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| Ebre & kayak | The river | Stages | Links |
| Caspe to Flix: 16. Caspe to Camping Lake Caspe (1) km 224 - km 204 PDF | 15 14 13 12 11 10 | |
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| The day before, by train from Flix to Caspe | |
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I park my car
in Flix. I wait for the
train in the station in front of the old Ercross factory. I watch cargo
trains passing by. I take the train to Caspe and during the ride I see
parts of the river that on the next days I'm going to experience from
within. In Caspe I lodge in Pensión
los Jardines. Before it gets dark I walk to the dam to see how to get
into the river. I had thought about having to go to the club nautico
but I can see that just at the beginning there is a fishing area that
can save me a lot of walking. |
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| Flix station The ride lasts 50 minuts. In 2010 there were four trains daily, at 6h, 11h44m 18h31 i 20h04. Check the time table at la Renfe. |
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| Caspe in the evening | |
| Caspe | |
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Webs: City council , wikipedia , Zaragoza tourism Located strategically, historical events have taken place here, such as "Compromiso de Caspe". Now it is one of the most important fishing locations in Europe, particularly regarding Black Bass.. Accomodation ( close to the station ) Pensión Los
Jardines, Obispo García 1 - 976632248
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| Ebre in Caspe, evening. | |
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| Into the river! | |
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Next morning I wake up early, have breakfast and carry my trailer 2.2 km from the pension to the dam. I follow Obispo Garcia st. and after Hotel Magallon parking, I turn to the right and go along Huesca st. that later will become a road that goes directly to the dam passing under the railway. My trailer with
the kayak, a bagpack with spare clothes and food, and a bag with a tent
and a sleeping bag. |
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To the left there is a fishing area where it is easy to carry the kayak. I assemble my Puffin, store the bags, try to get rid of the mud in my feet. Happy, I start paddling at 9h. |
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| km 224 [D] Entering the river in Caspe |
| Today's trace will be
four meanders, like two
waves, one small, one big. Then we go around an island with a drop
shape that can be spared if we want to.
1km later we find Caspe's wharf in the "Dique" housing. Beach and fishers km 221.5 |
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| Just before the first meander km 220 |
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Reaching the top of the first "wave". km 218 |
| km 216 A rest |
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At 10h50 I have a first rest, before paddling the second "wave". The water is absolutelly still so there is no need of getting out from the kayak, i stretch my legs, eat bread and cheese, write some notes and start reading the novel The towpath by Jesús Moncada. the story features the town of Mequinensa that I'm going to reach tomorrow. I even try a little sketching. |
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The
landscape is dry,
some bushes, a lonely pine here and there. Along the river there are
fishers with chairs and tents to get some shadow. They spend hours the
easy way. White egrets, gulls and often, the sudden splash! of big
fishes jumping out from the water. |
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| At 11h30 paddling again. It feels good, I've found my pace and try to concentrate on working from the trunk and not just the arms. |
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Quite often I
watch the silouettes of
herons, leaned forward, as keeping watch, and almost always they fly
away before I can shoot a picture. |
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km 211. There are plenty of beaches where one can stop and have a rest. |
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Reaching the top of the second "wave", the water surface that until now was a bit curly, now becomes completely flat like a mirror. This is going to happen again later. It's wonderdul, it's the visual equivalent of silence like if the river suddendly stopped still to listen. I try to paddle easy, the kayak slides efforlessly. I put on the earphones and listen to Brahms Ballades Op.10. I go on until lunch time. |
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