The Humble Walker

Exploring New River Gorge: Our Adventure in West Virginia

Posted on May 11, 2026May 11, 2026 by mewalsh1

Our plan was to leave Maryland and drive to Watoka State Park in West Virginia to ride our bikes on the Greenbriar Rail Trail which is supposed to be awesome. However, we woke up to pouring rain and as we looked at our route saw there were a lot of mountains and a two lane windy road to travel on in the driving rain. With at least 12 hours of rain in the forecast, we revised our plans and decided to drive directly to the New River Gorge National Park on the interstate. We will come back someday to do the Greenbriar Rail Trail.

Rainy Day in West Virginia with terrible visibilty –

There are only backcountry campsites at the national park so we decided to camp at a private campground adjacent to the park. The Outpost at New River Gorge Campground did not disappoint. It was a great campgound, with trails directly into the park. It is run by some really nice young guys who also have cabins for rent and weekly bluegrass music throughout the summer. While it wasn’t completely wooded and our site was in a field (well landscaped), the bathrooms were very impressive – I would even call them spa like. :). We would definately return to The Outpost at NRG campground and recommend it to others.

The Outpost was in the town of Fayetteville, WV (also known as the “coolest small town”) which is in the northern part of New River Gorge National Park – in walking distance to the impressive bridge over the New River. The bridge spans the 876 foot deep New River Gorge and was built in 1977. It is the longest steel arch span in the western hemisphere and the third highest bridge in the US. The first morning we were there,the sun came out and we took a walk from the campground to the bottom of the bridge. It was a bit steeper and longer than we had planned but we took plenty of breaks. We met a guy on the trail whose company had supplied the steel for the bridge. For those who enjoy heights, you can walk across a cat walk just undernearth the top of the bridge that is 2 feet wide (for $80 ). They attach harnesses and cables for safety. The guy we met on the trail and his wife walked across the day before. While John wanted to walk across, we decided to pass. My palms were sweating as they were talking about it.

Look closely and you can see a group of walkers under the bridge

We checked out the Visitor Center later that day and drove down a small one way road to the bottom of the gorge, over the old restored bridge, and up the other side where we ended up back at the campground. It is hard to believe before 1977, this was the only way to get across the gorge.

A bit of Maine at the bottom of the New River Bridge!

We feel so small next to this giant RV – but we like ours better 🙂

We really liked our time in West Virginia and hope to be back. There are so many natural resources there to explore!

Wanderlust on Wheels – Rolling Across America – Driving our truck, pulling our camper, and riding our bikes!

Posted on May 11, 2026May 11, 2026 by mewalsh1

John and I are off on another adventure. This time we are driving across America in our Ford F-150 pick up truck, our Geo Pro 15 FBS camper and on our Aventon E-bikes. Of course, we will also plan to walk and hike as there are so many places to explore. We are also hoping to visit family and friends along the way as we travel. Most of all, we are hoping to unplug from stress and get back to nature. We have been planning this trip for several years and have postponed and changed the dates and itineraries a number of times for a variety of reasons. Last month, John had a small stroke (he is doing well and didn’t need therapy) and this motivated us to move forward with our plans – despite the rising gasoline costs. We adjusted our route for shorter days and removed a few stops. Despite this, we are planning on traveling 10,000 plus miles across the country and back with a few zig zags along the way. But most importantly we will be flexible and change our plans, routes as needed. We hope you can join us on our adventure!

April 27 – 28. Maine to Maryland

After doing some last minute packing and securing the bikes on the back of our camper, we left around noon on Monday April 27 full of excitement about our upcoming adventure. We drove through Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts and spent our first night near Newburgh, NY at a KOA campground. Many campgrounds in New England are not yet open for the season. There were very few campers in the campground as it is still early in the season but it looks like the place is hopping in the summer. They have several pools, miniature golf, wine shop etc. It looks like it would be fun for kids. We cooked supper and had a walk around the grounds.

