[EDITOR’S NOTE: if you’d like to start from the beginning of Joe’s Camino blog, click here.]
Madrid to El Dorado Springs (The Journey Home, Pt 3)
Yesterday, about 1:30 am Missouri time, I flagged down a bus on the streets of Madrid, Spain and took it to the Madrid International Airport. I’ll admit I was a little bit excited for this day! After being gone for six weeks — away from my family, away from the ministry that I love — I was ready to get back home!
I checked in at American Airlines, cleared security, and had plenty of time to make it to my gate. I boarded a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, but as the plane was just about ready to taxi to the runway, all of a sudden this spitfire of a tiny, older, Spanish lady jumped out of her seat and started railing against the flight attendants.
From where I was, I couldn’t understand everything she was saying, but she was obviously very upset about her seat assignment. She was taking the opportunity to voice her extreme anger to several of the flight attendants. This went on for quite a little bit with different ones trying to calm her down, without success.
About then, a very official-looking lady got on the plane and walked straight to her. I heard her say, “Ma’am, you bumped a flight attendant and, just so you know, that is a federal offense! And what’s more, you are currently keeping this plane from departing.”
Then she got closer to her, and I couldn’t hear what else was being said, but this conversation went on for quite some time. What I gathered was that she was basically giving her a choice of sitting down and behaving herself or they would escort her off the plane and she would be charged with a federal offense. For her own sake, she made the right choice, sat down, and decided that her seat was okay after all!
With that matter resolved, that big wide-body jet taxied its way to the runway assigned to it. It soon took off and we headed over the North Atlantic Ocean, towards Dallas/Fort Worth.
One thing I would bring up is the matter of the food served during air travel. Maybe it seems a little bit unfair to make a judgment on this matter, but I really believe that those who are in charge of preparing airline food have to go to a special culinary school! The goal at said school is surely to train people how to prepare the worst-tasting food in the world! I’m serious! You can’t accidentally make food taste so horrible.
Now, I’m a person who can eat any type of food, and usually enjoy it. But the last few times I have flown internationally, the food has been of such poor taste that I don’t believe it is by accident. So, I’m sure there’s a super-secretive culinary school that regular citizens like you and me don’t know anything about, whose goal is to teach chefs how to prepare the most unpalatable food possible. Now understand I am partially joking, but only partially! 😆
I will have to say that American Airlines did treat us well in every other way. The flight attendants were kind and professional, the cockpit crew did their job well, and we actually landed about 45 minutes early! There in Dallas, I had about a 4-hour layover before I boarded a Boeing 737 and headed to KC, home of the world-champion Kansas City Chiefs, where my wonderful wife was waiting for me at my 9:36 pm arrival. She was my excellent personal chauffeur for the trip home, where we arrived a little after midnight.
As I wrap up this series of blogs, I just have to say, what an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime trip! God protected me on the roads. God protected me in the air. God protected me on the Camino. He brought me home to continue the work that still burns deep within my soul! I can hardly wait to work together with you to do our part to see more lives changed by the Good News of Jesus! Let’s continue to be unified. Let’s spend plenty of time on our knees in prayer. And then let’s jump to our feet in action.
Thanks again for joining me on this amazing sabbatical, as we together walked the Camino de Santiago.
But it is good to be home!
The End
The Journey Home, pt 2.5
Yesterday’s blog left us with Joe on the bus ride from Santiago to Madrid. He left the Madrid airport for Dallas at 1:30 am Missouri time, and will get home right about midnight, traveling for nearly 24 hours AFTER an 11-hour bus ride.
So… we don’t get to hear from Joe today. Watch for one more post tomorrow to wrap up his sabbatical!
Leaving the Madrid airport
Santiago to Madrid (The Journey Home, pt 2)
If you’ve never experienced the excitement (and stress) of depending on public transportation, you need to do so before you make it to the pearly gates!
This morning, I had a 10:45 bus to catch for Madrid, so at 8:45 I asked the person at the desk at my hostel if they would please call a taxi. I figured once they were called, it might take 30 minutes at most for them to arrive. I waited 30 minutes; no taxi.
I waited 45 minutes; no taxi.
The attendant called a couple more times, and finally after an hour, the taxi company said, “I’m sorry — we just don’t have any taxis available.”
I gulped and thought, “What do I do now?” I could have walked it — that’s what I’ve gotten pretty good at over the last month — but it was far enough that I probably wouldn’t have made it in time.
Then the man, said, “There is a bus stop a few blocks away, and there are a lot of different buses that come by, but you need to wait for the #6 bus,” whatever that meant. So I took off towards where he said the stop was and found it.
I waited and waited, and different buses came by, but none of them said #6. Finally, after what seemed like way too long, a bus came by that said L6A. It stopped and I asked the conductor in Spanish if this might happen to go by the bus station? He said, “Yes.”
By then, I didn’t have much extra time, so I said, “About how long will it take?” He said, “Ten minutes.” I breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Thank you Jesus.”
It took longer than ten minutes, but I made it in time. So if you haven’t experienced that kind of excitement, you need to!
I’m halfway through my 11-hour bus ride to Madrid, but quickly wanted to give some things I think are significant areas of praise.
1. I have spent the last 41 nights in 41 different beds and, to my knowledge, I didn’t get into any bedbugs. That is one of the major fears of pilgrims.
2. After walking approximately 555 miles, I have zero blisters! Do you know how rare that is? Many or maybe even most pilgrims deal with blisters at least at some level! God somehow protected me from them.
3. I drank tap water the whole time, and didn’t have any stomach issues!
4. In the States, I always HAVE to use French Vanilla creamer in my coffee. I stopped cold turkey on the Camino and didn’t go through withdrawal!
5. I had some incredibly special “God moments” on the trail.
6. There were only 3 rain days out of 38 days of walking. Almost unheard of this time of year!
7. This body just kept walking the miles — and walking — and walking, even though it is past its prime! May God be glorified.
The bus I’m on right now
Thoughts from Faith (Joe’s wife):
I will be eternally grateful to the church board for allowing Joe the time, to our church for pulling and praying for him with sincerity, and to ALL of you who report you have faithfully read his blogs and have been accompanying “us” on the Camino de Santiago!
God has used the blog to unify and equip His people across denominational barriers. What a blessing that we never dreamed of! He didn’t just minister to Joe during this time, but to ALL of US! What a faithful God we serve.
Several of you have consistently texted Joe, encouraging him along the way. That has meant so much! Here is a sample text from a sweet, precious lady in our church.
Carmen said:
“This journey to the end of the earth has been so amazing, beautiful, inspirational. How we miss our pastor tho! It's wonderful that these weeks actually made us feel even closer to you, I think. Your walk with the Lord, your honesty, and your humor. We have laughed, cried, and just been in awe of it all. Have a great afternoon/evening! May your feet and shoes get you to the finish!”
When Joe reached his goal — Finisterre, the “end of the earth” — we ALL felt the triumph! It was difficult to put into words. Our daughter, Becca, simply texted her dad: “Overwhelmed. I’m so, so proud of you.” That says it pretty well.
There were times when I felt so far away from Joe and unable to help him, such as the 2-3 weeks he was way sicker than anyone realized. I will never know the kind of will power, self-discipline, and/or stupidity that made him continue walking 13-18 miles a day with fever, muscles aches, fatigue, and a chest cough. No, I’ll never experience that — I’ll continue to do my “sick” while in bed or my recliner. But that’s not surprising for my man who has the most grit of any person I’ve ever known. It was your prayers that saw him through. God heard them, and He answered them.
Now, we just have to get him through the 11-hour bus ride that stops at every town all the way across Spain. And then the long flight across the big pond and into Kansas City late tomorrow night.
Then, 🤦🏻♀️ oh my, he is going to drive me crazy with having to rest and replenish his depleted body! Teach him one more lesson, Lord — how to take a ZERO-MILES DAY!
Finisterre to Santiago (The Journey Home pt 1)
It was weird this morning to get out of bed and not go through my regular process — putting salve on my feet, trying to carefully put my shoes on so as not to further damage them, and preparing to walk the equivalent of El Dorado Springs to Nevada (for you who are El Do locals). With the miles that I walked in the evenings after my arrival to the hostels, that was the average distance of my daily walk.
Today, I had a couple short walks to a coffee shop and a couple of medium-length walks (we Americans might say long walks!) from the bus station to the train station and back to the bus station. I am getting ready now to leave my hostel to go find some supper. But probably my total miles today will only be around 3! I texted my wife and told her that I felt like a lazy slob.
I’ll admit, it’s been a little bit frustrating today. I made it okay on the bus from Finisterre to Santiago. But because the online booking was not working yesterday, I hoped that when I got here I could get a train ticket to Madrid for this afternoon. But they informed me that they are totally booked until Wednesday. I considered walking it! (Not really — it’s 370 miles.)
With trains being full, I tried to get creative and think of other ways I could get there. I checked flight schedules, and couldn’t get anything there. Then I checked on a bus schedule. They had a bus that would leave at 3:00 this afternoon and arrive in Madrid at 3:00 AM, but by the time I could change my American Airlines flight reservation to accommodate that arrival in Madrid, the last seat on the bus was sold.
I ended up spending over two hours on the phone trying to book trains, buses, planes, and lodging. I think I have everything set now. It’s definitely not my ideal travel schedule, but I leave Santiago tomorrow late morning, and arrive in Madrid about 8:15 in the evening. I’ll overnight there, then have a noon flight to Dallas, then to Kansas City, which should allow me to pull into my driveway about midnight on Wednesday.
Enough of that; but if you know anything about me, part of my personality (that I’m not proud of) is that I’m not a very patient person and I don’t like to wait. Evidently I didn’t learn this lesson well enough on the Camino, so God is still working on this old boy, trying to teach him patience. Waiting is many times a gift from God.
But I’m a slow learner, so perhaps God is needing a couple of extra days to try to get this through my thick skull. And maybe, just maybe, you are like me and need reminders like this too. God has ways of teaching us lessons that may be frustrating at the moment. But down the line they will help shape us into the vessel He wants us to be!
I don’t have a lot to say today, but I just wanted to elaborate a little bit more on the gratitude I feel within my heart. I’ve already mentioned it, but I am so grateful to our church board for allowing me this time away. I’m very honored to be able to work with a team that gets it!
I’m also grateful for the staff that has stepped up to the plate in my absence, and has done what needed to be done. Those of you who spoke on Sunday mornings, I’m so very grateful for you. You set the bar high and it will be hard for me to come back and achieve your level of excellence!
And then thank you to my wonderful wife, Faith, and my girls Erica and Becca, for helping cover some of the responsibilities at home. They have been so amazingly supportive!
Just really fast, let me give you some information tidbits that I found interesting:
The approximate cost of my 39 nights of lodging: $600.
The approximate number of café con leches I ordered on the Camino: 90
Completely different types and styles of snoring identified: 8
Cross words said by pilgrims: Zero!
Approximate different nationalities identified on the Camino: 25
Most beds/roommates for one night: 36
Most embarrassing moment: Waking myself up by making a siren sound in my sleep.
Number of cats seen on the Camino: A lot
Food I have craved the most: Chips and salsa
Leaving at the right time. The rain has arrived in Spain!
