Watch Flomaton Traffic Cams 24/7
July 1, 2010
Area residents interested in the traffic in Flomaton can now check out two new cameras.
The Alabama Department of Transportation has installed two live Internet traffic cameras — one at the Highway 31/Highway 29 intersection and the other at the Highway 113/Highway 31 intersection.
ALDOT can control the pan and tilt on the cameras, pointing them in different directions, so the camera view may be different at different times of the day.
For more ALDOT cameras, click here.
(Editor’s note: It may be necessary to press the “play” button below to see each camera. If you do not see videos below, it is because your work or home firewall is blocking external videos.)
LIVE VIEW: Highway 31/Highway 29, Flomaton
LIVE VIEW: Highway 113/Highway 31, Flomaton
Journal: Century Resident Continues Spain Hike
July 1, 2010
We are continuing to follow the journals of Century resident Terri Sanders as she hikes 500 miles across Spain this summer.
As Terri hikes from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, she is filing dispatches from her journal and send pictures when possible for NorthEscambia.com as she hikes the Camino de Santiago — the Way of St. James — to the Atlantic Ocean.
To read the complete series from day one, click here.
Make sure you join NorthEscambia.com the new few days as we catch up on Terri’s journey and complete the series.
(Scroll down to read entries from three different days.)
June 12 2010
Start: Castrojeriz
Destination: Fromista
Some idiot pilgrim thought it would be cool to get up 4:30 am and leave.
I had had a rough night anyway. First, Lou’s cell phone went off after he went to sleep. Of course he didn’t hear it and every few minutes it would buzz to remind him he had a message. The head of my mattress was right there at his back pack. After an hour or so I nudged him and told him his phone kept buzzing. He partially sat up, raised his hand toward his pack and fell back down on his pillow, dead to the world.
If there had of been more light in the room, I would have dug his phone out and either turned it off or threw it at him! But there were no lights; in fact there were no working lights at all in the room. It is a sure fire way to get people to go to sleep early. Of course it does not get dark here until 10:30 or so. I moved to the other end of the mattress and tried to go to sleep.
Just about the time I dozed off the lady on the mattress next to me, stretched her legs and kicked me in the head. Remember, all the mattresses on the floor are pushed up next to each other. That scared the kajebbies out of me. It was close to 3:00 am before I finally dozed off. I might have gotten 90 minutes of sleep.
I had bought a silk liner and a pack towel last night so I am looking forward to a hot shower tonight! If the hostel tonight does not have any blankets I will at least have my liner. Again, no place to eat breakfast. I am beginning to wonder what people do in these small towns for breakfast! We grabbed a power bar and headed out.
It was cold and overcast but thankfully no wind was blowing, nor was it raining. Right off the bat, we had a strenuous climb of a hundred meters over a 2 meter walk. The book says it is a glorious 21.9 kilometers on an earthen track. Someone forgot to mention the fact that it had been raining it was a slog and fight your way 21.9 kilometers while trying to stay upright! It was also a mud magnet so that within minutes you were carrying an extra couple pounds of dirt on the bottom of your shoes. It was slow going and not very glorious!
The nice thing was when we got to the top of the climb, there was a van there with two tables set up, fresh fruit and hot coffee. I am not a coffee drinker but two cups of coffee was nice on a cold day. They were owners of a hostel in Fromista where we are staying tonight. They handed out color brochures describing all the wonderful luxuries that awaited us at the end of our hike today.
About a mile later, it dawned on me that I could have asked them to transport our packs to the hotel tonight since we had already decided we were going to stay there. Sometimes I am not real bright! The thought of clean clothes, a hot shower and food was our motivation to keep up a steady pace. A few hours later we step to the side of the road to let a vehicle pass us.
Just as he passes I noticed that he was the company that transports packs for pilgrims. I tried my best to flag him down as he passed but didn’t have any luck. Lou said that was twice today I missed a golden opportunity. We rounded the corner just on the outskirts of town and there sat the van, unloading packs at a hostel .I started yelling Amigo just as he closed the back door of the van. When I reached him I asked him if he could take our packs to Fromista. Si,for 5 Euros.
