Dish Duty

Ulm to Donauworth/Eggolshiem Day 13

Dish Duty!

It was cold this morning as we ate breakfast in the hotel parking lot. Jim’s thermometer read 11C. What a sight 40 cyclists lined up in all their cycle finery shivering and shaking to get their share of the precious Muselix (there seems to be a shortage of it and if you don’t get in line early then you only get Cherrios. Garris had packed his spoon in his day bag and was slurping his cereal directly out of the bowel. There were bits on his cheeks and his nose. So we immediately set to teasing him about it and making oniking noises. At the very last moment I decided to dig my running jacket out of my bag. Man was I ever glad that I did once we got rolling it was even colder

The ride was directly out of the hotel and down the Danube. In the city there is a tremendous wall along the pathway. I have no idea how old it is, 600- 700 years? And here I am riding along beside this wall down this incredibly beautiful river. Zounds!

Jos came up along side me on his bike and he has stolen one of the rubber ducks which were in the hotel bathroom as a little thing in the bathroom. His plan is to award it to the funniest thing to happen to day at the evening rider meeting. I laugh and we work out the plan that everyday the recipient of “Lame Duck” will have to carry the duck prominently displayed on his bike the next day and then have to award the duck to the next rider at rider meeting that night. It would be awarded to good and bad.


Don found the Danube cycleway books so our little group have the books. Jim has been designated map reader/carrier. It works well because he has a good map carrier on his bike. I have my new cycle computer on my bike and am busy timing it.

At the 45 km mark it was time for a break so we cruised into this local bakery. I got this huge pastry with custard for 0.5 Euros. It was so yummy. When you park your bike out front of a bakery they act like magnets and before you knew it there were 20 cyclists in the shop. The owners were so astonished to see so many riders.

By lunch time it has warmed up to about 15. But it is sunny and a really good cycling temperature. So everyone is pretty happy until Don and Curt had a few words about cycling procedures, and the need to call out manoeuvres before making a move in traffic. No harm came from the incident, and all is forgiven. However just to underline how easy it is to make a bad mistake, happened at lunch. Wilf was leaving lunch and was just pushing off and this cyclist who was coming up the path went smack into to Wilf. She went down and spilled right on the path. No one was hurt but it is so easy to make a mistake.

Our group got in to camp in good time and there were very few riders in. It is a very nice campground and we have a good size area to set up in. I picked a nice corner spot which I thought would be mine. Then Maureen and Glen came in and set up right on top of me. For crying out loud!! I hope they don’t snore or have a zipper fetish.

Supper was poached fish, boiled potatoes, and broccoli. It was good. The fish was over done and should have been treated a little better as it was all broken up. But then, you are cooking for 50 people with two pots. So maybe there is a bit of a challenge. It still tasted good. Then it happened----------- I got put on dish duty!!! Argh. At least there were no burnt pots and we had good facilities for washing pots. Everyone has to do dish duty four times so I guess I got one off easy.

Jos gave the duck to Stu because we were to zig-zag from Zucum to the camp site and Stu was under the impression that we were headed for Zigzagstad

All in I will give this one an EXCELLENT. 103.5 km under near perfect cycling temperatures, with unbelievable scenery, and with excellent companions. I have to be the luckiest person alive.

So thanks again for visiting my blog. And thanks for leaving a comment. Don’t be shy.

Lets Ride.

Terry

Rest Day in Ulm

Ulm, Day 12, Rest Day

A rest welcome day is always a welcome day. We have a great hotel right on the Danube, looking across into the old town center. The landmark is the Ulm cathedral which has the world’s tallest steeple – 530 feet. For 4 Euros one can climb up 768 steps to the top, but I have decided I am too lazy to climb to the top. I did however get up and go for a smoking run with Maureen Edmonton. We did 6.35 miles in 1:03, not too shabby.

This is also the birthplace of Albert Einstein.

We are going to do internet and do some tourist stuff. I have to fix a tube as I had my first flat yesterday.

The Danube has dramatically changed from a small slow stream to a very large fast flowing river. We are due to start seeing more river traffic and industry.

The weather is forecast to get wet and cool again for the next week.

So then Jim and I go into this internet cafe to do blogs. Since there doesn`t seem to be WiFi in Europe. And then the internet place has a blocker on blogs and it takes us half an hour to figure it out. GRRRRRRRR!

Well Thanks for visiting and thanks for the comments.