That’s it for today. I will probably have one more post tomorrow.
Approximate miles remaining: 4,201 to Missouri!
Cee to Finisterre (The Final Stage)
As I left the hostel in the dark this morning to complete the final stage to Finisterre (also referred to by the locals as “Fisterra”), I’ll admit that my thoughts were all across the board.
I started out by thinking about the Apostle James and the feeling of apprehension that he had to have before he went to Spain, 2000 years ago. I can’t even imagine what was going through his mind! He was going to a place that was considered the end of the earth. Communication back home would have taken weeks, if not months.
But then my mind left the Apostle James, and started thinking about Joe. I also remembered my apprehension before the trip. Obviously, my apprehension was on a much more immature level, but nevertheless, there was still apprehension. Part of it came from not knowing how I would do staying with 1 to 3 dozen roommates every night, sharing 2-3 bathrooms (many times shared by both men and women).
Then there was a pretty high level of apprehension regarding booking my lodging. I can’t believe I booked 39 different hostels over the last 39 days! That’s not as easy as it might be in the States — very few do online reservations. Booking was mainly through WhatsApp. Not only did I have to book the rooms; they all wanted me to confirm with them the day before, which required another WhatsApp contact.
Probably the biggest apprehension I had was worrying whether or not I could actually walk 555 miles! Of course (total transparency here), I announced to my congregation and to the world what I was going to attempt. This is maybe a bit prideful, but I was thinking, “Okay, what if I get 4-5 days into this and realize I just can’t do it? It would be pretty embarrassing to go back home and say, ‘I just couldn’t do it!’”
So I’ll admit, there was a lot of apprehension within me!
But really, the thought that dominated my mind more than any other thought was just a feeling of gratitude — gratitude on so many different levels! I may talk more about this in the next day or two, but my gratefulness was that people and God allowed me to do something that many people will never ever get an opportunity to do. I do realize most of them wouldn’t want that opportunity, but this was just an incredible gift from the church, my family, and especially my Lord.
I am also filled with gratitude that God’s strength was made perfect in my weakness. Again, I will perhaps elaborate on that in the next day or two, Lord willing.
Looking back on Cee before sunrise
I was also grateful that I got in one more sunrise! I left a little bit later this morning, around 7:00 — in fact, I think it’s the latest I have left this whole trip. But I planned it so that I would get to see the sunrise before I got into Finisterre.
Trail was narrow at first
First view of Finisterre — on the left
Yet again, God’s timing is so perfect! When I came up over the last mountain and got my first glimpse of Finisterre in the distance towards the west, I happened to look back towards the east. And again, as God has done so many times during this trip, He was allowing me to see another unspeakably amazing sunrise!
As I saw Finisterre, my emotions were subdued, but, again, I was just grateful that He had given me strength to do something that was beyond me! I didn’t celebrate. I didn’t high five myself or pat myself on the back. I didn’t even give a thumbs up. I was just thankful to God for His strength and faithfulness.
Finisterre is actually about two miles from what is truly considered the end of the earth. There’s a little lighthouse called Cabo (which means the end, tip, or final part) Finisterre. As I walked into town, I found my hostel. Its name is interesting — it is Albergue Por Fin. It means “Finally” — pretty appropriate for the circumstances.
The name means, “Albergue (hostel) Finally.”
But since I saw on the door that I couldn’t check in for another 2 1/2 hours, I decided to walk the two miles one way to get to the Cabo where the kilometer marker shows zero, indicating you can’t go any farther west. I will include some pictures of this — it was well worth the two-mile walk there and two-mile walk back!
0 Km to go!
Looking west from the Ends of the Earth by the famous Bronze Boot!
So, with God’s strength, WE MADE IT! I say we, because you were all an important of this process! Without your prayers and encouragement, and especially without God’s strength, I wouldn’t be at the “End of the Earth!” So let’s all celebrate together and thank God for His faithfulness! And let’s celebrate that my shoes stayed together just long enough! They made it! But they are done!
This shoe died a hero’s death!
Now I have to get home! This is complicated as well. I have a bus ticket tomorrow back to Santiago. I have tried to book an afternoon/evening train tomorrow for Madrid, but the system is down! So I am hoping they will still have seats available when I get to the train station tomorrow. If not, we’ll see what schedule God has for me. I can’t change my plane ticket until I know when I can get to Madrid. So even though I am actually pretty chill about it, just pray that the right schedule will open up for me.
Congratulations, pilgrims — I loved walking the Camino with you!
The whole route, starting in southern France at St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, through Santiago de Compostela, to the “Ends of the Earth” — Finisterre or Fisterra (Hint: if you’re using Chrome on a computer, right-click the map and choose “Open image in new tab” to see the map larger and zoom in)
Approximate total miles: 555
Approximate miles walked today: 13
Approximate remaining miles: 0
My first sunrise over a month ago in the far eastern part of my walk
My last sunset in the farthest western part of my walk. Everything I have experienced, written, and photographed happened between these two bookends.
Lago to Cee
[EDITOR’S NOTE: We didn’t get yesterday’s blog entry posted until today. So if you’re reading the whole blog and haven’t yet read the post for October 12, you may want to scroll down and read that first!]
You hear people talk about defining moments in their lives. Well, today was one of those defining moments for me. It defined me, and confirmed the fact that I’m not a very smart person! Let me tell you why I admit that to you.
Yesterday, I indicated to you that the walk today would be another long one. Plus, the weather forecasters were saying that it would rain today. I know my time here is a small sample size — only a little over a month — but I really think the Spanish weather forecasters do a better job than some of ours in the States. They haven’t missed it yet!
First of all, for today, they said it was going to rain and it did rain. Secondly, they said that it was going to rain a lot, and it did rain a lot. And thirdly, they said that the wind was going to be very, very strong today, and it was exactly that.
I walked out of the hostel a few minutes after 6:00 this morning to begin my walk that, unbeknownst to me at that moment, would become possibly the toughest stage so far! It rained with such force that the raindrops felt like ice crystals peppering me! The wind blew so strongly that I couldn’t even converse with the man I was walking with — in fact at times I had to lean down and force myself to actually be able to walk. Besides the conditions I have encountered on mountains, this was 5 hours of some of the most brutal conditions I have encountered near sea level. It was so ugly that as I arrived at my hostel today, there were several who had walked the entire Camino, but they said they decided to catch the bus today and skip walking this stage — smart pilgrims! When I arrived at my hostel, I was soaked, and my pack that was covered with a waterproof cover, which was also covered with a waterproof rain poncho, was also soaked.
But the reason I’m telling you this is that it sets the stage for the rest of the story. After walking by myself in the dark and in the rain a couple of hours, I went through a small village with just a few buildings. There was a little covered area, so I decided to step under it and get out of the rain for a couple of minutes. While I was there feeling sorry for myself, a man appeared on the trail and stepped in there as well. I asked him what town he had come from this morning.
He said, “Oh I stayed in a little hostel in this village, so I’m just starting my walk now.” He said, “This rain is horrible!”
I said, “Yeah it is.”
He wanted to know where I had started the day. I told him, “At the town of Lago, about two hours back.”
He couldn’t believe I had been walking that long in that kind of rain. But then he asked me, “Do you mind if I walk with you?”
I said, “Please do!” But I also said, “You are young and may want to walk faster. I won’t be offended if you want to go on.”
But he said, “I think it is safer if we go together,” especially since the lightning was starting to flash and the thunder beginning to pop. We officially introduced ourselves, and I learned that he was from Hungary and his name was Peter.
As we left that little dry refuge, we found out that our pace was very compatible. It was easy talking with Peter, except when the wind was blowing so hard we couldn’t hear each other. During one of those times we could hear each other, I used one of my frequent lead-in questions as a conversation starter.
I said, “Peter, what brought you here to walk to Camino de Santiago?
His answer, within the first sentence, caused me to understand the reason I was out in this driving rain, with the wind howling around us. Peter began his answer by saying, “Well, I was like that hamster on the wheel! I’ve been going around and around and around, with no purpose in life. I have had no happiness. I’ve been struggling with this for quite a long time.”
So some time back he decided to travel to two of the most religious cities in the world. He said. “I first went to Jerusalem and spent time there. Then I went to Rome and spent time there. But I still couldn’t find anything to fill that void.”
So he said, “A month ago, I went to my boss, and said, ‘I need several weeks off.’”
His boss said, “Okay, if that’s what you need, I’ll give it to you.”
The reason he needed that time off was so he could go to a third religious city — the city of Santiago in Spain. He was hoping that the very religious city of Santiago would help him find what he kept calling “happiness.”
On this horribly rainy and windy morning, Peter opened his heart and told me why he was here! When he finished, he turned to me and said, “Joe, what’s your story? Why are you here?”
Well, I was born for moments like this! First of all, I told him that I was a pastor of a church, where God was doing some incredible things. I told him that my church had so kindly granted me a sabbatical. I also told him that I had been to Jerusalem, and to Rome, and three days ago, I was in Santiago. But I told him that a city — even the religious cities of Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago — could not bring happiness nor fill that void in his life! This opened the door to tell him that the only thing that could fill that void was a relationship with Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God, and came to bring us peace.
Now I wish I could tell you that Peter knelt in the rain and gave his heart to Jesus, but it didn’t happen - yet!
But he asked questions, and as I told him that I had been toning my body and my mind and my soul, that really clicked within him. Peter was seeking, but he didn’t know that his could only be filled by a Person and not a religious city.
Unfortunately, Peter was going to another city, so our trails went in different directions, and we had to say goodbye. But before we did, we exchanged contact information. I told him to keep seeking God, and he would find him, and ultimately find peace.
So let me just say a couple of things before I try to find something to eat and then get some rest for the last stage tomorrow. Don’t think that every day you walk with God will include a beautiful sunrise and perfect weather. You will go through rainy days and dark days and windy days. That doesn’t mean you’re out of God’s will. Today some are teaching that a true child of God will only have good days. That’s simply not true — on the Camino to heaven, there will be days like I had today! The other thing you need to remember is that sometimes in those moments when you least expect it, God will send someone into your life who needs you, and more importantly, needs God! Don’t miss those divine assignments from God!
So even though today was so incredibly tough and I arrived totally depleted, yet I wouldn’t have wanted to have taken a bus and missed that appointment with Peter! I ask you to join me praying that Peter will find peace, and more importantly, the Prince of Peace!
Sorry, only a few pictures today - my phone was in a Ziploc bag trying to stay dry!
The port city of Cee
The little port of Cee — first view of Atlantic waters!
I think we can do 13 more miles, but no more!
36 beds tonight
Updated location. I’m the big blue dot. Almost to the “end of the earth!”
I hope you will join me for one last stage tomorrow, as together we reach “the end of the earth!”
Approximate total miles: 555
Approximate miles walked today: 17
Approximate remaining miles: 13
Negreira to Lago (October 12, 2023)
[EDITOR’S NOTE: We didn’t get Joe’s October 12 entry posted until the 13th. This is that post. There is also an entry for his Camino journey on the 13th, which you will find above.]