We quickly tagged our packs and loaded them into the van. I grabbed a kiwi, an orange and a white chocolate candy bar and stuffed in my pockets. Off he went with both of our packs. It didn’t take long for it to dawn on us that we had very little with us. But we were rewarded with no packs and a long stretch of flat road. I almost took off running. You notice I said almost.
A few hours later we found some fairly dry grass alongside a canal and we threw down our coats and ate our snacks. Today’s trail was laid two thousand years ago. It is mind boggling to think that pilgrims walked this trail that long ago. We talked of what kind of provisions they might have had. I assured Lou that they probably did not hike in the rain!
It was 2:00 when we hiked into our hometown for the night. The hostel was on the farthest outskirts of town. After a couple of tense moments when we tried to communicate that we wanted to wash our clothes, we finally understood that you give your dirty clothes to the hostess and she washes and dries them for you. We splurged and got a private room with two twin bedsit will be a nice treat to be able to turn the lights off when we want to and not be disturbed by early risers.
I put all of my clothes together and fixed a big plastic garbage bag to wear after my shower and Lou took off to drop our clothes off. The room was cold but clean and just enough hot water for a nice long shower. Three hours later, still no clothes and we were starving. Lou did not want me to go to dinner in my plastic bag so he went looking for our clothes. He came back and said when he finally found someone who knew about our clothes they were not yet dry.
Granted the sky was overcast and not a good day to hang clothes out to dry, but three hours were more than sufficient to get them at least partially dry. Lou gave me an extra T shirt he had that was a bit longer than my sack. I wrapped a towel around my waist and told him if I was not back in an hour look for me at the jail. Again hand language came in handy. I finally found our clothes strewn over a washer and dryer. I grabbed my pair of shorts, and a shirt and headed back to the room. Lou was surprised I had found our clothes.
I told him “Hell hath no fury like a naked hungry woman.”
Miles 15.8
June 13 2010
Start: Fromista
Destination: Carrion De Los Condes
They offered breakfast here this morning. Toast, coffee, hot chocolate, and tea cakes. We ate and rejoiced as we stepped into overcast but dry skies.
The last few days have been short as far as mileage goes. We cannot go farther because the albueques are too far apart so we either do 25 miles a day or 12. Today was probably the most boring day of the trail. The trail follows the main roadway from our starting point to our destination. There was a place we could have taken an alternative trail, but the trail fizzled out at the start and wasn’t marked. We were afraid of falling into the canal or at least having to cross it, so we choose the main trail.
With it being Sunday we saw maybe 30 cars on the road . For the first time cars honk at us as we walk. It is a bit of encouragement to us. We stopped at a small town for lunch. It was early in the day so the usual smoke filled cafe was empty. Soup and a ice cream revives our spirits and we head on. The first two hostels we stopped at were full. It seems the advertising brochures that are being handed out along the trail are nothing more than a bait and switch tactic. We ended up paying 15 Euros for a room we shared with two other people.
The town side was that one of the pilgrims in here with us, turned the TV on (which is all in Spanish).He said the World Cup was on and he wanted to watch it. The trouble was he never shut up or sat down to watch it and was constantly switching channels. Gitter (a woman from Holland) came in later and I thought we were going to have a fight over the television being on constantly. It was aggravating to Lou and me but we kept our mouths shut although I did turn it down when the hiker took a shower. We have had no television in the rooms and have grown quite accustomed to the peace and quiet.
Miles 12.2
June 14 2010
Start: Carrion de los Condes
Destination: Terradillos de Templarios
I am sick…I have lost my iPod.
I use it at night to listen to music as I go to sleep .I know exactly where I left it. Every morning I wake up and it is right by my pillow. I didn’t notice that I had not packed it yesterday morning. It makes me sick. Now I will have to wait until Christmas to get one from my kids since Mother’s Day has already come and gone.
