I guess we got a little busy after Lompoc and haven't had a chance to update the Blog. However, as many of you know, we finished!!
It has been an amazing summer for us. Bicycling Europe and then bicycling the Pacific coast of the US. Both were amazing and both had there good points. I don't know which one I would do first if I had to do it over again.
The last part of this trip has been spectacular. San Francisco was beautiful (although cold). We had company on this phase as Susie and Gwen join us as well as Larry for a nice stretch.
Big Sur was absolutly breathtaking! If you ever get a chance to ride this stretch of the earth, don't pass it up. It was probably the most beautiful thing we have seen this summer and at 12 mph we got to see a lot of it. We stayed in the Big Sur Campground in a tent-cabin that was wonderful. It is has wood sides for 3 feet up and the rest is tent material but then a real roof and it came with a fantastic queen size bed.
Santa Barbara was one of our favorite towns to visit. We got a hotel right in town for $99.00 and went out for an evening on the town. We heard three different musical groups with Katrina Carlson being the best. If you google her and look on her website you can see pictures of us!!! We told them we biked all the way from Seattle just to hear them play.
The town of Malibu was a dissapointment. There really isn't much there. However, there are some amazing homes there. Jennifer Aniston lives there and I am pretty sure we stopped in front of her house. There were 50 paporrozoties out there. Sherry would like to think it was Matthew McConnohey,s house.
We loved Santa Monica as well as it was 80 and sunny and beautiful beaches. Venice beach was interesting. A little run down, lot's of people living on the beach. We stopped at the muscle beach and both did a little flexing.
Getting thru LA was a bit of work as the roads didn't have shoulders and we were in some less than desirable neighborhoods. We passed Orange County choppers but didn't visit the guys.
In Long Beach we stayed at Sherry's friend Jodie and Tony's house. It was nice of them to let us stay with them as Tony had just arrived home from being out of town for the week. They have a very nice family and we enyoyed a faboulous dinner.
The next day we made it to Dana Point and ended up staying in a place called the Blue Lantern B&B. Oh my, we are talking nice. They had a free happy hour of cheese and wine which we readily joined in. There was a fireplace in the room and they actually gave us a very good price. We told them we had been sleeping in a tent for 4 months and that we wanted a deal. They bought the story and gave us the same price as the holiday inn express.
We arrived in San Diego on Sept 19th. We stayed at Amy and Rich's house for two evenings and went out to the Calypso for a wonderful dinner and great conversation. Thank you so much guys!! We owe you.
Okay, the adventure hasn't really stopped though. While in San Diego we loaded up Sherry's stuff from storage with the help of two Mexican's standing on the side of the road. (Thanks Jose and Jorge). Then we drove the U-haul to Phoenix where we had an apartment waiting for us. Upon arriving in Phoenix we didn't like the apartment! We had booked it via the internet so hadn't really seen it. We liked the complex though and after some pleading they gave us another apartment. However, the apartment wasn't ready for us so we moved our stuff into a garage. They say it will be ready by the time we get there on Friday.
We flew back to Minneapolis on Sunday (thanks Pat for picking us up at the airport) and spent two days getting our stuff together there.
Today, Sept 26th, we are on our way back to Phoenix in the car. We are actually in Lincoln, Nebraska as I write this. We plan to make it to Denver tonight where Bob's brother Jack lives and stay with him this evening. We have 457 miles down right now and it is noon!!! We left at 5:30 this morning and stopped only briefly!
There you go. Now you know what Bob and Sherry have been up to. We have had the summer we imagined and it was wonderful.
Bob and Sherry (the happy campers)!!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
Greetings from Lompoc, Ca
The last for days have been filled with lots of fun and adventure. After Kim dropped us off in Watsonville we set our sites on Big Sur. The ride from Watsonville to Big Sur was very beautiful but a bit chilly. Since we had both been to the Carmel/Monterey area before we decided to skip that tourist stop and rode through to Big Sur. Once we left Carmel the fog lifted and we were greeted with bright blue and warm skies. We enjoyed riding along the cliffs and across the famous "bigsby bridge". We camped at the Big Sur Campground in one of the Tent/cabins. It was really nice! The bottom part is wood and the walls are like a tent but it had a real bed! We lounged around the fire, enjoyed dinner and got the laundry done! The next day we had the Banana Walnut pancakes at the Big Sur Inn. Yum, Yum!!
