Wednesday March 5, 2014, 46 miles (74 km) – Total so far: 415 miles (668 km)

March 5, 2014 We started the day with a nice breakfast then cycled the beach boardwalk and soon came to a bar directly on the sand and took a break with fresh squeezed orange juice. This boardwalk continued for about 7 miles. It was wonderful to be off the road and pass along the many beach resorts. We imagine this gets pretty busy during the on-season which starts late March/early April depending on the weather. It was a warm day so the ride was pleasant. The boardwalk and side roads ended so we got back onto AP7 which has very little shoulder.

After 16 miles we stopped in a small town before Fuengirola to meet our warmshowers.com hosts for the night. We spent a few hours on the beach before we met them at 6 pm. Fernando and Veronika helped us take our bags and bikes up to their apartment floor then served a delicious meal. They have ridden a motorcycle through some of the same countries in Europe and Asia that we want to ride and are currently planning a similar cycling trip to start in a month. So we had a lot to talk about as they were full of experience.

March 6, 2014 We had a great sleep and after breakfast Fernando and Veronika rode their bikes with us to guide us to the start of a Spanish mountain ride to a national forest. They had suggested this ride instead of the busy coastal route and we readily agreed. We soon parted ways with our gracious hosts and began an all-day climb north into the mountains. It was a beautiful day and the riding was slow but strong. Many groups of friendly roadies passed us saying “Hola” and “Bueno”! After several hours and 30 miles we found a very nice hostel for the night.