Los Arcos to Logrono - 28 km

Hola! The weather is hot, the sky is clear and shade is sparse. Sleep was limited last night partly because I woke up hungry a couple of times. I made a point of eating more throughout the day though I'm not sure I have it right yet since it is one hour before the bedtime routine begins and I'm still a little hungry. The waist belt on my backpack can't be made tighter and my trousers seem to have expanded.   More peanut butter and more pastries I decide as I write.
The terrain on the walk today was consistently different than earlier in the week. Fields of grapes seemed to cover most of the entire 28 km today. I passed a large section near Viana that had been burned out by recent wild fires, the smell of charred wood and vegetation was still strong. Once again I discovered that the elevation map I have does not indicate the number of hills. My map shows a route that is mostly downhill, and I guess it was in the same way that the Boston marathon is a net downhill, there are just a lot of ups and downs along the way. I'm not complaining, in fact I'm kind of pleased since I'm hoping it will be a substitute for the missed interval training I need to run the New York marathon in November. The hills, combined with the weight of the backpack certainly leave the heart a ticking at times. Today I thought of Long and Rick carrying weight while they traversed the 124 km of the Death Race. My hat is off to both of them. 
Up until yesterday I was walking with a group (in various combinations) that I met at the beginning of the journey. As the days passed and we found our 'happy pace', people were dropping behind. I left the last of the group yesterday as I set my cruising speed to Santiago. Such is the life on the Camino, where new friends are discovered along the way. 
I have to admit to feeling a pleasant level of fatigue today as well as a slightly less than pleasant ache in my feet. I plan one more 31 km jaunt tomorrow before I take a lower mileage day. It is interesting at the large alburgue I'm staying in to see all manner of people hobbling about, me included when I first got here. We sit outside on a patio now, winding down before bed, many smoking cigarettes to relax at the end of the day. Some play cards and lots are busy on their iPhones. :-)
p.s. I made some changes to the settings on the blog so those of you that wish to comment may do so more easily. (Thanks to Jennifer for the tips.) Thanks to all for your interest! Buenas noches.