With our tummies full we headed up the road and we really do mean "up the road". Immediately after we left the campground we had a 4 mile climb! Our reward was stopping at Nepenthe! Nepenthe is a restaurant that sits right on the edge of the cliff and offers a 180 degree view of the Big Sur Coastline! With the clear skies we were able to see forever.
We also stopped at Julia Phifer Big Sur Park and walked on the nature trail that took us out to a beautiful waterfall that flows off of the cliffs and onto the sandy beach below. It was very breath taking!!!
Our goal for the day was to make it to San Simeon. We made it but it was a long day of some very tough riding. Lots of steep long hills followed by down hills that required us to battle the trecherous winds comming at us from all directions. With the mountain on one side and the ocean cliffs on the other it was very trying at times. We tried to enjoy the beautiful views in between the times we were holding on for dear life!
The past two days the terrain has been blessedly less hilly and we have had strong winds at our back. Yesterday's ride was an absolute BLAST! We rode from San Simeon to Pismo Beach. On the way we went through Morro Bay which was so darn beautiful we had a difficult time ridding past. We were fortunate to see pods of Dolphins just 25 yards off the shore. We rode for about 3miles with the dolphins.
Today we are in Lompoc, Ca. The ride from Pismo Beach to Lompoc was a lot of fun. Again we had a very strong tail wind, for long stretches today we were going 22-27 miles/hr and we were hardly even pedaling! Tomorrow we head to Santa Barbara or Carpenteria depending on the ridding conditions and the traffic in Santa Barbara.
Bob & Sherry
With our tummies full we headed up the road and we really do mean "up the road". Immediately after we left the campground we had a 4 mile climb! Our reward was stopping at Nepenthe! Nepenthe is a restaurant that sits right on the edge of the cliff and offers a 180 degree view of the Big Sur Coastline! With the clear skies we were able to see forever.
We also stopped at Julia Phifer Big Sur Park and walked on the nature trail that took us out to a beautiful waterfall that flows off of the cliffs and onto the sandy beach below. It was very breath taking!!!
Our goal for the day was to make it to San Simeon. We made it but it was a long day of some very tough riding. Lots of steep long hills followed by down hills that required us to battle the trecherous winds comming at us from all directions. With the mountain on one side and the ocean cliffs on the other it was very trying at times. We tried to enjoy the beautiful views in between the times we were holding on for dear life!
The past two days the terrain has been blessedly less hilly and we have had strong winds at our back. Yesterday's ride was an absolute BLAST! We rode from San Simeon to Pismo Beach. On the way we went through Morro Bay which was so darn beautiful we had a difficult time ridding past. We were fortunate to see pods of Dolphins just 25 yards off the shore. We rode for about 3miles with the dolphins.
Today we are in Lompoc, Ca. The ride from Pismo Beach to Lompoc was a lot of fun. Again we had a very strong tail wind, for long stretches today we were going 22-27 miles/hr and we were hardly even pedaling! Tomorrow we head to Santa Barbara or Carpenteria depending on the ridding conditions and the traffic in Santa Barbara.
Bob & Sherry
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
A few days spent with friends
Good morning everyone! Well it is early Tuesday morning and we are getting ready to hit the road again.
The last 4 days we have been throughly spoiled! Friday night we stayed with my friends Sue, Larry and Gwynne at Sue's mom's house in Saratoga. Thank You Harriet for the wonderful hospitality AND soft bed.
Saturday Bob & I rode with Larry up up up and over the top of the Santa Cruz Mtns meeting up with Sue and Gwynne who had gone ahead with the car to Pescadero and then rode their bikes back towards us. In Pescadero we enjoyed a much needed lunch break. Larry then turned around to ride back up up up and over the Santa Cruz Mtns back to Saratoga while Bob, the girls and I continued on to Santa Cruz. The weather was perfect and we really enjoyed cycling along the coast. It was especially nice in that we had all the camp gear and all the other junk we usually lug on or behind the bikes loaded in the truck. So we got to spend the day cycling without all the added weight. We felt like we were flying and at the end of the 70 mile day we felt great. Bob & I stayed at the Hostel in Santa Cruz while Gwynne and Sue had to return to their families. It was a wonderful two days ridding with the girls of Team Christine!
