8/3/14
Foreword
Foreword
I wrote the article below for our Red Dirt Pedalers’ newsletter Wheel Issues in November of 2006. I had paid all the bucks, got my insurance, and was just about to get my Russian visa when, in early January, I suffered an episode of atrial fibrillation. In the process of taming it, the doc’s found that I had a large kidney stone. It wasn’t until April that they were able to dissolve the kidney stone. With it my plans to ride from St Petersburg, Russia, to Istanbul, Turkey, in the summer of 2007 also dissolved. I did not give up, so jumped through the same hoops in 2008 . . . but the ride was cancelled. So I switched horses and rode down the Danube with ExperiencePlus instead.
This blog is an account of that ride.
I wrote the article below for our Red Dirt Pedalers’ newsletter Wheel Issues in November of 2006. I had paid all the bucks, got my insurance, and was just about to get my Russian visa when, in early January, I suffered an episode of atrial fibrillation. In the process of taming it, the doc’s found that I had a large kidney stone. It wasn’t until April that they were able to dissolve the kidney stone. With it my plans to ride from St Petersburg, Russia, to Istanbul, Turkey, in the summer of 2007 also dissolved. I did not give up, so jumped through the same hoops in 2008 . . . but the ride was cancelled. So I switched horses and rode down the Danube with ExperiencePlus instead.
This blog is an account of that ride.
Once in a Lifetime
How many times have you said to yourself, “Just go for it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing . . . only to discover that it wasn’t? That you ended up doing whatever it was several times, and in some instances, it actually became a lifetime theme?
Buying a bicycle was one of my many “once-in-a-life-times.” The first bike of my adult life was a Trek mountain bike I bought at Cooper’s Bicycle Center, Stillwater, OK. Though it cost only about $300, at the time I thought, “Whoa! Well, okay, gulp, this is the last bike I’ll buy in my lifetime. I can afford it.” I’ve bought four bikes since and am about to jump off and buy my fifth. For some reason each gets more expensive.
Back in 1997, when I’d been biking casually around Stillwater for about 10 years but still didn’t know Presta from Schrader or toe clip from clipless, I decided to do a long (10-state, 1700-mile) ride down the Mississippi River with America by Bicycle. Wow. This is a life-altering, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I thought. Gotta do it. Once in a lifetime? No. I’ve now ridden the Mississippi River twice, and as a scheduled ride leader, will ride it for a third time next spring. Life altering? For sure.
The Mississippi River ride more than anything else got me “into” bicycling. I borrowed big bucks (for me at the time) to pay for this tour, switched from a hybrid to a road bike, worked hard training to get my average speed up to 15 mph (which BTW I did not accomplish until on the ride), bought bike shorts (I had been wearing short nylon running shorts), bought bike shoes and clipless pedals (I had been wearing athletic shoes and toe clips), and off I went.
BAM! I had a head on collision with ride leader Mike Munk, a bike riding dynamo with jaw-dropping bike handling skills. My life altered, shifting several degrees off axis. My friendship with Mike would see me riding cross country on the staff of America by Bicycle 7 years later. Moi? On a professional bike touring staff? Riding cross country each year? Now that’s a once-in-a lifetime.
Today I am preparing to sell my Litespeed and panniers, though I’m having a hard time taking the first step. I’ve a lot more invested in my trusty touring bike and gear than money. But, I need the money. Another once-in-a-lifetime bike ride is sending out the siren call: St. Petersburg, Russia, to Istanbul, Turkey, June 14-July 30, 2007.Yesterday I printed a copy of the itinerary for this ride. I perused the tour details, pulled maps, researched cities and countries. My mind thrilled when I contemplated riding through the ancient, less tourist trampled east European countries of Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland, Romania (Transylvania), Bulgaria, and Turkey. (This would see a return visit to Turkey 45 years after an initial “once-in-a-lifetime” visit.) I would get to see the Winter Palace, stop in small medieval towns such as Vilnius, capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1200 until the late 1700s, spot birds in Poland’s famous Biebrza National Park wetlands, pedal along the Bay of Finland and the Gulf of Riga, cross the ancient Carpathian and Transylvanian Alps . . .
