View from the Pillion - The long road to Cardona

This is a day of solid riding with few stops. We climb mountains, swoop round corners, speed through valleys, hug cliff edges. The views are stunning and scary. Time after time, high up on the outside edge of mountain roads, before sharp corners, it feels as if we're going to fly off the edge of the world, and then, just in time, Peter initiates the turn; in unison we lean and we're safely around the corner and the next one is upon us.
A-2208, a quick run through the backroad twisties north of Barbastro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zk0Tx9GPBA

Rugged mountains and craggy cliffs surround us.

Down in the valleys we see bright blue lakes, peaceful green pastures and fields and fields of cheerful red poppies.





The road seems to go on forever.

Estada to Tremp. Rugged mountains, tunnels, plus a nice mix of twisties & sweepers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJPStqWpGpY

I feel as if we are on a long road to nowhere. I am getting tired and cranky. Must be time for lunch. But our usual homing instinct for food lets us down. At a small town, with a dazzling view, we can't find anything open for lunch. Where is everyone? A couple of hikers with a large crumpled map, tell us there is probably something in the next town 5 kilometers away. But there is no town 5km or anywhere close. I am trying not to spoil the riding pace with my grumpiness. When you're a passenger on a tour like this, you have a long time to think. I think about how crazy I am at my age to be hurtling at the edge of precipices on a fast moving motorcycle. It's easy to go from that thought to worrying..."what if....?" But you can't go there. You have to have faith in the rider; trust his judgement and be a partner in the ride. So, I think instead, "Hey, this is pretty cool. I'm riding on the back of a BMW motorbike, in Spain! Weather is great; views are amazing; people are friendly; each town is another adventure. What more can I ask for? Well, to get home in one piece." Yeah, there's a lot of time to think! L-511 from Isona to Col de Nargo. More twisties through the rugged Pyrennes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3pnKl1C5Rs

L-401 from Coll de Nargo to St Llorenc de Morunys. Riding the narrow roads high in the Pyrennes with steep drops on one side and rugged cliff walls with cages protecting from rock falls on the other. Finishing off with great views and a nice set of hairpin turns heading down into town.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xefP-HVJt2s

BV-4241 from St Llorenc de Morunys to Berga. 20 minutes of continuous 2nd & 3rd gear twisties & sweepers with a few hairpins thrown in for fun. A great run through the Pyrennes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfQefVZJY_Q

Another 50 km and we finally ride into the town of Berga. There are outdoor cafes right on the edge of the narrow street. One cafe in particular seems to be a popular spot with lots of people coming and going, while others sit eating and chatting in congenial groups. We park across the street and when we approach the cafe, we get friendly nods, so we find an empty table on the sidewalk where we enjoy the food and the people watching.

I would like to say that I am in a better mood after lunch, but truly I just want a nice shower and time to relax. But I don't whine aloud. Peter is having a ball. He has really got the feel of the bike and what it can do. I watch the signs which warn of curves ahead, often with a posted speed. 60, 50, 40 - when I see 30, I know there is a serious hairpin ahead.

We're back up high on a mountain road again when suddenly we are flagged down by a policeman standing in the middle of the road. This isn't a traffic cop. He's with someone from a production company. Turns out, they are doing a photo shoot of a new car around the corner. We have to wait while they finish the shoot and are told to turn off the video camera and take no photos. When we are allowed to continue, we see a car completely hidden under a tarp, artistically posed with a rugged mountain backdrop. In the 15 minutes we have waited, we are the only vehicle to come by on the road.

Catalonia Region south and west of Berga. A mix of sweepers through the lowlands along the C-26, north through the scenic Lake Cardener valley, back through St Llorenc de Morunys, then south along the LV-4241 for some nice mountain views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqLm7IwM8N8

And now we are on the last stretch of the route to Parador Cardona; 385 km from where we started this morning, and not as the crow flies. By North American standards this isn't a long distance for a day's ride - but the backroads of Spain are something quite different.