West Stow

Time passeth away like away Shadow..

The fierce hedgehog gargoyle

I spent a little time drying out the gear in the morning.  Then it was off to the fins.  Need to make a call and found most phone booths are kept for appearances with no working phone.  Yes, you could be a bell ringer and hearing impairment is not a problem.   Another church appears to be weighing souls literally.   Going through the town of Bury St Edmond I though they should take up a collection and get St Edmond in the ground.  I found a great camping spot in the woods.  I did wonder if a dog walker would find my camp when my bike decided to fall over as he passed by.

9/30/10

61.5 miles 6:58 hr / max speed 28.8 / avg moving speed 8.8 / stopped time 12.41 / 1762 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a bit of rain off and on) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Ramsey

Start at dawn.  I found that there is another number to get a picture of.  It is only ten miles in 10 degree weather to get the picture of the sign.  This time the ticket is valid for the ferry ride.  Arrive after dark in the rain.  Did check that there was camping in town.  So I headed to the campground.  Found that they do not take tent campers, but have a map for me to a place that takes tents only two miles away.  Also found British get upset when I ride on the wrong side of the rode, with one cab blocking the rode to make his point.  In Holland they did not care which side of the road they you were on.  Camping was behind a pub and a nice spot. 

9/29/10

30.8 miles 3:58 hr / max speed 24.8 / avg moving speed 7.8 / stopped time 4:56 / 559 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a bit of rain) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Hoek Van Holland

Got a early start and found the next river ferry running or it would have been a long trip around.  I was feeling good as I found more numbers.  Then I came to a new region where the signs had no numbers.  I tried to document which sign should go with which number, but it did not feel right.  I was thinking of the rooky DJ at a radio station who says “this is station 99 I will take the 99 caller”.  At call 50 the DJ makes a mental note not to do that again.   I am also glad I did not do something silly like going 1 to 99.  At least what I am doing has purpose and is worthwhile.  I then had to come up with a new route to make up for missed numbers in the last area.  So I rode out of that region and into another which did have numbers.   I got a couple of more bike tunnels in under rivers.   I need to remember to hold the front brake when going down the escalators. 

9/28/10

101 miles 10:26 hr / max speed 29.3 / avg moving speed 9.7 / stopped time 10:43 / 1141 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a bit of rain) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Kievitswaard

There is danger and I did not put my nose in it.

No one picked lucky number 7 which has a view of  a wall.

Off to follow the numbers.  Start with ten numbers and more come in as I wander about finding the number location.  There is danger along the way, as those claws would be hell on my nose.  I did not put a clause in for stopping for rain, so I ride on all day in the rain which gets stronger as I go.  The wondering allows me to see interesting things along the way, which I would have missed if I had gone straight to the ferry.  I will get your individual picture out as soon as I have internet and time or Christmas.  As night approach found that the ferry I was going to use stopped service two weeks earlier for the year.  As it turned dark the rain continued and I could not find any locations to wild camp as there were few trees and there were pools of water everywhere from the rain.  Then there was a nice sign to a mini camp.  I was curious what a mini camp was so I head that way.  Owners were still up and I was able to camp in their small campground.  I did find a small spot above the pools of water.  And there was internet in my tent as I listen to the rain drops.  I also found out I had more numbers to find.

9/27/10

58.5 miles 5:57 hr / max speed 21.1 / avg moving speed 9.8 / stopped time 3:18 / 334 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a rain) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Terheijden

Spend the day talking with Cindy about travels.  I am such a rookie traveler.

9/26/10

13.4 miles 2:18 hr / max speed 33.6? / avg moving speed 7.2 / stopped time 3:38 / 189 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a bit a rain) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Terheijden

It is an easy ride to Breda where I meet up with Cindy after she gets off from work.  Put the ad out for numbers to follow.

9/25/10

40.6 miles 5:12 hr / max speed 33.6 / avg moving speed 7.8 / stopped time 7:03 / 483 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with rain in the afternoon) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Berger Op Zoom

Morning and the rain did not look like it is going to stop, so I am off at eight and planning to get wet.  I make it to Luxembourg and then to the city.  Guide book describe the city as fairy tale, but I did not see it as I rode around the palaces in the rain.  Maybe it was the rain that took away fairy tale look.  So I hopped a train north as I need to be in Holland tomorrow night.  I went to the hostel at Bergen op Zoom as I been to the hostel and most likely has room.  Found my hostel card is gone, but they find me in the system and give me the member discount. 

