Once we had experienced El Camino de los Santos - walking from St Patrick Church in Yorkville to The Shrine of Saint Mary in Plano and back to the site of the future Shrine of Saint Giana at Saint Patrick - we noticed a few things that pointed to possible issues that we would face once in Spain. A positive point - the trail in Spain was a thousand years old - well established - the majority kept pilgrims on paths safely away from traffic - our path in Illinois was a first time effort that required us walking over virgin soil - sometimes on the edge of country roads - too close to traffic for comfort. Luckily the time we walked on the edge of roads was minimal - it is good to note that in the last eight years a permanent cycling - walking path has been constructed between the two towns - walking today - much safer. When we walked in 2013 there was basically no amenities available - today the new path follows safely to the side of State Route 34 - now with food and restrooms easily available. In Spain - on the Camino Francis portion of The Camino - very highly developed with food - restrooms - pilgrim hostels in abundance. This short Camino taught us the value of maintaining a steady pace - not too slow - not too fast. We had already determined it best to stick to a 2 1/2 to 3 miles per hour pace - steady enough not to become boring - not too fast to tire ourselves out.
