After a difficult but also beautiful day I am sitting in my tent, reflecting my past days since I was visiting project kamp and what I have experienced.
It has been an over all great time but I noticed that my mood started to change, I am more grumpy than usual and I feel a bit like my bike, a few things could need a proper cleaning, the chain be oiled and the gears be readjusted in order to continue in a smooth way. But already tomorrow, if all works out and my body doesn’t strike I will reach Milfontes where I will spend the night and get a visit by some friends the day after. From there it is just a 35 km ride back to Tamera, which I plan to do on Monday.
So let’s start where we ended last time.
I left project Kamp and was not yet sure where exactly I would like to drive towards the south, rather by the coast or through the inside.
I still had a bit of time to consider but felt a bit lost as there were no major points anymore on my list besides driving home to Tamera. After a bit of driving and a good cafe I found a route that I wanted to cycle.
My path went along a famous road, the longest one in Portugal which goes once through the country from north to south and you find a lot of beautiful sights and views on its way. So I gave it a try and was again on a road that was also used again by bike travelers, always a nice thing to see people following the same passion.
After I checked my new route I saw that my navigation sent me through a town called Pedrogao Grande, which was the centre of a huge forest fire 5 years ago where many people lost their life’s. I went there 10 days after to support a befriended project, Gravito and other places with a group of people. It was by chance that my navigation sent me by all the cafes we stopped and where we talked to some locals so they could find some open ears for their freightening experiences.
It was crazy to be reminded to all the black hills from horizon to horizon, but I was glad to see that the plants were coming back, even though it leaves the area with more ecological challenges than before due to the type of trees that were growing there.
So I thought to visit again Gravito and asked if they were open to host me for the night, which they happyly sayd yes to and so I had to hurry up to make it for dinner. That day was crazy as I cycled 100 kilometres through the mountains with a 1000 meter climb at the end.
But on time I found a beautiful group sitting at a big wooden table, all illuminated by candles and we had a delicious vegan dinner. They offered me to sleep on a bed in a tipi which I was very happy about.
The next morning I got up early in order to get the best moment to jump into the creek that is running through the property, a bliss for a body that gets used so much.
Finally I got to see the land in daylight, everything changed so much and it was the same like the day before, the burned area was transformed into a green young forest and they were luckily implementing some water retention measurements so the winter rain would not wash off all the topsoil like it is usually the case after a fire if it rains too strong and no vegetation can hold and slow it down. I went for a short walk and then also packed again my things and continued my day, also my hosts were busy to prepare for an upcoming seminar they were hosting.
After I moved on I was thinking often about all the dried up rivers and lakes I encountered, the places where you wouldn’t find a single tree anymore or where complete mountains were black because they entirely burned down. It was frustrating to cycle through so much land in need, especially because the beauty is often so tensible and the problems only occur due to human mismanagement.
It is also a time in which their is quite some Sahara dust in the air, which gave all the heat and landscape a very dramatic touch.
It was not an easy day to continue, I felt still the effort of the day before and the mixture of the mentioned sceneries and thoughts made it hard to stay in a motivated mindset.
A moment I celebrated when I cycled over the Tejo river that would eventually flow through Lisbon. It was one step closer to my home and my friends and family.
I got ever more creative with the places I chose for breaks or to sleep, here I had a shower half naked in a city under that water hydrant. It was so hot and dry that my things were dry again after a 45 minute break.
That day I decided to cycle again a bit into the night, it is something I can definitely recommend if you have a properly illuminated bike. You will discover the world in a completely different mood and frequency.
After a night under a pine tree I was driving again and it became a bit challenging that the temperatures were still going to climb that day and the Sahara dust would still be around. The only nice thing about it is the interesting photo effect it has.
I am often wondering what pictures would you like to see, as I find the landscape pretty boring. But what I love about Portugal, especially the countryside is it’s people and their uniqueness. I hope this will never change as it gives it it’s character and special charme. Unfortunately you find this world mostly among the older people, and often in bars.
That day I continued to follow the Tejo river and it’s wetlands, it was the first time I saw rice fields in my life.
It was a day made to honour the name of my blog, dusty road stories.
I was pretty done in the evening and prepared my usual meal – lentil stew with different vegis. I chose again my new motto, hiding in plain sight and camped in the centre of the village, as there was access to drinkingwater, which made life much more easy.
I got nice company by two young adults and a 9 year old, who came with their bikes to practice some tricks, drink some beers and smoke some Mary Jane. They were very nice and we were drinking together until late that evening, gladly I didn’t drink too much. Yet it was a night again where I couldn’t fall asleep, I had these spinning thoughts that would keep me from calming down, which was a bad base for the next day.
The morning was pretty standard, I packed my things, got a coffee and was excited to finally reach the Atlantic. I forgot to mention that I changed my plans to travel through the inland because my navigation always wanted to send me by the coast. After some consideration I was very happy I took it’s suggestion specially because of the hot temperatures and the frying sun.
I could continue to write for hours about the heat, the sun, the dust, the boring landscape, but I will fast forward to the moment where I finally reached Setubal, and with that I had my first contact with the Atlantic Ocean and the bay where the Sado river enters the sea.
I then took the ferry to get to the other side and I was happy again for the break I could have. My batteries are not very full these days and so I didn’t cycle much more afterwards.
After I pushed myself a bit further I had a nice meal in a bar that had a cool food truck in their backyard. When I was finished I just opened my tent a minute away on a parking lot, I didn’t have much energy left to go searching a nice place.
That was the view from my tent just before I wrote my diary, now I am happy I managed to write about the most important aspects of the last days and can soon snuggle into my cozy sleeping bag.
I hope you enjoyed my stories, you can send me some more energy for my last 95 kilometres and that I have a smooth arrival back home. I will still keep you updated, the tour is not over yet.
See you soon!
dusty road stories 