The next morning after a quick breakfast, we left and headed south thru New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It was a long day driving thru traffic, construction etc. and we were very glad when we made it to a campground in Maryland. We called ahead to get a site and when we arrived, the office was closed but information about our site was left on the door. As we looked around, we saw that almost every one of the 250 sites had a camper on it but there was not a vehicle or a person to be seen. It was like everyone vanished. I felt like I was on an episode of the twilight zone. In hindsight, it appears that most people who stay at that campground had seasonal sites and since it was a Tuesday in late April, no one was there. We made the best of the situation and headed off on a bike ride. We were looking for the C and O Canal Towpath that ran close to the campground. We found the Western Maryland Bike Trail first – a beautiful paved bike path thru the woods that runs parallel to the C & O Canal Towpath for 28 miles. From there we did find the C & O Towpath and rode on that for a while. The C @ O Towpath is mostly dirt and stone and runs 184 miles from Cumberland Maryland to Georgetown, D.C. There are lots of primitive campsites on the trail. Interestingly, the path was built for the mules that used to tow the boats thru the canal.

Breakfast in the Camper – its cold outside1

The next morning after a quick breakfast, we left and headed south thru New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It was a long day driving thru traffic, construction etc. and we were very glad when we made it to a campground in Maryland. We called ahead to get a site and when we arrived, the office was closed but information about our site was left on the door. As we looked around, we saw that almost every one of the 250 sites had a camper on it but there was not a vehicle or a person to be seen. It was like everyone vanished. I felt like I was on an episode of the twilight zone. In hindsight, it appears that most people who stay at that campground had seasonal sites and since it was a Tuesday in late April, no one was there. We made the best of the situation and headed off on a bike ride. We were looking for the C and O Canal Towpath that ran close to the campground. We found the Western Maryland Bike Trail first – a beautiful paved bike path thru the woods that runs parallel to the C & O Canal Towpath for 28 miles. From there we did find the C & O Towpath and rode on that for a while. The C @ O Towpath is mostly dirt and stone and runs 184 miles from Cumberland Maryland to Georgetown, D.C. There are lots of primitive campsites on the trail. Interestingly, the path was built for the mules that used to tow the boats thru the canal.

Riding on the Western Maryland Bike Trail — Western Maryland Rail Trail

Camino del Norte: Camino del Norte – Stage 35. Santiago de Compostela!!! We made it 😀

Posted on May 23, 2025July 27, 2025 by mewalsh1

We woke up excited to walk the remaining 11 k to Santiago. Thankfully, the rain held off for much of the morning. There was a different feeling about the walk today – excitement that we were almost at the end of our trek mixed with a little sadness that our adventure was ending. We walked for a while with a group from Israel who were there walking at their 50th reunion of officers training academy. They walked the last 100 k on the Camino Frances as many people did. It is necessary to walk at least 100K is to get a Compostela. We also walked with a young man from Malasia who was also walking the last 100 k.

A line of hikers heading to the finish in Santago

Friends we met from Israel celebrating their 50th anniversary from graduating from Army Officers Training

Mementos, prayers and memories of loved ones

Placing a shell from Maine on the memorial for an acquaintance from Maine who always wanted to walk the camino but is unable to.

We also placed shells from Maine with loving thoughts and prayers for family members no longer wupith us and for the health of our kids and our grandaughter.

The A 8 highway runs across the northern coast of Spain. We crossed it on bridges and went under it in tunnels multiple times on our walk

We made it to Santiago de Compostela just after noon. We were excited to walk under the tunnel entrance to the Plaza del Obradoiro to traditional bagpipe music. It is a festive atmosphere for all as it culminates the end of weeks of walking. It is a maginificent plaza and cathedral complex. We took the necessary pictures and found a cafe for lunch. While we were eating, we had a text from Slyvio and Eugeneo. While they made it to Santiago the day before, they returned to the cathedral for a few hours while waiting for their flight. It was nice to see them one last and final time.

Pilgrims are usually greeted with bagpipe music entering the cathedral complex

A nice couple who grew up in the old town in Santiago de Compostela. They let us share their umbrella when the rain started

Eugenio and Sylvio the day they made it to Santiago de Compestela

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela began construction in 1075 and was completed in 1211. It is quite old. It is located at the end of the Camino and the destination of pilgrims since the Early Middle Ages. It is the burial place of Saint James the Great, one of the aposcles of Jesus Chris. The crypt, below the main alter houses the relics of Saint James and two of this disiples. It is available for viethewing. The cathedreal offers pilgrm massess at least twice a day at noon and 7:30 pm. The Botafumerio, the largest inscense burner in the world is often used at pilgrim masses. It is 180 lbs and measures 5’2 in height. It is attached to a pulley mechanism in the dome of the church and is swung above the heads of the parisioners dispensing incense by 8 men in red robes. It reaches speeds of 50 mph. It is quite a site to see.