Ironically, on that first Mississippi River Ride, a fellow rider and I vowed that we would never want to be on a bike touring staff: Lifting all that heavy luggage twice a day? Icing and lifting 10-gallon (nearly 100-lb) water jugs? Dealing with problem guests and guests’ problems? Nope. No. Not. Hadn’t we just demonstrated that we would pay big bucks to have someone else do all this?
We also vowed that we would never want to camp on a bike tour. It would be too much work at the end of the day to have to set up a tent and prepare the evening meal. We loved our comfy motel beds too much (and usually fell into them exhausted by 8:30 PM).
Never say never. Three years after the ‘97 Mississippi River Ride, I made another “once-in-a-lifetime” decision and geared up for a self-supported ride down the west coast with my daughter, Jessica. We happily camped in the hiker-biker areas of state parks along the way and loved it so much that two years later (2002) we took another self-supported camping tour, this time in Alaska. The kicker: Our West Coast ride may not have been a once-in-a-lifetime for me. ABB now has a west coast tour. Who knows? I may be asked to staff it sometime.
For the 2000 West Coast ride, I needed a different type of bike. I fell in love with a Litespeed Blueridge touring bike. It cost three times as much as my first car. The racks, panniers, and gear for the trip cost more than my first year’s college tuition. But, well, this was a once-in-a-lifetime purchase wasn’t it? Just bite the bullet, Susan. I bit hard.
It’s super spendy. My mind circles all of my usual rationalizations: “You only live once,” “Life is short,” “Just do it,” “You can’t take it with you.” “You’ve earned it.” “It’s just money.”
Yep, I decide, it’s a lot of money but it beats sitting home counting it. If I’m accepted (you have to apply), I’m going. Hey, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime. Gotta go for it. After all, it is just money and I’m not getting any younger.
Day 1--Oklahoma to Boston
The Barking Crab
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Oklahoma to Boston
Jeff and I awake at 3 am and leave for the airport at 3:30 am. Jeff’s hand is grossly swollen and red, infected by cat bite. The doctors and I are concerned, and they are seeing him every day. An Audubon friend lost her hand due to a similar infection and I am worried. Jeff’s arm is in a sling. He reported that on the way back home from the airport the meds the docs gave him made it a real struggle to stay awake for the last 15 miles. He fell into bed on getting home and slept for 3 hours.
I catch the 6:45 am Delta flight out of Tulsa and arrive in Boston via Atlanta at 12:35 pm. Checked out where the Swiss gate was and then went to United to wait for Judy’s Barrett’s arrival. Judy arrived at 1:45 pm. Judy was a guest on the last America by Bicycle ride that I staffed--ABB's Great Mississippi River Ride from New Orleans to Minneapolis. When I put the word out to these riders that I was looking for a roommate for the Danube trip, Judy eagerly volunteered. She had ridden part of the Danube River before with Elderhostel, now Road Scholar.
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| Canvas ceiling of the Barking Crab |
The New England Aquarium costs $24.95, and by the time got there, we did not think it worth it for an hour or so before closing, so we retrieved our luggage and then went to the Swiss gate to wait for our 10:00 pm flight to Zurich.
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| New England Aquarium, Boston (Internet) |
Day 2--Zurich, Switzerland to Donaueschingen, Germany
Leaving on a fast train
Thursday, Jun 26, 2008
Zurich to Donaueschingen, Germany
Judy and I caught the Swiss flight out of Boston at about 10:10 pm and got to Zurich at about 11 am the next day. I bought a jersey scarf in the airport thinking it would be cool in the evenings. Not to be. Sigh.
After retrieving our luggage—I had a duffel, a backpack, and was wearing a fanny pack; Judy had a large suitcase, a wheeled backpack, and a fanny pack—we bought train tickets to Donauschingen—about 35 Euros (50 dollars) each. The dollar is in bad shape, worth only a little more than two thirds of a Euro.
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| Judy face to face with the Grinch painted on our Swiss train |
When we reached Donaueschingen, three hours after we'd left the airport, I got off the train, turned around to get back on because I’d left my backpack in the overhead storage, BUT the doors shut and locked. Judy and my backpack sailed away, Judy with a look of panic on her face.
