When I got out of the hotel in the morning the heavy cloud and rain of yesterday had settled down on the mountain top. In fact the base of the clouds was just at the axles of the bike. We were headed down to the coast so I knew that it wouldn’t be long until I was out of the clouds.
The route were taking took us through a national park, which was very heavily wooded with huge pine trees. The guard rails were made of these heavy wooden timbers and there on top of one of the guard rails was a huge black squirrel. Xena my big black Bouvier just hates those squirrels, and barks at them every chance she gets. So I knew what to do. I started to bark at the squirrel, and jumped on the pedals. The squirrel turned and started running down the guard rail. I must have chased the squirrel 200 meters down the rail before the squirrel jumped off into the deep grass on the side of the road, I laughed for 30 kms.
Lunch was that the 75 kms mark beside this really pretty lake and I was down there in about 3 hours. However the dark clouds were moving down the mountain so I didn’t stick around. I jumped on my bike and was off down the road.
After lunch the route called for a left turn at this gas station in a town called Acri. So I made the turn but somehow go turned around in the maze of little streets. I rode around the town three times and there were four ways in or out of town and all the roads lead to Cesneza. I had seen this on the route sheet and one of the roads was down hill which was what we were doing as we were headed to the coast. As it turns out we were not suppose go into the town. I am on the wrong road and although I am headed north I am going in the wrong direction. About 35 kms I come to a little village which isn’t even on the map. So I stop and ask directions. A very kind lady points me in the right direction and I am off. Stop again and get more direction. I talk to a lot more folks along the way, a grandmother in a garden, a lady in a bar who refills my water bottles, a man in front of a gelato shop, a Fiat repair man, and a farmer on a tractor. Wallace the other Canadian is on his bike and I spot about 300 meters form camp. I wind up rolling into camp about 6:45 which was just before supper. In the end I had turned the day’s 133 kms into 195 kms.
It was a great adventure.
Terry
1 comment:
Chasing squirrels again, eh? Xena would have loved it. Ajax didn't even notice the squirrels on our walk today . . . its been rainy (pouring one day) and 7 C.
Nothing like getting those extra kms in!
Agnes
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