Decision Time

Well, the time has come for bold decision making, and it appears it is back to Plan A. 

I have worked my way down the coast of Spain nearly as far as possible, and now the decision point comes: turn east to begin the loop back to Lisbon via Ronda, Granada, and Cordoba, or... Steer south toward Tarifa and this across the Straight of Gibraltar with the bike to Morocco.  Let us examine the variables:

Weather: never certain, but favoring Morocco.  Winter comes late to southern Spain, but it's getting here- forecasts for the next couple weeks definitely favor a southern trajectory.

Personal fitness: I was initially  worried that after a  few weeks on the bike I would tire of it, but actually the trend is the other way.  Now that I have burned off the flab and I no longer creak and ache in the morning, and I see my viable range per day rising from 55km to more like 100, I am perfectly content to pedal away the rest of the trip.  Plus, I had not factored in the fact that I would regularly be stopping for a day here and there to sightsee.  Though I still get a workout walking around a city (generally 5-10 miles worth), it's different enough that my body (and let's just say it-my rear end is the limiting factor at this point)  has time to recover. 

Better Intel: By now, I have talked to a good number of people about my plans, and have gotten some much better info about Morocco. In particular, I talked at length with a British travel writer in Cadiz who urged me toward Morocco with a number of compelling arguments and assuaged most of my fears. 

Adventure:  the romantic appeal cannot be denied.  The "Lisbon to Marrakech" definitely sounds a lot cooler than the "Iberian Peninsula Loop."  The latter smacks of traipsing about Europe, while the former adds mystique, and perhaps a bit of danger.  In reality, I will say bike touring anywhere is plenty challenging, but Morocco will push the comfort envelope where I think it needs to be at this point.  Plus, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I am getting the first signs of cathedral/castle fatigue, and I believe Morocco holds a certain cure.  Finally, it seems I only get one of these trips every 3-4 years, and I wanna get the most out of this one.

Obviously, there are many compelling points to the "con" column: such as the touring is very likely to be less bike-friendly (goodbye bike lanes, hello dogs and rock-throwing children), the attendant challenges of developing world travel, logistics of getting the bike back to Lisbon, and so on. But these issues that I have dealt with before and are generally more unpleasant in the anticipation than the reality. 

So the wheels now point south for Tarifa and North Africa.  Gulp.