Tonder to Esbjerg

I decided to take it a bit slower.  Head over to Mogeltonder where the prince and princess hang out.  Nice palace and town.  Church had some nice frescos.  I think the snake is telling Eve about beech volleyball and how the fig leaf is optional.  Next stop was some cairns (ie mounds).  I must start reading the description of the ruins before going.  The next church also had a boat hanging from its ceiling.  Had my first dog come at me with purpose.  Was on a main bike route and came around some high brush when I found myself looking down the barrel of a rifle 30 feet away.  The guy’s dog comes at me.  He keeps looking at me through his scope.  I bluff the dog with my front tire.  Then the guy finally lowers the gun and acts like it is a big mistake.  The guy did have the biggest scope I have seen on a 22.  Of coarse it was 50” to the dike.  I should have taken his picture.  It would have been fun to send the story in to the local papers.  Have decided to pick up the pace and move on to another region.  Must have been shit spreading night.  I passed or was passed be a dozen shit spreaders.  I think moving on is the right idea.  Forgot to ask for the room were people shower.  I got stuck with a guy in the dorm smelling like the homeless.  What a wonderful variety of aromas today.  And it gets better.  The homeless guy likes waking the halls in his underwear while his cloths air in the room.  Reception closes at eight and management was long gone when I checked for a different room.  Can you imagine I did not sleep well?

6/8/10

80.5 mile 7:37 hr / max speed 20.0 / avg moving speed 10.6 / stopped time 3:35 / 475 ft total ascent. (Clear with clouds building in the afternoon.) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Lots of new Photos

And worthless comments. Love & Kisses Steve

Where was Steve

Yes I am zipping right along.  Am going to try to go slower in Denmark.  Another morning and time to move on.
Love& kisses
Steve

Husum to Tonder

Wet morning ride.  Went to the coast to ride there with a view and no shelter.  Crossed the border into Denmark.  Tonder had everything I needed atm (Denmark does not have the euro), hostel with a room and tourist office that has free bike maps.

6/7/10

52.6 mile  5:28 hr /  max speed 18.6 / avg moving speed 9.6 / stopped time 1:56 / 191 ft total ascent. (Rain and more rain with just a bit more of rain.) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Glockstadt to Husum

Nice ride through the country side.  They have had a little flooding in the past as the pole shows.  Hit a gravel road and need to walk for couple of miles to get past it. It is nice to know the limit for tanks when going over a bridge or on a ferry. Think 18 year old with a tank in a foreign country. Making friends with the locals. Also why do they put these power plants in the remotest areas? If there so safe then put them near to most of the users in the cities as it is green energy. Did race a rabbit for while and it was leaving me in the dust. But this tortoise was going to beat him until a dog made him quite the course. Local like the rabbits with an apricot sauce I hear.
6/6/10
81.3 mile 8.05 hr / max speed 21.3 / avg moving speed 10.0 / stopped time 2:55 / 653 ft total ascent. (Clear and sunny.)
Love & kisses
Steve

Wremen to Glockstadt

Nice ride to Cuxhaven there I find that the ferry does not run any more.  Just 40 miles up the Elba River and I found a ferry across the river.  On the ferry, checking how much further I need to ride for a hostel all looking like 20 miles more.  After looking at the map for ten minutes I see that the town I am anding in has one.  And it had a bed available. Finding the kebab shops has vegetarisch on the menu.  Also finding that the most Germans would be happy with Henry Fords original car colors.  As it is a weekend and I was cruising the shore I had many holiday seekers to weave through.  Did find that like these baskets with fold down recliner to hang out in.

