Saturday, December 06, 2008
Christ, haven't written anything here in a while. Had a few drinks and feeling rather sassy so I thought I'd post something.
I work at this "engineering compound", as a friend calls it. It's way up in the mountains of Colorado. It's a beautiful place. The job is weird though. Sometimes the euphemism "sinking ship" comes to mind. Sometimes I get all excited about "transformational change". Who knows.
How'd I get here? Dunno. I get this question whenever I meet someone new. The partial answer is simple - a woman. The rest is something I'm still figuring out. It was certainly time for a change. I'm not going to be a software engineer anymore. The idea is to do good, right? To make this place we live in better for my kids and their kids, I think. I'm pretty sure I've finally embarked on the beginning of that path, but it's a long, winding road. Where? How? I'm really not sure.
But this is good. A long, winding road means we've caught it at the beginning. The opportunities are everywhere. A revolution is at hand. It will run much deeper and last much longer than the dot com bullshit. (And there's "synergy" there too, but I'm not telling how to capitalize on that).
Anyway, I'm questioning what I'm doing here. They try so hard and everyone has the right ideals. But, financially we fail. There is a lack of leadership and there is a lack of overall goals and a greater strategy. I think that will be remedied soon and then perhaps we can succeed. But still I question if this is the right place for me. So much thinking and not enough doing. We need action.
Most recently I've had to take on the webmaster duties - a monkey's job. And I can't tell anyone that I've been promoted. A Strange Place. I should have free time. Currently I use it to work on the chief scientist's efficient home. I'm learning quite a bit there. As long as there are additional duties where I can continue to LEARN - then all is well. The outdoor environment is of course excellent. That also helps.
Recently I ran into my old bosses. Scott immediately questioned my plan to go back to school a year or so down the road. He asked, "Why? You're on the front lines". Excellent. I didn't think about it this way. We are on the front lines. This is the new future. I will stick around and see what happens. I will learn as much as I can here. I can't be discouraged with my current, "official" job.
"The rocky road to Dublin, 1-2-3-4-5".
The snows are coming. Visit.
(0) comments
I work at this "engineering compound", as a friend calls it. It's way up in the mountains of Colorado. It's a beautiful place. The job is weird though. Sometimes the euphemism "sinking ship" comes to mind. Sometimes I get all excited about "transformational change". Who knows.
How'd I get here? Dunno. I get this question whenever I meet someone new. The partial answer is simple - a woman. The rest is something I'm still figuring out. It was certainly time for a change. I'm not going to be a software engineer anymore. The idea is to do good, right? To make this place we live in better for my kids and their kids, I think. I'm pretty sure I've finally embarked on the beginning of that path, but it's a long, winding road. Where? How? I'm really not sure.
But this is good. A long, winding road means we've caught it at the beginning. The opportunities are everywhere. A revolution is at hand. It will run much deeper and last much longer than the dot com bullshit. (And there's "synergy" there too, but I'm not telling how to capitalize on that).
Anyway, I'm questioning what I'm doing here. They try so hard and everyone has the right ideals. But, financially we fail. There is a lack of leadership and there is a lack of overall goals and a greater strategy. I think that will be remedied soon and then perhaps we can succeed. But still I question if this is the right place for me. So much thinking and not enough doing. We need action.
Most recently I've had to take on the webmaster duties - a monkey's job. And I can't tell anyone that I've been promoted. A Strange Place. I should have free time. Currently I use it to work on the chief scientist's efficient home. I'm learning quite a bit there. As long as there are additional duties where I can continue to LEARN - then all is well. The outdoor environment is of course excellent. That also helps.
Recently I ran into my old bosses. Scott immediately questioned my plan to go back to school a year or so down the road. He asked, "Why? You're on the front lines". Excellent. I didn't think about it this way. We are on the front lines. This is the new future. I will stick around and see what happens. I will learn as much as I can here. I can't be discouraged with my current, "official" job.
"The rocky road to Dublin, 1-2-3-4-5".
