My favorite piece of equipment is .....

My headlamp! What would life be without one in the albergue? This morning, just like every other one, all of us in the room (about 10) slowly awake. You hear the rustle of plastic bags (where we keep all of our stuff) and the swosh of sleeping bags being stuffed away. Try packing a backpack in the complete dark. Thank God for the headlamp! Anyways, once again I digress. I left Estella with a strong cupa under my belt

And headed out in the early pre-dawn hours arriving at the Fuente de Vina a little too early To partake, but others had no qualms.

Couple of pictures along The Way between and Estella and Los Arcos (my destination for the night).

Does this look familiar?

Since I am getting closer to the Rioja province which is known for its wine, I am beginning to see more vines and less cow poop.

I arrived in Los Arcos in plenty of time to find the Austrian Albergue I was hoping to find a bed in.  This is a typical pilgrim room in a smaller albergue.

This albergue was on the outskirts of town which in the end was a blessing as some of my traveling friends ended up in a space near the town square and they were rocked into non sleep til 4am.

In case you are curious about how I find my way, this is a sign you are on the right path. This one is pricey. Sometimes it is just a yellow washed arrow.