On the road from Córdoba to Granada

We are having wifi issues (pronounced weefee in Spanish) and this post is our two days of riding from Córdoba to Granada.  105 miles of riding over two challenging days took us from Córdoba to Granada. We left the plains of Spain and peddled into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.  We left Córdoba on a below freezing morning and rode on a very small road for 25 miles. 

Morning in Córdoba

Leaving town

 

  In three hours only three cars and seven tractors went by. The riding was challenging with switchbacks softening the grade a bit, and the scenery was pastoral.     

 

   

Olive groves for miles and miles and miles!

   

First Sierra Nevada sighting

    The second day's ride was even more challenging with long climbs, but a great descent brought us into Granada -- 47 miles by 1 pm!    

  There are a variety of roads we can choose from -- narrow quiet roads with little traffic to busy highways with a nice shoulder. The small roads meander more and have less traffic, but tend to be steeper.  The highways are more direct and the grade kinder, but the buzz of traffic wears on us. We try to mix things up a bit. (By the way, when I write a post I do include paragraphs, but in the posting they get eliminated -- sorry.  I will try long spaces instead).                           We decided after reaching Granada to make a major change in the itinerary. We will no longer have Milan as our destination; instead we will make a large figure eight and return to Lisbon, where the last leg of our flight home left from anyway. We think we could still make it to Milan, but only if we really ground out each day with higher miles than we would like to take on consistently. We have found that the roads in Spain simply don't go where we need them to go and we ride 100 miles to make 25 miles of headway toward our destination. So, we will opt for enjoyment over accomplishment. Plus, it will be nice spending more time in Spain and Portugal!