March 10 - Quest to find the start, water washed red earth, back to Almazan

Feelings of the Day: Opposites. Following the aqueduct to its last point towards its source I admired its solidity and precise engineering. Abiding by mathematics, and knowledge of what came before its creation, people can create things that remain long after it is finished to leave behind a wonder of the past. Counter to this was seeing the fragility of exposed runnels created in the red earth around Pajares de Fresno. After the next rainfall, what we saw would not remain as it was. Their beauty and wonder were their fragility. The human spirit is an odd thing when these differences can provoke similar feelings of joy inside of me; parallel but separate.

Full Day’s Events: We set our alarm for 630am for a 7am start. We weren’t leaving Segovia yet and we were not eating breakfast or getting coffee in a cafe. We were going to search for the source…of the aqueduct.

    Heading to the square, we turned left as the street slowly rose to absorb the aqueduct. Walking for several minutes, and turning several corners, we saw its end before reaching the road and the park beyond. Here was the point where the Roman structure was the closest it would ever get to its original source since its creation. Going back to our hotel we slowed our pace and tried to find the 36 arches that had to be rebuilt and failed to find the newer efforts. They did a great job.

    After a quick stop in our room, we enjoyed the brilliant buffet. The North American and British foodstuffs were deservedly against a far wall. Instead, I dove into the Spanish meats, cheeses, breads, fruits, and two different brunch cakes (almond and apple) that were typical for the area.

    We packed what little we brought on this three-night excursion from Almazan and now it was time to return. After a quick lunch stop, J had a 5.2 km trail for us to hike on at Pajares de Fresno. The scenery of the walk was punctuated by rich red, with micro valleys scoured by rain, revealing what lies beneath the thin texture of the region around us. There is an artistry in nature when it creates these temporary sculptures of earth.

    With the walk done we returned to Almazan, stopping first in a supermarket for fish to be consumed in tonight’s dinner. My wife and I rushed to pack and after the delicious meal we finished packing what remained. Time for sleep. 8.5km walked and the equivalent of 12 flights of stairs climbed.