mission blog posten accomplished.

Thursday, November 11th

Happy Birthday Colman!

Coll de Fema 7.7km 5.5% grade, 47km total ride

Amie just made me the best sandwich ever, fried egg with ham, cheese (edam and cheddar!), and tomato, grilled to melty perfection. We are cooking dinner in our 1-bedroom apartment in Port de Pallenca, Mallorca (located on the north-eastern coast of the island). Yesterday we had intended on taking the bus from Palma to Soller and biking along a scenic mountain route to Port de Pallenca. Amie was feeling sick and took the bus straight to Port de Pallenca. As soon as Amie left, McKayla and I (Erin) realized we didn't have the bike pump. I haven't gotten a flat tire yet (knock on wood) and the route we wanted to take was 60km in the middle of nowhere (not even one town along the way). I got really anxious, and when the bus to Soller had no room for our bikes, I took it as a sign that we shouldn't ride. I was a bit bummed, but enjoyed the views on the bus to Port de Pallenca instead and went for a scenic run on the beach that afternoon. The bay is amazing because you can see the jagged, volcanic mountains along all sides of the aqua blue water.

Today we woke up (luckily) and intended on riding out the peninsula and hiking to some lighthouses. Once again our plans were thwarted, the road we needed to take was closed for construction. So instead we biked out on the road that we had intended on riding in on yesterday. About 15km in there was a mountain pass called Coll de Fema. The pass was 7.7 km long but the grade was only 5.5%, making it real easy to ride up (especially without panniers). I felt strong and cruised through the first 4km or so and then stopped to wait for Amie and McKayla. We rode up a but further and I discovered Amie was hacking up her lungs. She decided to take a 10 minute break and then head back down. In fear of being way overdue for a flat tire, I didn't want to split up the group (despite my urge to continue riding). I told her I'd ride 7 minutes up the pass and 3 minutes back down while she took her 10 minute break. I busted out the next 7 minutes and knew I was pretty close to the top, so I extended my ride to 8 minutes up, rode up to the Coll sign (515 meters of elevation gain). We cruised down and back all the way to the water in only 40 minutes, what a fun descent! I loved riding alongside Palm trees, Pine Trees, and deciduous trees with their leaves falling off. We ate our lunch along the beach and spent the afternoon trading song suggestions for when we return to the land of iTunes. Oh, also I've been trying some new fruits. Yesterday I got one called (in Spanish) a Chirimoya. It's got a green skin that you peel off to reveal a white flesh that surrounds large, hard black seeds. It's got a a tropical taste and is fun to eat. We tried Kaki (in Catalan) which is orange, looks like an apple, but is soft like a pear and tastes like a mango. I prefer the Kaki over the Chirimoya. Today I got a melon, it's green on the outside like a watermelon but tastes a tropical honeydew. Now you know, in case you were wondering...

Tomorrow we are heading to the Eastern coast where we will spend a few days exploring the beaches, caves, and cliffsides.


Love you guys!