Lou and I have finally figured out something about this trail and it’s hostels. The hostel owners go up and down the road advertising rooms with 15 or 20 bunk beds for 7 Euros. But when we get there those rooms all always filled and we are stuck taking a more expensive 4 person room or a private room. The complimentary breakfasts are a joke as is most of the breakfasts offered by any cafe which happens to be open early in the mornings.
We have decided that every afternoon we will find a market, stock up on fresh fruits and stop along the trail to eat breakfast .It will be cheaper, healthier and offer more carbohydrates for the days walk than the little overpriced tea cakes we get. Enough complaining!
As we left town we stopped at a little petro station looking for something to carry for lunch. There wasn’t anything suitable for lunch but there were M&M’s which is a first to find over here. So far all I have found were Kit Kats. I spent 8 Euros on M&M’s for our snack for today.
Today we passed through a flat and somewhat featureless terrain. There is very little shade and very few public water fountains. There were virtually no cafes so we tried to pack some extra food in our packs. After we had hiked about 12 miles we came upon a little trailer where a man was grilling tiny sausages for sandwiches. He also had fresh fruit, cold drinks and beer. We each had a banana and I drank a Fanta Orange that I had got back at the petro station. One thing I have learned is just because a can has a orange label on it, that does not mean it has orange drink inside.
We took an alternate route today that took us off of the main road and along an old farming road. It was quiet and peaceful and the only sounds we heard were of the birds and our shoes hitting the trail .The sides of the trail were in full bloom of wildflowers. At one point Lou became uneasy that maybe we had missed a turn off of the trail. He said he was 50/50 sure we were on the right path. I told him I was 80/20 sure we were on the right trail. He asked me why I was so positive and I pointed ahead to a faint yellow arrow. He said he was only checking to see how honest I was.
There was just the right combination of fluffy clouds and blue skies to keep the sun off of us and a nice breeze to boot. We went through the first little town which the book says has nothing to offer. What we found was a clean cafe and great meals at a decent price. The food that is available to us has very few carbohydrates that our bodies need for energy the next day.
We got lucky today, we got fries which were not only fresh but also fried in fresh oil. A strange tradition here is that most lunch meals include a fried egg. It doesn’t matter what else the meal has, but there will be a fried egg on the plate. I guess this is how they make up for not eating breakfast!
We finally got to the hostel we were going to stay in only to discover the dorm rooms were full. We had a choice of a private room or a room with two bunk beds and a private bath, which is what we choose. I got a bottom bunk which is great for me since trying to climb a metal ladder with round rungs is a killer to already sore feet. We are hoping no one else joins us.
I walked up front to get my water bottle fill and inadvertently took a wrong turn which sent me down the other side of the hostel. There were several rooms with glass doors and all the rooms had numerous empty bunk beds .In fact there were no hikers in any of the beds. That put a really sour taste in my mouth. I am a business woman and I don’t have a problem with people making a profit. That is what business do. I do have a problem when people deceive the customers in order to make more money.
The closer we get to the end the more we find practices like this taking place. Today we reached the half way mark both in miles and in days. We are pretty much on track to finish by June 30. gone are the leisure days of 12 or so miles. This week we have mostly 15 – 20 mile days and even though the terrain is flat, it makes for a long day.
I borrowed Lou’s cell phone to call my oldest daughter and sing Happy Birthday to her. It was good to hear her voice. She told me when she first saw who it was calling, she wasn’t going to answer it because she figured it was Lou calling her to report that he had lost me! That was the exact thing I had just told him, that I bet she wouldn’t answer the phone.
Miles 16.6
Yuhasz Graduates From Basic Training
July 1, 2010
Air Force Airman John M. Yuhasz Jr. graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Yuhasz, a 2007 gradate of Northview High School, is the son of Tina Garrison of Highway 97, Molino, and John Yuhasz Sr. of Packwood Drive, Cantonment.