Sometimes I absolutely amaze myself! And it’s not for good reasons. In this case, I amazed myself at how long it has taken me to learn one little lesson. I believe this is walking day #36, and I can’t believe it took me that long to learn this lesson. But it was not until I got to my hostel today, got checked in, and got a hot shower that something clicked within me!
Now, to give you some background info so this will make more sense, I’ll admit I have been a bit of a worrier. More specifically, I was a bit worried about today’s stage on the trail.
It was a fairly long stage, and my curled and hammer toes are getting less and less happy with me as I have journeyed over 500 miles. They complain and ask me when I am going to go back to my sedentary life of sitting at a desk.
I knew today’s stage was nearly 18 miles, and a lot of it was steep. In fact, as I came to one section today, I looked at it and thought, “I am on the wrong trail, because this is as steep as it was in the Pyrenees mountains!” But I checked my app and, sure enough, it was the right trail.
So I feared today’s stage a bit, just like I fear tomorrow’s. Tomorrow is about 17 miles, and they are forecasting rain all day! I have been blessed — in 36 days, I’ve only had two days of rain. That probably is a Camino record — generally it rains a lot!
Anyway, yesterday was only about a 14-mile walk, but I’ll admit, by the time I checked into my hostel I was spent. I was really glad the hostel was open so I didn’t have to wait a couple of hours as I do sometimes!
I thought, “If I struggled this much with 14 miles, how am I going to handle 18 miles, with my body starting to feel some weariness from the many miles of wear and tear and no down time to recover?”
But this is the lesson that came to me so forcefully today. Are you ready?
God gives me the strength I need for that particular day!
Simple, isn’t it? That’s why I amaze myself by how slow I am to learn things.
Yesterday, I didn’t need strength for an 18-mile day. I only needed strength for a 14-mile day. God gave that. Looking back, I’ve noticed that I haven’t really haven’t struggled much more for a longer stage than a shorter stage. I always thought that was just a bit strange. But finally I understand — God gives me the exact amount of strength that I need for that day — no more, no less!
Today’s 18-mile trek was actually not much more of a struggle than yesterday’s 14 miles. So, instead of stressing about tomorrow — the distance and the rain — I just need to know that God will give me the exact amount of strength I will need!
Are you facing a big trial or a big assignment or a big hurt — a big stage — on your Camino of life? Remember, God will give you exactly what you need to get through it! So quit stressing as I have been! God is monitoring your situation and will respond accordingly!
Since I am now two stages removed from the celebratory atmosphere of Santiago and all the fanfare around pilgrims completing the Camino, my mind today went back to the concept that piqued my interest in the Camino enough to cause me to say “I’m in!” That is the discussion over the “end of the earth.”
Quickly I want you to think of the place that in your mind would be the most remote place on earth. I used to think that was El Dorado Springs, but now, just as they say that all roads lead to Rome, and all Caminos in Spain lead to Santiago, I now believe that all roads lead to El Dorado Springs. In fact, if some of you reading this do not live in El Dorado Springs, and you’re thinking about relocating, I have a great place you might want to consider! 😁
But just think of that most remote place in the entire world from your perspective.
2,000 years ago in the mind of the Apostle James, Spain was that most remote place. It was truly considered the End of the Earth! You could go west as far as you could go, and all of a sudden there was the Atlantic ocean. That, in his mind, was the end of the earth.
He was taking Acts 1:8 seriously. Jesus says to take the gospel to Jerusalem; James could say, “Check!”
Then He says to go to Judea. James could say, “Check!”
Then, “Go to Samaria.”
“Check!”
But James wanted to fulfill ALL of that verse, which ends up saying, “…and to the ends of the earth.”
As I’ve walked across Spain, I’ve tried to imagine how it looked 2000 years ago. Today it is a modern country. As I have walked from the northeast corner across to the west, I find that in some ways it’s more modern than parts of the United States. Here, I have seen hundreds of huge wind turbines and an infrastructure of roads that interconnects the country. Their technology doesn’t have to take a back seat to any country!
But 2,000 years ago, it was rough and remote. Though we don’t have scriptural proof that James made it to Spain, tradition says he did. Keep in mind that it would have been difficult for him to say goodbye to his family and go as far west as he could. It is convicting that he was willing to go to what, in his mind, was the end of the earth!
So all of that to just say that this is how I felt impressed to pray today: I first told the Lord how I have loved the ministries He has given me! In fact, I can’t imagine doing anything else. I love pastoring the church where He — and you — have allowed me to serve for so many years. I love serving through the international ministry of our World Missions Board. I love that God has even opened doors for me to serve our community through several different opportunities.
I realize I have way less years in front of me than I do behind me, but I prayed, “God, give me the willingness of the Apostle James to get out of my comfort zone and serve You in remote and even ‘end of the earth’ areas of need. I may not be willing to do it initially, but I am willing for You to make me willing, just as You made the apostle James willing to go to Spain!”
I hope you will pray that same prayer over the next few days.
Well, only a couple of stages left. I’m looking forward to seeing what God will teach us together!
My albergue (hostel). 27 roommates tonight!
Approximate total miles: 555
Approximate miles walked today: 18
Approximate remaining miles: 30
Santiago de Compostela to Negreira
Last evening was awesome! There was a special Mass for pilgrims at the main cathedral in Santiago, where tradition says the Apostle James’ remains are resting — a sacred place.
It was a 7:30 pm Mass, but shortly after 6:00, I was walking around that area, and saw people going in the door, so I thought maybe I should go on in. I was glad I did, because the crowd was already gathering!
There just seemed to be an extra buzz regarding the service. If you attend a church on a regular basis, you know that on certain days, there’s that extra excitement. I know at our church, a couple of the special exciting days are the Easter service and the Christmas candlelight service. There was just that “buzz” among the people anticipating the 7:30 pm Mass.
The official seating capacity of the cathedral is listed at 1,200 people; however, it is designed as a typical Catholic church with large empty areas to the sides. By the time 7:30 rolled around, every seat was full, and people were standing pretty much wherever they could stand.
Now, as I said earlier, being a non-Catholic puts me at a disadvantage — I don’t know when to stand and when to sit. I always lag behind everybody else. And then, when it came to the repetition of liturgy during this service, I was a zero. I haven’t memorized any of that liturgy!
The priest gave about a 10-minute devotional geared towards the pilgrims. And then, near the end of the Mass, they served Communion. They did let it be known that Communion was for only those who considered themselves to be Catholics and were in good standing with the Catholic Church. I do think I’m in good standing with the Church of Jesus Christ; however, I am not a Catholic. So while many others partook of Communion up front, I just communed silently with my Lord at my seat.
The remains of James are supposedly under his statue.
The highlight of the entire evening was something that I’ve been teasing you with for the last couple of days. In the cathedral in Santiago is what is called a Botafumeiro. I hope that you have taken time to look this up, because my editor probably won’t let me give a very long explanation. But the botafumeiro is a famous thurible, which is another word that protestants are not very familiar with, but is a censer that generally hangs and burns incense during a worship service.
The tradition of the botafumeiro is said to have begun in the 11th century. When pilgrims walking the Camino arrived in Santiago during that time, they didn’t have the luxury that we have of hostels with warm showers! So evidently, they would come into the cathedral and their deodorant had quit working. Also, some of them reportedly were sick from the long pilgrimage. So one of the theories is that they would swing this botafumeiro in an effort to fumigate the pilgrims and the room for odor and sickness.
Down through the centuries, the botafumeiro itself was generally donated by a king or someone wealthy, and it would typically be used several hundred years. Something interesting I learned is that in the 1400’s King Louis XI donated a new botafumeiro and it was used until April of 1809 when Napoleon’s troops came in and stole it!
The botafumeiro
The one that is currently used has been there for approximately 175 years, even though it has been refurbished during that time.
Down through the centuries, there have been different ways that the botafumeiro has been swung. Currently, it has a system of pulleys that several monks pull down on, and it reaches speeds of about 40 miles an hour.
The swinging of the botafumeiro has been discontinued at regular Masses because evidently it costs around $400 each time it is used, so this special practice is reserved for only special occasions, and there has to be a special donation to make it happen.
I was grateful that it was made possible while I was there! Honestly, it was so impressive that, looking back on it, I would have personally funded the $400 just to see it.
At the very end of the service, they lowered the botafumeiro down so the priest could light the incense. Then all the priests, or monks (I’m not sure on that detail) who were going to be rope pullers got in place.
Miss Wanda Casey needs this pipe organ!
The gigantic pipe organ started playing, making that mammoth rock cathedral vibrate like it was going to come crashing down like the walls of Jericho in the Bible. And, little by little, the huge botafumeiro got to swinging higher and higher with more and more velocity, and incense was being thrown out of the thurible. Within about a minute, I think every corner of that cathedral had the aroma of the incense.
Now, they had made announcement after announcement before the Mass began that there was to be no photography, no video, no phones — nothing! Well, when that botafumeiro started swinging, I wanted to video it so badly, but wanted to be a rule keeper. But as I looked around there were about 1,000 phones videoing it, so I decided I was going to be a rule breaker as well! My footage wasn’t great because it went out of my line of sight part of the time, but it was incredible! You can watch the video clip that I got, even though the quality is subpar!
After a couple of minutes of swinging, they quit pulling the ropes, and it gradually slowed. At the right time, a monk ran up, grabbed the botafumeiro and stopped it.
The crowd just burst into wild applause! Did I tell you it was awesome? If I didn’t, let me just tell you, it was awesome! As soon as it was over, I texted some leaders in our church and I said, “Okay, guys, we need to find a wealthy donor and incorporate this into our services!”
I realize spiritually and Biblically there is no merit to this. The closest Scripture I could come up with was that verse in which it mentions our praise and our worship to God is like a sweet aroma that rises up to Him.
Really, that’s what I want our services to be like! I want our praise and worship to be like an incense that fills our sanctuary and rises and reaches and pleases God! Again, it was awesome!!!
Well, very quickly, today began the homestretch for me. As I indicated earlier, only 1% of the pilgrims continue on to Finisterre. And I have to say, I felt a little bit sorry for myself this morning because I think everybody else in my room was going back home to be reunited with their families. And there was that slight twinge of thinking maybe I should just stop!
But I got my stuff together, and slipped out the door just a few minutes after 6:00. The first 30 minutes of navigation were tough! The main focus in this country is the Camino de Santiago, which I have completed. And so, there are not nearly as many resources, nor signage, for the continuation of this trail to Finisterre.
Goodbye, Santiago de Compostela
As I was trying to exit out of Santiago, I saw no absolutely no signs. I’m thankful I had downloaded an app that overlays my location over Apple Maps. That’s the only way I got out of town. I kind of felt like a pilot flying in the dark, guided by instruments. Thankfully I had the app that kept me on the right path.
The trail was much less packed than it was over the last month. I think I only saw 6 different pilgrims in the 14 miles I walked today!
I was thinking, “You know, I’m going to the ocean, so it’s going to be a descent down to sea level.” Wrong! A good portion of the day was uphill! The trail took me through groves of oak and eucalyptus trees over 100 years old.
And guess what? I got to see another sunrise. I’m treasuring every sunrise that I get to see here in Spain. But anyway, I’m getting closer! Lord willing, three more tough stages and I will be at the end of the earth!
