- Date: Nov 15, 2024
- Starting Location: Cueta, Spain
- Ending Location: Malaga, Spain
- Mileage: 193 Km
- Total Mileage So Far: 2830 Km (1758.5 Miles)
Breakfast
Breakfast was pretty unorganized, and slow. We arrived at 6:30, hoping to get an early start on the food, and found out that the Omlette chef was not going to be ready until almost 7:00. With an 8:00 AM departure, we’d be pushing it so we ate fast, and headed back to the room.
We were sad to hear that another one of the riders was suffering from gastrointestinal issues, and may not have been up to riding.
The weather
We checked the weather, and there would be rain in Cueta, but perhaps it would move out ahead of us. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and the weather as we approached Ronda got worse and worse. Eventually, as we got to Ronda, the weather was great, and it would remain sunny and warm for the rest of the day.
The Ride
On the road
We’re now in Spain, having driven our last day in Morocco yesterday. We start today’s ride in Cueta, Spain. We loaded onto the ferry for an 8:00 AM departure, and once again, watched the crew secure our bikes to the floor of the ferry.
The water was a bit rough, and I found it a bit difficult to walk, and was uneasy for most of the trip, but we all managed to make it to the other side without any sea sickness.
We arrived in Spain, but had to wait for a few cars to unload. Once out of the ferry, we mounted our bikes, and headed north, along the coast of Spain. At the town of San Pedro Alcantara, we turned inland, and headed up the mountain towards Ronda.
It was a rainy day, and as we began to climb the mountain the rain came heavier, making visibility difficult at times, but I started applying a trick that some of my fellow riders were using; I used my glove to wipe the visor. It didn’t work perfectly, but it worked well enough to address the rain.
The road was windy, had numerous blind turns, and the traction was reduced due to the rain. But, up we climbed towards the top. As we rode, the temperature continued to drop, until we saw temperatures of 10C, which is damn cold when all you’re wearing is a mesh jacket, and a long sleeve shirt.
So, I suffered with the cold, looking forward to reaching Ronda, and getting a break. I turned on the hand-grip warmers, and after about 10 minutes, they were so hot that I had to turn them down to a lower setting. It sure is nice to see that BMW’s grip heaters work so well.
We finally got to Ronda, and parked the bikes in a public lot, and headed towards the famous Ronda bridge. We took a number of pictures and videos of and from the bridge, and then headed to lunch. We found a hotel that was no more than 1 block away, and on the 8th floor, they had an outside restaurant that overlooked the famous Ronda bull rink.
Our seat may have provided the best view of the bull ring, when asked of all of our other riders. We had a nice lunch, and headed back to the bikes. We arrived at exactly 2:00 PM, and off we went to Malaga. The trip to Malaga was supposed to be about 100K, or a little more than a 1 hour drive.
We arrived at Malaga at about 3:20, and began the process of turning in the bikes. I had to remove the three gadgets that I had previously installed, but most of the other folks had to simply turn over the keys, and off to the hotel they went.
Ronda
Ronda (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈronda]) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000.
Ronda is known for its cliff-side location and a deep canyon that carries the Guadalevín River and divides the town. It is one of the towns and villages that are included in the Sierra de las Nieves National Park. Perhaps the most famous item in Ronda is the bridge.
The Puente Nuevo (“New Bridge”) is the newest and largest of three bridges that span the 120-metre-deep (390 ft) chasm that carries the Guadalevín River and divides the city of Ronda, in southern Spain. Completed in 1793, the architect was José Martin de Aldehuela and the chief builder was Juan Antonio Díaz Machuca.
The construction of the newest bridge (the one standing as of 2024) was started in 1759 and took 34 years. There is a chamber above the central arch that was used for a variety of purposes, including as a prison. During the 1936–1939 civil war both sides allegedly used the prison as a torture chamber for captured opponents, killing some by throwing them from the windows to the rocks at the bottom of the El Tajo gorge. The chamber is entered through a square building that was once the guard-house. It now contains an exhibition describing the bridge’s history and construction.
As we approached the bridge, we took a number of pictures and videos. Have a look, and enjoy the amazing views of the bridge, and of the town of Ronda.
PICTURES GO HERE
Lunch
Lunch was at a restaurant near the bridge, overlooking the Bull Ring. We had a deliscious, and reasonably priced cheeseburger, and a Coke Zero, and that was it for our last lunch on the road.
ELIZABETH PICTURES HERE
Report from the road
Dinner
Tonight’s dinner would be our last, and it would be in Malaga. We made the short walk to dinner, and began the reminiscing process. We hadn’t even finished dinner before the stories of “Do you remember when we”, or “Boy, those roads in the xxx mountains were really something”. But, reliving your adventure is one of the primary reasons for having the adventure in the first place, right?
What will tomorrow bring
Today was the last day of the tour, so there will be no more organized posts about the trip. But wait, there’s more…
First of all, as we headed for dinner, we had a chance to look out at all of the Xmas decorations that Malaga has laid out, and which will soon be turned on. Here’s what Malaga looks like at night.
Tomorrow, we’ll be getting up very early, and making our way to a bus stop, where we’ll board a bus that will take us to Gibraltar, where we’ll enter this foreign land, and enjoy the sights. It’s important to know that Gibraltar will be, yet another country that we can “check off”, but in truth, it’s a British commonwealth, which has its own government, but relies on the GBP as the currency.