After several moments of “Oh no!” I asked a half drunk touring cyclist on the platform to please use his cell phone to call the hotel. My message to the front desk: “Please tell our tour leader that two ExperiencePlus riders have an emergency at the train station.” After about 15 minutes, Philipp Schmitt, our tour leader/translator arrived. He conversed in German with the station master, who called the train. The conductor on the train located my backpack and called back saying that I could pick it up at 8:18 that evening. I was to knock on the locomotive door, and the engineer would hand it down. This I did, and all was right with the world again.
While Philipp and I were arranging things with the station master, Judy—with the help of a very nice young boy—caught a train back to Donaueschingen at the next station. They did not charge her.
Philipp took us to the Hotel zum Hirschen (Hotel of the Stag). Over drinks of our choice outdoors under the hotel’s umbrellas, we were introduced to the ExperiencePlus staff: Stefania Casadei , Phillipp Schmitt, and Rick Price. Stefania is Italian and was the through ride leader. She had planned the route and would be with us for the whole ride. Stefania described herself as like an “adopted” daughter of the Prices, Rick and Paola, the couple who own the touring company. Stefania lives in Italy on “The Farm”—the Price’s farm that has on it a vineyard, apple orchards, cherries and a large number of buildings that are for the Ex+ European part of the business. Rick Price is going to ride sweep on the group until Budapest, when he will then fly back to Colorado (the American part of the business). Philipp will serve as our Germany/Austria tour leader/translator. He was raised in Afghanistan and now lives in Spain. I liked all of the staff immediately.
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| Donaushingen houses from our Hotel zum Hirschen window; the Hotel zum Hirschen sign with the Hirschen (stag) in it |
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| (L)Rick, Stefania, Marion, Carolyn at introductory meeting; (R) Barbara, Bob, and Steve |
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| Me, Marion's husband, Fred, to my left, and behind him Rod Ulrich, Philipp, White-bearded Rick, Stefania, Marion, Carolyn, Harold, Barbara's husband, and David (back of head) |
Before dinner, Rick Price talked about safety, route finding, and some of the logistics of this tour. Basically we are on our own all day and merely follow chalk arrows. The two ride leaders alternate putting down the arrows, so we will leave around 9am to give the “arrower” a chance to mark the first part of the route. Then the ride leader with the van loads the luggage and drives to the arrower. Thereafter the two lay down the remaining arrows together from the van.
The van does not run up and down the group of riders as we do with ABB. There are no rest/SAG stops. Dinners on rest days will be on our own. There will be a packed lunch provided when there will be no opportunities to buy lunch on the route (about 80% of the time). Sometimes we will be allowed to make a sandwich and take a piece of fruit from the breakfast buffet to make our lunches. If we need to get in touch with the ride leaders, we will have a card with “Please help me call my tour leader” in the language of the country we’re in, and we’re to find someone who can make the call for us. This card also contains “hello,” “please,” “thank-you,” and other basic translations with phonetic pronunciations that we may need along the way.
We had dinner this evening in the hotel restaurant with the group: Weinerschnitzel (fried pork) and ff, corn and carrots. Cake for dessert. (Dessert was a part of each evening meal.)
My bike fit has to wait until next morning. I got my backpack back too late and all my bike gear was in it.
Judy and I were so tired and so jet lagged that we could not get our minds straight to organize ourselves. We stood and sifted many times through our suitcases with no plan or intent. All we needed to do was set out a riding outfit for the next day, but this simple task eluded us. Finally we brushed our teeth, set the alarm for 6:30 am, and fell into bed at 11 pm. I had been awake since 3 am the previous day.
Day 3--Donaueschingen to Sigmaringen, Germany
Oh shift!
Donaueschingen to Sigmaringen, Germany
Distance: 97 km (60.27 miles)
X+: The Danube has carved a sinuous valley through the Schwabian Alps, affording great bicycling in the valley bottom or short, steep climbs for those who wish. We're pedaling though the heartland of the Jurassic limestones of Central Europe. Castle ruins line the bluffs along the Danube, and Beuron Abbey, dating to the 11th century, is a major stop along our route.