Let me leave you with this devotional thought. As I was navigating in the dark this morning, I thought of our culture. Our culture can seem so dark at times. There’s confusion over what is right and what is wrong. The terms of tolerance, acceptance, new normal — all of those have made things fuzzy.
But there is Good News! During those times, when things are so dark and confusing, go back to your App. That’s the only safe way to navigate through this confusing world! And God’s App — His Word — will keep you on the right path, guaranteed!
Meet Olaf from Germany. He went to Finisterre a few years ago and a rogue wave swept his pack out to sea. He is a professional life guard and jumped in after it because it contained his Passport and documents. He nearly lost his life while doing so, and his pack was never recovered. He credits God for sparing his life.
Thanks for joining me as I head to the end of the earth.
If these make it, it’s gonna be really close.
Life just got a little bit better!
Home for tonight. 27 roomies!
Updated location
Approximate total miles: 555
Approximate miles walked today: 14
Approximate miles remaining: 48
O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela
Generally between 4:30 - 5:00 AM, there’s an alarm clock that automatically goes off in my body. Typically, I’ve been trying to lie there until close to 6:00 so I don’t disturb my pilgrim roomies. But today, at about 4:45, I decided to end my night and begin my day.
I always have everything I need laid out carefully the night before, so that I can just get up and put a couple of last-minute things in my bag without turning on the lights. After a month, I’ve gotten pretty good at it!
But today, nothing seemed to go right. I know this sounds like an irresponsible adolescent, but I couldn’t find my socks! I was starting to get frustrated. I used the light on my phone to look for them, but in the process, I ended up knocking something off the little bedside stand and making a huge noise. I knew that my nine roommates were probably just about ready to join forces and throw me out!
I finally solved the mystery of my missing socks. The woman who was occupying the bed four feet away from mine had put her clothes on my socks! It did make me feel weird handling a woman’s clothes, but I was so happy to find my socks under her stuff.
Yeah, that’s a pretty lame story, isn’t it? But I’ve been living this way for a month, so you need to just cut me some slack! 😆
When I finally got out of there, it was around 5:15 am. At this time of year, there is very little daylight until close to 8:30 am, so a 5:15 departure meant that I would have about three hours in the dark. This didn’t bother me at all — I enjoy that time with the Lord.
(Photos above: Some pilgrims leave items they aren’t going to need anymore!)
My time of prayer on this last stage before Santiago was still focused on God toning my soul. I just asked Him to cleanse me and fill me!
But I was also praying for our church. I’m so thankful God has allowed me to be on this journey with many of you for so many years. You and God have made this an incredible experience! Today, I just had a sense that even with the incredible growth that we’ve had over the past few years, God is getting ready to do something extra special — way beyond what we have even seen so far! I am really stoked about the future!
Celebration breakfast
The walk today was not for the weak — a lot of it was uphill, and these were extended hills. Because of my early departure, I was alone a good part of the morning. That all changed when we got into the city of Santiago.
A Catholic church with its coffee priorities straight
Santiago is a city of around 90,000 people, which meant I had approximately an hour’s walk in the city to get to my hostel. The name of my hostel is interesting. I’ve been talking to you about the stamps that I have had to get in my credential, or my pilgrim passport. Well, the name of the hostel where I am staying is the Last Stamp!
The “Last Stamp” albergue (hostel)
They didn’t allow check-in until 2:00 pm, which is always a bit frustrating to me, but they were kind enough to store my backpack while I proceeded to the Pilgrim’s Office and began trying to complete all the official paperwork to get my Compostela, or my certificate of completion.
I was amazed at how high-tech they were! They had a QR code to scan on your phone. This brought up a form to be completed. Once it was completed and accepted, you were given a number.
Because of my early departure, I was number 84 this morning. As I was waiting, I made conversation with some of the officials who were there for crowd control. One of them said they are currently running between 2,500 and 3,000 people through there each day!
The line to get the Compostela
Pretty soon my number popped up on the screen, and I was to go to desk 8. The kind younger gentleman began to ask some interesting questions. He wanted to know why I had undertaken such a task as this. He took five minutes or so questioning whether or not I felt that I was finishing a better person than I started.
He then asked, “Do you feel like this pilgrimage is something that others in your church should do?” I said, “Absolutely; even though not all would be able to do this one, I believe everyone would benefit from taking some type of pilgrimage to get to know God more intimately. I do feel we all need time away to reflect and pray and soul-search.”
It was an incredible conversation with this official. He knew the right questions to help me reflect on the last 34 days.
Then, he took out his stamp and firmly placed that official seal in my Pilgrim Passport. He printed out the Compostela and said something that was really powerful. He called me “Pastor José,” and said, “You now have a new name!”
I said, “Really?”
He responded, “This Compostela certificate is in Latin, and so now we confer to you the Latin name of Josephum Trussell.” He ended by saying, “Congratulations, Pilgrim!”
My Compostela with my new Latin name
Even though yesterday I said that I’m not really a certificate type of guy, my conversation with him was worth my standing in line for 30 minutes. When he said, “You have a new name,” it did bring out the emotions, because I do have a new name! My old name included the word “sinner,” but today my new name includes the word “forgiven!” Old things are passed away. All things are new!
Wow — that’s powerful!
I’ll admit, as I waited those 30 minutes, there were a lot of things that went through my mind. One thing I thought of were all those St. Peter jokes about standing in line waiting to get into heaven. Yeah, I’m warped!
But I also thought, “What if I didn’t do something right on that passport? What if I get disqualified on a technicality and I get up there and when they interview me and look at my credential they say, “I’m sorry, but you don’t qualify!”?
Well, honestly, it wouldn’t have been a big deal to me, because, again, I’m not a certificate type of guy. I am a bit of a maverick and, honestly, I even thought about trying to test the system and do something wrong on the credential, like miss a stamp on purpose, to see if they would catch it. Forgive me for that admission!
The certification process in Santiago did make me think about the required credentials for getting into heaven. I don’t want to be disqualified that day. Maybe we should all call a timeout and ask God to make sure that, as we walk the Camino of life, our spiritual documents are all in order.
Not a certificate guy
Oh, there was so much more I could share about today — but this blog has turned into a book! I may share more tomorrow, after the first stage of my walk to Finisterre. God willing, I have four more stages. My shoes are still hanging in there!
God is so good — this is right by my hostel!
Note: As I have studied the route for Santiago to Finisterre, it appears it may be a few miles less than what I had originally read and figured. So I will adjust the total miles and remaining miles down by 5. This is not an exact science, but I think fairly closely reflects the miles walked on the route (not including the additional miles walked in the evenings).
Approximate total miles: 555
Approximate miles walked today: 15
Approximate miles remaining: 62
Updated position
[EDITOR’S NOTE]: Joe’s daughter Erica summed up the family’s pride in his accomplishment in the following text to him this morning:
I have tears in my eyes, Dad! I just cannot believe the experience you have had, and by proxy, the experience we have had. I feel God has even changed me through this process. Just reading your blogs has been so good for my soul. Today, the excitement I feel is admittedly strange — I feel as if I am there and experiencing it all with you. I just can't believe we did it!
Praise God, who is so faithful!
Ribadiso da Baixo to O Pedrouzo
As I interacted with my pilgrim family today, there was a lot of excitement! In fact, some of it almost bordered on giddiness. Tomorrow is the big day!
For some pilgrims, this is a lifelong dream that will become reality. They have been planning this for years! They can’t believe that tomorrow they will shoulder their backpacks for the final time, and walk this last stage into the city of Santiago de Compostela, signaling the end of their pilgrimage!
Some of these pilgrims are devout Catholics and this pilgrimage has meant the world to them! Other pilgrims have been non-practicing Catholics, but this pilgrimage has caused them to come back to their religious roots.
And then there are those like me — non-Catholics, but who have appreciated the religious focus. This pilgrimage has served to help us tone our bodies, minds, and souls. I know I can say that God has really done a work on and in me over the last few weeks!
So today I enjoyed observing the mood and the conversations. Most are more than ready to check in at the Pilgrim’s office in Santiago and show off their stamps, documenting that they have completed all the required stages of the Camino and are now ready to receive their certificate called a Compostela.
Well, what about my mood? I’m excited as well! Now I’m not so excited for the crowds — that doesn’t do much for me. I’m not even excited for the Compostela, the certificate of completion — I’m not much of a certificate type of guy — but my family is pressuring me to get it. So, even though it will probably end up in the trash someday, I will try to brave the lines. But if I see there is a long wait, then this boy will probably occupy his time doing something else! Sorry fam!
Even though we pilgrims are excited about reaching Santiago, I’ll admit that I am more excited about the Biblical implications of the “end of the earth”, Finisterre, and dipping my feet in the Atlantic Ocean! So, Lord willing, after attending the special mass for pilgrims (and hopefully experiencing the swinging botafumeiro — I might tell you about that tomorrow or you can research this fascinating practice), and attending all the festivities designed for pilgrims, I will begin my last four stages to Finisterre early Wednesday morning.
Tomorrow will be a blur of activity. Even though tomorrow’s walk is a short-mileage day of around 13 miles, I am considering leaving around 5:30 AM to get a jump on the crowds that will be eager to get to Santiago.
Just quickly, I’d like to invite you to grab a chair and listen in on the thoughts that were rattling around in my head as I walked my 15 miles today. During the second-to-last stage on the official Camino de Santiago, I was doing a lot of thinking.
Most of my thoughts had to do with the term “peregrino” or pilgrim. Now as a pastor, I have probably overused the phrase, “We are just pilgrims, passing through.” And of course, that is true! We ARE pilgrims on this earth who are just passing through. But honestly, I had never really thought about what it meant to be a pilgrim. Being on the Camino for the last five weeks has increased my understanding of what it means to be a pilgrim.
In my thoughts this morning, I realized there are certain characteristics that make pilgrims easily identified. The first thing that makes a pilgrim identifiable is the scallop shell that they have to wear on the outside of their pack.
My pack with the scallop shell
Then, as I have talked about several times, we have to have a credential referred to as a pilgrim passport that has to be shown and stamped at every hostel. A pilgrim can’t even stay at certain hostels without it.
My pilgrim passport full of the necessary stamps
So my thoughts centered around these two identifiable characteristics of a Camino pilgrim. My thoughts then went to our pilgrimage on the Camino of life. What are, or what should be, the identifiable characteristics for those of us who are pilgrims passing through this earth to heaven? Should we attach something to us to let people know we are pilgrims? Should we have a credential we can pull out and show? I don’t think that is what Jesus would want!
But I believe there IS an identifiable characteristic. In fact, there are several. One characteristic is found in John 13:35, which talks about others knowing we are His disciples by our love for each other. Another is found in Galatians 5:22-23, which talks about the Fruit of the Spirit.
So instead of carrying around a shell or credential or passport or church membership card, the above characteristics will let people know you are a Pilgrim of Jesus on the Camino of life!
Thanks for walking my 16 miles with me!
Finally a cafe con leche big enough to taste!
One of the top 3 coffee shops on the Camino so far
Sunrise peeping through the trees
Storage for produce
They had a good corn crop here this year — 10-12 feet tall
The dog gets a free ride!
