Once we had experienced El Camino de los Santos - walking from St Patrick Church in Yorkville to The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe 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.