The snows are coming. Visit.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
So Tuesday the 30th we arrived in the eastern Sicilian town of Taormina. It’s right on the coast and quite lovely. However, on our way in the rental car to Taormina we made a day stop at Mount Etna. Etna is a sprawling, smoky mass that tops out at about 3300m. You drive up on switchbacks from the south for about 30 minutes to a place called Rifugio Sapienza. Don’t be fooled though, it’s not a little hut - it’s basically a basecamp for tourists. We parked there (1 euro) and then took the ancient gondola (25 euros) to 2500m. From here (for an additional 25 euros) you can take a 4x4 up another 500m or so to the Italian Alpine Club’s guide hut where you can hire a guide for another undisclosed sum of euros to reach the summit craters. I hiked from the top of the gondola to the guide’s hut. I strayed off the 4x4 path to cut off a bunch of switchbacks as we were in a tight spot for time. I almost passed out once from either over exertion or getting stuck in a gas pocket, I’m not sure and it was kind of scary. Anyway, I made it up to almost 3000m (just past the guide’s hut) and decided to turn around – it was getting late, I was the only one up there, and I was afraid of hitting more gas pockets. However, I did take some great photos of the smoky summit cones. I then came down and we made our way to Taormina.
Some photos of Etna and my time so far in Taormina:
Etna from far away during our driving approach.
Hiking to the guide’s hut. It was a total dusty volcanic wasteland. Now I know what Mount Doom was like.
This was shortly before hitting the gas pocket. Me with Etna in the background.
The wind picked up once I got up there and became quite chilly. You can see how much steam this thing produces.
A house buried in volcanic crap on the drive down.
A view of the Ionian from my hotel porch in Taormina.
Looking down on Taormina from the castle summit above. You can just make out the Greek/Roman theater on the far right.
Lots of trash washes up on the beaches – this was a particularly interesting piece.
It’s hard to see but there were probably 10 bolted sport routes on these overhanging rocks right on the beach. I wish I had my climbing stuff. They even had (French/Italian) ratings painted below each route. I did a little bouldering, but I wasn’t very successful in bare feet.
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Some photos of Etna and my time so far in Taormina:
Etna from far away during our driving approach.
Hiking to the guide’s hut. It was a total dusty volcanic wasteland. Now I know what Mount Doom was like.
This was shortly before hitting the gas pocket. Me with Etna in the background.
The wind picked up once I got up there and became quite chilly. You can see how much steam this thing produces.
A house buried in volcanic crap on the drive down.
A view of the Ionian from my hotel porch in Taormina.
Looking down on Taormina from the castle summit above. You can just make out the Greek/Roman theater on the far right.
Lots of trash washes up on the beaches – this was a particularly interesting piece.
It’s hard to see but there were probably 10 bolted sport routes on these overhanging rocks right on the beach. I wish I had my climbing stuff. They even had (French/Italian) ratings painted below each route. I did a little bouldering, but I wasn’t very successful in bare feet.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Well, I haven't posted here in a few days because internet has been spotty. Last time I posted I had arrived in Basel, Switzerland and had reached the end of my bike journey. From there I took the train to Milan where I spent two nights. The difference between Milan and the French, German, and Dutch cities to the north is incredible. Milan is dirty, disorganized, and generally falling apart. It was not a safe place to bike and the hostel was abominable (although I did, for the first time in a hostel, meet some cool people who I will keep in touch with). The Duomo there is pretty cool, but that's all I really enjoyed. You couldn't walk more than 10 feet without having to worry about being run over by a tram, car, scooter, motorcycle, streetsweeper, etc. Also, the Italians are not engineers and this is most apparent in the big cities. Compared to the German and Swiss cities, the infrastructure was laughable. It was really just a chaotic jumble. Anyway, I couldn't care less if I never make it to Milan again.
I gladly left Milan on a train bound for Lake Maggiore last Tuesday (the 23rd) and met up with my uncle in the small town of Verbania. I was certainly happy to meet up with a member of the family and someone that I knew. We spent three days relaxing at the feet of the pre-Alps and enjoying the Italian lake district. Unfortunately the weather was overcast and rainy and didn't get out on my bike at all. However, we did take a cable car up to Il Mottarone (around 5000ft) and hiked down from there. There were some great views between the clouds and we saw an ancient church tower that's supposed to have been built around 1000AD.
