The Camino is not a race! Yeah, but I was pretty fast today (for an old man)

A lot of today’s walk looked like this. Oaks and chestnuts lined the path beside a quiet country road. Unharvested fields of corn and sunflowers filled out the horizons.

Today went by blazingly fast. So fast, it is barely half done and the walk is over.

The walk between Bercianos Del Real Camino and Mansilla de las Mulas was 17 miles and for the first time since I started, I arrived at my auberge before check-in time.

That called for a coffee and pastry at the adjacent cafe.

Every day lately seems to provide some startling object to negotiate to get the morning started.

By my personal count, that was my third stop for coffee and a snack today.

This Camino walk is getting terribly civilized.

But what was the rush?

That’s the moon, or what is left of it. There were stars out too. A good sign that the rain might hold off today.

My only roommate was up before 6 am that meant I was, too. As I said before, I don’t mind leaving in the dark.

The whole way to Mansilla, I was either chasing rain or running from it. I couldn’t tell for sure. There were puddles a plenty and some ditches were full of water.

But no rain coming down.

El Burgo Ranero, my first coffee stop, offered some whimsy and a modest church (for a change).

Just a perfect autumn day.

I must be chasing the harvest season as well. There are still fields of corn and sunflowers untouched by the combines.

At one point, the barely audible whispers of the corn field grew louder and more insistent. Rain was racing and rasping through the dry stalks and headed my way.

Scenes from the road:

As it grew to an uproar, I pulled out the poncho to cover the pack, just as the corn field went still.

Not a drop in sight.

For the first time, the Cantabrian Mountains were visible to the north. How majestic they look after days of walking the wide agrarian plains of the Meseta.

So why do you think the artist included an Earth-changing meteor in this bucolic scene? I think the seat in front was placed there for people who want to think about this.

More forest areas are visible as well. We are ready again for another change in the ecosphere.

But first, tomorrow, there is Leon, about 18 kilometers away. That may call for a rest day, too. The last major stop before Santiago.

One more reason that today flew by: I changed up my walking style. Instead of the lumbering heel strike, I landed forefoot first. Just as I used to as a runner.

Trust me, the camera did not distort the lines of this house.

I felt so good.

Less impact on the legs, better posture, more foreword trajectory. I was knocking off some 17-minute miles!

So this was at a picnic area beside the path. As I was leaving, a large group rolled in. “Legend says, the one who pulls this sword from the stone, gets a free ride to Santiago,” I told them. They laughed. But as I left, I could hear them debating whether to try pulling it out.

Another thing about today, I did not recognize a single person on the Camino. Not even vaguely familiar faces from the past weeks.

A cat makes its one big decision of the day:

Last night, a half-dozen of us shared a pilgrim’s dinner. I encountered many more Camino friends during the day.

Where did they all go?

Perhaps the answer is in Leon.

Just took a walk to the market in Mansilla for snacks. Pictures don’t show it all but check out the Gate of St. James. Now those were thick walls. The church is modest and peaceful inside — 18th century built around a 13th century church.

The town square is massive! Like every Spanish town of whatever size, the square is central to the life of the community.