Mike McClenahan

Villafranca Del Bierzo to Las Herrerias to Fonfria to Samos We left Villafranca Del Bierzo and began our ascent up the valley. We are following the Rio Valcarnes river along the old highway and crossing the main, new highway built on ginormous structures. It's actually a little bit of a challenge to walk hours when it would take minutes in a car or bus. Our morning prayer desires to "behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in His temple." Sometimes that is a church, and we have been welcomed into beautiful ancient places of worship. But this stretch is the beauty of creation--green lush hills, animals and birds, streams and flowers exploding in wonder and life.  We spent the night in Las Herrerias and enjoyed this view of the cows grazing in the meadow. We watched the storm clouds move into the valley. This hostel is owned by David. His family converted his grandfather's barn into rooms and a restaurant. He's 31 and partners with his sister. He works non-sto...

Rabanal del Camino to Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo We are sitting in our albergue in Villafranca and it's pouring down rain. Check weather.com or your international weather channel and you'll see its true. Rain. Nothing but rain this weekend ALL OVER SPAIN. We are eating locally fried potato chips, olives, marcona almonds and Bierzo Roble. Fortunately we have a beautiful view of the river, should it overflow and flood our street. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Two accomplishments for the past two days:  1. We are within 200 km of Santiago. 2. We crossed over the highest pass of the Camino since the Pyranees. The flowers and slate rock were stunning. We kept saying, people spend thousands of dollars to recreate this in their gardens. Over the pass is the Cruz de Ferro, the iron cross where pilgrims drop the burdens they have been carrying. We each dropped something important to us and read a psalm.  The snow capped moun...

Villadangos del Páramo to San Justo to Castrillo de los Polvazares to Rabanal del Camino On our way up out of the  meseta  we passed through the medieval festival in Hospital de Órbigo, which celebrates the story of the knight who defeated the other jousters and got the girl. Apparently this is the inspiration for Cervantes’ Don Quixote. A priest stopped to tell us the story while we were caring for our feet at the end of town. It was actually very sweet. He wrote a book on the Quixotic pilgrim who, like Cervantes' dreamer desires a better life for society, and for him or herself, and endures the pain to get there. The Camino is a quest inward to make a difference outwardly. He said the pain in our feet makes the Camino mean something to us. He blessed us. As we crossed the mountain pass of  Santo Toribio toward Astorga,  with the red soil and blue-blue skies, we came across Diego who has provided pilgrims free food and drink for eight years. A shop owne...