Where's Mike?

Section 12: Portugal

Click here to see section eleven: Espana

Tuesday December 20th

Tavira, Portugal: I have a plethora of maps, and guide pamphlets, from the tourist info center at the border, and see that some backtracking will be required to check out the salt flats and old castle of Castro Marim. After saying goodbye to the Brits and Swede, Iberia continues to present me, in addition to the German couple and the new Swedes, I flashed it to Vila Real de St. Antonio and the famed Blue Elephant.

As claimed by multiple campers, the Blue Elephant was happy to fill my propane tanks. 22.19l in the empty one and 14.52l in the partial tank. I was surprised to have so much left after forty days/nights of cooking, refrigerating, showering, and periodic heating. At this rate, propane is costing me about .92e/day and that means it makes little sense to pay the extra 2-5e for power in a campground in order to save on the heating costs. Actually, it makes little sense to go to a campground for much of anything.

After spending a bit more cash restocking the cupboards, I headed off to a free-camp on the road to Quatro Aguas, in Tavira, to barbeque some dinner. Quatro Aguas is a nice location where four bodies of water come together, an historic meeting location, and is also home of the ferry (1e RT) that will take you to the sandy island, across from the scenic harbor, for watching the many flamingo, stork, heron, and more. That lot was paved, not great for a BBQ, and a bit crowded, so I headed about 500 meters down the road, on the side of a canal going up to another harbor, for my camp site. The periodic fishing boat coming, and going, through the night didn't bother me at all...on the contrary.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 65

Supplies:

Misc: 20.74e for 36.7l LPG

Odometer: 95439

Wednesday December 21st

Adam and Eve Campsite near Aldeia Nova, Portugal: Having two full tanks of propane, adequate fresh water, and a stocked cupboard made for a very contented nights sleep. No worries, no stress, and no problems...combined with additional knowledge that free-camping and general survival really is peaceful...in general.

I woke up, stepped out of my moho to piss into the brackish canal, and gazed across at the eastern part of the village. Damn, I am not sure how it can get much better than this? Additionally, I have been thinking about, calculating, some of the costs, and realize that they are insignificant, in relation to what I was spending in Seattle, or even in Ellensburg...in both financial, AND environmental, terms.

It is almost as if I am living a subsistence living of two, or more, hundred years ago. My 2nd and 3rd concerns are food and water...to a lesser degree, battery power. Shelter and clothing, a couple other biggies, are dealt with. The battery power is something I have been considering though. I believe I am the only person mohoinit with neither a generator nor solar panels to re-charge their systems.

I have considered them both, and plan on keeping an open mind, but have not seen the need so far. I can last two days and three nights of using pretty much all the power I want, with no battery problems. I am sure I could even last another day, or two, but have just not stayed that long prior to firing up my rig. Of course, I have no TV, VCR, or microwave, like the vast majority of the campers I have met.

Oh, my first concern/priority is, of course, the fun factor. Museums/ruins, flying, biking, walking, people watching, swimming exploration, etc.. I am getting plenty of all, except, perhaps, the flying part of it.

So...I backtracked to Castro Marim this morning to catch what I had missed yesterday. Pulling into the local car-park, I quickly met up with Paul and his wife. They are great people, and also new to mohoinit. We went to their rig and chatted for almost an hour, about life, things to see in town, and solar panels.

On the list, for later, is the  toilet block, a fresh water supply, and tank dump...and these facilities are all FOR FREE and just around the corner of this town parking lot, which is friendly to camper vans!!! They also have showers, but they will cost .13e. Damn!!! I can afford .13e for a long, hot, high powered shower, pretty much any day of the week, so plan on enjoying that later! :-)

Right now, I was headed for a hike up to the castle, where I saw not only a nice view of the Main Church of Castro Marim, construction dating to both the 18th and 19th century, complete with striking, and elegant, bell tower, but also the Spain-Portugal bridge I had crossed the day prior. Beautiful views!

Turning inside the walls revealed an interesting excavation of even more ancient habitation walls, but also a tree struggling for life in the harsh climate...providing shade and comfort to many, regardless of it's perilous existence in this raw climate.

One of my reason for backtracking was to explore the mirrored salt pans, piles of salt, and men scraping out their meager lives in the various pools. Hmmm...The pans are centuries old, and I was hoping to observe the process/stages as the brine becomes increasingly concentrated to the point of crystallization. Perhaps it has to do with all the physiques I was encouraged to study in college by my advisors/s, or maybe I just enjoy the order? Regardless of the reasoning of my presence, all I saw was slimy pond, after slimy pond.

