The Algarve, Seville and the Spanish countryside
It was a straight shot down the southwestern Portuguese coast to the corner of the continent. By avoiding freeways, I found beautifully paved winding, narrow roads among an ocean of bright green farmland. A perfect day of riding entails leaving mid-morning, pausing for a road-side picnic in the countryside, and then settling for the evening an hour before sundown. The first day of riding was just that. Reaching The Algarve, I ventured into some clay foot trails (taking the bike, of course) to the coastline, flirting with gorgeous cliffs and hidden alcoves carved into the rock face.
Just a few hours south of Lisbon or two hours west from Seville, The Algarve is a must-see for anyone spending a few days on the peninsula. Still a bit reluctant to fire up the drone in public, I hid inland a bit and nearly lost it for good this time. Strong winds carried the Mav down the coastline, and the rocks dampened remote reception. The screen view went black and “CONNECTION LOST” flashed red. “Crap! I lost it already.” After my heart skipped a few beats, Maverick automatically ascended to a higher altitude and regained contact. Legit. I love this thing. I spent the evening at a beachside resort, gathering stares from retirees and vacationing families alike, as Green and I had collected an assortment of clay and foliage from the off-roading. The next morning, we’d push east.
Seville is beautiful. Amazing architecture, personality, and history, combining ancient Roman ruins with a great nightlife. The city was also hosting the Zurich Marathon of Seville and Ruta de Sol cycle race over the weekend, creating more energy throughout the city…along with blocked roads. I'd locked up and covered Green for two full days out of the saddle, so roach closures weren't that important. However, at this point, the restlessness to make progress really took hold. I’d promised a friend I’d visit NYC for her birthday celebration that coming weekend, so I’d need to pause a few days longer before taking the bike into Morocco. If I pushed on, I likely couldn't leave Morocco, having temporarily imported the bike without a carnet de passage. Furthermore, if the bike is stolen in Morocco, international green card insurance would not provide reimbursement. Thus, it was best to leave Green in Spain and I would have to bide my time for a few days. Flights from Morocco to NYC had already been booked, complicating logistics. But, sometimes ya "gotta go see about a girl."
Take the stagnant feeling knowing there’s another 28,000 miles ahead and layer on the general loneliness of solo travel and you have pretty lousy, depression-inducing cocktail. After spending a couple days countering those emotions by seeing sites, working out, and planning routes, it was time to move…time to cover some ground and satisfy deprived senses.
For a day trip, I ventured over the Doñana National Park, a 55,000-hectare marsh southwest of Seville. It took 20-kilometers of improperly classified sand roads and a handful of submerged canal roads to motivate me to move along. Fortunately, this afforded Green a good bath, removing the clay and coniferous hitchhikers clinging on from The Algarve.
Moving due east, I spent the night in Zahara, near Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park. I had a great experience with my host, Sacha, which I'll cover later. I'd plotted a nice loop through the natural park, winding through small pueblo blancos. Light mist covered the mountainside, but soon lifted and the roads dried out to allow for some aggressive riding. As mentioned in "The Steed" page, the GS motorcycle is the most equipped in the world for this versatile riding. Nothing beats putting every capability to the test in such diverse conditions over the course of a three-hour ride. I'd left my luggage at the AirBnB, so now by toggling a switch, the suspension physically squatted down to a setting for just one passenger. When encountering wet morning roads, the "Rain" setting dampens the engine's responsiveness and traction control sensitivity responsiveness increases to prevent slippage...and as the roads dry, I push a button for "Dynamic" mode and all the horses in Green's stable come alive to zip us out of corners while the suspension hardens to support leaning deeper into corners. When the pavement ends, the suspension is set to a softer mode and Green glides across uneven terrain.
Cutting forgotten mud mountain trails and pristine winding passes through Sierra de Grazalema was a blast. Then it was back to Seville to park Green for a few days for a whirlwind trip to Marrakech and New York. Riding gets real and the backtracking ends upon return. Only forward progress from here on out.
