stretched, showered, breakfasted well and good feeling I left the hostel early in the morning. I remember feeling a kind of admiration in the people I looked to leave the room and start to mount saddlebags (Ay, always the ego).
Weather was on my side, the sky is always blue.
again, hell of a morning, overcast and cool that does not become cold. Few cars on the road, so I pedaled very comfortable knowing well that at first there would be more downs than ups. (Have you noticed that it is not the same as the slope of the hill climb of your life?).
As I was very good, made a few stops to take pictures, and that he intended to reach Majaelrayo. Only occasionally stopped to eat some bananas, nuts or chocolate bars and Muesly Planters (either rich), you know, food for athletes.
caves near Tamajón.
About traveled the road the previous day, but in reverse. Once you reach the point of departure improvise a bit on the route. The only thing that was clear is that this night was going to sleep in the woods, and since I did not shop because I had to seek shelter. I was told it was easy to find in the area, and the detailed map was the same. Furthermore, the previous day had seen that there are many small buildings scattered along the roads board than the abandoned villages. Another choice was the Mountain Refuge Cantalojas Canal, only that it was many miles up. So based on advanced, searching for "home." Although to catch one of these houses do not ask the last two also have their payroll that. We must appreciate certain things: proximity-distance population, "dangerousness" (how to measure it), etc.
first thing I valued was the "Enchanted City" by Tamajón, which is full of caves and adjacent to Tamajón. I explored the caves and saw that there were bottles of alcohol and remains of fires, so I dismissed as being a bridge Friday night I did not want coincide with a bottle.
Blue after the pines are not the sky but the water (it was on a downward slope.)
I determined to turn the Vado Reservoir, to remember that old a little excursion I spoke. It is a small lake, surrounded by a sea of \u200b\u200bpines. I say genuine sea because it is the product of a contentious repopulation of icons, with high density of trees per hectare (with the dangers of fire and unnatural leads can become such linear pine forests). The truth that going up there with the warmth of the afternoon and the smell of pine, I came memories of summer. And in Spain, if you go to camp, there are great chances of smelling of pine, are everywhere, like the Charlies in the Vietnamese jungle.
For a picture that I do, and blurry.
my vehicle next to the dam of El Vado. Gravity dam built in 1954, "nothing to do with Hoover's, uh, Alvaro?
In my eagerness to Kellyfinder looked and looked at the map looking for the red squares represent "Building", and I saw those "Camping Area" in one of the recesses of the dam. So I went looking for him, consisted of a pair of barracks, a place for barbecues and even a small pier. However, it was abandoned, and had boarded up the doors and windows, although they had already been broken. It seems that the place was popular among youth to the summer of 2006, as all the dates of the signatures were up to that time. There were the typical painted crappy drawings and painted phrases like "Mary and Thomas always together," "The Vane me sucks," "Viva Guadalupe" or "Fucking Nazi", and associated dates and subsequent stud. I'm a fan of these painted so I do not know why I did not take any photos. No more than to now one that I saw at Cape Gata which read: "Elena (cock) eat chicken" and someone put next to "Di ke yes."
This photo is not of this trip but San José, Cabo de Gata, another great trip.
The case is also not convinced me. Before the night approached I had to have already chosen a site and could not find nearby. Or so I thought I was going to the village hoping to find a renovated house or open up to me Cantalojas the mountain retreat environment with more people and mountaineer. In these situations one gets his calculations, and often unrealistic, so I decided to go for Cantalojas, eat fast and once eaten Majaelrayo would go over there.
Typical construction on small pieces of slate, in El Espinar.
By the way I was going the Wall, that is, hunger and inhuman and Perico said, "came the harness", that is, every inch seemed eternal to me and got a low gradient small dish. Passing Campillejo I saw a restaurant, I thought it was too early and could make an effort to the next town. So when I reached the next town, El Espinar, did not place to eat and came back. Bar-Restaurant Apple, well Majete, I drank two Hitch Aquariums and then a menu of green beans with ham, fried eggs and sausage and chips with his third of Mahoney and rice pudding dessert that tasted like heaven blessed me. If you go through the area I recommend. After the feast there was no one cogiera the bike so I threw a nap next to a wall and some cows. Time passed so ... Good bye, Cantalojas.
So another change of course. Nearby was the famous lost while Aljibe Gorge (pictured on the cover of the map of the Sierra de Ayllón Shop Green). There are some waterfalls that form natural swimming pools. I was told that you can swim, so they were part of my list of goals and so I took swimsuit and towel. I also had mental straw that the next day I could wash and bathe there in total naturist plan. So he said, would see the waterfalls and sleep in the nearby Matallana.