Yep, I tasted it. Who would have thought I wouldn't? Salty, but nothing significant in the taste. However, there was one thing that became momentarily alarming, and that was the old dude with the pick-axe over his shoulder that scared a bit more salt, and other nutrients, into the ponds. I guess he lives in one of the huts and was just off to check on a pond, or scare the piss out of me.

We took the time to speak. No Spanish, no English, and no Portuguese. With sign language, facial expressions, body language, and scratchings in the mud, we spoke. For about a half an hour!

Yes, these are the salt pans I seek. Yes, he does the work of the man shown in my tourist brochure/photo. No, there are no piles of salt now. Of course, I must return between May and September (summer! DUH!) to see the final product. Yes, I am from America...the United States and Washington State. Seattle. No, Not Washington D.C.. No I do not know GW. OF COURSE! You can look me up anytime you get to the USA!

He wandered off, with his tools over his shoulder.

Returning, now, is a must. The difference between winter and summer will be significant.

Back in town, I made my way to the fresh water, showers, and toilet block to find a line...behind Some Brit filling his tanks. As we were chatting,  he asked where I was from. I answered, and then asked the same...he said he was a mongrel, but never actually told me where he was from. Sort of a smart ass, but a good guy. He asked how big my connection was (sort of personal, don't ya think?),  since the tap was over one inch diameter, and then offered to let me use his hose (again, sort of personal). His wife, Fiona, and The Mongrel, invited me back to lunch, but I had just eaten, so did laundry first, and then drove over to park for a cuppa, a chat, an exchange of info, and an exchange of Autoroute data files on European camping.

Paul and his wife (why can't I remember  her name?) came back, at some point in the early evening, and we all BS'ed for a couple more hours in The Mongrel's rig, and then I, along with Mark the Mongrel and Fiona, headed off to the Adam and Eve beach campsite at Aldeia Nova, instead of remaining at the louder parking lot in Castro Marim. Dinner of beans, ala Fiona, and fun conversation into the night completed the evening.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 0

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 95461

Thursday December 22nd

Tavira, Portugal: Left Adam and Eve beach camp and headed back into town for that .13e shower, filled my fresh water tanks, and did a few more laundry items in Castro Marim. I then headed off to Vila Real de Santo Antonio for a piece of tuna & fresh veggies at the local market, in addition to taking a walk around the town square.

Vila Real is interesting in that it is a carefully planned city that stuck to a rigid architectural model, and the tangle of crooked streets common in Europe, is absent. The town was totally re-built in 1776, using mostly prefab blocks from Lisbon, and using a lot of the knowledge gained from Lisbon's 1775 quake, and subsequent reconstruction.

The old town, was, supposedly "swallowed up by" the sea and shifting dunes, but I don't think it was a direct result of a specific event such as quake or wave. They just built it too close to the sea to begin with.

Anyway, the town does not have much more to offer, other than this strange order.

In the afternoon I headed back to Tavira to pick up the last of the two Portugal free-camping books and was told that someone else just came in and got one as well. As driving out to Quatro Aqua I ran into the same British couple with the tandem bike and we chatted for a bit. THEY were the ones that bought the camping book before I arrived. Small world.

Having stayed at the Quatro Aguas area before, I headed to Forte do Rato, just east of Tavira, met a young Dutch couple in a van, the youngest I have seen this winter, and then went to start a bbq. As I was doing that, Fiona and Mark the Mongrel pulled in and joined me for a dinner of grilled tuna, veggie kebobs, a fresh salad, and long discussions into the night on politics, Iraq, US gun policy, and more.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 6e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 14e on two Portugal camping books, and .13e for a shower!

Odometer: 95489

Friday December 23rd

Santa Luzia, Portugal: A bit  rain last night, and it looked like even more for the day. I packed up, and planned to head a fair distance down the coast, but only made it a few clicks to a sleepy little fishing village with pleasant, and level, harbor-side parking.