Make A Little Magic: Camp Fire USA
June 30, 2010
The children at the Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center were recently visited by Beau Broomall with his Magic Moments show.
“The children had an exciting time and even participated in the magic show,” said Camp Fire Century Director Pam Townson.
Broomall, who started learning magic at the age of 10, has been a professional magician for the past 20 years, performing across the country.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
McGhee, Cobb To Wed
June 27, 2010
Mr. and Mrs. Harold McGhee of Brewton are pleased to announce the engagement and upcoming marriage of their daughter, Amanda Janette McGhee, to Jonathan Patrick Cobb, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cobb of Opp.
The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mr. Carl McGhee and the late Mrs. Atrebe McGhee of Walnut Hill, Fla., and Ms. Lois Ford and the late Mr. William Ford of Phil Campbell, Ala.
She is a 2002 graduate of Flomaton High School and a 2006 graduate of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She is currently in her fourth year at the University of Alabama in Birmingham School of Optometry.
The prospective groom is the grandson of Ms. Ruth Holmes and the late Mr. Kernest Holmes of Opp and the late Mr. Guy Cobb and Mrs. Thadie Cobb of Andalusia.
He is a 2003 graduate of Straughn High School and a 2007 graduate of Troy University. He is currently in his fourth year at the University of Alabama in Birmingham School of Optometry.
The ceremony will take place on the afternoon of July 31, 2010, in Andalusia.
Hometown Recipe: Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie
June 27, 2010
We get a lot of requests for recipes at NorthEscambia.com, so over the coming weeks, we are going to give you a chance to sample a few different recipe columns.
Today, we have the “Just a Pinch” column from Janet Tharpe. Janet features the best in hometown recipes from across the country. Today, its a Browned Butter Cookie, a chocolate chip cookie that is not your average dessert. You can click the image below to load a printable pdf with a recipe card.
If you like the idea of weekly recipes here on NorthEscambia.com please let us know. Email news@northescambia.com or enter a comment at the bottom of the page.
Experts Offer Advice On Summer Vegetable Harvesting In North Escambia
June 26, 2010
Early summer vegetables are nearing harvest time, but when is the perfect time to pick? Dan Gill and Allen Owing, Louisiana State AgCenter Horticulturists offer the following tips for picking the perfect time to pick your vegetables in the North Escambia area:.
Harvest sweet corn when the silks turn light brown or darker. Peel back the shuck to see how well the kernels have developed before removing the ear. The juice of the kernel should be milky when you puncture it with your thumbnail.
Cucumbers can be harvested at your desired size; however, harvesting should be done before the cucumber begins to lose its green color. When old cucumbers begin to yellow, they’ll have well-developed seeds and become bitter. If the fruit is allowed to mature and turn yellow on the plant, the plant will stop producing new fruit.
Eggplants should be harvested when they are one-third to two-thirds of their full, mature size. The skin should be glossy. If the skin is dull, this indicates over-maturity, and the fruit will be seedy and often bitter. Harvest eggplants using pruning shears because the stem is tough.
Peppers, both sweet and hot, can be harvested at any size or color. Most peppers will turn red at maturity, but some may be green, purple, yellow or orange along the way.
Tomatoes can be harvested any time after green fruit begin to turn pink. Best quality, however, is obtained when fruit fully ripen on the plant. If you harvest early, often to get the fruit out of harm’s way from birds and insects, you can ripen the fruit at room temperature and still expect excellent quality. Tomatoes don’t need light for ripening, so there’s no need to put them in a window.
Okra should be harvested every two to three days. Most types should be harvested when they are young, tender and less than 3 inches long. The pod snaps easily from the plant when it’s harvested at the proper stage.
Summer squash, including zucchini, should be harvested small (one-half to two-thirds the mature size) and immature while the skin is still tender. The more frequent the harvesting, the more fruit the plant will produce. Use a knife to remove the fruit and leave 1 inch of stem attached.
