It is not sunny, but I decide to climb the mountain behind the house. I have found a trail from the beach that I believe with take me there, but this is speculation. Yesterday, I decided it would be wise not to bring Ana along on this hike. Even down low, there are parts of the trail that have steep drop-offs. She is not used to this and I am sure she will be too afraid to be comfortable.

I tell her I will be back in two hours. This is optimistic, but I am a foolish optimist. She would like to visit some caves too far away. I tell her I will be back in time. I leave the house hike to the beach and catch the trail upward along a point that head out into the ocean and creates a nice little bay with a deep sandy beach. The trail rises rapidly, following the sea, but it is gradual and not too technically difficult. After about a half hour, the trail scramble upward through rocks. A more difficult climb. I get through this section to find I am on a small plateau with expansive view to the west along the coast as well as back into the bay i have been following. I am up very high above the water and can see surfers below, pretty much ants on the sea. The water is christal green. One can only envy the suffers in the clear water laying on their boards well out into the sea, waiting for the next big wave. I look about and in front of me, out to sea, is a a lovely island. I also have views to the west and see a resort city, perhaps Laredo.  I text Ana a selfie saying I am near the top of the climb and she should not worry (She always worries.) as I am having fun. She will text back, “Really?” 

The climb to the ridge is difficult. I am using hiking poles, which I normally do not on upward climbs. But I must manage loose rocks and big steps upward and unfortunately at my age this is difficult and I am finding the poles a big help. I pause to take photos along the way. The higher I go the better the images. I want to make the ridge above but also a natural archway that has been eroded by time One can see it in the valley below. It should be quite amazing on the top. 

I should stop here to note, we are again in an amazing place. This is like Yosemite on the sea. Even in the clouded light, the colors of the sea and the rocks and the plant life are amazing. I do not understand how mankind has not ruined it, with hotels and condos. There are plently of those in Northern Spain, but these quiet places are also possible to find and hopefully will last forever.

I have climbed for over an hour and not met a soul. I am working slowly to the top. The trail is very steep, like climbing the back bowls of Vail. I have stopped for a break and thought I could never walk straight down the slopes I am climbing on the trails that switchback. Still, if these slopes were covered with snow, I could drop down them with ease.

Near the top the views are like those from an airplane. I have seen eagles soaring below me. I am quite delighted with the hike and can’t wait to make the ridge. When I do I am most surprised to see I have been climbing a valcaneo! As the trail goes over the crest, a large bowl opens up before me. The mountain I am on was once a valcanoe and I am viewing a very large crater. As I survey it, I see an ancient road rising from the base up the crater wall. It is built of field stone and looks to be thousands of years old. Is it used to graze cattle today? Is it a road built by an acient civilizattion, the Romans, the Visogoths, to service a fort or castle never built. Was it to access a water supply for a village below. I will never find out. I see other stone structures that would serve to support bridges or other structures in the area of the cater. It is an amazing place. I am drawn to the road, even though it is across the cater and I will not stay on schedule. Still I have to see where it leads. At the top, I find the trail continues to another town. I am climbing without a map so I can only guess that this area has a vast trail system for hikers. As I summit the road to the crater’s edge, I encounter another hiker with a dog. I exchange Holas and continue on to take a shot of the descent of the other side of the crater. 

I head back down the road and across the crater. I have drifted from my objective to reach the  arch. Now I am following my fellow hiker and his dog back through the base of the cater to reach the arch which is visually obvious from this side. When I reach the ridge again, the hiker is taking photos and I offer with sign language to take a photo of him and the dog in the archway.  He agrees and we take each other’s photos in this majestic spot. I call Ana and ask if she can see me in the  arch. How modern is that? She looks and says “maybe.” I  am sure from this distance, I am only a spec. I shoot more photos from this amazing vantage and let my fellow hiker and his dog get a good lead on me. I do not want to be on his heels. The decent is tricky and I am watching each step. Neither do I want to fall or pull a muscle this far away from civilization. It is harder to descend the climb than it is to go up. But eventually I make my way to the plateau and text Ana that she might see me on the trail as I come down along the bay. The views are amazing and I am shooting far too many photos…thank god photos are now free and infinite.

When I get back to the condo, Ana tells mw that the caves are closed on Mondays, so late as I am, I am in no trouble there. We are both hungry and I wash up and we go to the little beach town below where we find a cherangito open. I is a decent place and we have am ok lunch. We discuss our views of the Guggenheim. Ana is more generous about the art on display, but we both agree it is a fabulous venue with a very weak art collection. 

The bar is playing contemporary music, which i hate. Ana says it’s a sign of age, which i know is true. Still the music is awful, redundant and adolescent. We both agree it is only to be put up with, much like the soccer game on the bar’s wide screen TV. After lunch I drive Ana out on a promentory aboe the sea to view the surfers. I have seen this place from far above. Still it is spectacular in its own right. A woman  walks to the edge and makes a pose like she can fly. while her mate snaps a photo. We snap a photo of them both. I find it quite funny. When they go, I pose the same way and Ana snaps the photo. Why not.

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We go back to the condo and i take a short nap then we go walking again around the area. It is Anas turn to see the beauty outside the condo. I want her to get used to hiking poles. She will need them later this week in the mountains. We hike a bit of the trail I climbed earlier for Ana to get the nice view of the surfers below in the chrystal green sea. Then we hike down to the beach which is large and flat and has upward views of wonderful rock formations. This place would be a national park in the US. Then we climb a sandy trail to the other side of the beach where we were before and hike back to town. 

Nothing is open for dinner in Sonabria, so we use a recommendation and go into the next town, Castro-Urdiales, for dinner. The the gps takes almost to it and then we must park and walk the rest of the way to a port. God provides a parking space. No one else could have done so on the crowded streets of this tiny congested town. After a short walk, we enjoy this harbor-side restaurant, which mostly serves seafood tapas. We have a seafood salad in vinagerette; fried anchovies; and muscles in a spicy tomato sauce. It is a perfect meal. What a great day, despite no sunshine.