The Botafumeiro hanging from a rope – It is over 5 feet high and weighs 180 lbs. It is filled with 88 lbs of charcoal and incense and is a site to see swining over heads of parishioners.

After lunch we checked into our hotel, The Santa Filomena. When I was planning our trip, I saw the Hotel Santa Filomena and made a reservation as that is my mother’s name down to the spelling. It was a nice simple hotel that is a converted convent. We then headed over to the Pilgrim’s Office. As I mentioned in a previous post, we each had a credential that we had stamped at each albergue and pension we slept at for the entire 35 days. We also received stamps at numerous churches and cafes we visited. At the pilgrims office we showed our credentials and were given a Compestela and a Distance Certificate. We had walked 828 kilometers (mostly up and down hills and mountains) over 35 days on the Camino Del Norte! We are already taking about returning. 🙂

Camino del Norte – Stages 33 and 34. Arzua to Lavacolla. Another rainy walk but really close to Santiago de Compostela now. 😊🇪🇸🥾

Posted on May 20, 2025July 27, 2025 by mewalsh1

We woke to rain and realized that we left the windows in our attic room open and had a flood of water on the floor and into the hallway. After cleaning that up with all of out bath towels, we packed and headed out. This morning was different than other mornings as there was a river of pilgrims heading out on the path. Most were wearing large colorful ponchos that covered them and their packs. Because of the rain people were walking with a determined pace. Cafes were few and far between and because of the rain, many people were stopping. Usually in cafes on the Camino Norte we might see two or three other pilgrims. Today there was a line at each cafe and finding a table under an awning or umbrella was a challenge. But it is all part of the experience. ! We ended the day at an albergue in A Rua run by a very nice couple it was super clean and thankfully, we both got lower bunks. We met Jonathan and Victoria from Michigan who were walking 2 weeks of the Camino with the Jonathan’s parents. But his parents were staying in hotels on the way not albergues. Victoria was a birth doula and Jonathan was in video production. We had a really nice conversation with them. We headed out for dinner for a typical pilgrim meal of soup, pork cutlet and French fries at the one local restaurant thst was open and were asleep by 9:00 pm.

A steady stream of pilgrims in rain gear

We ended the day at an albergue in A Rua run by a very nice couple it was super clean and thankfully, we both got lower bunks. We met Jonathan and Victoria from Michigan who were walking 2 weeks of the Camino with the Jonathan’s parents. But his parents were staying in hotels on the way not albergues. Victoria was a birth doula and Jonathan was in video production. We had a really nice conversation with them. We headed out for dinner for a typical pilgrim meal of soup, pork cutlet and French fries at the one local restaurant thst was open and were asleep by 9:00 pm.

Pilgrim Meal of bean soup, pork cutlet and of course French fries

We woke up the next day and decided to beat some of the rain that was forecast so we stopped at the cafe and got a take-away coffee and croissant. A lot of cafes we had been to on our journey did not offer take away coffee but this is probably one of the benefits of walking with hundreds of others. According to the official pilgrim website, 2400 pilgrims per day were arriving in Santiago. I am sure this number is double in the summer. I’m glad we chose early spring to start our walk.

We almost beat the rain to Lavacolla, our destination, but just as we arrived into town, it started pouring. We ducked into a cafe and ordered a couple coffees to wait out the heavy rain. As we were leaving our Italian friends Eugenio and Sylvia walked in. We didn’t think we would see them as they had arrived in Santiago the day before. They actually walked back to Lavacolla that morning as they were staying in an albergue there. We agreed to meet them at 8:00 pm for one more pilgrimage meal. They were headed back to Milan the next day. As we headed out for dinner the sun came out and the sky was beautiful. It was a perfect way to spend the last night of our Camino-dinner with new friends and a beautiful sunset. Tomorrow we reach Santiago de Compostela – only 11 kilometers away. 🌅

Heading back from our final pilgrimage dinner with Eugenio and Sylvio

Heading back to our Pensión and to sleep

Camino del Norte – Stages 31 and 32. A rainy night in an old monastery, and a rainy 24k walk.