Sunday we had a leisurely 25 mile ride from Santa Cruz to Watsonville where my life long friend, Kim and her husband Mark picked us up and took us to their home in Cienega. We had a great time. We ate and drank very well and it was so nice to spend some down time on Monday just lounging around with Kim. Bob got to hang out with Mark. He gave him the $5.00 tour of his farming operations. Although Bob now thinks that all farmers do is drive around with a walkie talkie telling the farm workers what to do He did get a lesson on how to kill Gophers! He even got one of the pesky little guys himself.
So all in all we have had a great vacation within our vacation and we really really apprecated the nice soft beds! Today we are off to Big Sur! We will be ridding along the coast hwy through Monterey and Carmel. The weather is predicted to be warm and sunny!
Only 11 days left and about 550miles to go before we get to San Diego. It has been an incredible journey.
Bob & Sherry
The last 4 days we have been throughly spoiled! Friday night we stayed with my friends Sue, Larry and Gwynne at Sue's mom's house in Saratoga. Thank You Harriet for the wonderful hospitality AND soft bed.
Saturday Bob & I rode with Larry up up up and over the top of the Santa Cruz Mtns meeting up with Sue and Gwynne who had gone ahead with the car to Pescadero and then rode their bikes back towards us. In Pescadero we enjoyed a much needed lunch break. Larry then turned around to ride back up up up and over the Santa Cruz Mtns back to Saratoga while Bob, the girls and I continued on to Santa Cruz. The weather was perfect and we really enjoyed cycling along the coast. It was especially nice in that we had all the camp gear and all the other junk we usually lug on or behind the bikes loaded in the truck. So we got to spend the day cycling without all the added weight. We felt like we were flying and at the end of the 70 mile day we felt great. Bob & I stayed at the Hostel in Santa Cruz while Gwynne and Sue had to return to their families. It was a wonderful two days ridding with the girls of Team Christine!
Sunday we had a leisurely 25 mile ride from Santa Cruz to Watsonville where my life long friend, Kim and her husband Mark picked us up and took us to their home in Cienega. We had a great time. We ate and drank very well and it was so nice to spend some down time on Monday just lounging around with Kim. Bob got to hang out with Mark. He gave him the $5.00 tour of his farming operations. Although Bob now thinks that all farmers do is drive around with a walkie talkie telling the farm workers what to do He did get a lesson on how to kill Gophers! He even got one of the pesky little guys himself.
So all in all we have had a great vacation within our vacation and we really really apprecated the nice soft beds! Today we are off to Big Sur! We will be ridding along the coast hwy through Monterey and Carmel. The weather is predicted to be warm and sunny!
Only 11 days left and about 550miles to go before we get to San Diego. It has been an incredible journey.
Bob & Sherry
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Saratoga, California
We are now just south of San Francisco and staying at Susie's mom's place. They were nice enough to let us stay here last night in their beautiful home. Sleeping in a bed is such a treat!!
California has been wonderful to us. We have been staying in the national parks in the Hiker/biker area's and have been meeting up with other cyclists most nights. We have had a nice fire and cooked all of our meals at the campsite.
A lot of our fellow cyclists ended their trip yesterday in San Fran so we will miss their company, however I am sure there will be new people to meet a long the way.
Our plan today is to get to Santa Cruz today. It is a Saturday night and we are having a hard time finding a place to camp as everything is busy. But I am sure we will find something as we always do.
Sorry for the quick post but just wanted to get something out here for those wondering where we are.
California has been wonderful to us. We have been staying in the national parks in the Hiker/biker area's and have been meeting up with other cyclists most nights. We have had a nice fire and cooked all of our meals at the campsite.
A lot of our fellow cyclists ended their trip yesterday in San Fran so we will miss their company, however I am sure there will be new people to meet a long the way.
Our plan today is to get to Santa Cruz today. It is a Saturday night and we are having a hard time finding a place to camp as everything is busy. But I am sure we will find something as we always do.
Sorry for the quick post but just wanted to get something out here for those wondering where we are.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
10 miles from California Border
We have been very busy riders.........
8/27 Newport to winchester Bay, OR 76miles
8/28 Winchester Bay to Port Orford, OR 87miles
8/29 Port Orford to Brookings, OR 58miles
And boy what beautiful miles they have been. Twice now we have sighted whales. We watched Harbor Seals play under the bridges, and we have seen two sets of Bald Eagles. And let us not forget to mention one very ugly Turkey Vulture.
Our route has provided us with a variety of scenery and terrain. Most days we spend about half the time ridding along Hwy 101 with the most spectacular views of the ocean while the other half takes us inland on less traveled two lane roads that wind through beautiful valleys! It is difficult to find the words to describe the beauty. Lush forest floors covered with ferns, and the trees so thick that it looks like night. The ocean is spectacular. The large rock formations that are abundant along the Oregon coast are breathtaking.
