Week 1 in Finestrat

Arriving as we did, near 1 am Thur night we were in no hurry to get up Fri morning. This would be a down day with our friends needing to take care of some business. The bikes and trailers were unpacked, though for us not completely. Rowland completed his business requirements and then decided he needed to look at some of the issues the trike was having. He discovered the brake caliper on the left wheel was not operating properly and in the process of taking it apart realized a couple seals were bad. Living remotely as they do, parts needed to be ordered, so the trike was down for a few days.
Sat. Deb and I took off on a nice local day ride. I am amazed at where these people build small towns or villages. Perched on mountain sides. The hills are almost all terraced to create more farm space and villages dot the hill sides in the most unlikely places. We have learned that Spain is the most mountainous of all the countries in Europe, they are just not as high as the mountains of other places such as the ALPS. The switchbacks here are much more like we regularly see in the US with 15-25mph type speeds. The roads are so small they can't be found on most maps. The thing that strikes me is the colors remind me so much of Utah and Arizona with lots of sand colored and red rock. Possibly with Google maps you can follow the ride as we went from Finestrat to La Nucia, Polop, Guadalest, Alcoy, Xixona, Sant Joan and then back to Finestrat.
Sun. we walked through the local village of Finestrat which is about 1 kilometer from our friends' home. The terrain was like walking through San Francisco, uphill and down but the houses were build to the street's edge in places. The streets were not wider than a single vehicle.  Then by car we went back to Guadalest for a walk around the village there, and to the base of a mountain top castle.
Mon. we spent looking for a place to exchange travelers checks to Euro's. They don't do that in banks here. That was quite the adventure but we were finally successful in Benidorm. TIP: If you come to Spain get your Euro's before you leave home.
Tue., since the parts for Rowland's trike have not yet come, our friends dropped Deb and I off at the beach for a dip into the Mediterranean. The water was a very comfortable temp and the beach was filled with mostly retirement aged folks. I suspect the locals are glad the schools have started back again.
Wed. Rowland had tired of waiting for the parts and got the trike in decent enough shape to lead us on a nice day ride through some hills. The route started like it did when we went alone last Sat. However when we got to Polop we altered the route and went to Callosa, Bolulla, Orba, Tormos, Sagra, Vall D'Ebo, Vall d'Alcala, Planes, Benimarfull, Benilloba, Benifallim, Sella, Orexta and back to Finestart. During the ride we stopped and entered the Cova De Rull, an amazing section of underground caves. Photos were not allowed because the light from the flash would do damage to the cave walls.
Thur. the weatherman decided we were having too much fun and dampened things a bit. Rowland had also become even more concerned about his trike, as it developed new noises from the rear end. A quiet day was had and more reading was done than had been done so far during the entire trip.
Today is Fri 9/28 and after a removal of the left rear tire of the trike it was discovered a wheel bearing was going bad. The tire was replaced and I followed Rowland to his mechanic's where a quick look indicated a job that required leaving the trike until at least Mon. For the first time in nearly 50 years, Rowland got to ride the back seat of a bike, and the first time ever on a Goldwing. He was amazed at the comfort. More weather is expected today and tomorrow before a clearing to sunny days starting Sun.
Enjoy a few photos. The first is the mountain behind our friends' house where they hold rock climbing classes.