Posted on May 19, 2025May 19, 2025 by mewalsh1

We arrived in Sobraro before we could check in so we stopped for a coffee. As we walked in, we were pleased to see Sylvia and Eugenio. They were just finishing their coffees It was nice to see them as we didn’t think we would run into them again on the trip. They were not staying at the monastery but we’re going another 8 kilometers. The Monasterio de Santa Maria de Sobrado was founded in 951 and was handed over to the Cistercian monks in 1142. In 1954, the Cistercian (Trappist) monks began reconsruction. The monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hostel is located in the cloister. It is very clean and organized and also very cool to stay in the monastery (also literally cool). It has a huge kitchen and we prepared pasta and salad for dinner. We met abril from Ukraine and a guy from Barcelona. They met on the Camino 3 weeks ago and have walked together every day and shared a bottle of wine each night. Romance on the Camino ;). At 7:00 pm we attended vespers service at the chapel.

Monasteries de Santa Maria de Sobrado dos Monjes

Heading out for a walk to buy food for supper.

Friends from France ready to head out in the rain

Our destination the next day was Arzua. It was a long 24k walk in the rain. I walked most of the day with a 78 and 76 year old couple from France. They walk on Camino every year for at least 6 weeks. They firmly believe that walking has helped them stay healthy. We were happy to arrive at the Albergue San Francisco and dry off. It was a little jarring as Arzua is the place where the Camino Frances, the Camino Norte and the Camino Primitivo all join together. Many pilgrims begin their walk at the 100k mark which is the minimum needed together a compestella showing you have completed a Camino. For much of the last couple weeks we saw pilgrims on the trail only intermittently. On some days we only saw 8 or 10 the whole day. We saw more in the evenings at the albergues. Now there was a steady stream of pilgrims walking into Azure. It will be a different experience for the next couple days with all the extra pilgrims walking. We now have only 38.5 left to reach Santiago.

Iglesia de Santiago de Boimorto

View of this large bird and nest on church steeple from our attic pension

Camino del Norte – Stages 29-30. Vilalba to Baamonde to A Lagoa.

Posted on May 17, 2025May 17, 2025 by mewalsh1

80 kilometers to Santiago

Dinner at Km 101 in Baamonde with Silvio and Eugenio from Italy

We spent a pleasant night in Vilalba and headed off to our next destination, Baamonde. We are now in Galacia and traveling inland from the coast toward Santiago. This is the 5th autonomous community in Spain that we have traveled through on this trip (similar to states in US). Each one has the right to self governance. On this trek we have traveled thru the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and now Galacia. Each has their own identity and dialect and the Basque Country even uses different letters.

the walk into Baamonde was pleasant but fairly uneventful. Baaamond itself was a small town that seemed to exist for the Camino. It had a very small grocery store and farmacia, 3 cafe/bars, a municipal albergue and the Pensión 101k which was where we stayed. Iywasat the Wewere now 101k from Santiago. Apparently it had the best food in town. While there, we met up with Sylvia and Eugenio, who happened to be staying at the municipal albergue and we had dinner with them.

The next morning we resumed our trek. We headed out past the beautiful and ancient church in Baamond which started being built in the 9th century, Once again the Camino took us up and down hills but the hills were now less steep. Shortly before arriving at our destination we stopped for coffee and met Dick from the UK who was out for a walk. He and his wife were volunteer hospitaleros at the donativo hostel run by the Confraternity of Saint James, a UK organization that promotes pilgrimages to Santiago in the UK. It sounds like a really nice hostel and I wish we had been able to stay there instead of the hostel we stayed at. Next time…. I think I would enjoy a two week stent volunteering as a caretaker for an albergue. Maybe when we are unable to walk long distances any more. It seems like a great any to meet and talk with people from all over the world, similar to walking the Camino.