We have been camping in the State Parks. They have all had hiker/biker sites which besides being only $8.00 are usually in the prettiest spots. This also provides us with the opportunity to meet and talk with other cyclists. It's fun to share stories and learn where everyone is from.
Tomorrow we will cross into California! Sherry's friend Devra is driving down from Reno to help celebrate her 46th birthday. We are looking forward to seeing her and the wonderful Chipino Dinner she is going to fix us!
Bob & Sherry
8/27 Newport to winchester Bay, OR 76miles
8/28 Winchester Bay to Port Orford, OR 87miles
8/29 Port Orford to Brookings, OR 58miles
And boy what beautiful miles they have been. Twice now we have sighted whales. We watched Harbor Seals play under the bridges, and we have seen two sets of Bald Eagles. And let us not forget to mention one very ugly Turkey Vulture.
Our route has provided us with a variety of scenery and terrain. Most days we spend about half the time ridding along Hwy 101 with the most spectacular views of the ocean while the other half takes us inland on less traveled two lane roads that wind through beautiful valleys! It is difficult to find the words to describe the beauty. Lush forest floors covered with ferns, and the trees so thick that it looks like night. The ocean is spectacular. The large rock formations that are abundant along the Oregon coast are breathtaking.
We have been camping in the State Parks. They have all had hiker/biker sites which besides being only $8.00 are usually in the prettiest spots. This also provides us with the opportunity to meet and talk with other cyclists. It's fun to share stories and learn where everyone is from.
Tomorrow we will cross into California! Sherry's friend Devra is driving down from Reno to help celebrate her 46th birthday. We are looking forward to seeing her and the wonderful Chipino Dinner she is going to fix us!
Bob & Sherry
Monday, August 27, 2007
Newport, Oregon
Greetings from God's country,
We are in a little town in Oregon doing laundry this morning and drinking coffee and updating the internet. It is a beautiful sunny day and the views are absolutely beautiful.
We have camped for 7 nights straight and last night stayed in Newport at a hiker/biker campsite in a State campground. They have firewood for sale for $4.00 a big bundle and it was enough to get us a couple hours of burn time. The hiker/biker camp sites are $4.00 a person and are usually very nice. Last night we fell asleep to the sounds of a foghorn and to seals barking and the waves crashing into the shore.
The Oregon coast is so incredibly beautiful. I think it is even more beautiful than the Mediterraen coast. It is a very rugged coast with a lot of rocks in the water and steep cliffs. I had no idea it was so pretty!
We have been averaging about 65 to 70 miles a day and that is usually enough to exhaust us each night. There isn't a whole lot of flat riding and around every bend in the road there is a hill to climb. But, with every hill comes an incredible view so it is all worth it.
It is Sherry's birthday on Thursday!!! August 30th. I want to see some posts on here wishing her a happy birthday! We are hoping to be close to Cresent City, California on her birthday and I might even get us a hotel and a real bed to sleep on for the night. We would feel spoiled just to sleep on a real bed right now!
We are having the time of our lives and are so thankful that we have the time, and bodies that will allow us to do this. It is truely a dream to be living out here on the bike on the coast, next to the ocean. You really feel free!!!
Until next time,
Bob (big legs) Nesbitt and Sherry (little, but strong legs) Ashbey-Woldberg
We are in a little town in Oregon doing laundry this morning and drinking coffee and updating the internet. It is a beautiful sunny day and the views are absolutely beautiful.
We have camped for 7 nights straight and last night stayed in Newport at a hiker/biker campsite in a State campground. They have firewood for sale for $4.00 a big bundle and it was enough to get us a couple hours of burn time. The hiker/biker camp sites are $4.00 a person and are usually very nice. Last night we fell asleep to the sounds of a foghorn and to seals barking and the waves crashing into the shore.
The Oregon coast is so incredibly beautiful. I think it is even more beautiful than the Mediterraen coast. It is a very rugged coast with a lot of rocks in the water and steep cliffs. I had no idea it was so pretty!
We have been averaging about 65 to 70 miles a day and that is usually enough to exhaust us each night. There isn't a whole lot of flat riding and around every bend in the road there is a hill to climb. But, with every hill comes an incredible view so it is all worth it.
