A New Highway for Grumpy Old People

My guilty pleasure is watching grumpy old people. Usually from a bar stool or Costa cafe. I zero-in on old farts with a great sense of humor and great flair for the dramatic. British 'tut-tutters' who take their English breakfast with coffee and brandy. Drink pints of Campo after morning golf. Or complain how Spain and England are 'buggered-up', sipping gin and tonics under the Costa sun.

Of course, the Costa del Sol is not really Spain. It is Spain for expats. The real Spain is inland. Up the switchback mountain roads to places like the Genal Valley, Grazalema and mountain towns like Ronda, El Bosque and Zahara. Theses hideaway cities are ringed by mountains and form a natural barrier against unchecked migration.

But that may change soon. The city of Ronda is now working with Junta of Andalucia planners to introduce a new highway from the Costa del Sol to Ronda. Huge mistake. And it goes well beyond wrecking the pristine Genal Valley with tunnels and four-lane highways.

A COAST-TO-RONDA HIGHWAY WOULD BE A 'COSTASTROPHE'

Easy access to Ronda will no doubt accelerate the migration of more expats inland. And that's not a good thing. The proposed toll road would be a 'costastrophe' for the Ronda area. In fact, National Geographic Magazine called the Costa del Sol one of the worst places in the world for travelers in November 2009. Now imagine if Ronda were a 15-minute highway stop from Marbella. It's not too hard to imagine wave after wave of graceless Costa-type homes and condos carpeting the mountain passes (see left photo).

These costa images are not exactly what Hemingway imagined when he wrote about hideway Ronda in two books: For Whom the Bell Tolls and Death in the Afternoon. Today, an estimated 10,000 EU expats live in mountain towns around Ronda. They choose these off-the-grid places for their beauty, but most also make deliberate decisions to learn the Spanish. start families and blend-in. Can you imagine the Spanish hegemony that would be snuffed out by a superhighway from the expat coast to Ronda.

I believe small mountain towns like Ronda are ill-equipped to handle more expats. It's a resource issue, an infrastructure issue, and a language issue. Most UK expats, for example, expect free healthcare and many don't speak Spanish well enough to talk to a doctor. I don't believe Junta and Ronda officials are prepared to pay for healthcare and other social services for non-Spanish residents. It is common knowledge that healthcare costs are part of the reason that Ronda city officials are scrambling to register non-Spanish residents. Every registered expat means more money. Additional tax revenues, plus Junta and EU subsidies. I joke about the cost of grumpy old people. But a new road to Ronda is more than just a road, a public works project or a jobs program for locals. It also means the 'costafication' of the Serrania.

RONDA-TO-COSTA ROAD IS LIKE BUILDING A YOSEMITE SPEEDWAY

There are environment issues, of course. Building a toll-road from the coast to Ronda is like building a speedway through Yosemite. It is nuttier than a nut-bar. I believe Ronda and Junta officials should evaluate public works projects that create sustainable outdoor infrastructure. Setting aside public space for adventure traveler businesses, more camping areas for outdoor excursions and more trails for walkers, cyclists and horse-back riders.

I believe the main problem with Ronda tourism is the tour bus. Tour bus travelers are budget travelers. They buy a t-shirt, maybe a beer, then head back to the Marbella coast. In contrast, adventure travelers and wine-sipping foodies are a real gold mine. They stay at hotels, eat out a lot, and hire local tour guides for hiking or biking excursions over several days. Public investment in Ronda outdoor spaces can pay enormous dividends with a little of foresight.

BUILD A FUTURE THAT PROMOTES THE OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE

There are templates for success. Most of America's national parks were built around a massive public works program. It employed lots of people. And it introduced parks like Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Santa Fe. Near these national parks rose towns like Jackson Hole, which introduced a new type of high-end tourism built around the outdoor experience. These towns initally attracted hunters and fly-fishermen. Later came cyclists and hikers as well as artists, photographers, writers and restaurateurs. For the spectacular Serrania, I would encourage Junta and Ronda planners to evaluate a similar future, one built around a sustainable infrastructure that celebrates the outdoor experience.

So ditch the highway.

Embrace the outdoors.

Ronda should be more like Jackson Hole, not the Costa Del Sol.