Harvest the pods of Southern peas – purple hull, black-eyed and others – when they’re well-filled and have changed to a light straw, silver or purple color, depending on the variety. They shell easiest at this stage.
Harvesting watermelons is a bit tricky. Look at the tendril or “pigtail” closest to the melon. When this tendril turns brown and dries out, it is a good sign that the melon is ripe. Also look at the bottom of the melon where it lays on the ground. When this area, sometimes referred to as the “color spot”, turns from white to a light yellow, there is a good chance the watermelon is ripe. The thump test is done by thumping the top of the melon. If the watermelon has a dull thud when thumped, it is very possible the melon is ripe. Unripe melons will usually have a tighter, ringing or hollow sound.
It’s Hard To Say Goodbye: Reader’s Pensacola Beach Oil Photos
June 24, 2010
It was the day that the World’s Whitest Beaches were no more. It was the day that the oil began to wash onto the shores of Pensacola Beach. It was the day the sands were stained black with oil; it was the day the tears of the locals stained the remaining sugar white sand.
It was Wednesday, June 23, 2010. Masses of oil began to wash onto Pensacola Beach from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Walnut Hill resident Regina Hare was there and submitted a gallery of photos for NorthEscambia.com readers. She titled the photos “It’s hard to say goodbye”.
Click here for the photos “It’s hard to say goodbye”.
Submitted photos by Regina Hare for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
On The Trail Again: Century Resident Continues Hike Across Spain
June 24, 2010
We are continuing to follow the journals of Century resident Terri Sanders as she hikes 500 miles across Spain this summer.
As Terri hikes from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, she will file dispatches from her journal and send pictures when possible for NorthEscambia.com as she hikes the Camino de Santiago — the Way of St. James — to the Atlantic Ocean.
After a bit of a stomach virus setback at an emergency room visit the last time we checked in with Terri, she’s off again….
To read the complete series from day one, click here.
(Make sure you scroll down to read entries from three different days.)
June 9 2010
Start: Narvarrete
Destination: Burgos
We left the hostel this morning and headed for the bus stop. After waiting 45 minutes a gentleman came and told us we were at the wrong bus top. We just made it to the right stop as the bus turned the corner. We put our packs in the luggage storage and hopped on board.
We are jumping forward to Burgos in order to stay on track. My episode at the emergency room and subsequent bed rest has thrown us off. Gratefully Lou hasn’t thrown me away. In fact both he and the hostel owner have been most solicitous. It was rainy and overcast for the two hour ride to Burgos, but we saw some beautiful scenery and small farms. We both agreed that this was a great way to see the scenery. We got into Burgos just before lunch.
I realized that I had left my walking stick back on the bench at the bus station .I am glad I only paid 5 Euros for it. We got our tickets to see the Burgos Cathedral. We grabbed some soup at a little café. We are learning a few words of Spanish and were glad we got what we ordered.
We then went in search of our hostel which is above a small quaint chapel. There are only 16 bunks here, a small kitchen, shower and toilets. After a refreshing nap, we went for a three hour tour of the cathedral. This is my first cathedral and I quickly ran down my camera battery and got a stiff neck to boot.
The self tour was absolutely great; you could stop and stay as long as you wanted in each of the smaller cathedrals that were built hundreds of years ago. It seems that a ruler or a bishop would just add a room onto the original building.
Afterwards we went on an hour tour of the city on a small train. It was another way to see some of the historic places here without lots of walking. We did take a long stroll along one of the many tree lined streets here. There are lots of plazas and we got lost trying to get back to the hostel. We finally found it and then spent some time in prayer and reflection in the small chapel. I lit a candle for a special prayer request. This is the first time I have ever done that even though I spent the first 8 years of my life as a Catholic.
