Tour of Bardenas Reales by mountain bike

So, with the AI as a tour guide, it'll probably take a while 😳 I specified: as flat as possible, preferably by the river, lots of shade, lots of bars... And where is the I-beast sending me 🤔 Into the desert... Well, half... semi-desert, that is. 😳😉 Since I have a wealth of inexperience with deserts, I set off full of curiosity, and the landscape captivated me from the very first meter! These rock formations, the vastness, and the barrenness... What a feeling to be able to cycle along there! The further I advanced, the car tourists noticeably dwindled, the more I immersed myself in the landscape. Amazing rock formations, magnificent views, of course, the Pyrenees couldn't be missed... Until I realized that the second water bottle had stayed well chilled in the car... But who takes water into the desert anyway 🤔😳. Anyway... It was "going"... Until about km 48... then Komoot repeatedly told me I'd left the trail and that I should follow the trail... which trail🤔😳 There was a stream, or whatever it's called in the desert... And who on earth expects a stream in the desert...🤔 I've already written something about my "experience." Someone once said: With the right tread, you can get through anything. Which tread 🤔😳 It was about 6 to 8 km... felt more like 80... during which the desert "took the wind out of me," my riding ability wasn't up to scratch, and my strength noticeably left my body... It was warm, the bottle cool, but far away, I was alone in a ravine, hardly any sense of direction, my phone's battery level was increasingly equal to my strength... What an experience! I haven't "seen" any mirages yet, but I've dreamed of cool drinks, the sea, or whatever, and I've started to develop "survival strategies"... Please don't misunderstand me, I know that this is "whining" on a high level, but for the "affluent Central European," it was certainly an interesting experience. And I'll leave it up to what your mind does on a tour like this... When I finally got out of the gorge and saw the "moonscapes" (at least, that's how I imagine them with all my experience 😃 ; at least, everyone has come back from the moon so far 😉), I regained confidence and hope that I won't face such a section again, because otherwise the trails were well-ridable. I enjoyed the remaining kilometers until, just before the finish on the final climb, both my legs actually gave me a really nice, pronounced cramp as a thank you... I wonder why that was 🤔😉 But by then, the well-chilled bottle was already within reach. And right next to it was my "lifesaver," the yellow angel, who of course received a place of honor in the photo gallery under the last remaining patch of sun. And at that point, it was a fantastic tour in a magnificent yet diverse landscape with truly exciting experiences...👍 So here I am, lying on my back like a May bug, not knowing how to get back on my feet and trying to put into words what is difficult to put into words. But if I catch the "AI"...😃 PS: Sorry, I was in the mood for some drama, appropriate to the landscape...😉