From Verbania we took the train and then a taxi to the Milan-Malpensa airport where we flew down to Sicily. We stayed one night in downtown Palermo and now we're staying at a very nice resort just outside the downtown. Palermo is just as dirty and crazy as Milan. There are trash, broken bottles, and spraypaint everywhere. Everything is in a state of decay (especially the limestone mountains) from the acid rain. However, the food is great and the people are friendly.
Two days ago I went for a bike ride up Monte Pelligrino which was a 2500ft ascent over about 6 miles and yesterday we drove our rental car to the southern coastal town of Agrigento which had some spectacular Greek ruins. In fact, we saw the largest Doric temple in the world there. Today I'm going to head out for another ride to try and find the beaches and climb the nearby Monte Gallo.
Here are some pics from the last week or so:
Milan's Duomo. I believe it's the second largest Gothic cathedral in the world.
The marble quarry near Verbania. I believe it provided much of the marble for the Duomo in Milan.
The gardens of Villa Tarantano near Verbania.
The Pre-Alps from Il Mottarone.
That's me on top of Monte Pellegrino. The place is supposed to be sacred as it's dedicated to the saint who supposedly saved Palermo from the plague. You can see how sacred the locals think it is.
A view of Palermo through the smog from Monte Pellegrino. Our hotel is right down there in that bay.
An extremely intricately detailed cathedral in a place called Monreale outside of Palermo. The light wasn't too great inside, but it was amazing nevertheless.
And, finally, the largest Doric temple in the world. I believe it's called the Temple of Concordia. The place was littered with trash and the information was only in Italian so it was hard to grasp the historical perspective, but it's pretty amazing that it's still together. The stuff was mostly built between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE.
(3) comments
I gladly left Milan on a train bound for Lake Maggiore last Tuesday (the 23rd) and met up with my uncle in the small town of Verbania. I was certainly happy to meet up with a member of the family and someone that I knew. We spent three days relaxing at the feet of the pre-Alps and enjoying the Italian lake district. Unfortunately the weather was overcast and rainy and didn't get out on my bike at all. However, we did take a cable car up to Il Mottarone (around 5000ft) and hiked down from there. There were some great views between the clouds and we saw an ancient church tower that's supposed to have been built around 1000AD.
From Verbania we took the train and then a taxi to the Milan-Malpensa airport where we flew down to Sicily. We stayed one night in downtown Palermo and now we're staying at a very nice resort just outside the downtown. Palermo is just as dirty and crazy as Milan. There are trash, broken bottles, and spraypaint everywhere. Everything is in a state of decay (especially the limestone mountains) from the acid rain. However, the food is great and the people are friendly.
Two days ago I went for a bike ride up Monte Pelligrino which was a 2500ft ascent over about 6 miles and yesterday we drove our rental car to the southern coastal town of Agrigento which had some spectacular Greek ruins. In fact, we saw the largest Doric temple in the world there. Today I'm going to head out for another ride to try and find the beaches and climb the nearby Monte Gallo.
Here are some pics from the last week or so:
Milan's Duomo. I believe it's the second largest Gothic cathedral in the world.
The marble quarry near Verbania. I believe it provided much of the marble for the Duomo in Milan.
The gardens of Villa Tarantano near Verbania.
The Pre-Alps from Il Mottarone.
That's me on top of Monte Pellegrino. The place is supposed to be sacred as it's dedicated to the saint who supposedly saved Palermo from the plague. You can see how sacred the locals think it is.
A view of Palermo through the smog from Monte Pellegrino. Our hotel is right down there in that bay.
An extremely intricately detailed cathedral in a place called Monreale outside of Palermo. The light wasn't too great inside, but it was amazing nevertheless.
And, finally, the largest Doric temple in the world. I believe it's called the Temple of Concordia. The place was littered with trash and the information was only in Italian so it was hard to grasp the historical perspective, but it's pretty amazing that it's still together. The stuff was mostly built between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Saturday (Freiburg->Basel, Switzerland), 50mi
I've successfully reached my final destination. It was freezing (literally) when I got started, but it turned into the perfect day to finish my trip. The wind was at my back and the sky was clear and sunny.
