Day 26: Santa Maria - Oceano. 17 miles.

Day 26: Santa Maria - Oceano. 17 miles.
We had cool weather all morning. We did not expect to encounter much service, but were well cared for. Breakfast at the Cowgirl Cafe and lunch at Palo Mesa Pizza. It was a lovely walk on back roads. We took a detour at Arroyo Grande off the steep hill with a narrow shoulder to a walk through the fields and by the RR tracks. We ended our day searching for a place to camp on a holiday weekend. We got the last camp spot in town. Tent is up. We have showered and done our laundry. It's all madness out there, so we will eat whatever snacks we have and go to bed. Then get up to do it all over again tomorrow.

Today we walked for long periods in silence. It was a contemplative day. Then we shared our thoughts with one another. Camino dreams and plans are powerful. They carry weight. Plans made on Camino come from the heart and soul, and are forged by the mind and body into action. Three years ago, at about this time of year, Gerald and I were on top of a mountain in Spain. In a tiny village with more buildings in ruin than were functional. A total population of 11. We met two other people connected to the vision of bringing pilgrimage to America through walking the California Missions. We decided in that moment that we would make a pilgrimage of the California Missions. And we are today, three years later doing it.

I don't know what shape or form our Camino dreams will take. I don't know when they will be realized. I do know that Camino dreams and plans are down in good soil. And from this good soil good things will grow.