A steady rain fell as we finished breakfast our first day. Iñaki braved the weather with us, introducing us to his friend Jesús Toledo, an easy-going, jovial man with an encyclopedic knowledge of the Riojan landscape who works with the tourism office in nearby Pradillo. Our conversation with Jesús, along with the dry sanctuary of his ancient, stone-walled office made the hours disappear. Our best bet, Jesús advised, was to hit part of Parque Natural de Cebollera, which stretches for nearly 60,000 acres through the Riojan backcountry. The trails are well marked, and vary greatly in both distance and level of difficulty.
Finally, with no sign that the rain would abate, we set out for a shorter hike that would drop us from the Ermita de Lomos de Orios to the falls of the Puente Ra. It was a wet, thoroughly memorable outing.
On the drive back from the trailhead, we gave a ride to a Spanish schoolteacher and her two charges who, like ourselves, had enough of Mother Nature. Other hikes, including a trail that led up into the glaciated alpine region and along an ancient Roman road to 7,000-plus-foot Puerto de Piqueras, would have to await our return.