9/24/10

44.4 miles 5:07 hr / max speed 27.9 / avg moving speed 8.6 / stopped time 1.52 / 1294 ft total ascent. (Clear in the morning and rain in the evening) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Baranzy

 

So I caught the early morning train to Verdun.  Ok the last part of the trip was on a bus, but it waited for a second person before driving to Verdun.  I ran across a union protest march in Verdun.  There were old tunnels under the fort at Verdun which ended up being more amusement park ride than seeing the tunnels.   Off to the hills and other forts around Verdun.  The forts are mainly in ruin as they were taken and retake during the Great War.  In one battle a million shells dropped in the valley.  Forest now surround the old forts as the land still is upturned from the shelling and creator holes can still be seen everywhere.  By the end of the war a 60 million shells were fired into the valley and half a million men lost there lives fighting over the ground.  I headed on toward Luxembourg.  As evening approached I started following the GPS directions to a camp site.  It was taking me under the biggest thunder cloud around.  As I felt the concussion of more thunder I still wonder if the bike is a aluminum lightning rod.  A lady waves me over after passing me in her car.  I make out she is offering camping and something about sheep as did say “bah”.  She was very talkative in French and speaking more and faster did not help, when I indicated I did not understand.  So I followed her, a couple of miles to a farm.  I was introduced to the owner who spoke English and they did run some camping.  They had me stay in the dining room as they did not think it was good camping weather with the poring rain.

9/23/10

66.4 miles 7:04 hr / max speed 33.7 / avg moving speed 9.4 / stopped time 4:01 / 3567 ft total ascent. (Clear in the morning and rain in the evening) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Strasbourg

When I got up there was still no sign of the warden so I pack and rode on.  I was glad after miles of downhill to start climbing as my fingers we needing to thaw out. I arrived in Besancon with a view overlooking the fort.   Tried to take a train to Verdun but the bike was an issue.  Then I saw an email about visiting friends in Geneva but the train would arrive at 11pm.  That would not be good timing for a visit with friends that work.  So I went for Strasbourg as it gets me in the direction I want to go as there were no trains for bikes to Luxemburg.  Hoping on a train is not so easy with a bike.  The train follows a river and there is a great bike trail also following the same route.  Strasbourg cathedral had lots to look at.  The second hostel a bit out of town had a room.

9/22/10

35.1 miles 4:22 hr / max speed 26.0 / avg moving speed 8.0 / stopped time 4:49 / 1401 ft total ascent. (Cold morning and clear) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Lods

So I got up with the sun and headed into St Croix.  Found croissants and then started my wanderings north.  Nice hilly country side.  France also had old gun emplacements facing the Swiss.  No one wants to be left out.  Maybe they should have put it near the Belgium border and things may have gone better for them a while back.  Then down into the French country side were there were even older gun emplacements.  As I climb the hills I review the map and found that the road I was taking did not connect to the next cross road, but went to a view point.  As I was close I went to the top which had a nice view from a cliff of the valley below.  I did not try the short cut of using the trail even though it could be a fun adventure as I checked travel guides and there was a cool cave with a river flowing out of it at the top of the valley.  I was not disappointed with the cave entrance.  They did not let anyone in the cave.  Then I found my way into the valley.  I spotted a nice camp that was empty by the river. A sign on the board said the warden would be by in the evening.  I setup camp and hoped the toilet would open. 

9/21/10

50.3 miles 4:58 hr / max speed 33.6 / avg moving speed 10.1 / stopped time 5:09 / 2358 ft total ascent. (A few clouds) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Sainte Croix

So I checked out Lausanne a bit and then headed north.  I could have taken the valley, but I ended up going over the hill to the next town by a lake.  Found out it was a local holiday and that was why all the stores were closed on a Monday.  I stocked up on a little food when I found a store open.  Then further north to St Croix as I like the name of the town.  This one I should have gone around the hill as I spent the afternoon climbing the hill towards the town.  Near the top the sun was setting so I camped behind an old gun emplacement.  It was hiding in the forest and so was I.  I am near the border with France so there are a lot of old gun emplacements.  So they don’t trust the French or the other management that ran France for a while.  I keep hearing ring in my ears.  Yes there are lots of cow bells in the valleys below as I fall asleep.

9/20/10

41.8 miles 5:54 hr / max speed 32.8 / avg moving speed 7.1 / stopped time 4:30 / 4498 ft total ascent. (Some clouds) 

Love & kisses

Steve