May 25, 2016:
We spent a rest day at Camping du Chateau Vert, giving my butt a chance to recover from the hard riding of the day before. Luckily, or unluckily, this was the only completely sunshiny day we’ve had since our arrival. Would a sunny day be better spent on the bike or in camp resting? Either way, it was a glorious respite.
And that evening, we met Henk, a traveler from the Netherlands who is doing the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage by bicycle. He’s not the first one we’ve met doing this, but he’s the first cycle tourist we’ve had the pleasure of camping with.
Henk, like most cycle travelers, is completely obsessed with weight (the weight of the loaded bicycle, not himself). He even decides what snacks to buy en route based on how light they are. In my opinion, the lighter and puffier they are, the less they satisfy a hard-working cyclist, so what’s point?
The lighter the bike, the easier (and arguably, more enjoyable) the riding. Here at Team Lumaca, however, we take a different approach. Form over function! Or at least comfort over speed. If we were in our 20s, or going for a short trip, then maybe we’d rethink this. But, seeing as we’ll be out here for 6+ months, and we’re a few decades beyond our college years, we’ve opted for more creature comforts. Well, I say “we,” but really it’s me more than Mark.
Mark is slightly embarrassed by how much we’re carrying. Yet, even he enjoys the creature comforts once we’re in camp. And after using our gear for a few weeks, when asked what he thinks is superfluous, he never mentions the blow-up pillow, the cooking equipment, the fresh milk we buy every day, the laptop, or any of the other non-traditional (read: heavy) stuff we carry. For example, he used to disparage the Kitty moka, but now, after a few weeks on the road, he admits that having hot, fresh-brewed coffee is a great way to start the day, especially a cold, wet one! And the Kitty makes friends everywhere we go, since people are happy to share a hot cup of fresh brewed Italian coffee with us in the morning! Mmmmmm! Coffffffeeeeee!