We were all at the breakfast buffet early in anticipation of our first day of riding. It was a typical and good buffet of cold cuts, cheeses, delicious hard rolls and dark multi-grain breads, several types of cereal and granola, jams, honey, yogurt, coffee, juice . . . At this very first breakfast I started eating a bowl of granola with yogurt and did this every morning for the rest of the ride.
We started off together at 9 am for a photo session at the fountain/ stream that is purported to be the source of the Danube. Rick took several photos of our group of eleven. Left, a very blurry pic of the group: Marion Shaw, Carolyn Martin, Fred Shaw, Bob Poelstra, me, Harold Martin, Judy Barrett, David Kahn, Steve Henderson, Barbara Kahn, Rod Ulrich
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| Judy's taking a photo of Barbara and me at ride start. I am holding Judy's bike. Notice how small it is, though it was still big for petite Judy. |
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| Harold and Judy riding through a tunnel cut in a medieval wall on the track |
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| The Danube in its infancy |
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| A building with interesting shutters and a shrine near the bike path |
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| Harold, Rick, and Marion at the confluence of the Breg and Brigach rivers. Marion is wearing an ExperiencePlus jersey. I opted instead for an X+ carry bag. |
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| Judy and a touring cyclist not with our group, climbing the hill to the cafe. |
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| The buildings on the cliff across from the cafe. |
We had one long off-track (the trails are called tracks in Germany) road climb to the cliffs and a café above the river. I never got out of the middle ring because the bikes are geared so low. Opposite the café on other cliffs were interesting buildings.
The highlight of this first day’s ride was Beuron Abbey. We parked and locked our bikes, took our rack packs under arm, and explored the Abbey gardens, main church, and crypt.
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| Internet photo showing Beuron Abbey, the bike trail, and the river we crossed. |
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| Judy crossing river; Beuron Abbey in background |
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| Inzigkofen town walls |
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| A yard stork heralding the arrival of a new family member; the plaque tells the baby's sex, name, birthdate, weight, etc. We saw others of these, some with a basket in the bill for gifting infant clothing |
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| The real things in a rooftop nest; note how the rooftop has been made inviting for the nest. Storks are symbols of good luck in this county |
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| Bridge into city (cannot now remember which) and the flowers and houses that line it; right, a group of cyclists (not ours) pause to take in the valley that we will ride across. |
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| Internet photo of our Sigmaringen hotel Gasthaus Traube (Hotel Grape). This photo was taken by a group of tourists in winter, but I include it here to show that the hotel was built in 1722 and renovated in 1983. |
Observations:
- Today we crossed the Donau 10 times.
- I didn’t know it at this first breakfast but learned later that cocoa puffs were to be a common buffet cereal regular. Odd sugary choice.
- On the ride today I saw my first storks, a grey heron, magpies, two hawks, hooded crows and carrion crows, many black and white wagtails, and quite a few mute swans, several with downy gray cygnets. I also saw a red fox roadkill, a hedgehog roadkill, and some fish that were spawning.
Day 4--Sigmaringen to Ulm
Lost in the Blue Valley
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Sigmaringen to Ulm
Distance: 123 km (72 miles)X+--The city of Ulm dates to the 9th century and is one of south Germany’s most important historic sites. Work began on the Ulm Cathedral in 1377 and was carried on in intervals until 1545. Then it took another 300 years before work began once again in 1844. The cathedral was finally completed in 1890. Today this giant Gothic church measures an astounding 464 ft long and is 159 feet wide. The massive interior has the capacity to hold 30,000 people. The cathedral sports the tallest steeple in the world. Ulm’s Fishermen’s Quarter showcases old half-timber houses, and its modern university has made this city a leader in alternative energy production.
Today was clear and sunny with temps in the 70s and low 80s. We cycled on bike paths and roads most of day, the road portions presenting two short climbs. In Germany there are cycle tracks everywhere, sometimes paralleling the roads and sometimes taking off across country or following the rivers. We are still following the Danube (Donau in German, hence the town names starting with Donau- ).Today we had an option of riding a longer route through an area called the Blue Valley, and Judy and I took this option. Most who chose this option were looking for the color blue, not realizing that the Blue Valley or Blautal was once part of the former Danube valley carved by the Danube before and during the ice ages. It was an interesting route with mountains to our left and, toward the end, a bike track through the open valley bottom through fields of rye, wheat, and canola/rape seed. The was lots of bike traffic on the track, but only two short stretches of gravel.