A body at rest tends to stay at rest

Terry

Birth Place of Albert Einstien

Sigmaringen to Ulm, June 11, Day 11, 110 km

After last nights down pour we were packing up wet tents again. However the sun is out and with 110 kms it was going to be a long day down the pathways. Don, Jim Curt and Clare and I set off. We were determined to stay together as it is really easy to get lost. We stayed together until Jim’s bike dropped the chain. It only took him 20 seconds to get the chain back on but no one noticed he wasn’t with us and by then we had made 2-3 turns and then he was lost. I rode back to look for him but he had taken an other turn and wound up on the freeway. We had bag lunches so we sat down to eat them and see if Jim turned up.

After about 40 minutes we rode on. When we got to Ehringen we learned from some other riders Jim was about 2 minutes ahead of us. I rode out to try and catch him but to no avail. I then rode back to the town square and picked up Curt Clare and Don. The clouds were menacing again and it wasn’t long before we were in the middle of a torrential down pour. The rain was coming down so hard that there was about and inch on the path. We still had about 30 kms to go and so it was going to be tough finish. The rain let up with about 10 kms to go. However we are in a hotel tonight as tomorrow is a rest day

At the hotel we got a bit of bad news…we had our first causality. Marylyn, a Canadian, had run into the back of a biker and fallen. This is a fairly common low speed accident we have to be very careful to avoid. Her bike fell on her and hurt her leg. Luckily, she was in a town and a support vehicle was able to pick her up and take her to a hospital. X-rays reviled she had broken a bone that would have to be operated on and pinned. She and her husband are packing up and flying back to Toronto. We’ll miss them.

Jim and I dried out tents and did laundry. Don joined us for and excellent supper on the town.

Well thanks for visiting and thanks for your comments.

Wandering down the road.

Terry

Boiled Corn Mush

Donaueschingen to Sigmaringen, June 10, Day 10, 99 km

Today was another perfect day as we cycled on the pathway. It was misty when we got up and the temperature gauge on my alarm clock said that it was 12 C however I pulled my arm warmers off before we left camp. The ride went along fairly quickly and we had 20 kms under our belts before we knew it. No hills, no wind, no traffic, just beautiful pathways. Wow! So with 20% in the books Don, Jim and I pulled into this little town for the first treat of the day. I got this pastry which must have been 8 inches across for 0.80 euro. It was delicious. We thought we would be in for lunch early but it was 11:30 by time we got to lunch. The pathways are a lot windier and then there is a lot of stopping to figure out the route as there is lots of intersecting paths. You can get lost in a heart beat. This means it takes longer to get any where.

After lunch we thought we just out of this little town and in fact we had already passed it. So we came to this one sign and made the wrong decision. The path we took went up the river on the wrong side and we rode though 3.5 kms on path which got worse and worse and finally dead ended. After we got back on track we pulled up in front of this little Gasthous and people rushed out to talk to us they we amazed that we riding all the way to Istanbul.

By the time we pulled into camp it was 4:30 So much for the easy day. After a quick shower and I mean quick the token we were give gave you 3.5 minutes of water, Jim and I walked into town. I found a call center which charged 0.12 euro to call home. It was great to call home as I was starting to feel home sick.

I had checked what was for supper and it was boiled corn mush and vegetables with cilantro. YUK! So I purchased ham and cheese and a couple of buns for supper. Jos from NZ was really happy to share my supper.

My bike computer seems to be messing up. It doesn’t shut off after you quit riding.

There was a school camping trip in the campground and the kids 14-17 were quite loud. However the rain started about 10:00 PM and that put the kids to bed.

Well thanks again for visiting and thanks for all your great comments.

Down the road!
Terry

The Source of the Danube

Freiburg to Donaueschingen/Pfohren, June 9, Day 9, 85 km

The Source of the Danube

We left the hotel in Freiburg with a group ride that took us though the city. I was glad that it was a group ride with Duncan our tour leader leading the ride. It was a twisty complicated route, and I am sure that I would have been lost. Some of the group had left about 30 minutes earlier but I hung back and took the easy ride out of town. Curt and I were together most of the way and we had a great visit. Just idling along in the warm sun. At about 25 kms out we were turned loose and then at Buchenbach we started the climb out of the Rhine valley. It is a nine kilometre climb up this very steep hill. However it was very pretty and I stopped often to take pictures at the lookouts. This is classic Black Forest country with the large farms and beautiful forests.

After the summit you drop into the Danube river valley. I was cuising down the hill at 56 kms/hr when the tandom went past me like I was grease spot on the road. I don’t know how fast they were going but I’ll bet it was over 75. They were laughing when we pulled into lunch a few kilometres further down the road. Lunch was smoked salmon which was really good but was too small which seems to be a common complaint.

