Pelo Del Perro

Well all good things must come to an end, time to move on. Fortunately or flight on to Tenerife was in the evening so we had the day to relax by the pool. Unfortunately flight delays made it even later and it was the wee hours when we ‘danced’ into Tenerife on one of the bumpiest approaches I have been on.

There was a bonus for being late though, Tenerife is noted for its clear skies and is a favorite place for astronomy buffs. Our late arrival meant the moon set just after we got to our room and the sky filled with more stars that I have seen in a long time. Click on the star photos below and you will get the idea.

Last day in Estepona.

Moon set near Tenerife.

Stars above Tenerife.

We set this trip up to be a mix of tour and down days so it was time to get out again. Kim identified Ronda as a target for this trip and our driver to Gibraltar recommended visiting Setenil de las Bodegas, a short drive beyond Ronda. Both Google Maps and our Garmin said these sites were close, max 1.5 hours. Not too bad, slept in a little and off we go!

Well the execution outbound was fun. Both these sites are high in the mountains and with the short distace from our hotel in Estepona that meant a twisty road that rose quickly. We were ready for that but getting behind a big rig that refused to get over slowed us and about 35 other cars down until just about our destination. Some of the other cars were not as patient as we were and were performing risky passes. Surprised there was not at least one accident. Once we cleared the ‘train’ we thought whew but no. In the past few trips on one day we drive the Garmin has to send us off on an adventure and that day had arrived on this one. Although we updated the maps just prior to our departure we found ourselves on roads the Garmin did not know an out throwing it into recalculate mode. Also it tried to send us down roads that were not accessable anymore or roads that were questionable to drive on. This would not be so bad if there was an easy way to tell it to re-route which was not as simple as a push of a button. Adventures in Garmining. Again! 🙂

Our first stop of the day was Setenil de las Bodegas a town where deep overhangs were carved in the narrow gorge the river Rio Trejo ran thru. People have been taking advantage of these natural shelters since cave-dwelling societies and now houses have been built in taking advantage of the steady temperatures provided.

Our next stop on this hot day was Ronda noted for Puente Nuevo, a stone bridge spanning a dramatic gorge and Plaza de Toros, an 18th-century bullring. Earnest Hemingway and Orson Wells were frequent visitors to Ronda, Hemingway based sections of his novel For Whom the Bell Tolls on events that occurred here. The accounts of Hemingway and Wells (who is buried near Ronda) helped put this city on the international map.