At about 1:30 or 2, Judy and I stopped for lunch at Ehingen on the left bank of the river about 25 km from Ulm. We ate in a little restaurant on the market square. Both of us were irritable for wont of rest and food by the time we stopped. The square was busy with merchants selling flowers and vegetables. We people-watched as we ate a bowl of goulash soup and crusty bread, served to us by a young Turkish waiter. We both remember goulash soup from previous visits to Germany so search it out for lunch.
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| Me and our bikes at our lunch stop in Ehingen |
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| Pan--part of the Ehingen fountain in the square |
Just as we were finishing our meal, Rick, Harold and Carolyn rode in. They had stopped earlier to eat. It took a bit of city riding to find our hotel in Ulm. The last arrow had been obscured by the hordes of tourists in Cathedral Square, which we rode diagonally across. We did not get to our 500-year-old lodgings, Hotel Weinstube von Bäumle (Hotel Wine Bar under the Trees) in Ulm until 5 pm.
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| Hotel Weinstube von Bäumle (Hotel Wine Bar under the Trees) |
Our room was up two flights of very steep, narrow stairs and sat under the eves in the back of the hotel, which had a narrow balcony running its length. We could look across at the backs of other houses. On the kitchen roof of one was a man picking mulberries from a tree that shaded it. After hauling our luggage up these steep stairs (no elevator, natch), we cleaned up and ate dinner on our own in a little restaurant on the square near the Ulm Cathedral—spaghetti Bolognese, salad, and water.So far the group has not come together in any sort of camaraderie--all eat separately or with a spouse in the evening.
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| Internet views from the Ulm Munster steeple: L: View of the Danube to the southwest with Fishermen's Quarter in the lower left and Neu Ulm across the river; R, the modern restaurant where we ate our dinner |
After dinner we checked out the cathedral which was being cleaned so was partially covered with scaffolding. Ulm is famous for its cathedral (Ulmer Münster), and also for being the birthplace of Albert Einstein. We also took a stroll around the square investigating little shops and taking pix.
What the guidebooks say: The Münster is the largest cathedral in S. Germany, a magnificent work of engineering and architecture topped with the world's tallest spire at a height of 528.4 ft. We did not have the energy to climb the 768 steps to the top of the steeple, so the photos above are from the Internet.
The Münster is located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Across the Danube is Neu-Ulm (New-Ulm), Bavaria. Originally a free city, Ulm lost half of its municipal territory to Bavaria when Napoleon redrew the borders in 1810.
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| The spiral stairs in the steeple |
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| Look at the timber sway on the building to the left; Ulm is a very old city, and those buildings that survived WWII are fascinating |
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| Another example of ancient architecture; this house in Fishermen's Quarter is called "Crooked House." The appellation could be applied to many of the houses in this section of town. |
There were many bird signs and statues in the city. When I got home, I found the following story about these birds:
Why are there sparrows everywhere in Ulm? As the story goes, once during work at the Münster, the citizens tried to carry a huge joist through the town gate. Somehow they didn't succeed, as often as they tried. After failing several times, they were about to break down the gate, when suddenly one of the men saw a sparrow carrying a twig to its nest. As the bird came to a narrow opening, it put the twig lengthwise in its beak and thus passed through smoothly. After observing the sparrow's cunning, it dawned on the citizens that they could carry the joist longitudinally through the town gate. Since then the sparrow has been the emblem of the city, the symbol of the shrewdness of Ulm's inhabitants. There is even a monument to the bird in the Münster's nave.