By the time I arrived, it was drizzling quite a bit. For nearing the end of December, I would actually LOVE to have a really good rain storm. Heck, I would not even mind snow for a white Christmas, but there is no way that is going to happen. Anyway, I made up a big pot of pork and veggie red curry to have over rice, and called it an early night after exploring almost every street and passage in town, chatting to a couple other campers, and watching dozens of fishing boats come and go.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 57e for 59l at 95491km for 480km on the tank

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 11e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 95504

Saturday December 24th

Barragem do Arade, Portugal: I enjoyed the silence of Santa Luiza immensely...very little noise, regardless of being right by all the boats in the bay. The fishermen, unlike some locations, came and went quite silently. In fact, about the only thing I heard all night, were a few showers, that turned into a good amount of rain, by morning light.

I closed up the van and headed into the mountains, and barragem (reservoir, verses a natural lake) do Arade for the holiday weekend.

As I arrived, a terrific downpour began. I stepped out of my rig for a serious soak/shower in the rain before warming up in my own shower. When things let up, all the campers came out to marvel at the still running streams through camp. Lots of Brits, and a few Dutch, here for weeks on end.

One solo guy, was especially chatty, which I guess comes from traveling alone, and we continued to talk for a couple hours, until another major shower hit, forcing us to our respective mohos.

As I was talking, I was looking at the brown water of the lake. Absolutely murky and nothing I would care to swim in.

Rupert mentioned that the water is condemned and that it can not even be used for irrigating the orange groves. I believed him.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 1.6e

Food/Drink: 15.05e on my Check card

Supplies: 3e for splatter screen

Misc: 0

Odometer: 95601

Sunday December 25th

Barragem do Arade, Portugal: Merry Christmas everyone!!! Not only did I not send out my typical cards this year, but I also failed to do my annual holiday wine party...which, of course anyone memorized by my personal diary, has always been, and will always be, invited to. It was always a ton of fun to prepare for, and enjoy. The cards, too, were fun to pick out.

Instead, in all this RAIN, the only things I did was to sleep in, fill my water tank with fresh rain water, and make a garlic/cream/lardon/hard egg sauce (more a Miguelito verses an Alfredo) for a potluck with a couple of Canadians and one Dutch woman who pulled, separately, into the camp in the late afternoon.

Not a bad Christmas. Hope everyone reading got the gifts they deserved. :-)

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 0

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 95601

Monday December 26th

Boco do Rio, Portugal: Left the mud filled parking lot by the scrungy Barregem do Arado, and drove up to the equally brown Barregem do Funcho, which was also filled with logs, and other debris, from the recent storm.

Neither lake is worth a second look from a purely aesthetic view point, but are interesting from a civil engineering perspective in order to see how things are done differently, and similarly, than what I am used to in the USA. The last dictator, what was his name, had numerous dams constructed all over Portugal.

There is an incredible amount of erosion, carrying massive quantities of silt into these reservoirs, and I can not help but wonder how long before the build-up will make them totally inoperable, verses just mostly useless.

I have no idea, but I was tired of looking at soupy brown lakes in the rain so I headed downhill to Silves, supposedly a great town, with loads of history, and a fantastic castle.

Although the castle was closed for the holidays...not that I gave a hoot, since I have seen many...I was able to bike around it, and town, for about an hour, or so.

The thing I found the most interesting was the bridge over the Arade river, same color as the reservoir, dating back to Medieval times. Up until only a few years ago, it was the only connection Silves had to the coast without a boat.

After biking around Silves, I headed further west, on tiny, little maintained, sea-side, roads to Boca do Rio where I was able to check out some castle ruins before heading down to the beach and running into Fiona and Mark the Mongrel once again.

The rain had let up, so, after I got my moho organized for the night, Mark and I took a couple hours for a hike, that was able to be turned into a bushwhacking slog, with me in only my shorts and tee-shirt, lasting until just prior to sunset.

I brought some sherry over for a nice nightcap at their place after a shower and dinner. They are both really nice, and I am happy to have met them.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 0

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 95702

Tuesday December 27th

Sarges Portugal: Was up before dawn and felt like hiking. The fishermen were out in force, on my secluded, or not so, beach I chose to rough camp at. A beautiful sunrise removed any doubt of why these guys get up at the wee-hours to bait a hook by the cool sea. Peaceful...

I hiked from Boco do Rio to Salema, about three clicks, in order check out the town, the town I was originally planning on camping at, and found it to be quite nice, attractive, and small. The camping location was actually up the shaded valley from town, on a packed dirt parking lot, which made me feel much happier about my better choice for a rest stop last night. In the summer, though, this shaded and cool local would be prime real-estate for a camper.

