Shahagun to El Burgos Ranero

Total distance today = 11.5 miles

Total ascent = level

Cumulative distance = 270.4 miles

We weren't looking forward to today's walk after reading the description in our guide. Because of the location of tonight's hotel, we needed to stay on the route beside the road. The more "scenic" route was three to four miles away from our reserved hotel.   However, the hike was better than we thought it would be, and gets us one day closer to our next rest day, coming up Monday in Leon. 

The walk out of Sahagun had several points of interest. First was the Arcos San Benito, attached to the ruined monastery of the same name. 

Hey look, there's a stork up there! (Recurring theme)

And a nearby pilgrim monument which proclaimed Sahagun as the mid point of the St. James' Walk. Guess it's all relative to the starting point, as we have now passed four signs claiming to center of the Camino.  In any case, we are now well past whatever "center" you choose. 

Next was the Puente Canto and yet another pilgrim monument.  Originally constructed by the Romans, and most recently reconstructed in the 16th century. They just don't make them like they used to. 

The rest of the walk out of Sahagun on a gravel path under shade trees. 

Soon we were out in the open again, with farm fields on one side and the busy N-120 on the other. 

Out in one field we spotted a stork down on the ground. A little googling and we discover that the white stork is a carnivore, eating insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles and small mammals and even small birds!  Isn't that bordering on cannibalism?  It takes most of its food from the ground in low vegetation. So farmland is a pretty good habitat for them. 

We were not looking forward to walking alongside a busy roadway almost all day,

but we soon crossed the N-120 to follow a much quieter road. I don't think we saw more than 6 cars and a couple tractors all day. Trees, recently planted, will eventually shade future peregrinos nicely, but did not give much cover today. 

We found several other monuments to pilgrims on the path today, 

And one to a specific pilgrim...

If the photo is an indication of who this person is, he was quite young. I speculated that rather than heart or other medical issues, he was hit by a car. David thinks he was killed in a fit of passion fighting another pilgrim over a pretty girl.  We'll never know. 

We came across this...

And really don't know what to make of it. Doubt that it's a gas pipe - too close to the road, unmarked and unprotected. Art?  Left us baffled. 

We keep seeing new types of wildflowers along the way, and came across a couple more "newbies" today. 

And some familiar ones are developing seed pods ( I think).

They're wasn't much to see in historic buildings other than this 17th century Ermita de Nuestra de Perales (Our Lady of the Pears). 

Since the building materials of this area consisted mainly of Adobe and bricks (no stone available nearby), most the buildings just didn't survive into the modern age. 

But modern construction is leaving its mark. We're pretty sure this construction is for Spain's new high speed train. 

Today was warmer than it has been, with not much of a breeze, so when we missed a turn in town for our hotel and had to retrace our steps, we were a little put out. We finally got to the hotel, and approached the man at the reception desk. We hand him our voucher. He goes running off!  All we want is the key to our room. He's gone for almost a minute, and reappears- with two beers and tapas! Muchas gracias, señor!!  He got the key and took us right up to our room, giving the dinner and wi-fi information as we went. Muy bien. 

Oh, almost forgot - four stork nests on the town church near where we are staying tonight in El Burgo Ranero. 

And the biggest shell yet. 

Nice adobe work.