The first thing I did this morning was go to the local bike shop to acquire a spoke nipple. The guy had one there and I found a sunny parking lot to repair my rear wheel in. It looks like the nipple had been broken for a day or two and only last night did the spoke pop out of the hole. Anyway, I replaced the spoke and the wheel was back to normal. I then hit the road and made for Switzerland.
Not a whole lot exciting happened that I can think of. Because the wind was coming from behind I cruised faster than most days. I also was probably about 10lbs lighter due to the stuff I sent back home yesterday. This part of the Rhine seems to be just a river which was nice - no factories and no barges. It was shallow and noisy, but still just as wide. Eventually I came to Basel which is a beautiful city. I found the hostel and secured a bed pronto. I wanted to celebrate tonight but couldn't find the right establishment. Perhaps in Milan...
Well, after just over 700 miles in the saddle I must say that it was really fun. I'm not sure what the next trip will be, but maybe the Nile?
The route and the interactive route.
The broken nipple next to its spoke. The head was sheared right off and I later found it sitting in the spoke hole on the rim.
Here I am trying to show how cold it is with my breath. You can't really see, but it was damn cold. Everything was covered in frost!
Repairing the wheel in the parking lot of an Aldi Sud. I got some weird looks.
Saying goodbye to the vineyards of the Black Forest.
Lunch on the Rhine.
Infiltrating the Swiss border. At least they actually have border guards - not that they do anything. I just walked my bike through.
Basel, Switzerland!
(1) comments
I've successfully reached my final destination. It was freezing (literally) when I got started, but it turned into the perfect day to finish my trip. The wind was at my back and the sky was clear and sunny.
The first thing I did this morning was go to the local bike shop to acquire a spoke nipple. The guy had one there and I found a sunny parking lot to repair my rear wheel in. It looks like the nipple had been broken for a day or two and only last night did the spoke pop out of the hole. Anyway, I replaced the spoke and the wheel was back to normal. I then hit the road and made for Switzerland.
Not a whole lot exciting happened that I can think of. Because the wind was coming from behind I cruised faster than most days. I also was probably about 10lbs lighter due to the stuff I sent back home yesterday. This part of the Rhine seems to be just a river which was nice - no factories and no barges. It was shallow and noisy, but still just as wide. Eventually I came to Basel which is a beautiful city. I found the hostel and secured a bed pronto. I wanted to celebrate tonight but couldn't find the right establishment. Perhaps in Milan...
Well, after just over 700 miles in the saddle I must say that it was really fun. I'm not sure what the next trip will be, but maybe the Nile?
The route and the interactive route.
The broken nipple next to its spoke. The head was sheared right off and I later found it sitting in the spoke hole on the rim.
Here I am trying to show how cold it is with my breath. You can't really see, but it was damn cold. Everything was covered in frost!
Repairing the wheel in the parking lot of an Aldi Sud. I got some weird looks.
Saying goodbye to the vineyards of the Black Forest.
Lunch on the Rhine.
Infiltrating the Swiss border. At least they actually have border guards - not that they do anything. I just walked my bike through.
Basel, Switzerland!
Just arrived in Basel, Switzerland. Below is my blog for yesterday. I'm going to be hungry after this so I'll probably go check out the town and then come back later to do the blog for today. Enjoy.
Friday (Breisach->Freiburg), 20mi
Today I made the short journey to Freiburg. It was an easy trip, but it was freezing and my left knee is hurting pretty badly. First it was the right and that seems to have fixed itself, but now it’s the left. I just have one long trip left to Basel, Switzerland tomorrow though and then I can rest.