I headed back to the cliff-side trail, realized I lost my hat (cold this morning), headed back to find it hanging on a post ala some kind soul, and then began my trip home in earnest. Beautiful lighting and views along the way.

When I made it back to the beach, and started talking with my Dutch neighbor with the puppy, I realized that I had, AGAIN, lost my hat!!! How big of a dumb ass can I be? Headed back, and finally found it about halfway back to Salema.

When I got back to my rig, I drained my fresh water tank and flushed it with a weak bleach solution. I have been wanting to wash out the tank for a while now...ever since I got some bad (not toxic, just silt filled) water in Spain a few days ago.

Then, after refilling the fresh water at the local Intermarche, I drove out to the Cabo de Sao Vicente lighthouse, precariously perched on the southwestern most point of Europe. Mark and Fiona were on a similar plan.

Cabo de Sao Vicente is an attractive area, yet filled with tourists (yikes, don't say me!), so we all decided to backtrack a bit for a potluck lunch at the Mongrel's rig and then view the old fort (Belixe) down the road, which is now falling into the sea due to years of cliff-face erosion and undercutting.

Walking around the cliff faces, sheer to the, seemingly mild, sea below, would be sure death, as about five of the finest local fishermen, and even more-so, their loved ones, realize each and every year.

After this great day, I wandered back into Sagres and checked out a cool surf beach, the harbor, another lighthouse on Ponta del Atalaia, and town in general. I wound up heading back to the surfer-beach to do laundry and camp out. Lots of "youngsters" here at this beach.

I noticed my fridge is not keeping things as cold as normal...!

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 2e at the free internet cafe.

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 95743

Wednesday December 28th

Sagres, Portugal: It is confirmed, my fridge has gone TU. A local surfer dude recommended I remove it, turn it upside down for 24 hours, and this would clear any Freon clog that may have developed. I guess that could make sense to me, if it weren't for the fact that it seems to cool when I am driving, and using the battery. Just does not work on the gas.

I decided to take a walk around the local castle, and clear my head. Ran into Mark and Fiona again, and Mark suggested that the upside down fix may be a load of crap, and that if it is the Freon, I probably just need a new fridge. More walking, more head clearing. More views of fishermen on the narrow edge.

Back in town at the internet cafe, Bill, some guy I met the day prior down at the harbor, asked me for some help on his computer, and offered to help me with my fridge if I came down later that afternoon. Worth a try.

Bill and I took off the access panels and blew a ton of rust out of the gas jet. I guess this rust builds up in the chimney, and then periodically falls down, clogging the jet. With my off-road adventures, I am surprised it did not happen sooner. It worked brilliantly after that, so I invited Bill in for a glass of celebratory wine. By the second bottle, his wife, and the couple they are camping with made it back to camp and we then moved the party to Bills and Ann's Rig where it continued strong.

We were all having a great time, but becoming famished, as the night drew on. We were starting to talk about getting some food, when Karole showed up with five plates of stewed chicken, veggies, and mashed potatoes from her and Andy's rig. What timing!

After dinner, the guitar and keyboards came out and we sang the classics, including, but not limited to, the long version of American Pie, Puff the Magic Dragon, Where Have All The Flowers Gone, and many more! They all must have been drunk, because no one complained about my off key voice.

At some point, Bill had to crash out (he has inoperable cancer, that tuckers him out) so we moved over to Andy and Karole's rig for one last nightcap and a few other songs. Not sure how long they managed to take it after I called it a night?

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 0

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 95751

Thursday December 29th

Sagres Portugal: Around 11:30 when I climbed out of my rig, Karole made me a cup of foul tasting English Tea (actually, I am sure it was brilliant, I just don't drink tea, other than herbal) and told me they  were going to have given me till noon before coming over and seeing if I was alive. The boys had already been fishing at the end of the pier for several hours.

Topped off my fresh water tank up at the castle, did some shopping, burned up some chicken cacciatore and crashed early.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 30

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 95755

Friday December 30th

.

Sagres, Portugal: I decided to move up to the level cobblestone parking area just above the surfing beach for the next couple of nights. This puts me about a 2 min walk to the bars in town, about five minute walk to the festivities happening at the castle, and right on the edge for the field the fireworks display will be launched from tomorrow night.

A bit after I got there, the two brit couples from the past two nights came up from the harbor as well, and stopped by for a cocktail in the early evening. I then I did up a spectacular bbq.

