Today was a long one — 18 miles from Los Arcos to Logroño— but it felt like it took no time at all.

It was different from the start.

I left in the dark and almost immediately met Minli from Malaysia and we fell into talking easily in the slowly unfolding dawn.

It shouldn’t have been. She is a 40-year-old independent woman. I’m a pretty old guy. Her father and I were born the same year.

And yet, the conversation flowed as easily as the walking.

But it wasn’t just the two of us.

We’ve both met lots of pilgrims, some are people we both know. This morning as I was leaving Casa de la Abuela, I paused to take a photo for a group of Scots and Minli. I’d sat at dinner with half the crew and we had a grand time. She’d apparently sat with the other half.

On the road we ran into mutual friends Eoghan (Owen) from Ireland, Rodney and Janie and Joe and Bridget all from Kansas City. Later Young and Abby from Korea and Sierra from California, and ex-pat Kadi from Spain joined the parade.

The whole band walked off and on together for the whole day.For the first time, I watched contacts being exchanged and group photos being taken.

In the walled city of Viana, we all paused for lunch and lingered over good conversation.

It was the sort of Camino day that you dream of having.

As weary as we may be, I think this band is starting to feel we are living the Camino dream.

Tomorrow is an even longer day, almost 30 kilometers. I will be stopping short of Nájera, in the village of Ventosa, partially to give my knee a rest.

It behaved beautifully today, after switching footwear. I think Hokas are probably good shoes but I’m pretty sure they were pronating my knee.

One more thing, my friend Minli has a group of friends back home who are following her. Each day, they send her a color. At the end of the day, she sends a collection of photos she took that day, featuring that color.

Pretty cool, huh?