Anyway, I got to Freiburg and checked into the only hostel that had any room left. It’s about 3km outside of town, but not too far. I headed back in to town with a load of stuff to send home, grabbed a quick Nordsee fish sandwich, and headed to the post office. It only ended up costing 13.00 euros for a 3kg package back to the states. Not bad. I then wandered around to have a look at the city. Freiburg is an ancient town and has been capital of the southern end of the Black Forest forever. It has this bizarre system of mini canals that was originally used for refuse disposal and apparently they still work today. The little canals run right down the middle of all the main streets and people toss in cigarette butts and other small bits of garbage. I’m not really sure where they go. Then I happened on an indoor market called the Markethalle where I bought a noodle dinner and perused the goods. Then I ate another Nordsee fish sandwich. After that I made for the "Rick Steve's" recommended microbrewery (Brauerihaus Freierling), drank many delicious brews (2.5 liters to be exact), and witnessed a hysterical "rock'n'roll" band called "Soundedge". I very stealthily took a single picture as I left – hopefully it came out so the hilarity can be witnessed by all.
Then I ate a yufka donner and came back to the hostel. On the way back I broke a spoke nipple while riding along. I’ve never seen this before. Oh well, hopefully the local bike shop will have a nipple so I can repair my wheel. Otherwise I’ll be riding with 31 of 32 spokes, no big deal. Hahaha.
Currently I’m sitting in the basement of the youth hostel writing this. There’s no internet so I’m not sure when it will post. There are many drunken Germans here having a great time. Germans are so funny.
The route and the interactive route.
Cold, misty morning on the Rhine.
The Freiburg cathedral which took something like 300 years to complete. Notice everyone's favorite architectural feature - the flying buttress.
There used to be a large castle around the Black Forest hills above Freiburg. Naturally the castle was destroyed, but the Germans built this weird metal/wood tower that had a great view.
A view from the tower of Freiburg and the cathedral below.
And there I am on the tower with the Black Forest behind.
A typical street in Freiburg.
Aahh, the "Soundedge" photo. It's a bit dark, but there's no way I was going to use the flash. It's hard to tell, but the band members were Howie Mandell on the squeezebox, Bill Clinton on the acoustic guitar and vocals, Les Claypool's lesser-talented brother on the bass, and Charles Bronson on lead guitar.
(0) comments
Friday (Breisach->Freiburg), 20mi
Today I made the short journey to Freiburg. It was an easy trip, but it was freezing and my left knee is hurting pretty badly. First it was the right and that seems to have fixed itself, but now it’s the left. I just have one long trip left to Basel, Switzerland tomorrow though and then I can rest.
Anyway, I got to Freiburg and checked into the only hostel that had any room left. It’s about 3km outside of town, but not too far. I headed back in to town with a load of stuff to send home, grabbed a quick Nordsee fish sandwich, and headed to the post office. It only ended up costing 13.00 euros for a 3kg package back to the states. Not bad. I then wandered around to have a look at the city. Freiburg is an ancient town and has been capital of the southern end of the Black Forest forever. It has this bizarre system of mini canals that was originally used for refuse disposal and apparently they still work today. The little canals run right down the middle of all the main streets and people toss in cigarette butts and other small bits of garbage. I’m not really sure where they go. Then I happened on an indoor market called the Markethalle where I bought a noodle dinner and perused the goods. Then I ate another Nordsee fish sandwich. After that I made for the "Rick Steve's" recommended microbrewery (Brauerihaus Freierling), drank many delicious brews (2.5 liters to be exact), and witnessed a hysterical "rock'n'roll" band called "Soundedge". I very stealthily took a single picture as I left – hopefully it came out so the hilarity can be witnessed by all.
Then I ate a yufka donner and came back to the hostel. On the way back I broke a spoke nipple while riding along. I’ve never seen this before. Oh well, hopefully the local bike shop will have a nipple so I can repair my wheel. Otherwise I’ll be riding with 31 of 32 spokes, no big deal. Hahaha.
Currently I’m sitting in the basement of the youth hostel writing this. There’s no internet so I’m not sure when it will post. There are many drunken Germans here having a great time. Germans are so funny.
The route and the interactive route.
Cold, misty morning on the Rhine.
The Freiburg cathedral which took something like 300 years to complete. Notice everyone's favorite architectural feature - the flying buttress.