Later in the evening, I went out to see if anyone was pre-functioning prior to New Years. It was hopping. Sagres is a tiny town, but it seems everyone in Portugal comes here for New years. 13 dj's at the castle are planned, five for the disco, and two for my favorite internet bar on the main street...also, the main street will be closed off to cars so partiers will have space.

Looking forward to it.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 32e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 95780

Saturday December 31st

Sagres, Portugal: I headed off early this morning for a long walk to the Cabo de Sao Vicente lighthouse, about 6km one way, and then back to Tonel beach near Sagres. Still being early, no one was at this beautiful place, so I headed down the trail, picked out a rock, and chilled with my current book. In time, a few surfers began showing up as the tide started coming in for the second time in the last 24.

I was basically minding my own business, yet periodically watching, and photographing, the surfers, which initially was just two women and then four. One sort of looked like she knew what she was doing, but the others fumbled a lot. It was quite entertaining watching them surf for a second, tumble for several, and then paddle, once again, for minutes on end.

A few others surfers or kite flyers periodically showed up, but they were mostly over in the large sandy beach area, and not near me on my rock perch...which happened to be in front of the best break.

As I was watching this one surfer right near me, she took a wicked tumble that made me laugh out loud. It is always funny watching someone learn something new...until her surf board pops to the surface, followed quickly by a black wet suit. Face down. Hmmm. I think I actually watched for a couple seconds before it registered. She was only about 15 feet from the beach, right in the surf, but not standing up. Even with my limited knowledge of surfing, I realized this could not be right. I yelled something like "hey, are you ok". Thinking about it now, even if her face wasn't in the surf, she would understand my English question about as well as I would understand her Portuguese answer.

My brain finally (2-3 seconds, that seemed like a lifetime) kicked into gear, I jumped, screaming, off my rock, ran into the thigh-deep surf, and rolled over a non-moving black blob of neoprene. I grabbed her by an arm and the neck of her wet suit and drug her to shore. Still no-one around, but people 50 meters away were starting to give me odd looks at this stage.

No breathing that I could detect from her mouth, and blood starting to come from both her nose and a forehead/cheek abrasion. Shit! I had to get the wet suit off to REALLY ck for breathing and a heartbeat. I had no knife so was struggling to roll her on her side, in the hopes of draining some water and to be able to unzip the suit, when about five hands reached out to help. I think they were all chattering about something, but I didn't hear it. With the top down, and her on her side, and some other hands holding her head, I again put my ear to her mouth in the hopes of feeling a breath...all the while trying to think!!! What do I do? CPR? Pump on her stomach help her spit the water out? Clear the airway? WHAT!!! About that time she puked in my ear, and coughed. I wiped her mouth with my hand, and made sure her tongue, and mouth, were clear, and she puked again, and started to really cough, spraying a bit less water each time.

As I write this, I am not sure if all those other hands actually thought I knew what I was doing, I didn't, or if they just knew I was going to get a face full of saltwater omelet.

When she opened her eyes, all I could see is terror. I pulled off my fleece top, covered her up, and asked if she was ok. She said something I could not understand, but the others (now about 20, gathered around) were speaking with her. One girl, dripping, in a wet suit, and perhaps her surf buddy, was crying and holding her hand. I backed out of the ring, and headed to the sea to wash the puke off my head. I then started walking home....

About two clicks down the road, a car screeched to a halt in front of me, and then two more. Several people jumped out and ran toward me. Am I about to get my ass kicked? Nope, just a bunch of thanks, and "Dude", and the return of my fanny pack (passport, cash, credit cards, drivers license, airline tickets, camera, and book) that I left on the rock after all the excitement. Pukey was there as well, and looking much better. They were heading to the clinic to get the small abrasion looked at, but she looked fine to me.

After they all piled back into their rigs, sans Mike, as I needed the walk, one guy (dare I say kid, and date myself?) jumped out again and ran over to me with, what was probably his last, bottle of beer. I think that was very cool.

Back at the moho I grabbed a hot shower and found three of the surfers at my door when I got out. They had my fleece, nicely folded up, and wanted to return it. Maria (???) will be just fine, more thanks, Obrigado, Obrigado, Obrigado!

I felt like another shower at that stage, just to make sure the last of Maria's breakfast was out of my ear canal, and then, having drink invites from brits at both ends of the lot, I started west, and worked east. By the time I was at the east end, it was close to midnight, so I stayed there for the fireworks. INCREDIBLY CLOSE!!! My God. I got smoke partials in my eye, and a piece of shrapnel on my cheek that left a mark!