After lunch Don and I rode on into Donaueschingen. This is the official start of the bike path, the “Donnauragweg”, which we will follow for the next 1400 km into Budapest. There are lots of tourists, biking the path and hotel/restaurant services about every 10 km. In the town square there is a beautiful brass fountain which has a brass orchestra playing. It is a little bit touristy but very picturesque. We rode around and found the spring which is said to be the source of the Danube. It is a spring which is in a pool about 20 feet across. The water from this runs across and joins the Breg and Kimbergsee to become the Danube.

We still had a few Km to ride so we jumped back on out bike and rode the last 6 km out to camp which was out of town. Jim and I rode back into town and got some beer which was a huge hit. Later Jos and I rode back in for more.

Supper was a treat with bar-be-que meats of turkey breast, pork and beef. There was also a rice and vegetables. It would have been excellent but the rice was burnt and so that kind of spoiled the meal.

All in all an excellent day! No Rain!

Thank you for visiting my blog and thank you for all your kind comments.

Let’s ride!

Terry

A day in Freiburg

Day 8

Well here we are laying about. Not really. I was up early for a nice easy run. It was very quiet as everything is closed in Germany on Sunday. So there were no cars on the road and it was really nice just running along. The morning was cool and misty. I put in just over 10 km in just under an hour. It was really fun.

Breakfast in the hotel was a great spread which ranged from eggs & bacon to cold cuts and sweat rolls. Onik Onik!

Cleaning the bikes was the next chore. Don asked at the desk and the hotel kindly provided some raggs making the job alot easier.

Down to the internet cafe to do blogs.

Then we are planning on exploring the old town. Maybe have a couple of beers on some sidewalk cafe. The sun is finnally out.

Thanks for visiting and thanks again for your comments.

Enjoying the good life!

Terry

Au Voir France Helloe Germany

Day 7 Munster to Freiburg

A short day but everyone is still up at the crack of dawn. So After listening to the pounding rain on the tent all night we climbed out into the soggy campground, and rolled our wet tents. Jim and I are the last out of the campground with Curt and Clare. Don has ridden on ahead. However we are going at a good pace and are soon passing people here and there. The scenery is quite pretty and could even be considered beautiful if it weren,t so dull and overcast. The road is mostly down hill and we are making good time.

I think the high light of the day was that this fire truck passed us and we could see a huge pall of smoke ahead. When we got there a house was on fire. The firemen were busy running around but by the time they got the hoses conected the fire had nearly gone out.

The broder between France and Germany is the Rhine River. It is only marked with some flags and the little sign, which happens to be todays picture.

As we cruised into Germany we took a wrong turn and wound uup on a very busy road and had to back track about 3 kms this made the day 72 instead of the billed 66 kms. So we were in the middle of the pack by the time we reached lunch. Lunch was tuna sandwichs and fresh fruit. At least it wasn`t raining. After lunch I spotted a bike path though this orchard which cut off quite a distance and put us out front. Don is now with us and we are just cruising.

The next obstical is navigating though Freibur which is a really big city and the directions we have are none existant. However I made a couple of lucky spots and we cruised in to the hotel with only two others infront of us. Being it was only 2:30 we had time to unroll our tents and dry them out in the parking garage. Jim headed off to do laundry and I did blogs. I forget to mention tomorrow is a day off so we get TWO days in a hotel. And it is a nice one.

We then wandered out into the old town which is very neat. The catherdral was built in 1330.
Very cool place. Jim and I decided on Chinese for supper. We picked out 51 & 62 which turned out to be a curried pork and vegtable and a hot and spicey beef with vegtables. My German isn´t as good as my French. Good thing I have about three weeks to practice it before I have to learn Bulgarian!

Well thanks for visiting my blog and thanks for your comments.

Sleep in tomorrow......... No get up early and go for a run Yes

Terry

Over the hills into the clouds

Day 6 Xertigny to Munster

Over the hill into the clouds.

The next morning is looks as grim as it did the night before. The only real difference is that the down pour has slightly abated. Everyone looks hilarious stooping around in rain pants and booties and big rain coats. Don, Jim, Curt, Clare and I all start out together and set off at an easy pace. We only have 88 kms to do and there is one big hill to climb into Munster. After about 20 kms the rains start in again and there we are grinding away in the rain. As we head up the valley to Munster we get closer and closer to the clouds, and the rain gets heavier and heavier.

