{"id":60065,"date":"2013-04-18T08:06:29","date_gmt":"2013-04-18T15:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/ive-been-through-the-desert\/"},"modified":"2013-04-28T18:41:54","modified_gmt":"2013-04-29T01:41:54","slug":"ive-been-through-the-desert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/ive-been-through-the-desert\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve Been through the Desert"},"content":{"rendered":"

It seems like I\u00b4ve been walking the long, straight paths of the Meseta forever, though in truth it\u00b4s only been six days. Less than a week! But many of the photos taken are of the road I\u00b4m travelling, generally a straight line to the horizon.<\/p>\n

There\u00b4s a lot of time to think on the Meseta while you walk through the virtually unchanging scenery day after day, pushing thoughts deep within with little distraction.<\/p>\n

My thoughts ranged everywhere, about what comes next, about various relationships with people in my life, about literary projects and games, about my sins, obsessions, and demons.<\/p>\n

So, a light, fun-filled couple of days. Photos as wifi becomes available.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, just before the town of Sahagun, we arrived at a small hermitage undergoing renovation. Ermita Virgen del Puente is the halfway point of the Camino, measured from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela.<\/p>\n

That was a fun moment, getting my photo taken halfway through my Camino – well, in distance, anyway. It\u00b4s very difficult to believe that I\u00b4ve been on this road as long as I have.<\/p>\n

Certainly, despite the large amounts of local Spanish food (and wine) I\u00b4m consuming, I\u00b4m tightening my belt week to week. I feel like I\u00b4ve lost fifteen pounds.<\/p>\n

I\u00b4ve been walking quie a bit with Eamon, but also with Santiago from time to time. For great stretches, however, I\u00b4ve been alone with my thoughts.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow, God willing, I will reach the great cathedral city of Leon and meet Francine! We will continue our Camino together.<\/p>\n

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It seems like I\u00b4ve been walking the long, straight paths of the Meseta forever, though in truth it\u00b4s only been six days. Less than a week! But many of the photos taken are of the road I\u00b4m travelling, generally a straight line to the horizon. There\u00b4s a lot of time to think on the Meseta while you walk through the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-camino"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1aGBK-fCN","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":83955,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-halfway\/","url_meta":{"origin":60065,"position":0},"title":"One Year Ago: Halfway","author":"Thom","date":"17 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Bercianos del Real Camino 17 April Francine is in flight! Meanwhile, today was another introspective Meseta day \u2013 bleak, virtually unchanging scenery pushing thoughts deep within with little distraction. Entered the Province of Le\u00f3n. Just before arriving in the town of Sahag\u00fan, at a little place called\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"On the Meseta","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9033548213_7fef17d58e_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9033548213_7fef17d58e_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9033548213_7fef17d58e_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9033548213_7fef17d58e_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59554,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-meseta-begins-to-leave-its-mark\/","url_meta":{"origin":60065,"position":1},"title":"The Meseta Begins to Leave its Mark","author":"Thom","date":"16 April 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"15 April 2013 Today Eamon and I walked a record-breaking 34 km. The walk to Fromista along the Canal de Castilla was very pleasant; it was not yet hot (we left at 7:30), and a cool breeze blew through the trees beside the canal. Lunch was in Fromista, where I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59555,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/initial-thoughts-on-the-meseta\/","url_meta":{"origin":60065,"position":2},"title":"Initial Thoughts on the Meseta","author":"Thom","date":"16 April 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Third Sunday of Easter 14 April 2013 Hot. Dry. Sunny. This is the Meseta, a large arid plateau that makes up the middle third of the Camino through Spain. The Meseta is said to be the second trial of the Camino. In the first third, you are tried physically. In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":83957,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-the-meseta-nears-its-end\/","url_meta":{"origin":60065,"position":3},"title":"One Year Ago: the Meseta Nears its End","author":"Thom","date":"18 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Mansilla de las Mulas 18 April Another long Meseta trek. Breakfast in El Burgo Ranero. Met a cat outside the bar who begged for food. Power-walked after El Burgo Ranero \u2013 not sure why the energy. Met back up with Eamon at rest area about 5km before\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Meseta approaching El Burgo Ranero","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9037579422_95eee4d991_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9037579422_95eee4d991_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9037579422_95eee4d991_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9037579422_95eee4d991_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":83937,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-the-longest-walk\/","url_meta":{"origin":60065,"position":4},"title":"One Year Ago: the Longest Walk","author":"Thom","date":"15 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Carri\u00f3n de los Condes 15 April A record-breaking 34km day. The walk to Fr\u00f3mista along the Canal de Castilla was very pleasant. It was not yet hot \u2013 we left at 7:30 \u2013 and a cool breeze blew through the trees beside the canal as Eamon, Mia,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Canal de Castilla","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8862334278_4e07b83bbc_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8862334278_4e07b83bbc_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8862334278_4e07b83bbc_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8862334278_4e07b83bbc_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":83953,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-the-long-flat\/","url_meta":{"origin":60065,"position":5},"title":"One Year Ago: the Long Flat","author":"Thom","date":"16 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Terradillos de los Templarios 16 April \/ St. Bernadette Leaving Carri\u00f3n de los Condes Ruined Church Overlooking Carri\u00f3n de los Condes Monasterio de San Zoilo, just outside Carri\u00f3n de los Condes Today started out with 17.5 km of nothing. It didn\u2019t get much better as the day\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Leaving Carri\u00f3n de los Condes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9033322457_885134c387_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9033322457_885134c387_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9033322457_885134c387_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9033322457_885134c387_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60065"}],"version-history":[{"count":190,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61969,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60065\/revisions\/61969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}