AdventureDad

 

Sandra riding up Mulhacén, the highest mountain in continental Spain

 

Powershot S30, ISO 100

 

A few years ago we did a fantastic adventure in  Spain.  We packed our high end mountain bikes and flew down to the mountains in southern Spain.  We used a condo in Marbella the first week as a base for excursions into the mountains and the second week we stayed at various cabins while we enjoyed the great nature southern Spain has to offer.  Most of our time was spent in the nice and quiet Alpujarras region.

 

Most think of golf and partying when considering southern Spain but as you get away from the drunken idiots in the larger cities Marbella and Malaga a whole other view of Spain emerges.  Smaller towns, friendlier people, beautiful mountains and nature, and of course great food and wine.  Each morning we packed our bikes on the car and headed to a different national park or mountain area.  We rode the whole day and  got back in time for great food and lots of wine.  We also did spend a couple of days by the pool and finished off the last three days with rock climbing in El Chorro.

 

In the picture above, we're riding up the highest mountain in continental Spain, Mulhacén.  It's only about 3500 m. high (11600 feet) but it's a great experience to bike all the way to the top. Sandra rode up about halfway, for reasons explained below, and I rode to the top alone.  It takes several hours and it's of course uphill all the way.  Most of the way is on gravel roads but as you get higher up the roads turn into smaller trails. Not technically challenging but very steep in some areas. At the top I had to bike through snow and carry my bike part of the way.  The weather was warm, although cooler at the top, but it was a weird feeling standing on the top in tights and a short sleeved shirt with a few feet of snow around me.  The views from the top were  stunning and riding downhill this mountain is some of the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on.

 

This trip was very special to us, not only for the  nice biking and rock climbing, because we were  given the best gift so far in our lives.  This is where we discovered Sandra was pregnant with Daniel.  It was unusual seeing her barf after smelling some seafood a few nights before and when she felt sluggish and tired the next few days we had our suspicions. Sandra took it easy during the rest of the trip and did miss the summit of Mulhacén but  after all the joy Daniel has brought us the mountain probably doesn't seem very important.