Approximate total miles: 560
Approximate miles walked today: 16
Approximate remaining miles: 82
Palas de Rei to Ribadiso da Baixo
I thought of 21 more random thoughts and information tidbits.
1. I walk way faster than some pilgrims.
2. I walk way slower than some pilgrims.
3. Drivers in Spain are more respectful of pedestrians than in any other country I have visited. Seriously! They stop to let you cross the road when they don’t even have to!
4. The new pilgrims who recently started walking the Camino feel awful; every muscle hurts in their bodies — just like mine did on my day 3 of the Camino!
5. Tonight will mean I have unpacked and packed my bag 34 different times to sleep in 34 different beds in 34 different towns in 34 days.
6. Privacy? What’s that?
7. You can get used to sleeping in bunk beds if you have to.
8. After 34 days, I am still bedbug free. But I still carefully inspect my bed everyday before I put the sheets on.
9. I wish I understood German.
10. I wish I understood Portuguese.
11. I wish I understood French.
12. Okay, I wish I understood every language!
13. I have showered every day except for one!
14. I am still craving chips and salsa.
15. The sun rises every morning. If you don’t believe me, just look at my daily sunrise pics! 😆
16. Nobody has stolen my hat yet!
17. Don’t be fooled - this is not a walk in the park!
18. I wish I had an easier last name! It is a battle at every hostel to help them work through the name Trussell. If they didn’t have to look at my US Passport at every check in, I would temporarily change my name to José Santiago. Literally, that would be Joe James or, for short, JJ. That would be so much easier!
19. My exercise app says I am walking an average of two extra miles in the evenings after I arrive. So the official miles posted do not reflect the actual miles walked. The extra miles are for sightseeing or looking for a place to eat.
20. I am running really low on M&M’s. That terrifies me.
21. I really, really, really, really miss my family!
Today was a long day. To get a head start, I left the Albergue at 6:00 AM, which is 15-30 minutes earlier than my usual. Again, you try to achieve a certain balance — you want to leave early enough to beat the heat, but you don’t want to get there too early because you have to wait a long time on the street for the hostel to open. As it turned out, I only had to wait about 30 minutes for the hostel to open, but I was glad that I was able to get here before the sun got too hot.
Tim and Marsha
The Camino today gave me opportunities to connect with some fellow believers. I walked nearly an hour with Tim and Marsha from Vermont. They are involved in leadership in a church. She leads the music department and he is involved in other areas of ministry. It was so refreshing to walk with them!
Then, I met another pastor from Colorado. He has been in ministry for many years. He was the first pastor I had met, and I was the first pastor he had met. Those two encounters on the Camino were amazing. But then again, when it comes to my fellow pilgrims on the Camino, they are all awesome - I wish you could meet them!
I loved my home community for the night!
My lunch. Salad with goat cheese! Good stuff!
My $11 room for tonight.
The significance of walking today’s Camino stage was a bit special - the remaining miles dipped under 100! Now, thinking like an American from Missouri, where we aren’t known for our walking trails, walking 100 miles still seems like a long ways to go, and it is! But in comparison to where it was a month ago, seeing double digits is a big milestone!
The trail was really dark this morning!
An oasis in the desert
Now that’s a big shell!
However, I began to feel an urgency and kept praying, “God, what else do I need to learn over these last 100 miles?” I don’t want to miss a single lesson that He wants to teach me.
So, as you join me on the homestretch of the Camino, maybe we just need to ask God what lessons He wants us to learn together.
I loved walking with you today!
Approximate total miles: 560
Approximate miles walked today: 17
Approximate miles remaining: 98
Portomarín to Palas de Rei
I had one blog where I mentioned some things about the living quarters in the albergues (hostels) here. But I wanted to give a few more details on a couple of items.
To save electricity and water, most everything is on an electric eye or a timer. For example, the shower today had a push faucet. It ran for about 15 seconds and then shut off. So I continually had to push the button for more water. But perhaps the most frustrating thing is being in a stall when the lights go off. Sometimes you can wave and get the lights back on, but other times you just have to finish your business in the dark. Probably more info than you wanted. 😆
Today on the trail, I saw something interesting, but not really surprising. In an obviously intentional move, a very nice cooking pan had been placed on a raised flat rock, very carefully, so it wouldn’t fall off. It was the type of pan that you would use for backpacking or camping. There were also some items inside that pan, even though I didn’t go up to investigate further.
I regret that I didn’t take a picture, but I was walking with another pilgrim in the dark and he didn’t have a headlamp, so I was providing the light for both of us, and I figured he would think a picture of a pan was silly. But, of course, he hasn’t seen the silly pictures I have been taking for the last month!
The owner of that pan (and whatever items were in the pan) had come to realize that the benefit of those items wasn’t worth the effort of carrying that extra weight — which helps lead me into a promised Part Two of a blog that I began three days ago regarding some observations/lessons that I have learned from other pilgrims on the Camino.
So let me just use this opening picture to segue into one more observation to complete that earlier blog. This is probably one of the most powerful lessons that I have so far learned about pilgrims on the Camino.
This is huge: Pilgrims, while walking the Camino, try to carry as little weight as possible!
When you are walking 500 miles, two pounds here or even one pound there makes more of a difference than you would realize. I have shed some things from my pack and have even started trying to estimate how much water I will need, depending on the distance of the stage, the amount of uphill terrain, and the temperature. Depending on those factors, I only fill my water bottles with the amount of water I estimate I will need. I don’t want to carry the weight if I don’t have to.
At some of the hostels you will even see a box with a little sign on it that says, “If you no longer need some of your equipment or clothing items, you are welcome to put them in here.” That way, other pilgrims can benefit from those items, should they have an emergency.
It is always intriguing to look at things pilgrims have discarded. Many times there are shoes. Now I wish I would have looked for shoes my size, since mine are blowing out! You will also find all kinds of clothing or books — it’s amazing the treasures you find!
But, as pilgrims walk the trail, they realize that there are some things they just don’t need. Even though some items are in very good shape, they still feel it is more beneficial to lighten their load rather than carry them on the trail!
The lesson is so powerful! We, as pilgrims on the Camino of life, have a tendency to get bogged down with many things as well. The book of Hebrews, in chapter 12, tells us to throw off anything that hinders us in the race. You might want to just go to that Scripture and read it, like I did today.
As I meditated on this thought today, my prayer for me might be a good prayer for you as well: “Lord, please show me anything, even good things in my life, that are unnecessary weights bogging me down. Help me to throw them off and lighten my load so I am not so burdened down as a pilgrim on the Camino of life!”
I don’t have any funny stories or dreams to tell you about today, but let me just briefly give the daily trail report. When I left my hostel this morning and stepped into the dark streets of Portomarín at 6:15 am, I’ll admit, the weather got me down.
This is what my trail was like through the foggy dark woods.
The last few days I have been treated to, and have shown you pictures of, an incredible view as I looked down on the layer of clouds below me. This morning, my elevation was low enough to where I was IN the clouds that I had been looking down upon the past few days.
As I began walking, it really bummed me! Because even with my headlamp, I could barely see well enough to walk. The fog was so soupy and thick, and full of moisture. Even though it wasn’t actually raining, I could see the tiny droplets or mist that make up fog. A time or two, I even veered off the trail because I couldn’t see where it went, even with the help of my headlight.
Fortunately, the trail this morning headed upward for the first couple of hours. The only human being I saw during that time was the man I referenced earlier who didn’t have a headlamp. He had actually gotten lost, so he joined me, and stayed right beside me, sharing the light of my headlamp.
We kept on walking up and up and up. I clearly remember the moment we got above the clouds. I did a double take! From then on, my headlamp was able to penetrate the darkness. It was just in time to begin seeing the first rays of the sun turn the horizon red. And once again, I was treated to an incredible display of God’s creation!
One more quick wrap-up devotional thought that really encouraged me today. Even though the beginning of my day was dark and cloudy, as I kept walking and kept checking my app to make sure I was still on track, at the right time I broke through the darkness.
To those of you who may feel like you are walking in the clouds and darkness right now, I would encourage you to keep on walking! Keep checking the App and make sure you are still on the Camino, and you will eventually rise above the clouds and see the Son! So be steady, stay on course, don’t quit! God rewards faithfulness!
Glad you joined me today!
On a sad note, another pilgrim died on the Camino today. That makes at least two that I am aware of since I began my pilgrimage.
Eucalyptus trees
You can tell these are new pilgrims — their packs are different — more like school bags.
My buddy from India
My Croatian family
The stew I had for supper — not really what I was expecting!
Approximate total miles: 560
Approximate miles walked today: 16
Approximate miles remaining: 115
Sarria to Portomarín
As I have mentioned a couple of different times, I have felt very safe while walking the Camino. The only exception was when I had to go through a crowd of intoxicated people who had partied all night — and I really didn’t fear for my personal safety, but thought they might harass me a bit. Besides that, I have felt safe in all situations — walking in complete darkness, walking in cities, and even walking in very remote areas.
But last night, I’ll admit I was very fearful. Let me see if I can give you the progression of how it came on me. I was assigned a room at the hostel with 14 total beds, so that meant I had 13 roommates. I happened to get upgraded to a private room. (I’ll explain that momentarily.)
During the night, in my new private room, I woke up and felt this ominous feeling in the room. At the moment I couldn’t describe it, but it was something that caused me to be afraid. About that time, I heard footsteps. This hostel has creaky wooden floors and so you hear when anyone walks. These footsteps were obviously walking towards my room — this, of course, being in the middle of the night.
But then my sense of concern was justified, because whoever was walking towards my door stopped and, after a few seconds, unlocked my door from the outside. I heard the door swing open. And again, even though I’m not a fearful person, I did have a real sense of fear! Though I could just barely see their profile, that person walked through the doorway and into the room.
I was trying to figure out what to do. It was one of those situations where I wanted to yell at them, but fear seemed to prevent me from even saying anything. Finally, I summoned all of my strength and courage, and let out a yell. And it was a loud yell! But when that yell came out, it was a strange sound. I know this sounds really weird, but it sounded like the very beginning part of a siren. Yeah, I know it sounds really strange! But that’s the loud sound that came out of my mouth.
What happened after that is embarrassing. That loud yell that I made woke me up! It had all been a dream! I woke up to being back in a room with 14 beds and 13 roommates. 😝 I was so glad it was dark in there! After the initial embarrassment, there in the middle of the night, I got to laughing so hard I was almost shaking! But I tried to not bring further attention to this doofus who yelled in his sleep like a siren!
Whereas yesterday I could hardly wait to get out of my room because of the bathroom noises and the snoring, this morning I could hardly wait to get out of my room early because I didn’t want to show my face! I seriously think the Camino is taking its toll on my sanity!
Well, today was the day that I met a lot of my new family on the Camino: those who began their journey at Sarria hit the trail for the first time. I was actually kind of entertained by them — they were so easy to spot. All you had to do was look at their shoes!
For those of us who have been walking 425+ miles, our shoes are dusty and muddy, and we’ve even walked where cows have walked on the road, so our shoes have some extra substances on them. Our shoes are not clean or pretty! I will include a pic of my poor shoes. But these recent additions to the pilgrim family have shoes that are perfectly clean!
