Looking at the blue streaks adorning my socks and underpants, I determined there were three options available for me...
Terra Firma date: 25/3/16
It was a cold but bright start to the day, and my Colemans Stove soon had a pot of tea boiled to help us thaw into the day. Since Cameron had becoming frustrated with my slow measured process of preparing for the day’s ride, and I had become frustrated with his increasingly slow progress once on the road, we decided to travel separately.
After some strategic journey planning in the tent we determined that Cameron would proceed at snail’s pace to Zaragoza while I remained to do some laundry and the omnipresent motorcycle repairs. This would afford me the opportunity to have a conversation with a wind turbine engineer, who we shared a meal with the previous evening.
The day’s proceedings went into catastrophic decline at an early stage, even prior to Cameron’s departure. I had headed over to the washroom (and the freshly painted blue concrete sinks) to lather away the journey’s grime from my essential socks and underpants. It was after a short period of vigorous washing I became aware that the blue underpants were a little bluer and the grey socks had started to turn blue. It appeared that the freshly painted sinks had only time to form a dry skin leaving puddles of solvent blue paint underneath, waiting only for the vigorous washing of underwear to spread their colour to the world by way of my pants.
Looking at the blue streaks adorning my socks and underpants, I determined there were three options available for me. Firstly, I could throw the afflicted clothes in the bin, but being 50% of my pants and 75% of my socks, this was a non starter. Secondly, I could clean the afflicted articles in a suitable paint solvent. Thirdly, I could take the risk of wearing the afflicted garments, spreading the blue affliction to my skin. I calculated that in the event I was seen naked in the shower by some aghast Spanish camper, I would proclaim I was of ancient Celtic ancestry from a small but proud tribe who wore their blue woad daubed only on their feet and groin. I settled on the second option as being the best course of action and avoiding imprisonment in a Spanish jail on the grounds of being a practitioner of Blue Magic. I commenced the process of chemically cleaning my underwear and was quite pleased with my environmentally positive decision until I realised the chemicals I was using were precisely the ones Orcaweb had warned were responsible for the chemical pollution of the ocean. It became clear how difficult it was to live in the modern world and make decisions which don’t impact our planet in an environmentally damaging manner.
While looking for a flat piece of ground for my tent the previous morning, I had made a mental note of a piece of wire in the figure of eight I had seen laying in the dirt. I set about finding this as it was an ideal shape from which to fashion a retainer for the cable to prevent my unintentional braking problems. This was unsuccessful, but I was still concerned at the lack of suspension damping on the front of my bike, which became much more apparent when all the weight of my equipment had been removed from the back. This was possibly due to the use of light oil when we changed the springs during the preparation of the bike—unfortunately the only type available at the time.
I was looking forward to my conversation with Daniel and to some positive news about an area where we appear to be moving towards a more environmentally sustainable way of life. What I heard from Daniel was not the story I was expecting, but sadly it’s a story that is becoming familiar.
It appears that after introducing a premium of 20% for the payment of electricity generated by wind turbines, the industry grew significantly over a period of 12 years to a point where it’s generating around about 18% of Spain’s energy requirements. I asked his opinion if solar and wind energy could ever entirely replace carbon fuels. Daniel said it was possible but there would need to be more research on the development of environmentally friendly batteries for this to be possible.
Unfortunately, it appears that in 2011, after the right-wing Popular Party came to power, the additional premium was removed making the wind power industry uneconomical, which has collapsed to the extent that no new turbines were installed in 2014 or 2015. Further to this, the government introduced a VAT charge on people producing their own electricity from solar panels; this 21% tax had the same effect on the solar generating industry, essentially killing off the growing success of alternative power generation.
I do not have the knowledge to comment on Spanish politics, but Daniel's opinion was not unfamiliar, that of powerful vested interests utilising their money to help promote politicians and influence the environmental future of a nation for their own personal short-term financial gain.
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