Headed up to town for an hour or so, decided to skip the Castle and the disco, but partied with about five Germans back in my rig into the morning. They had a five liter jug of wine, and I had glasses.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 9.5e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 95780

Sunday January 1st

Barregem do Pego do Altar, Portugal: Having heard back from Volvo that I could not fly out of Lisboa, and must fly from Madrid when leaving Iberia, I needed to sort out a plan. Several of the Brits mentioned that I may be able to just get a cheap ticket out of Faro or Lisboa, which seemed like a great idea to me. Unfortunately, little could be done on Jan 1st with Sagres still recovering from last night, so I decided to head toward Lisboa to at least be in striking distance of Madrid if I could not sort it out on Monday.

Along the way I crossed the Rio Mira, saw the rugged seas and attractive beaches a few clicks toward the sea, so stopped for lunch at Vila Nova de Milfontes at the outlet. After an hours rest and relaxation, I jumped back into the seat for another bit of driving though cork forests, and ultimately a nice Barragem outside of Lisoa/Setubal for the night.

Was greeted by several friendly campers who showed me where the free hot showers were, the tank dump, the fresh water, and directed me to a great site that catches the morning sun. I hope to ck on a flight, and vehicle storage, from Alcacer do Sal in the morning.

Oh, happy New Year Everyone!

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 52.50e for 53.85l at 95936km for 443 traveled

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 0

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 96005

Monday January 2nd

Madrid, Espana: It was cold last night...almost as cold as my time spent in Granada, Spain. Just a few miles north makes a difference between swimming in the surf (on occasion) and having to crank the heater at night.

I was pulling out before most of the other campers were up. Really wanted to get to an internet location and see about flying out of Lisboa. If I could do this, it would make the next few days much more relaxing, and also be easier upon my return, since there are still things I want to do in Portugal.

Unfortunately, there was no joy. The cost for a ticket at this stage would be about 300e at the least, and I could drive there for less than half that amount. The only downside is the time lost, but hey, I have a year, so why not?!?

I jumped on 253 which would take me to A6 (I had heard that the E/W highways were toll free) and into Espana from there. Found out the is no such thing as a free lunch, but still, the highway made the trip faster, regardless of my moho.

Autoroute did not have any free camps near Madrid, so I stayed at Camping Osuna, quite near the airport, instead. I had emailed them this morning about the cost of moho storage, and found they wanted 10e/day once I arrived!!! Will shop around a bit in the morning.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 52e for 57l at 96357km for 421 since last tank...on my visa check card.

Tolls: 13.90e

Food/Drink: 2.5e

Supplies: 5.7e for one liter of oil

Misc: 0

Odometer: 96624

Tuesday January 3rd

Madrid, Spain: Drove around looking for a few supplies and a place to park my rig. 10e/day at the camp, 6e at the airport, or about 2e, plus 80 in taxis, out of town at Parking Madrid. Nice guys (Ramiro and Pedro, the boss), with big, mean, Rotweiller's patrolling the place at night...I went with them.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 16.05

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 0

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 96782

Wednesday January 4th

San Sebastian, Espana: My last night in the campground allowed me to use all their hot water for cleaning up the rig before heading out to Parking Madrid. They let me stay just outside the gate to their place, but still inside the main complex, so all I have to do is wake up, drive into the lot, and jump in their rig for a ride to the airport.

The mean dogs I had heard about are wagging their tails and looking pretty happy.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 16.05e

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 1.5

Supplies: 3e for packing tape

Misc: 0

Odometer: 96809

Thursday January 5th

Somewhere North of the Arctic Circle at 38,000 feet: Although I am excited to visit friends and family back in the US, I still have to wonder about leaving the warmth of Iberian beaches for the rain of Seattle.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 5e for bfast 250for vino.

Supplies: 0

Misc: 96e for ride to airport and one month of moho storage.

Odometer: Hopefully the same as last night

Since picking up the moho on Nov 9th

Camp Fees:~299 (or about 5.25euro/night over 57 nights)

Fuel Cost: ~739e (or about .114euro/km or about 13euro/day)

Food/Drink: 1035 (inc the 250 worth of wine to bring home, or about 18.16euro/day)

Total Kilometers: 6,499 (or about 114km/day)