But then you could also look at the rest of their clothes. Many of the pilgrims were wearing preppy clothes, not clothes that were designed for a tough trail.
And then they had backpacks that are more like book bags. It was so funny, these new pilgrims would ask us, “Did you begin your journey today in Sarria?”
And we would say, “No, we started a month ago in St. Jean Pied de Port.” They would act like we were bigger than life and almost wanted our autograph.
But the main thing is they were giddy with excitement. They were taking pictures of stuff we quit taking pictures of long time ago (except sunrise pictures 😂).
99.93 kilometers to Santiago
To begin with, I was kind of annoyed by these new happy pilgrims. But after a little bit, I just enjoyed watching them.
I got to thinking about the pilgrimage of life. Sometimes on the Camino to heaven, new believers are so full of joy. But the longer we walk the Camino of life, we settle more and and lose our joy. We act like the veteran pilgrims on the trail right now — we just walk and don’t enjoy the views and experiences as we once did. The new has worn off and has become old stuff to us. So, just as these new pilgrims showed excitement and joy, today I prayed that Jesus would restore the joy of the Lord to those of us who have been walking the Camino of life for many years! Enjoy your pilgrimage today as much as you did right after you came to Christ!
It was another beautiful day on the trail. I am loving this part of the journey! As a bonus, today I reconnected with one of the first two original pilgrims I met. After I landed in Madrid back on September 6, I caught a train to Pamplona. From there I was supposed to take a bus on over to Saint Jean Pied de Port, but the train got there after the last bus of the day had left.
There were some of the pilgrims standing around, and I approached a couple, and I said, “Hey, why don’t we join together and catch a taxi? We can split the cost and that way we don’t have to lose a day.”
A man from South Korea was one of those two men who shared the taxi. I hadn’t seen him since that very first day. But today we ran into each other on the trail — it was awesome! We walked together for probably an hour. He is a follower of Jesus, and we had just a great time!
Thanks for joining me on the Camino as I begin the homestretch!
Home for tonight is in sight.
My albergue
Shoe update: My right shoe is now showing signs of blowing out the right side. The left shoe doesn’t worry me as much, even though you can see my toe! Definitely concerning... please pray they hold out for the last 100+ miles!
Updated location
Approximate total miles: 560
Approximate miles walked today: 14
Approximate miles remaining: 131
Triacastela to Sarria
The room last night only had 6 pilgrims, but the quarters were really tight. I don’t think the room was as big as my office at the church. The bunk beds had to be super close together to fit in there. Plus, they had the lowest clearance of any so far — I couldn’t even sit on my bottom bunk all slouched over without hitting my head!
The bathroom that served us 6 pilgrims, plus another 2 pilgrims who were in a private adjacent room, only had one toilet and one shower. It was accessed by a sliding door just to the left of the head of my bed. Which put the toilet exactly in line with my head, of course separated by a wall.
Now, some walls (that are insulated) do a good job of deadening sounds. Other walls, however, just seem to amplify the sound. The wall between my head and the toilet was one that amplified the sounds! But, as a pilgrim, if you are going to survive the Camino, you pretty much have to lose your sense of pride!
Having my head right by a wall that allowed me to hear every bathroom noise made it quite the interesting night to say the least! I am grateful that one of the sounds that I initially thought was an earthquake coming, was completely harmless — well, mostly harmless! 😂
But then, add in the fact that in our very small room was an extremely talented snorer. He occupied my top bunk. The low clearance made his head not much more than 2 feet above mine, and my ear plugs were not even close to being able to filter out his unique snores. They started out with a vicious growl that you might attribute to a Rottweiler, but then ended up with a pitiful sound like he was on life support. Between the bathroom sounds and the snoring right above my head, I was glad for 5:30 am to roll around so I could get out of there!
Trail was really dark this morning
For those pilgrims who set their goal to walk only the Camino de Santiago, their finish line is Santiago de Compostela. An interesting fact: According to the Camino Pilgrim’s Office, a whopping 99% of all pilgrims end their pilgrimage at Santiago! Surprisingly, only 1% will choose to continue their walk to Finisterre.
Sarria, a city of 13,000 people where tonight I will pillow my head in my 30th bed over the last 30 days, officially begins the homestretch to Santiago. This means that from now on, in order to receive one’s completion certificate called the “Compostela,” instead of just getting one stamp at every place we spend the night, we are now required to get two stamps in our Pilgrim Passport from two different places of business. So, in Santiago, they will be checking to make sure we have received ten stamps over these last five stages.
Also, the pilgrim numbers will dramatically increase as of tomorrow, as many new people begin their pilgrimage at Sarria. Those who are unable to carve out 6 weeks from their schedules, or those who are physically unable to walk the entire distance, will begin their pilgrimage here. The Camino officials have made allowances for them to also receive a Compostela, or certificate, for the segment they walked. So my pilgrim family is about to get a lot bigger!
I’ll admit I don’t look forward to the larger crowds. The large group that started in St. Jean Pied de Port has lessened considerably over the past 400 miles. But maybe the crowds are part of God’s plan to teach me more pilgrim lessons on the Camino. I am glad I secured lodging for this homestretch 10-12 days ago — it would be impossible to book anything now!
Today’s stage of approximately 12 miles was the shortest I have had for a couple of weeks! But just because it was shorter didn’t mean it was easy. The book warned me it wouldn’t be easy. The trail went up and down and up and down. So the shorter distance was neutralized by many elevation changes.
Notice the sky on the top right
A church where I stopped and prayed for our church in Missouri
Besides the incredible predawn show that God blessed me with in the skies, and the daytime scenery he blessed me with on the ground, the highlight on the trail was a little roadside stand that I certainly wasn’t expecting. A couple, who I assume were husband and wife, had set up an area in their yard to rest and relax, along with providing food options, including fruit, toast, granola, nuts, coffee, tea etc. And it was all by donation! They had couches and chairs and even a meditation room. It was crude and simple, but a welcomed stop! Their cafe con leche and homemade granola were excellent! My 20 minutes there were definitely therapeutic. I’ll include some pictures of this place that provided my only rest stop on the Camino today.
The trail was more of the wonderful experience it has been the last few days. Great views and great trails, affording great opportunities to connect with the Lord. My focus is still toning my soul.
One thing that hit me today: As I explained to you earlier, in order to get your Compostela (certificate of completion) for the Camino, you have to have all the right stamps or seals in your Pilgrim Passport — but that system doesn’t work on the Camino to heaven. You can’t get enough seals to get in! It’s only through Jesus’ grace and mercy — His forgiveness is the only seal we need! But that’s actually good, because that means we all can qualify. We may not be good enough, but He is! I am so grateful I have received His seal of pardon in my spiritual passport on the Camino of life!
Buen Camino!
Approximate total miles: 560
Approximate miles walked today: 12
Approximate miles remaining: 145
Laguna de Castilla to Triacastela
One of the interesting things I have observed is that the Spanish locals don’t call us hikers, nor trekkers. They refer to us as “peregrinos”, or pilgrims. And it does appear that being referred to as a pilgrim is a compliment and a step above a hiker or a trekker.
I have been on the Camino as a pilgrim for 4 weeks. Today, as my Camino odometer rolled past 400 miles, I want to tell you some things I have observed about my fellow pilgrims. To keep this post from being too long, I may do a part 2 in a future post.
The first thing that I have noticed about pilgrims on the Camino is the high level of respect and courtesy they have, not only for each other, but for the local people. This might sound like an exaggerated statement by a preacher trying to make a point, but it’s not!
Over these last four weeks, I have yet to hear any cross words from pilgrims. Now understand, we’ve had plenty of situations where we could have been cross and shown some crankiness! Simply walking 15 to 17 miles a day can bring out the worst in us. And then add to that the fact that as we drag our spent and weary carcasses up to the hostels, we are sometimes wet — whether due to sweat or rain — giving us further reason to be irritable.
There may be additional frustration because someone is staying in the bathroom or shower too long — there are plenty of justifiable reasons for pilgrims to be a bit grouchy at the end of the day.
But again, over the last 400+ miles, I have yet to hear any unkind words, nor see the ugly side of humanity that, unfortunately, we have all witnessed too many times!
My prayer today as I walked was that I would go back home and model this kindness and courtesy, and maybe that we as pilgrims on the Camino of life might become a bit kinder and more courteous!
Something else I have noticed: pilgrims on the Camino understand they are just passing through. They see that any inconvenience or discomfort is temporary. That’s why they can sleep with 18 other pilgrims and share 2 bathrooms.
Now, if my figuring is correct, this is day 29 for me on the Camino. During those 29 days, I have slept in 29 different beds in 29 different villages or cities. Isn’t that crazy? But that’s okay, because I understand I’m just passing through. I can put up with different beds and snorers and a shortage of bathrooms and low-clearance bunks, because I’m a pilgrim, just passing through!
Remember, as a pilgrim on the Camino of life, you are also just passing through. Don’t spend too much energy on those temporary inconveniences that won’t affect your eternity.
One more observation is that pilgrims are so willing to help each other. Yesterday morning, I was walking with a man from Canada. This was the first time I met him. We walked together maybe 20-30 minutes.
As I have indicated, it seems like so many of the conversations end up at the foot. He was talking about the foot problems he has had in the past: he has what he called “hammer toes.” When he would walk, they would become numb. So he went to see some specialists and they came up with a little gel pad with a ring to attach to a toe and fit under his hammer toes. He told me that that had totally taken care of his pain!
I couldn’t believe the conversation. Before I left Missouri, I knew that one of the great challenges for me on the Camino would be dealing with my foot issues. This is probably in the category of way too much information, but I inherited my mom‘s problematic feet, and I have hammer toes as well. When he was describing his problem, even though I hadn’t said anything about my issues, he was describing me exactly! In fact, for the first two weeks of my walk on the Camino, my toes would go numb. But now, after two weeks, they aren’t numb; they just throb all day.
After telling him that, he stopped and took off his pack. He said, “I’ve got three pair of these little gel pads. I’ve only used one, and I’m nearing the end of the Camino. I want you to have one pair.”
I tried to resist, but he wanted to share what had helped him. So, he took out a set of those gel pads and gave them to me.
That’s what pilgrims do.
I wish I could say that I wore them all day and I didn’t have any pain today, but I think there’s going to be a little bit of adjustment time. I felt maybe the break-in period should not be when I am walking 15 to 17 miles a day. But it really impacted me how much pilgrims want to help each other. Also, when I was sick, I had more than one pilgrim try to share some Tylenol to give me some relief.
Again, I hope that I and others of us can model this on the Camino of life!
Well, today’s walk was a good one! Actually, let me rephrase that: Today’s walk was an excellent one! Even though it was almost 15 miles, it seemed way shorter than that! I think part of it was that the terrain was my idea of perfection. In fact, the last two days have been my favorite terrain days on the Camino so far.
The trail took me across mountain passes and through little farming hamlets (settlements smaller than villages). I saw milk cows with cow bells on their necks that were being moved to another pasture walking down the trail. The continual bell-ringing was not annoying, as you might think; it was actually soothing!