6/5/10

75.6 mile  7.48 hr /  max speed 25.2 / avg moving speed 10.2 / stopped time 2:02 504 ft total ascent. (Started cold then went to clear and sunny with a head wind from the north 10m.) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Bremen to Wremen

Started the morning thinking I could really do something stupid with a fully loaded bike and a ramp.
You change the B to W and you get Wremen. Not planned, hostel fully booked so I went another ten miles to find camping. Cow’s derriere is just a bonus in the morning.
Was thinking the Germans were not as extravagant as Holland for bikes as I was crossing a very narrow bridge that was mainly for trains. Then I come across this for bikes. Skaters are out of luck.

6/4/10
71.1 mile 7.37 hr / max speed 25.6 / avg moving speed 9.3 / stopped time 3:01 543 ft total ascent. (Clear and sunny – there were some very small hills had to remember how to shift.)
Love & kisses
Steve

Neuenlande to Bremen

I had a short ride to Bremen. Found detail maps for the rest of my ride to Denmark.  Found a nice hostel and walked about the town.  They are really into a story involving a chicken, a cat, a dog and a horse.  Did find that tourism = shopping.  There were neat buildings and art to see.  I just enjoy the country side over tourist shops.  Found a location to download free maps for my GPS.  As it was going to take 5 hours to download at 11 at night I went to bed.  Next morning got up early and tried again for the map.  It took 5 minutes, also got Denmark, Scandinavia and a few more countries.  It is weird now having my location on a map.  Like a finger pointing to my map location.  This does not mean that with this I will be where I planned to be or was hoping I would like to be.  The Luddite in me enjoyed the compass bearing to point the way generally.  I did find that GPS maps did not show all the roads leaving me to guess if the route did go through.  I enjoy the mystery of where the road might take me.

6/3/10

36.1 mile  4:50 hr /  max speed 20.0 / avg moving speed 7.5 / stopped time 3:16 / 423 ft total ascent. (Clear and sunny – there were some very small hills had to remember how to shift.) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Meppen – Neuenlande

Got a late start, but found a bike map for the trip to Bremen. It was scenic and showed where the interesting stuff was along the route. I could not read the descriptions but could make out the symbols. It showed old prehistoric ruins a mile off route. I went and found just mounds and a nice looking sign in German (good for holding up the bike). So I stopped wandering to the bonus stuff and stuck to viewing things along the route. Was going to make a easy day of it, but the first hostel was full. The 100 shoes by the door was a good indicator. It was only 20 miles to the next hostel. Call the warden of that hostel when I got there and he said it was full. Did not see that many people there? The warden may not have wanted to take the time to check me in. Four miles down the road I found a campground that was not showing up on the maps I had. I was in luck and the place was open. I legally camped for the first time this trip. The caretaker kept pointing out showers to me repeatedly.
In Belgium and Holland my phrase book has come in handy. Using the English phrase do you speak English I get two standard replies. Yes and a little. A little meaning 6 years of study and passing exams in the top 10%, but they don’t get to use it everyday. Germans don’t seem to be as fluent in my one language, now I need to find the phrasebook.
6/2/10
74.5 mile 7:41 hr / max speed 19.1 / avg moving speed 9.7 / stopped time 4:47 / 285 ft total ascent. (Some clouds and a north head wind.)
Love & kisses
Steve

Apeldoorn –Meppen

McDonalds internet did not work in the morning so I road on not knowing where I could stay.  At around 50 miles and 3 pm I found a McDonalds and with working internet.  Also found that the next hostel was 40 mile further.  So I push on through the Netherland and German frontier.  At the border I crossed a little canal and there was a cover picnic table.  Why do German picnic tables have covers over them?  Is this hinting at things to come?  Found a map in Netherlands for Germany but then it may be in Dutch and I do not want to read Dutch names and try to figure out what the town name is in German.  After seeing how they miss spell “watch” I do not want to go there.  But with our using a silent “t”, their spelling may be better. 

6/1/10

92.2 mile  8:15 hr /  max speed 29.8 / avg moving speed 11.7 / stopped time 4:11 / 226 ft total ascent. (Cloudy at times and a little head wind for the last 20 miles.) 

 Love & kisses

Steve