There used to be a large castle around the Black Forest hills above Freiburg. Naturally the castle was destroyed, but the Germans built this weird metal/wood tower that had a great view.
A view from the tower of Freiburg and the cathedral below.
And there I am on the tower with the Black Forest behind.
A typical street in Freiburg.
Aahh, the "Soundedge" photo. It's a bit dark, but there's no way I was going to use the flash. It's hard to tell, but the band members were Howie Mandell on the squeezebox, Bill Clinton on the acoustic guitar and vocals, Les Claypool's lesser-talented brother on the bass, and Charles Bronson on lead guitar.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Finished the post below and updated the commentary. Check it.
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Thursday, October 18, 2007
Thursday (Strasbourg, France->Breisach-am-Rhein, Germany), 50mi
Well, I've found an internet connection just down the road from the hostel I'm staying in. So I'm sitting on the Rhine, watching the sun go down and writing this blog. Not bad.
I woke this morning and got right out to take in a bit more of Strasbourg. It really is a lovely city. I was a little worried when I first came in because I got lost in the industrial section, but the old part of the town is pretty cool. I took a bunch of pictures...
Today was a little shorter, but the quality of the route did improve. There were some more hills and quaint little towns and not so much heavy industry. The weather was generally overcast and there were a few rain squalls, but I didn't have to put on the wet weather gear. Also, there wasn't any wind today which was really nice.
I spent the first half of the day following the Rhone-Rhine Canal - that's why my path looks so straight on the map. It was nice, but eventually got a little boring. After going over a major hydroelectric dam I was back in Germany following the Rhine and the Grande Canal d'Alsace. I ventured through some old ruins and eventually made it to Breisach. I got one of the "leader" rooms in the hostel which means it has only one other bed and its own bathroom. It's also insulated from the zillions of kids that are running around. Anyway, I went out and ate a currywurst and then had a big plate of donner.
I could make Basel tomorrow, but then my tour would be over. I think I'm going to take a quick jaunt east to the town of Freiburg which supposed to be really nice. I'll spend the night there and then make for Basel on Saturday. Sunday or Monday I'll take a train from Basel to Milan and then meet up with Charles in Verbania on Tuesday.
The evidence...
The route and the interactive route.
Looking out of the hostel window in Strasbourg.
The old cathedral in Strasbourg.
The "Petit France" part of Strasbourg.
The bike path along the Rhone-Rhine Canal. Not too bad...
Alone along the Grande Canal d'Alsace. It was very peaceful today.
The difficult passage back into Germany. Man those border guards are tough.
Eating lunch and waiting out a rain squall.
The Lindburg ruins. Unfortunately all the posted historical info was in French or German so I really couldn't tell ya the significance. I think it was a Benedictine monastery at one point. However, no tourists and no entrance fee. I had it all to myself.
"King of the castle. King of the castle."
The medieval town of Breisach as I arrived.
(1) comments
Well, I've found an internet connection just down the road from the hostel I'm staying in. So I'm sitting on the Rhine, watching the sun go down and writing this blog. Not bad.
I woke this morning and got right out to take in a bit more of Strasbourg. It really is a lovely city. I was a little worried when I first came in because I got lost in the industrial section, but the old part of the town is pretty cool. I took a bunch of pictures...
Today was a little shorter, but the quality of the route did improve. There were some more hills and quaint little towns and not so much heavy industry. The weather was generally overcast and there were a few rain squalls, but I didn't have to put on the wet weather gear. Also, there wasn't any wind today which was really nice.
I spent the first half of the day following the Rhone-Rhine Canal - that's why my path looks so straight on the map. It was nice, but eventually got a little boring. After going over a major hydroelectric dam I was back in Germany following the Rhine and the Grande Canal d'Alsace. I ventured through some old ruins and eventually made it to Breisach. I got one of the "leader" rooms in the hostel which means it has only one other bed and its own bathroom. It's also insulated from the zillions of kids that are running around. Anyway, I went out and ate a currywurst and then had a big plate of donner.