Notice the brand of tractor - Lamborghini. 😆 [EDITOR’S NOTE: We thought Joe was just in on a joke with a farmer who stuck a Lambo logo on the side of a Ford tractor or something. But it’s a real thing! Check this out! Lamborghini tractor.]
Also, this morning, for quite a while, the trail took me above the clouds. I could look down and see the cloud cover way below us - that was so cool!
Then a lot of the trail took me through a forest of chestnut trees. At Christmas time when we sing about roasting chestnuts on an open fire, many of us, at least in Missouri, probably couldn’t even identify a chestnut. But chestnut trees grow along the Camino, and the pods are beginning to fall. The outside pod is prickly, but inside that prickly pod, there will be up to four chestnuts. I’ve included some pictures of them, as well as of the trees. I was in awe of all of the chestnuts on the Camino.
So the Camino today was as close to perfection as you will get! My pictures won’t do any of it justice, but just remember that you can take the scenery that you see in the pictures and multiply the beauty by 1,000 and it might get you close to the reality I experienced today!
I wish you could have literally walked with me, but I’m glad that you at least joined me as I feebly tried to describe the spectacular scenery God created and then allowed me to enjoy today!
My home for tonight
View out my window at the albergue (hostel)
Buen Camino!
BONUS SECTION: Joe included some more food photos today for those concerned about his diet.
Typical Galician soup - cabbage
This is chicken stuffed with Galician cheese and turnips.
Rice pudding. These pics are for Jeremy and the rest of the “foodies” who are interested in what I’m eating! Actually, I usually don’t eat the local food, as I try to just get a cheap sandwich or something, but I got this four-course meal just for you!
Approximate total miles: 560
Approximate miles walked today: 15
Approximate miles remaining: 157
Villa Franca del Bierzo to Laguna de Castilla
Let me give 21 random observations that are worthless information.
1. There are a lot of cats here.
2. There are too many cats here! (Smile)
3. Dogs are very respectful of pilgrims — they don’t bite us nor bark at us.
4. It no longer bothers me to sleep in a room with 18 men and/or women.
My room — my family tonight includes people from Australia, Colorado, Spain, Denmark, and Jerusalem.
5. It doesn’t bother me to share two toilets and two showers with those same roomies (that is, to share them when I am not using them!😆)
6. My home has more bathrooms for my family than the hostel has for 18 people.
7. I’m considering going home and disabling every bathroom in my house except for one. If 18 people can share 2 toilets and 2 showers, 4 people can share one!
8. Loud snoring is still a distraction to me, but I no longer stay awake all night trying to identify the different types of snorers in the room.
9. I’m good with wearing the same pants I wore yesterday, that I also wore the day before, that I wore the day before that!
10. I lose no sleep over wearing mismatched clothes.
11. One pair of shoes is plenty. (Unless they blow out!)
12. I don’t hold a grudge against anybody who becomes jealous of my hat.
13. I really like café con leche!
14. This is not as easy as it looks!
15. It’s funny how most conversations here end up on the topic of blisters.
16. My clothes are so wrinkled that sometimes I look like an unmade bed. That doesn’t bother me!
17. I am craving chips and salsa!
18. If you want to save money, doing laundry by hand and hanging it on a line to dry is an option.
19. I am getting better about recognizing which is the ladies’ restroom!
20. I miss my church family.
21. I really, really, really miss my family.
Early-morning departure from my hostel
Last evening, when I researched the trail for today, it said, “This is one of the toughest stages of the entire Camino.” And it was! It didn’t help that nine out of the last ten stages have been between 15-17 miles — my body feels a bit weary from all the miles. But despite the difficulty of the stage today, I think I can say that it was also by far my favorite stage!
The beauty left me without adequate words to describe it. The first 2/3 of the camino today followed a picturesque river that wound through a canyon between mountains that towered above me. The sound of the river made me just want to lie down on its banks and not move! The mountains on all sides were like strutting peacocks; they were proud to show off their beauty! The scenery reminded me of the drive west of Denver that takes you between the mountains — it helps you to realize how small you are in comparison to the big world God created!
After a long climb, my village is finally in sight!
But then the last 1/3 of today’s stage of the Camino took me up a very steep trail that wound itself up those beautiful mountains. I see why it is described as one of the toughest stages on the Camino! My hostel currently is almost in the clouds at 4,000 feet above sea level.
Hostel nearly in the clouds
Even though this 17-mile day depleted me, it was an incredible day. I spent much time continuing to tone my soul. We talk about asking God to show us anything in our lives that would displease Him, but I have been trying to go beyond that. I have been asking Him not only to show me, but then to cleanse and purify those areas.
This is the tough climb today. Still more to go tomorrow.
Barring injury or other issues, I have 7 more stages that should see me completing the Camino and hopefully taking me safely into the city of Santiago de Compostela. Then if I venture to Finisterre (the “end of the earth”), I am anticipating 4 additional stages to arrive at that very significant city!
So, let’s all keep working on toning our souls — I want us to end this journey spiritually fit! Thanks for walking with me today!
Buen Camino!
Approximate total miles: 560
Approximate miles walked today: 17
Approximate miles remaining: 172
Ponferrada to Villa Franca del Bierzo
I am so excited to share something with you today! I have been waiting for the right moment, and this is it! This is the day that I want to introduce my family to you — my Camino family, that is. Obviously, I must limit it to just a few and will have to pick and choose, but maybe in another blog I can present others of my special family members to you as well!
Before I tell you about my family, let me preface my remarks. Before I started the walking the Camino, I read that the pilgrims who begin the first stage together with you will often finish the Camino together with you. And I have found that to be true.
Obviously, there are the overachievers who have way too much energy, and they don’t stop at the normal hubs -- they rush off, never to be seen again! Then there are those who also are slower — maybe they have blisters or other health issues, or they just decide they have had enough fun, so they bail at a certain point. But having said that, it’s really amazing how many of the pilgrims I started with are still the ones I meet day after day, at hostel after hostel and coffee shop after coffee shop.
So touching - Three pilgrims praying together at 6:15 before they headed out.
Okay, now to the exciting stuff! The first family member I want to introduce to you is named Salvador. He is one of the few locals from Spain I’ve met on the Camino. I wish I would have started counting how many hostels we have stayed at together or how many times we bumped into each other on the trail or in coffee shops. Salvador has probably become my closest family member on the Camino! He has more or less taken me under his wing and instructed me and even corrected me at times! Salvador is 82 years old (so he has the right to correct me), and when he finishes the Camino in another 8 days or so, it will mark his 9th completed Camino — just incredible! Salvador is such a good guy! I could hardly wait to introduce him to you.
The next introduction is actually of seven of my family members, all from Croatia. If I were attaching a label to the different family members, I would probably label these as the ones who are having the most fun! They are free spirited, and you never know what they’re going to do! I have passed them on the Camino and sometimes they are singing at the top of their lungs, sometimes someone is leading them in a chant — it’s all in their language so I have no clue what they are saying. But then yesterday I saw them slightly off the trail at a shady place — they were all sprawled out, just relaxing! They have so much fun!
One note of interest — one evening I was in a restaurant having supper, and the Seven Croatians were in the bar section. I don’t know how to say this, except that they were really enjoying themselves, and had obviously had plenty of drinks. Well, in that particular village, one of the churches was having a special Mass for pilgrims at 6:00. So I left in time to get to the church. Would you know that right at 6:00, that big old door that creaked loudly when it was opened made a noise, and all seven of these Croatians walked in and marched up to the front row! They had rushed from the bar to the church. But they knew exactly what to do, what to say, when to stand, when to sit — which was more than could be said about me. I always was the last to stand and the last to sit. I just didn’t have the routine down very well!
It was interesting that, when mass was over, the priest informally called everyone up front (there were only 30 to 35 of us), and asked us where we all were from. We probably represented 8 different countries. Then he asked for every country to sing a song in their language. He did specify that it be something suitable for the setting of church. Well, the Croatians were the first to volunteer, and I don’t know if it was a gospel song or not, but they were sure into it and they got everybody else into it! I thought for a little bit that we were going to be doing some kind of march around the church! Their song was way more lively than the Americans who sang “Amazing Grace”!
There’s another family member I’d like to introduce to you. She’s a young lady from the Czech Republic. I met her at one of the communal dinners — she was sitting to my left while a lady from Denmark was sitting to my right. This young lady from the Czech Republic told us her story. She was a teacher residing in Germany. She has had a really, really difficult school year, and felt she needed some time away to reboot her life.
Something she was telling us at the table might interest those of you who have rentals, or maybe are tenants who rent. She said that in her contract for her apartment in Germany, they have the rent increases mapped out for the next 40 years. Evidently, every year, rent increases a certain percentage. So she can plan her budget for the next 40 years if she stays!
Also, she said that the laws in Europe favor the tenants. The tenant has to give something like a three-month notice to get out of a contract, but the homeowner has a lot more hoops he has to jump through to get the tenant out. It’s not impossible, but it nearly requires an act of Parliament for a landlord to break his/her part of the contract.
And then, let me tell you about another family member I just met yesterday. She was in our hostel, and I was talking with a lady from Argentina. Because of my being born in Bolivia, I’m always extra interested in my Camino family from South America. The Argentinian lady and I were talking about Bolivia, and this young lady, whom I learned was from Germany, spoke up and said, “Bolivia? Have you ever heard of a place called Tarija, Bolivia?”
Well, that was like asking an American if they have ever heard of a place called Boston! She said that she had spent two months in the city of Tarija!
What’s interesting about this lady from Germany is that she is riding her bike on the Camino. Now, for those of you who think that would be the easy way to go, you’re wrong! If you look at the terrain — the rocks and the uphills and downhills — it would be much more difficult to ride a bike than to walk it. But she was not only riding the Camino; she said that she had been on a fairly major ride: so far she was at 5500 km or about 3,400 miles. She started in Norway and will finish at Finisterre, the end of the earth! And she’s doing that all alone!
I know this blog is long, but I have a lot of family! Let me quickly present two more family members. Yesterday I was walking the trail. I am trying hard to break keeping to myself. I passed this lady, and as always, I spoke - I usually say, “Buenos días,” or, “Buen camino,” or just, “Hola”. But as I passed her, I was convicted that I should slow down and talk with her.
Within five minutes, I learned that she was a hairdresser from the state of Mississippi. She had gone through an ugly divorce, and her husband ended up in prison. Her kids were bitter and angry. She only had 9 or 10 days to walk the Camino, so she had jumped in along the way. But she was trying to reboot and find herself again. And I was able to have probably the deepest spiritual conversation with her that I’ve had with anybody so far along the Camino!
Let me talk about one more family member. He is probably the most unique of any. One day, I had been walking 2-3 hours, and stopped in at a coffee shop — which I know really surprises you, that I might do that. But I saw, walking into the coffee shop, a man with a prosthetic left leg. It was obvious that he was a pilgrim and was not a local. I thought, “Wow, he is one tough dude!” When I saw that he was wearing a T-shirt that said Peru, I realized he was not only my Camino brother, but he was my South American brother. We chatted briefly and I left before he did. But I was totally amazed that he was walking the Camino with a prosthetic leg - I struggle walking with two healthy legs, and he was doing it on one!
