Hot, Hot, Hot

Caliente!  That's the only word for today. And I'm not talking about the Viagra vending machine in the restaurant where we stopped for lunch (although Brianna assures me that it is really is essential "if you want to get it on in the bathroom"). Oy. Where did I get these children?

Anyway, it was temperature hot today too.  We left our hostel before 6:00 a.m., and by 8:00 it was already 90 degrees.  I have developed a fabulous knee-pit tan from the sun that shines continuously on the  back of my calves from the minute it peeks above the horizon until the minute we check into a hostel in the afternoon.  The problem with walking in one direction the whole time is that the sun shines on the same spot every single day. 

It was a day to finally don the sun hats.

Today was really about survival.  We sought shade whenever it was kind enough to pop up somewhere (and sometimes that looked like the shade of a street sign). We had a brief bout of silliness at a playground in the morning with a web/swing, and then the kids enjoyed a run through a farmer's crop sprinklers later in the afternoon.  Otherwise we marched on through the sun and heat, just clicking off the kilometers. 

Sweating it our over Puente Orbigo in the last hour

Home stretch

We changed our plan to do 45 kilometers today and decided to spread some distance out over tomorrow as well. We ended our day in a tiny town called Viillares de Orbigo (just 31km) with a plan to now do 35 km into the mountains tomorrow.  We are hoping that the mountains will bring some cooler weather in addition to their steep climbs. And, if it is hot, I'm just praying that all of the heat will be coming from the sun, and that they keep the Viagra in the pharmacy and spare me the awkward lunchtime education from my kids.