Our albergue for the night was in a very rural small town. It had a small room which also served as the grocery store for the town. It also was the only cafe in town and they offered a pilgrim meal at night. While we were on the Camino the pope died which often came up in conversation. The funeral and services were on TV in almost every cafe we stopped at. Of course Spain is a county with many devout Catholics. While we were eating dinner at the albergue in A Lagoa with 3 Irishmen, two Italians and a handful of locals, the conclave elected the new pope. We all sat glued to the TV to see who had been chosen. When they announced that it was an American, all eyes turned to us as if we had some explaining to do. It was a bit uncomfortable given the dislike for our current administration from everyone we met. But in the end.almost everyone agreed that maybe an American pope would somehow help with the current situation.

Our albergue for the night – luckily Jon and I had a 4 person room with two bunk beds to our self

Camino del Norte – Stages 27-29. Ribadeo rest day and then on to Vilalba. We are now in Galacia.

Posted on May 12, 2025May 13, 2025 by mewalsh1

John crossing the scary Puente de Santos bridge over the Rio de Ribadeo into Ribadeo

We headed over the Puente de Santos Bridge and I to Ribadeo. This went over the Rio de Ribadeo which was the border between Asturias and Galacia. It was a scary bridge to walk over. It was quite high. It did have a pedestrian walkway but this was quite narrow – maybe 2 1/2 feet wide. It was also a long bridge that seemed to creak and shake as cars and trucks traveled across. I was quite happy to reach the other side.

Indeano Family, Ribadeo. Ribadeo became prosperous after many “Indians”sailed to the new world and came back to Ribadeo wealthy and prosperous

We walked around Ribadeo and then headed out of the city to walk on the coast. There is a beautiful coastal walk out of Ribadeo for 19 kilometers. I ended up walking on it for 10 kilometers round trip. The coastal trail has a large bike lane the entire way and if return, I would love to ride a bike on the bike path the entire way. It was a beautiful walk none-the-less.

Puente de Santos bridge we crossed earlier in the distance

Once we made it to Vilalba and our alburgue, I headed out to the supermacado and bought food to cook for supper. When I returned from the store, I found the owner of the alburgue playing Spanish and American folk songs on his guitar and pilgrims were joining in the singing. It was very nice. Also, the Albergue was very clean and organized and we met some nice pilgrims as well from France, Africa and Germany. Overall it was a successful day.

Albergue as Pedreias, Vilalba -owner playing Spanish and American folk music

Camino del Norte – Stage 26. Navia to Figueras. Last day in Asturias.

Posted on May 12, 2025May 12, 2025 by mewalsh1

John on the coastal trail in Tapia de Casariego

Today we headed back to the coast. I read there were some great coastal variants near Tapia de Casariego and we decided to check them out. We literally had to walk across newly tilled farmland (on a path) to reach the coastal trails. They were really beautiful and we were the only two walking on them for most of the day.

One of many deserted beaches we have come accross

pit stop for cafe con leche with a view. The man sitting next to us was walking with his daughter. He has done 24 Iron Man races including one at the arctic circle in Norway. They are from Manchester UK.

We finally reached Figueras, and our albergue for the night. Patricia from Germany was the only other pilgrim at the albergue. Most others were staying in Ribadeo, across the river. After checking in and doing our laundry I went out to check out the town. It is a small village built around a large ship building company. It is directly across the river from Ribadeo. I miscalculated and thought Ribadeo was another 14 kilometers away. John’s leg pain was ok when he was walking, but it was not really improving. We decided to take advantage of my miscalculation and made a plan to revise our trip with a rest day in Ribadeo tomorrow and then shorter stages going forward. We had a nice dinner with Patrica then headed to sleep.

Camino del Norte – Stage 25. Barcia to Navia. 24 kilometers.

Posted on May 12, 2025May 12, 2025 by mewalsh1

As we were getting ready to leave the next morning, we realized we must have left Johns jacket at the restaurant. It was Sunday morning and they were not opening till 11:00 am. I told the woman who owns the Pensión what had happened via Google translate and she picked up her phone and immediately sent a text message to the restaurant owner. This is what it is like in these small towns. The small business owners all know each other. The restaurant owner said they didn’t have it but also since we were sitting outside, it was probably still there. They remembered where we were sitting as we were the only non locals there last night. We walked back over to the restaurant (750 meters out of our way) and didn’t see it. As we were leaving I looked under the table and found it. I was quite relieved as I realized it must have fallen out of out backpack when I was getting my jacket out. We were also quite grateful that the Pensión owner went out of her way to call to inquire about our jacket and quickly forgave her for all the noise the kids were making the night before.