We found another small café for supper which also offered wi fi and we both checked our emails. I found another hiking stick, this one for 4 Euros. Maybe I can keep track of this one. Tomorrow we start walking again. We had doubled up the miles on several days last week in order to get us ahead before I got sick.
We hope to finish in Santiago on the 30 of June. I discovered as I got ready for bed that my silk liner, my wash cloth and pack towel had not made it into my pack. Somewhere in the changing of rooms they were lost .The towel and wash cloth are no big deal I had washed them and hung them out to dry and Lou just didn’t recognize them as mine. The liner however was on top of my bed when I left for the hospital. It was nowhere to be found when we came back, but losing my silk liner is a big deal. It is all I have to sleep under at night. Sometimes the hostels have some blankets, sometimes they do not. I put all of the clothes I have with me on, covered the bottom half of me with Lou’s coat which was partially dry, at least inside and used my coat to cover the rest of me.
Bus miles 90
June 10 2010
Start: Burgos
Destination: Hornillos del Camino
It had started raining last night and continued this morning. We are brave, we are fearful, we are crazy! We packed up then found a small café where we got hot tea and croissants for breakfast. It was drizzling as we walked out later. The book said that today we would have very little shade and it could be a long hot walk.
It would have been had it not been pouring rain. Sometimes the rain came down in sheets and then let up only to hit us with bursts of gusts that kept taking my pack cover and my hat off. After an hour or so we stopped for a cup of hot chocolate. Talk about something tasting good.
Then it was back into the elements for another few hours before we stopped again for hot tea and a snack. It was nice and warm in the cafes which made getting back outside in the rain and wind twice as hard. Somehow I had gotten the towns confused and when we came to the small village of Hornillus del Camino I thought we were breaking for lunch. I thought we had another 2.5 kilometers to go before we were through for the day. This was a nice surprise. The next town was too far away for us to try to make and besides we were both soaking wet and tired of being blasted with rain and wind.
There was a nice fire going in the fireplace and we got our passport stamped. We know have enough stamps in our passports to collect our certificates in Santiago. The albueque was full so we were put over in the overflow room. There is one shower, a bathroom and a room with 7 bunks beds. The room is big enough for 4 bunk beds!
There was a heater by my bed and I got the point across that I wanted her to turn it on. She leaned over the bed, turned the switches and said” Now work.” Thankfully there were blankets on every bed. I grabbed two from close by bunks and prayed no one would come in and need a blanket. A Korean lady gave me hers since she had a sleeping bag. Durn, I used to have a nice sleeping bag, and a silk liner. Oh well!
I changed into dry clothes and lay down to dry and get warm. I thought I would never get my core temperature up to normal. I kept reaching up and messing with the heater knobs to no avail. It took close to an hour before I felt warm again. This group is the quietest group of hikers I have ever been with. Within a couple hours this room was full also and I am glad we got here when we did. We walked down the street to a little café (that is all they have here) and got supper.
I had pasta with tomatoes and breaded hack. Lots of bread and a glass of wine. Of course I couldn’t eat it all so Lou finished it up for me. He was supposed to save the piece of fish for tomorrow’s lunch, but he wolfed it down in a hurry, and then added dessert on top of that. Back in the bunkhouse I climbed under all the blankets and bid Lou good night. An early day for us and a short one.
Miles 12.4
June 11 2010
Start: Hornillus del Camoni
Destination: Castorjeriz
I purposely avoided looking out the window when I got up and packed up.There is no breakfast here so we were going to eat a power bar and hike until we found a nice place for an early lunch.
I groaned when I stepped outside. Once again it was cold, rainy, windy and miserable. But true to our nature we took a deep breath and dove right into the mud and started walking. Today we set a record. We were on the trail by 7:00 am. That is unusual for us since my day doesn’t begin until 8:00am.
So we slogged along eating our power bars and trying in vain to stay dry. Today I wished everyone a Buenos Aqua Camino which means Good Wet Way. And wet it was!
