Sogel Germany.
Sun in morning. A first! Dry and cool all day. I'll take it!
5:00 pm
Someone forgot to tell me that Germany, on Sunday, is CLOSED! I mean all businesses!! All of them! And I didn't know that. Luckily I do have food for dinner if I have enough fuel to cook pasta. When the fuel's gone that will be it for the trip. I just have to be sure to get a cup of caffeine every morning now that I'm back on it (not to stay)...so I don't get a headache. And no more luxury of washing dishes in soapy warm water. But I only have one week of biking left. Then a few days with Heike getting my box together. Then HOME:))))!!!!! And I'm ready! The trip now has the feeling of slogging through muddy water. The joy is gone.
Back to CLOSED issue. Luckily I found public, super clean johns in the first town I came to and watered up because I don't think I would have found water the rest of the day. And maps was my other need. Couldn't get cycle route maps in Holland. I was hoping to get some from the info office today and they were CLOSED! So I limped along trying to figure out paths to Meppen, sometimes just taking the main road. A big no-no! Sometimes I'm surprised when I notice something that's just what I need: like happening to look to the left and there's a cycle path sign that I need. Or taking a break and looking up and there's a cycle path sign board with routes to all kinds of places! Being observant is not my strong point, so seeing these things just when I need them (like someone is helping me...) is almost weird. Yup, trail magic!
But they do have weddings and parades on Sunday and I saw both.
So I got back on the delightful, slower, longer, more windy, cycle paths heading roughly in the direction I need and had a very nice ride today. 45 miles or about 85 kms. I'm only 115 km from Bremen. But that's by way of the car on my map app. I figure it's another 25 kms longer by cycle path. So I think my estimate of Wed afternoon to Cornelia and Stefan's is right.
I have found the people warmer and friendlier here in Germany. They seem to try and answer my questions even though English is more difficult for them Less bikes too. Rougher bike paths, though. Sometimes just a dirt farm road.
The houses still have those extremely tall deeply slanted toughs like the Dutch. And everything, including the barns, is made of brick.
6:30 pm. Dinner done. Enough fuel. All snug in my tent with the fly open! Been quite awhile since I've done that...last night there were mosquitos....before that rain, rain, rain. And I'm 75 feet from a road, but in the woods. And they can't see me...na na na na na naaaa.!!!! Dense edge with clearing within. A bit difficult scooting Blaze in through the brush, but I persisted! I don't like hiding like this and feeling afraid of being seen. I like being ignored. WIth every car, my senses are heightened...listen...are they moving on? Hyper alert! I need to get my mojo back.
It does feel good to be done early and have time to veg: write, read, listen, go over my maps, eat, eat, eat...
So on to the next activity...whatever that is,
BagLady
p.s. excuse the photo quality. Sometimes I totally forget to take any pics with my phone and have to take a pic of a pic off my camera to have something to include in my post.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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