At the base of the hill the five of us all went into a grocery store and got some provisions which we ate in the parking lot. The hill was 10 kms long and gained 1160 m. It wasn’t evenly spaced out and so there were some really steep parts and some not so steep parts. Lunch was about 3 kms up the hill and then there was a hot beverages for us at the top. It was so foggy at the summit you couldn’t see 30 feet. You would be standing drinking a hot tea and another rider would appear out of the mist. It was all very surreal. After the summit it was an 18 km gluide down into Munster. It was quite treacherous as the road was wet and you couldn’t see very far. Don burned the brake pads right off his bike. You could see how they had melted and pieces came off.

I had been hoping that once we got to the other side of the mountain the weather would be better. WRONG. It was the same old thing. As the 5 of us pulled in I could see that we were the first group in, which was great. Don and I hustled around and got our laundry into a machine in the camp ground right away. Jim and I walked back into town and we got some beer and walked back. Munster is a very quaint little place and it looks quite touristy. The supper was leg of lamb with a bean stew and boiled potatoes. Excellent meal! The chef is quite good. Jim got put on supper pot duty so I helped him as it looked like one of the others on dish duty wasn’t doing too much. The staff bought four new chairs as the others are quite bad. They gave one to Curt.
By 7:30 pm it was raining quite hard and it poured rain all night long.

Thanks for visiting and thanks for your comments.

On the road again!

Terry

Day 5
A Night in an Auditorium.
Chaumont to Xertingy
So to pick up the story from Chaumont, where we had our rest day, Curt has picked out this little restaurant which is down this back alley which is maybe 7 feet wide. So in we go for supper. Very quaint little place with great food. I had a Gattolmont which turned out to be sort of crepe which was folded over ham potatoes and of course the egg. I was covered in a cream sauce. Very very good!

The next morning sets up exactly the same with clouds threatening rain and with the ceiling at 500 feet. It is cold and damp. As we turn out of the campsite my chain comes of and jams between the first and second sprocket. I stop to put my chain on and am therefore last out of the campground. The group all goes to the right but we were supposed to go left. I had been out running the day before and knew the way. Yelling does no good so I just follow them. The roads at Chaumont are a bunch of concentric circles so I thought what the heck. However the signs are all reading different and soon the group is turned around and lost. Finally we get sorted out and head off. I start moving up though the pack and am soon behind Jos from NZ and he is just pouring the coal on. There are all sorts of hills some long grades and some short steep pitches. We came over the one rise into the little old village called Roman-sur-Mesuse. The town is maybe three hundred years old and the streets are maybe 15 feet wide. It is a steep down hill and we are going 60+ km/hr. There a cats and little old ladies leaping for cover and we could hear the scream of Sacr-blew.

We dodged in to a little hotel for a quick hot chocolate in Bourg-ste-Marie and the rest of the faster crew caught up there. Of course it is still on and off showers and we have to keep going or we will freeze. It was all still fun until we got to Bourmont where we hit a grade which was 17+ percent. After a interminable lot more grinding we had lunch in the pouring rain. After lunch we find out the bridge is out and we have to follow a detour. However after talking to some locals we find a short cut though a farm yard and over a private bridge.

The threatening on and off rain has turned to a steady down pour and is washing us away. Finally after what seemed like an eternity we get to Xertingy. Pulling in behind Jos I can see we are the first to arrive. But where have we arrived? It is a field that has just been mowed and the grass was maybe 2 feet tall when it was cut. We can see the ruts from the vans and we sink into the wet grass as we turn in. The rest of the faster crew piles in behind us and we are telling the tour staff we cannot stay here. The rain is just pouring down and it is maybe 6-8 C. In 40 minutes we are going to be hypothermic. I grabbed my pack and a trap and pulled my wet jersey off and pulled Wayne’s underwear on while under the tarp. Man I was thankful for it.
One of the staff went and talked to the town officials to see if they could put us up some where and they let us into the town auditorium. I was one of the first into the building and I realized there were some dressing rooms in the back behind the stage so I grabbed one and had a private room for the night. But Clare and Curt are not in and it is getting dark. Just before a search party is sent out they arrived. I was so relieved.

The staff brought the supper over to the auditorium and we ate indoors. Penne Pasta Again but with a seafood sauce.

What a day 128 kms 1460 meters of elevation gain and pouring rain. My fun meter was totally pegged.

Todays picture is the castle at Chaumont. Nice dungeon!

Well thanks for reading my blog and thanks for your comments.

Let ride!

Terry