4/14/25: Navarette to Azofra

Time: 8:41 a.m. to 2:48 p.m.

Distance: 14.77 miles.

Steps: 30,906.

Elevation Gain: 1,164 feet.

Average Walking Speed: 3.7 mph. [Smokin’ hot pace for me for a walk that isn’t a race].

Leaving Navarette, I met up again with Claude from Quebec. We shared the trail and had a long and energizing talk along the Way. He Winters in Daytona Beach. He’s an avid motorcyclist who, as a young man, was a racimg professional with sponsorships. He has also seen much of the world from the seat of a motorcycle.

I went down the trail and later met Fred from Australia. She is a single mom of an 18 year old and is a new empty nester. She’s trying to find her way in the world. We enjoyed deep conversation about family, work, relationships, the impact of trauma, and finding ways towards healing.

I stopped for lunch in the Najera, a larger village / small town where I shared a table with several pilgrims. One was Noreen, originally from New York, and now living in Seattle. She inspired me with her story that every day, she is trying to invest in her friendships and create community where she lives.

I stayed at the large municipal alburgue in Azofra that is fairly well appointed. I shared a 2-bed room with a young video game designer named Wilburt from the Netherlands.

In Azofra, outside the only open cafe,  I met two Baptist missionaries from the U.S., Tim, and Caleb. They have a church in nearby Logroño. They have eight years of ministry experience in the area and are presently trying to establish a new work in this village.

I ate dinner at a restaurant advertising paella. Unfortunately the paella offerings were shellfish based (which I can’t eat), strange and unappetizing (featuring bits of cut-up hot dogs and other strange things), or chicken (which I discovered they didn’t actually have). So I ordered steak instead. It was grilled, tough, and nearly raw. I ate the whole thing — I was so hungry.

Pilgrim Lesson: The Way is full of interesting pilgrims. They can enrich your path and teach what you need to learn. All you have to do is to be present and listen carefully.

Pilgrim Wisdom: Take off your shoes when the soles of your feet feel hot. It will help prevent blisters and slow you down when you are moving too fast.