I could make Basel tomorrow, but then my tour would be over. I think I'm going to take a quick jaunt east to the town of Freiburg which supposed to be really nice. I'll spend the night there and then make for Basel on Saturday. Sunday or Monday I'll take a train from Basel to Milan and then meet up with Charles in Verbania on Tuesday.
The evidence...
The route and the interactive route.
Looking out of the hostel window in Strasbourg.
The old cathedral in Strasbourg.
The "Petit France" part of Strasbourg.
The bike path along the Rhone-Rhine Canal. Not too bad...
Alone along the Grande Canal d'Alsace. It was very peaceful today.
The difficult passage back into Germany. Man those border guards are tough.
Eating lunch and waiting out a rain squall.
The Lindburg ruins. Unfortunately all the posted historical info was in French or German so I really couldn't tell ya the significance. I think it was a Benedictine monastery at one point. However, no tourists and no entrance fee. I had it all to myself.
"King of the castle. King of the castle."
The medieval town of Breisach as I arrived.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Wednesday (Karlsruhe->Strasbourg, France), 65mi
I'm actually sitting at a desk with wireless internet typing this! This is probably the nicest hostel I've ever been in. It's right in downtown Strasbourg (Ciarus - http://www.ciarus.com). It was just starting to drizzle a bit (I think my luck is up with the nice weather) and I was getting frustrated because I couldn't find the place, and then a sign for it appeared. I'm pretty excited it's so nice because last night I was stuck in a boiling hot room with two Turkish men, one of whom snored really loudly. I didn't sleep much, so this empty, clean room is much appreciated.
Today was another long one at 65 miles. I had a head wind most of the day which really sucked. It was mostly overcast and I could definitely see the front moving in. Luckily it never rained on me because that would make things miserable. I think tomorrow will be partly cloudy, but no rain. We shall see.
Not a whole lot to report otherwise. It was sort of a boring slog through small towns and long the canals. Strasbourg is certainly the most exciting thing of the day. Tomorrow I'll probably take some pictures as it's already getting dark here. The only other news (that you may have guessed) is that I've been biking in France all day! I passed over in just the first 15km or so of the journey. Here's the evidence:
The route and the interactive route.
Another ferried river crossing. These are pretty fun...
Hunh-hunh-hunh. I have infiltrated zee heavily-guardED French borDER.
The last of the sunny weather...
I had a little crash on this slippery granite curb. Not a big deal, but one of the trailer hitches popped off. The lady in the house behind the bike came out, gave me a dirty look, and then closed the brown gates to her driveway in my face. Screw you too!
A nice shot of some of the bike path through a park outside Strasbourg.
(0) comments
I'm actually sitting at a desk with wireless internet typing this! This is probably the nicest hostel I've ever been in. It's right in downtown Strasbourg (Ciarus - http://www.ciarus.com). It was just starting to drizzle a bit (I think my luck is up with the nice weather) and I was getting frustrated because I couldn't find the place, and then a sign for it appeared. I'm pretty excited it's so nice because last night I was stuck in a boiling hot room with two Turkish men, one of whom snored really loudly. I didn't sleep much, so this empty, clean room is much appreciated.
Today was another long one at 65 miles. I had a head wind most of the day which really sucked. It was mostly overcast and I could definitely see the front moving in. Luckily it never rained on me because that would make things miserable. I think tomorrow will be partly cloudy, but no rain. We shall see.
Not a whole lot to report otherwise. It was sort of a boring slog through small towns and long the canals. Strasbourg is certainly the most exciting thing of the day. Tomorrow I'll probably take some pictures as it's already getting dark here. The only other news (that you may have guessed) is that I've been biking in France all day! I passed over in just the first 15km or so of the journey. Here's the evidence:
The route and the interactive route.
Another ferried river crossing. These are pretty fun...
Hunh-hunh-hunh. I have infiltrated zee heavily-guardED French borDER.
The last of the sunny weather...
I had a little crash on this slippery granite curb. Not a big deal, but one of the trailer hitches popped off. The lady in the house behind the bike came out, gave me a dirty look, and then closed the brown gates to her driveway in my face. Screw you too!
A nice shot of some of the bike path through a park outside Strasbourg.
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