Matallana (along with The Vihuela, La Vereda, and El Vado) is one of the people dispossessed and abandoned by the construction of the dam or the possibility of new construction. Here is a small injustice in my opinion: El Vado Reservoir, in the province of Guadalajara, was built to Jarama accumulate water, (the first stop in the course of the river) and under control of the Canal de Isabel II, supplying water to the city of Madrid, located about 120 miles away. It says that the people living intermittently Matallana youth groups, the different labels they are qualified for hippies, squatters, neo-rural.
Up to this point after the nap had traveled 52 km, the rest of the day until 8 km would stop, believe me, quite harder than the first 52.
To get to the Barranco del Aljibe-at which time, I was surrounded by roads and a tree thickets, with stunning views in the distance. Occasionally crossed pastures where there were cows with horns and black which gave very bad scene, but a guy who was filling a tractor drinkers said they were cows, bulls were not. Were beef cows, a breed in the area, but I've forgotten the name.
the background looks like there is the Sierra de la Puebla, with the Collado de las Pilas, which leads to the snowcapped peak of the Centenera (1810 m).
The road suddenly widened and became a track but a track with piedracas and steep downhill and the bike, bicycles and we are getting what our saddlebags. I chose to get out and slowing down the hill, and yet it was crappy.
The cuestaca death (nothing to envy the famous hill of the Casa de Campo) had a small stream, the stream of Soto. There were two options: go back up the hill and start over or cross. As to cross.
never flip-flops are bad.
the map in "points of interest" are marked with a black star and the title and the star next to "Barranco del Aljibe" take up a lot and it is difficult to make it just right. I left the bike and started to walk a little and found it. Are two consecutive waterfalls, the pond that forms between the two cascades is impressive, surrounded by steep cliffs that form a perfect circle. Down stream so much better bath for the summer, when less water falls. The waterfall as the stream flows into the Jarama Soto, who is very strong from above until it slows down the dam of El Vado Reservoir formed a few miles downstream. The good picture meant getting into a rock on the other side, so I was not copying the cover photo.
Searching the perfect shot, but from this side would be no.
I turned the bike, and between the rock of the area, and TIGHT roads that were made through the brambles I realized that this was not to bike. After a while, pricked, and soon turned to spin. And while I had the bike flipped and changed the cameras appeared a wolf.
Yes, a wolf for seven months as the owner told me that appeared later. Thus began a long conversation:
- What are you doing here just for a bike?
"Nothing, hiking (I thought, dammit, and you and your wolf).
"I have to do is give you a girlfriend who also likes to go with the bike.
"If I have, but do not like the bike, and is also in Germany (Although it appears this is changing, the bike and Germany, which already is low).
- Jesus, in Germany! I love Germany. I want to go but my wife does not convince, to go outside to go to the castle in France that is on an island reachable only at low tide. For
between Germany and the wolf had enough of that talk. He was passionate about his breeding wolf, is that there is a English association of the wolf, there are people in the Pyrenees are also wolves. Then came his wife, his daughter and her mother. They came from all Roblelacasa excursion. Matallana took the opportunity to ask him, I making me crazy. "Well there
a couple had previously lived with the child, but she returned to Madrid with the child. He is still there, and sometimes more people come, those hippies. I call the people of the Vespa is a Vespa abandoned at the door.
- But are they good people?
"Yes, pst, not bad people, are rare guys.
- How rare?
- Well to understand, not like you or me, who will want to stay in an abandoned village.
to all this I thought it said a guy who goes to a wolf in the field. Haha, and I wanted to sleep there. I explained the way and said goodbye. With the talk and end to fix punctures I threw it over time.
So began the ordeal: apart from the rush, the road became impossible. Had to be done on foot, and not only that, it was so TIGHT, who could not dragging the bike from one side of the bike. Or on the bike, or bike on his back or anything, but on the bike impossible. So did the following, dismounting the saddle, moved a short distance off the bike in tow, left the bike, and again by the saddle bags and brought back to me where the bike, so all the time. If the road is widened it to push the bike, the bags are then brought some snags with brambles flip to what I had to add the constant chatter the bike through the brambles. I already had the people (beautiful, a few houses and a church made entirely of slate, with large oak trees between them and the evening light illuminating) in front, across the ravine that forms the Jarama when I found what was supposed to be of meet at some point if he wanted to reach Matallana: a bridge.
Eye, a small wooden bridge. Indiana Jones style. I do not think a bridge that is on the list of bridges from the Ministry of Development. Sitting on a rock, resting his steps, I took my time to assess the bridge over the river Jarama. About 3 feet high, borderline logs 7 in the evening, cold water ... Paso. (I would add that the Wolf Man, his wife, his daughter 12 years y. .. her mother had been out there if they came from Matallana).
One last look at the precipice of the cistern.
So where can sleep because I can not go anywhere. Continued ...
