Poladura de la Tercia to Pajares, June 14

Today's stage continued our mountain trek through Asturias, and included two passes.  As soon as we left the village of Poladura we were climbing up the opposite side of the valley.  Our path was mostly through open meadows, sometimes working our way around or through rocky outcrops.

 

One of the pleasures of mountain hiking is that, the more one climbs, the better the views.

 

 

Flowers are in full bloom at this time of year.  The heather is really something.

Here's the view at the top of our first pass.

We dropped down the other side, then began climbing again.  I think most of those flowers alongside the trail are heather.

We topped out again at Puerto de Pajares, which sits at the top of the crest right by the border between  the states of Leon and Asturias.  There's a little cafe where the road crosses at the summit; we stopped in for a sandwich.  Unfortunately it was too chilly to sit outside and enjoy the view while we ate.

Then, we headed down the other side toward our destination in the small village of Pajares.  There's a very nice albergue there.  It even has a vending machine for beer.

After a little relaxing and a shower we spent some time walking around the village.  We met some older residents sitting on a bench, enjoying the views and chatting.  One of them, once he learned we were from the US, took Dan over to his garage to show off his beautifully restored 1950 REO wrecker.  This is not your everyday tow truck: it's one of those super-duty jobs for towing heavy trucks.  Three axles, all with drive, PTO at front and rear.  He used to have the towing business in town, and serviced that stretch of road including the steep pass we'd just crossed.  We also discovered a shared interest in Nordic skiing.  He was twice on Spain's Olympic team.  Looking at the mountains where he'd grown up and still lived, it was easy to see how his skills and fitness had developed to that level.