Today we travel the lonely meseta with only the sounds of nature to entertain us. It was too cold to take any breaks so we kept on walking. We got to the town of Hontanos. It had been almost an hour since it had rained and we were celebrating! The first two little bars we came to were full of hungry wet hikers with standing room only.
We plodded on down to the next one, it was the same. We were almost out of town and ready to turn around and go back when Lou stuck his head in the door of a little market. Lou is a big, tall guy and with his pack on he cannot go through most of these small doors. We hit pay dirt.
It was a tiny market but it had a cappuccino machine which said hot chocolate and hot tea to us! Lou took his pack off and we walked in. It felt like heaven! We greeted the manager who was wearing a Michigan State sweatshirt. Lou went to Michigan State. It was warm, dry and had one table and 3 bar stools. And it was empty!
The manager took his sweatshirt off and handed it to me. Oh man oh man what trail magic! The sweatshirt was warm and cozy. I was completed soaked. We started off with a couple homemade muffins, some hot drinks and a couple bananas. This was not a café but a tiny market with fresh produce. We are seating there when Lou spies some fresh eggs. Then he notices that there is a one burner stove against the wall. Well in two shakes of a lamb’s tail Lou had the guy frying up eggs, added bread and jam to the plate and proudly served us! It was a meal fit for a king in our eyes and we were warm and dry.
There is a small hostel here and we met a couple in their thirties that are hiking all over the world. She is from Hungary, he is from California. He sold all he owned two years ago and has been walking ever since. When money runs low, he simply finds a job for a few weeks! As does she. What a nomad life. It sounded good in theory but I am too old for that kind of adventure.
We took a 90 minute break, just talking to these young people and then stepped back out into reality. Cold, wet ,miserable. Just after lunch thankfully the rain stops and we are left with muddy roads, wet bodies and clothes and nothing but farm land to entertain us. Also not trees to hide behind. At one point we split up Lou on one side of the road, me over in some weeds on the other side of the road, taking a potty break.
We have saw very few vehicles all day. Wouldn’t you know it, just as I squatted down, this van comes barreling around the corner. He gets a look of Lou standing close to a tree and immediately turns his head towards the other side of the road. You want to guess what he saw? Yep, you are right, me in a full squat in plain sight of him. I simply did what anyone would do. I waved at him and waved and started laughing so hard I had no trouble finishing the job!
We came to the ruins of an old church and Lou thought it would be a good idea to climb up there and check it out. It would have been had it not been raining and had we taken our packs off first. I handed him my stick to help him up the bank. Then I had visions of him rolling down on top of me, so I made haste back down to the road. He never made it to the top.
We questioned why we didn’t take our packs off first. By early afternoon we had not had any rain for several hours. As we hiked into our hometown for the night, we passed a pilgrim taking on the phone. He caught up with us a while later and told me he recognized me. It was the hiker I ran into back in Pamplona.
I told him he was famous, and he asked why? I said because of us meeting two weeks ago in the motel. I said no because you wouldn’t let you granddaughter drive me to St.Jean. We hiked into the town of Castrojeriz and found the municipal hostel. Twenty five bunks in a room, six twin mattresses on the floor, shower, and a microwave. All for a donation. We grabbed two places on the floor and unpacked our stuff.
I would have taken a hot shower except I had no towel. On the Appalachian Trail the longest I went without a shower was 11 days. Maybe I will set a new record. I do have some little soaped disposable wipes. I wash the 3 main important places, in the right order mind you and say I am clean. There are blankets on the bed though, so I know I will be warm. There is a faint piece of blue sky outside so we hope for dry weather tomorrow. There is an outfitters here (town of 1,000) so after his manana time which is between 2 and 4 pm I will go and check out the sleeping bags and a towel!
Miles 13.4
Still Time To Register For Camp Fire VPK
June 23, 2010
Voluntary pre-kindergarten registration is still underway for the 2010-2011 school year the the Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center. For more information about VPK, contact Pam Townson at (850) 256-0953. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