I was maybe 15 minutes away from the coffee shop when I heard the noise of a bicycle behind me. That’s one of the biggest hazards here; you have to make sure you don’t get run down by a bicycle. I respectfully moved over to the side of the trail, and the sight that I saw was one that will stick with me for a long time!
Here came a man riding a bicycle - with only one leg! That’s right! It was the man I had met — he was not walking the camino, he was riding it! His right leg was on the right pedal, but there was nothing on the left pedal. But then I saw where his left leg was - It was strapped onto the back of the bike! So, make sure you understand what I saw. A man was riding a bicycle with his right leg doing all the pedaling on a rocky path, and his left leg was conveniently strapped on the back of his bike! Now that’s a sight you don’t see every day!
Enough of my family for the day!
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Joe didn’t send photos of his “Camino Family.” Our assumption is that he’s trying to respect their privacy. We include this note because we know you want to see the guy on the bike!]
The trail goes through that opening in the building.
I was a little apprehensive about the walk today. The last 3 to 4 days have been long and hard. And with the oppressive heat, it seemed to just suck my energy. In fact, a 58-year-old died of heat stroke on the Camino a couple of days ago. Today was one of those times when I was tempted to take a rest day. But as I’ve already discussed with you, at this stage in the Camino it would greatly complicate my lodging reservations.
Anyway, yesterday my legs just felt dead! When I got up this morning, I prayed, “God, I’m going to need extra strength today.” And God answered that prayer — after about the first hour or so, I seemed to get my trail legs back, and my energy increased! And, as a bonus, God gave me extra joy, as I continued to try to tone my soul!
Shoe update: Thankfully the trail today was fairly easy, which put a lot less pressure on my left shoe that is trying to come apart. So for a shoe update, it’s about as it was yesterday — no worse. But your prayers for shoe healing are still needed — my toe is in danger of poking through the top. Where is the duct tape when I need it?
Tonight I am staying in a hostel called Hostel of the Rock. It is literally built into the rock on the cliff! Similarly, on the Camino of life, I am also staying in the Hostel of the Rock — the Rock of Christ Jesus! With that type of foundation, everything’s going to be alright! Thanks for walking with me today.
A house built on a rock — literally!
Buen Camino!
This shows the ultimate goal. The red dot: Finisterre!
Approximate total miles: 560
Approximate miles walked today: 15
Approximate miles remaining: 189
Foncebadón to Ponferrada
Today was a very emotional day for me! Even though I had been preparing myself for this stage of the Camino for the last 2 months, it still brought out a lot of emotions. Let me tell you about it.
Today’s walk on the Camino took me to the top of a mountain pass. My early departure got me there way before sunrise, but the moon’s brilliance was spectacular and offered a good amount of light.
At the top of the mountain pass was a cross that I had read about and researched called the Cruz del Fierro or in other words, the Iron Cross. For years, pilgrims have passed by this cross, and have symbolically left a rock at the base. By leaving the rock, some pilgrims were saying that they were leaving their burden of sin. Others chose to leave a rock in memory of, or to honor, a loved one that had passed.
Close to two months ago, I was explaining this to my family and asked if they would want to paint or inscribe a rock that would represent someone in our family who had passed. And so before I left, my wife Faith had given me a rock that would represent her grandparents who passed several years ago - they were just wonderful, Godly people. She also had prepared a rock in memory of her dad. The one-year anniversary of his passing is coming up soon. My daughter, Erica, prepared a rock in memory of my dear mother, her grandmother. And then my three grandchildren each had prepared a rock for my dad, who they lovingly called Grandpa T.
As I carefully placed those rocks in my backpack last evening, I knew that today would be very emotional. And it was! The perfect trajectory of the moon added not only to the beauty but also to the intrigue of the moment.
As I walked up to that cross, the tears started flowing! And thankfully at that early hour, I was alone and no one heard this grown man weep. To document this special moment, I placed my headlamp on the rocks to shine some light on my face and videoed a short tribute to these precious people who are with Jesus today.
Again, this is one of those instances where to catch the full emotion of the moment you just had to be there. But for me, two months of anticipating this moment ended up making it a very moving experience!
Back sometime ago, I also asked my wife, who is a way better writer than I am, if she would be willing to write a tribute to each of those I honored. And so today, please respectfully read these tributes for these amazing family members.
Dad (David) Linville went to heaven after a difficult 3-year battle with serious health issues. Dad taught his children the value of hard work, which he learned early in life as part of a large, poor family in the hills of Kentucky. His continued work ethic at Ford Motor Company for 30 years enabled him to raise his family while faithfully pastoring a small church. Dad loved people! He could talk to anyone and especially enjoyed having a good laugh. His eyes were truly fixed on the goal, and he reached it on December 7, 2022. We’ll see you again, Dad!
Mom (Mary) Trussell had an unassuming voice and was shy in public, but she was a strong woman who raised her three children in the Andes mountains and high plains of Bolivia in primitive living conditions, for eighteen years. She may have been quiet, but she was highly intelligent — a meticulous bookkeeper and a student of the Word. She knew how to touch heaven when she prayed! We miss her dearly, but are so glad she was released from the cruel grip of Alzheimer’s disease when she finished her race in 2011. We can’t wait to hear her contagious laugh again one day in heaven!
Dad (Leland) Trussell set an example for us in his disciplined life of prayer. He was known in Bolivia as the missionary who walked many, many hours to reach churches in villages far beyond any roads, and was known in El Dorado Springs as the retiree who walked miles each day. Mostly, he was known as a man with unabashed, pure, contagious JOY! After his death in June of this year at age 94, we found ourselves standing on holy ground when we stumbled upon multiple prayer journals which are publish-worthy, convicting and challenging us to live closer to the Cross!
Thank you, Faith — perfectly said! All I can add is — I thank God for the incredible heritage He has given our family!
Regarding the trail, as a whole, it was a very nice secluded trail away from busy highways. But it was so long and hot! In fact, it seems I am in a really tough stretch of the Camino, simply because of several long stages in a row. As I understand that there is unseasonably warm weather in Missouri this week, it is the same way here in Spain. Even though I am leaving in the pre-dawn hours, I still have two to three hours of slogging through brutal heat at midday. The pilgrims who don’t leave before dawn are really taking a beating.
Plus, the trail today had 2”-8” rocks and it was a challenge making sure I didn’t step on one wrong and twist or roll an ankle. But I made it to Ponferrada, a city of 69,000 people. And as some of you would likely guess, for my early-morning departure tomorrow, I am already trying to figure out how to miss the commercial areas to save some steps! 😆
Major prayer request of the day: you may have never prayed a prayer like this, but would you pray for my shoes? My left shoe is showing signs of an imminent blow-out! I bought these shoes before I left, and besides breaking them in a little bit, they were brand new! The last thing I want to do is try to find some shoes that might miraculously fit my odd feet, and then have to break them in along the trail. That’s almost guaranteed blisters! So, you might pray for that shoe to be healed! 😁 I’m going to try to pamper them and hopefully they’ll give me 200 more miles of service. Remember, they are the only hiking shoes I brought! Yikes!
My roomie last night — a doctor from my birth country of Bolivia
Approximate total miles: 560
Approximate miles walked today: 17
Approximate miles remaining: 204
Astorga to Foncebadón
Here is some random information that will interest few people, if any!
First, I have yet to see any roadkill! In our part of Missouri, if you drive 5 miles on a highway, you are pretty much guaranteed to see some form of roadkill — skunk, opossum, raccoon, armadillo, deer, etc. Over the past week, I have pretty much walked right by major roads and have yet to see one roadkill! In fact, the total amount of wildlife I have seen over the 300+ miles I have walked amounts to 3 deer and 5 rabbits. Again, information that probably interests no one except for Ryan!
As I indicated in a blog nearly 2 weeks ago, the Camino de Santiago is unofficially divided into thirds. The first third goes from St. Jean Pied de Port, France to Burgos, Spain. It is said that that those 10-12 days are to toughen or tone your body. And does it ever do that! The first three or four days, every muscle is screaming for you to stop! The first third is brutal even to those of us who lead a fairly active lifestyle — few people are used to walking those kinds of distances over terrain like the Pyrenees mountains.
But it is true that by the time you get to Burgos, your body still won’t like what you are doing to it, but at least your muscles will have quit screaming as much, and you will have started the process of toning your body. And of course the Bible says that physical exercise is profitable for the body! And all the people groaned at that statement! 😩
I’m currently at the blue dot — Astorga
The second third of the trail is what they call toning the mind. That portion of the Camino goes from Burgos to Astorga. After a couple of weeks of walking the Camino, it loses some of its appeal. It is no longer fun. The excitement is gone. The honeymoon is over. And your mind sometimes wants to play tricks on you and comes up with all kinds of excuses why it would be “God’s will” to bail.
It’s incredible how our mind messes with us! For that reason, the Bible really encourages us to guard our thoughts and our mind. During this stage I have really tried to work on the thoughts that I allow to stay in my mind.
Well, today began the last third of the trail. As pilgrims leave Astorga, a city of 10,000 people, pilgrims are encouraged to tone their soul.
This is the most important part, because this is what deals with the eternal part of us. A lot of the trail today was just spent doing some deep soul-searching. Whereas yesterday I had a spirit of praise, today there was more of an introspective feel. I was asking God to search my heart for anything that might be of concern to Him — including any attitudes, impure motives, pride, jealousy — all those things that tend to take us down.
So I can’t say today was an awesome day, but it was a good start as I began to tone my soul!
Regarding the trail - today was brutal! Most of that was my fault. As I planned my stages several days ago, I decided to go 3.2 miles past the regular stopping point for the day today. The reason was that tomorrow there is a very special place along the Camino, and I wanted to take a few miles off the long day tomorrow so I wouldn’t feel rushed at that special place. I will dedicate a good part of tomorrow’s blog to that.
But even though my reasoning was sound, now I see why they recommend stopping 3.2 miles before I did - those 3.2 miles are all uphill, very steep, and took place around midday in the hot sun. This was the first day I ran out of water! Earlier in the day, there were places where I could have filled my two water containers, but I didn’t think I would need it. Big mistake! I did get a bit dehydrated.
This gives the ascent the last 3.2 miles. Green highlighter: typical stopping point. Yellow highlighter : my actual stopping point. Whew! 🥵
Those last 3.2 miles seemed to go by so slowly. I was pretty depleted when I finally walked those last few steps up the steep hill to my Albergue. Tomorrow is close to a 17-mile day as well, so hopefully my body can recover quickly.
Now having said that, the trail today, up to the last 3.2 miles, was amazing. Finally we got away from the loud highway. If I could have just changed out the vegetation, the terrain looked like it was part of the Ozarks. I even saw some cows today for the first time. It was a good walk today, except the last 3.2 miles!😆
Early-morning visit to a church
My home for tonight
So as you walk the Camino with me, don’t forget to take these last remaining 10 stages to tone your soul! Ask God to show you anything that might need to be pruned from your life! Let’s become spiritually fit together!
Approximate total miles: 560
Approximate miles walked today: 16
Approximate remaining miles: 221