Today’s Miles: 23.2
Total Miles: 5,997.5

Carvoeiro, Portugal – May 11, 2017

The four of us look out from under the covered walkway. Daya and I sit on a camping mat, her with her feet propped high on a wall, me slouched against the concrete. Nearby a bicyclist leans against his seat talking to a guy on a motorcycle.

The rain picks up outside. It comes in a flood, drowning the street. Lightning flashes overhead. We peer out and search for some brightness in the sky.

Five minutes pass. Then ten. The rain ebbs a bit, like it’s deciding what to do. The motorcyclist slaps his helmet on and rolls off, his back tire kicking up a spray as he bets speed can take him home before the rain starts again. The bicyclist follows soon after, nodding to us as he swings his leg over the bike and pedals away.

We settle in against the wall to wait. We cannot beat the rain because we have no where to beat it too. The calculus is different when you have a roof somewhere to hide under, when you have a drawer of dry clothes to change to, when you are desperate to get to a particular place. We have none of those things. We watch the water fall, watch it wash away the heat of the day, watch until the clouds break and we emerge to walk again.