30AM and met our e-bike guy out in front of the restaurant. After riding around the parking lot getting used to the heavy weight of the frame, learning how to use the electronic part of the bike, and adjusting our helmets, we put on our down jackets and gloves, and were off! The temps earlier in the day were 40 degrees. It had warmed up a few degrees but the very low clouds and our fast speed through the wind on our motorized bikes definitely warranted the extra warm clothes!
We thought it would take us about 2 hours to ride the 14.5 miles on the road but after a couple of short stops on the mostly downhill route, we soared into Triacastela in one hour flat! Chelsea and I were both a bit disappointed. We had so much fun and didn’t want the adventure to end! Our bike guy took our backpacks from O’Cebreiro to Triacastela and said he’d be about 2 hours. Thinking at the time, we had an hour to enjoy, we parked our bikes to see the church in Triacastela, walked around the cemetery and planned on riding down to the river in town. As we approached our bikes a few minutes later, there was a bike guy sitting by the e-bikes. GPS sure does work! He knew right where we were. Although the time was cut short (we could have kept them longer if we wanted) we decided to hand them over, collect our packs and go check into Complexo Xacobeo Albergue and Pension.
Clouds were thick and low out of O’Cebreiro 
E and C ready to motor! 
The Pilgrim Statue at Alto de San Roque, Gary’s view 
Pilgrim Statue when E & C stopped at it 
Triacastela baby buddha with moon over his head! 
Triacastela church. 3 Castle engravings midway, below white statue 
Coops enjoying the woods walk with his dad 
Galician traffic jam on the Camino (see arrows?) 
Cooper back left, cow owner on motor bike , cool sunray’s rainbow and shadows : )
Chelsea and I gathered our dirty clothes, used the Pension’s washer and dryer (for a fee) walked the town a bit (population roughly 600) and then greeted Gary and Cooper as they entered town. We all shared a meal Pulpo (octopus), Padron peppers (small, sweet green peppers roasted with sea salt from Padron, Spain), French fries, a small dish of Paella (seafood and rice casserole) with a beer for each of us.
Cooper is still working on doing 1000k total so Gary and he went for a walk to knock off more miles.
G: Tomorrow we are taking an alternate route through the farm country. I have never been on the primary route out of Triacastela, so Coop and I headed out on it to get his extra miles for the day. The primary route is right along a road in a valley. The sun was hot, no wind and basically a boring walk. We are both glad there is an alternate tomorrow.
We had a great walk this morning. We saw several familiar people, especially when we stopped at two different cafes along the route. My South Korean geocaching friend was excited to see us. She had seen Cooper on the horses yesterday. We walked for a bit with a farmer from Uruguay who is walking his fourth Camino. Cooper really enjoyed the conversation with all the common interests. So many interesting people here.
What we find in a soul mate is not something to tame, but something wild to run with.
Robert Brault
Gary and Elizabeth's Adventures 