Day two our destination was just north of Madrid. A day full of express toll roads at 120 – 130 km/hr that cut across the south of France, cleaving the Pyrenees in the north of Spain and then ending with freeway through to Madrid. The roads through the Pyrenees were heavily tunneled with gentle sweepers, and all the while we were aware of some really good roads nearby that we will be exploring in the weeks to come. But for now the mission is clear – get to Madrid.
To fortify ourselves for the trip we took espresso breaks at 11 and at 2. Definitely needed those shots of caffeine! And of course we were not alone. Many motorcyclists were on the road. We met up with a group that had just participated in the Punta / Punta east/ West BMW sponsored event.
We gained some altitude on our way to Madrid- reaching elevations similar to our own Calgary. The countryside seemed somewhat arid and reminded us of the terrain around Reno and Carson City Nevada. I suspect that many parts of North America resembled this area north of Madrid. Perhaps that’s why the Spanish settled there.