After walking 3 kilometers we came to the river city of Luarca. We past several Indiano houses on our way into to town. We hoped to stop for coffee but every cafe was full of patrons and had long lines. We decided to keep going, happy that we had iced tea and nuts with us.

Luarca is an interesting town. As you approach the town you are on a hill looking down. We walked down streets, ramps and stairs into the town and then back up steep streets ramps and stairs after passing through town. The house and apartments were all built into the steep hillsides.

Lucarca from the other side of the river

We headed back into the countryside, passing multiple farms and small towns and going up and down hills.

A8 highway we have followed for past month

About 6 kilometers from Navia , our destination, we met a couple from Belgium. They had decided to leave the Camino and walk along the N 634 road for the last 6 k into town as was a bit shorter than the farm roads the Camino followed. We were pretty exhausted and decided to do the same. They were a bit ahead of us and kept switching sides of the road every 15 minutes or so. We did not know why they were doing this as we prefer to face traffic but thought it was safer to be on the same side. The cars travel about 50 mph on that road. We later founded out they were switching sides to give her blisters a break. In retrospect it was not a good decision to stay on the road as the pavement was very difficult on my feet. Also it just wasn’t the same Camino walking experience. While the Camino often goes on back roads it tries to avoid the busier roads with faster speed limits. Needless to say we were exhausted by the time we made it to our Pensión and took a well deserved rest after our 25 k walk. We didn’t even bother to do laundry. After resting, we headed out to check out the town and get dinner. We found a place that was serving food at 7:00 pm and were happy to see our friend Hank from Belgium there eating. We joined him for supper and more good conversation before heading back to our Pensión and sleep.

Our room for the night – Hotel Casona Naviega

Camino del Norte – Stage 24. El Pito to Barcia.

Posted on May 11, 2025May 11, 2025 by mewalsh1

I woke up and took a quick walk down the street to check out the view in the morning light. It was still amazing.

Today our destination is Barcia and most of our walk is on farm roads with rolling hills. We will end up back near the coast. John left our Pensión with Hank, our new friend from Belgium, while I stopped at the store to buy bread, ham and cheese for out lunch. It didn’t look like we would pass many services today. I also bought a small bag of olives, a bag of walnuts and fruit. These have become staples of ours to snack on as we walk. It took longer than e pected at the store and I didn’t catch up with John and Hank for over an hour. I enjoyed my solitary walk but was happy to catch up with them for some conversation. . We finally reached Barcia, where we had a reservation at an agriturismo and said goodbye to Hank who was heading to the next town. We were sorry to leave him as we enjoyed talking with him. We checked in and thankfully, the owner offered to let us use her washing machine. We showered and washed most of our clothes and hung them on the line next to hers. The closeline was under a roof which was good as it started to rain soon after I hung them on the line.

Hank from Belgium and John checking out church

The village was very small and there was only one restaurant in town that did not serve food until 8:00 so we headed out for a walk to find the beach and the train station. The FEVE train stops here once a day but does not look like it is used very much. It is located at least a kilometer from town. There was a nice coastal walk that ran along the beach.

Barcia Train Station. One passenger train a day Not. Very busy…

At 7:30 we headed to the restaurant, hoping they would let us order food a little earlier than 8:00. We had walked over 20 miles and were hungry and tired. But the bartender told us the kitchen did not open till 8:00 pm. There were several tables of men playing cards in the restaurant and several women sitting outside. We were the only non local people. At 8:00, the owner’s wife came in and promptly waited on us and then cooked our meal. She was very nice and recommended the regional specialty, Cachopo. This is a dish made with two large veal fillets, breaded and fried, and stuffed with ham and cheese. Of course it is served with French fries and some pimentos. We ordered one and split it but still were unable to finish. It was very good but a lot of meat. After our late dinner we headed back to our room and tried to fall asleep. Unfortunately, the owners large extended family was staying in the horreo (house on stilts) that was converted into lodging and their kids were yelling and running up and down the stairs right outside our window well after midnight.

Despite the noise till late at night, it was a great day once again on the coast of northern Spain 😊.