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| Top: Judy with the German soccer team's mascot.The Germans were to play Spain in the next day's World Cup finals in Vienna. The Germans had been celebrating this upcoming event all week, often with beer and songs late into the night. Bottom: Einstein was born in Vienna and these artistic designs were in the square before the restaurant we ate dinner in (in background); Fritzi's was just a window I liked and a contrast with the very old buildings around it. |
Day 5--Ulm to Ingolstadt in Bavaria, Germany
Judy’s packing up and going home
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Ulm to Ingolstadt in Bavaria, Germany
Distance: 150 km (93 miles)
X+: As we pedal today we are tracing the northern border of the Roman empire in Germany. Gunzburg, for example, still preserves the straight streets of a Roman military outpost dating to 70 BC. Ingolstadt, too, is an historic center with its 12th century Medieval wall well preserved.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Ulm to Ingolstadt in Bavaria, Germany
Distance: 150 km (93 miles)
X+: As we pedal today we are tracing the northern border of the Roman empire in Germany. Gunzburg, for example, still preserves the straight streets of a Roman military outpost dating to 70 BC. Ingolstadt, too, is an historic center with its 12th century Medieval wall well preserved.
A long day. I think that one kilometer on these tracks and varied surfaces probably equals about 2 miles (or more) in time spent on the bike.
We rode a beautiful paved track for quite a way but it turned into a winding trail through the woods that was gravel, deep gravel, and eventually dirt. Finally we came out and then rode two-lane, unshouldered roads for most of the rest of the day. We cannot figure how Philipp or Stefania knows to lay down their arrows on the myriad trails in the woods. They must have GPS.
Judy, Carolyn, Harold and I got lost so paid an unscheduled visit to Eltheim. I am finding that my pace and theirs is not at all compatible. Harold & Carolyn are in their early 70s I would guess and are riding upright on big-tired, flat–handlebar bikes. Judy is a very slow and timid rider, and with reason. She doesn't speak the language, is on a bike that is a too big for her, and most of all, she has no sense of direction and must ride with those who do. On the trails, the pace difference is not so noticeable, but when we have road riding, these three poke along. Getting lost only added to our time on the road in the heat and sun.
We passed through several walled medieval towns today. We’d enter through a gate (sometimes over a moat) and then exit through another gate. One gate even sported a family of storks.
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| Bicycle at left says "Vacancy Bicyclists Welcome" |
In a little walled town that was celebrating the World Cup, we caught up with Barbara. Because of her St Pete’s to Istanbul ride with X+, she was experienced in hunting down WCs. That she did. When we got back on route after the WC, we found Harold and Carolyn.
Soon Judy, Harold, and Carolyn were far behind Barbara and me. We’d stop to wait. Eventually Judy would catch up to us and then we’d go a bit and wait until she’d catch up again. Finally, at 5 o’clock after waiting near a pile of logs seemingly forever, we decided to ride at our own speed into Ingolstadt. We knew that Rick was sweeping and that Harold and Carolyn were there to ride with Judy.
I let her vent and then explained that we’d left her with Carolyn and Harold and Rick, who was sweeping. She said that she and Carolyn & Harold had gotten separated and claimed that Rick was in the square having a beer when she got in. She was going to talk to him. What kind of a tour leader was he? Yadda, yadda, yadda again.
I told her that if leaving was what she wanted to do, go for it. I explained that our paces were vastly different and that sticking with her put me in the saddle and in the heat far too long each day. Today’s near century length had tired me, and neither Barbara or I wanted to spend another two hours on the road. I simply wanted to get in so that I’d have time each day to cool down and to enjoy our overnight city. I also explained that, yes, we’d agreed to be roommates, but we were not “joined at the hip.” I would help lead her out of our overnight cities, but then if I knew that she had someone to ride with and the sweep was behind her, I was going to ride at my own pace each day.
Our hotel this evening, Altstadt Hotel, was quite pleasant and modern. To appease Judy, I let her have two beds while I slept on the cot. (Frequently our room would be a “family” room with two beds pushed together to provide a large bed for the parents and a small, narrow bed for a child—this because Judy joined so late and they’d had to switch me from a single room to one that would accommodate two.)
Below our window was a beer garden. Despite the fact that Germany lost to Spain (1-zip), some celebrated boisterously all night long. It rained in the night and rained in the window and onto my cot. Rick complained in the morning that he’d been kept awake most of the night. Wasn't the most restful night of the ride.
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