It is Sherry's birthday on Thursday!!! August 30th. I want to see some posts on here wishing her a happy birthday! We are hoping to be close to Cresent City, California on her birthday and I might even get us a hotel and a real bed to sleep on for the night. We would feel spoiled just to sleep on a real bed right now!
We are having the time of our lives and are so thankful that we have the time, and bodies that will allow us to do this. It is truely a dream to be living out here on the bike on the coast, next to the ocean. You really feel free!!!
Until next time,
Bob (big legs) Nesbitt and Sherry (little, but strong legs) Ashbey-Woldberg
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Pacific Coast Hwy
Hello everyone!!
After a short break we are back on the road again. This time our travels will take us from Seattle Washington to San Diego California via the Pacific Coast Hwy! We started pedaling from the Seatlle Airport on Aug 20th. 5 days later and over 280 miles we are now in Tillamook, OR.
It has been an excitting and beautiful trip so far. We have been blessed with good weather ( it has not rained yet) We have even seen the sun most afternoons and had only one morning of fog. The roads have been great and the adventure cycling route has taken through beautiful inland valleys along little rivers and over some beautiful majestic mountains.
We have camped in some amazing places!!! Two nights ago we pitched our tent on the banks of the Columbia River. Durring the night we were lulled to the sound of the water lapping on the shore and in the morning we ate our breakfast while watching the Blue Herons swoon over the bay looking for their breakfast. We have feasted on wild blueberries which grow in abundance along the road ways. We have ridden on inland roads for miles and miles with no cars in sight. We have ridden along the coastline mesmerized by the beautiful Pacific Ocean. The ruggedness and beauty of the coastline is humbling. We feel so blessed to be able to enjoy it and share it together.
Internet access is scarce but we hope to do a little better job of keeping you updated. As usual we have lots of great pictures to share but alas no time to get them downloaded. Hopefully in the next update.
Bob & Sherry
After a short break we are back on the road again. This time our travels will take us from Seattle Washington to San Diego California via the Pacific Coast Hwy! We started pedaling from the Seatlle Airport on Aug 20th. 5 days later and over 280 miles we are now in Tillamook, OR.
It has been an excitting and beautiful trip so far. We have been blessed with good weather ( it has not rained yet) We have even seen the sun most afternoons and had only one morning of fog. The roads have been great and the adventure cycling route has taken through beautiful inland valleys along little rivers and over some beautiful majestic mountains.
We have camped in some amazing places!!! Two nights ago we pitched our tent on the banks of the Columbia River. Durring the night we were lulled to the sound of the water lapping on the shore and in the morning we ate our breakfast while watching the Blue Herons swoon over the bay looking for their breakfast. We have feasted on wild blueberries which grow in abundance along the road ways. We have ridden on inland roads for miles and miles with no cars in sight. We have ridden along the coastline mesmerized by the beautiful Pacific Ocean. The ruggedness and beauty of the coastline is humbling. We feel so blessed to be able to enjoy it and share it together.
Internet access is scarce but we hope to do a little better job of keeping you updated. As usual we have lots of great pictures to share but alas no time to get them downloaded. Hopefully in the next update.
Bob & Sherry
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
USA!
Hello from the good ole USA.
We made it back to Minneapolis on Tuesday night at 8:00pm.
Let me try and update since the last time we posted. We ended up camping outside of Paris the two days prior to actually making it to the city. Paris suburbs go for about 100 miles or at least it seemed that way to us. We camped along the Seine river in a town called Melun at a campground. A lot of the other campers where visiting Euro Disney but we actually met several other bicycle touring people as well. Then we biked along the Seine river to Joinville which is just 20 miles outside of Paris. There we camped along with more bicycling tourists. We were surprised to get camping so close to the heart of the city.
The last day riding into Paris was really something! It was like the Beverly Hillbilly's come to Paris. I am not sure what the bigger attraction was in Paris that day, the Eiffle tower or us! Sure we didn't smell all that great after living in a tent the last 45 days, sure we were a little dirty and grimey after living in a tent the last 45 days, but we shouldn't have drawn that many stares from the so called "beautiful people" of Paris.
It was something going around some of those roundabouts where six cars deep are either entering or trying to get out of it!! We lived though, we didn't get hit by any cars. That wasn't the same for one guy from Toronto that we met though. He got hit at the Arc De Triumph roundabout which has to be the most insane place you will ever see. There are probably 12 roads that lead into that one round about and every drives about 50mph. He was shook up and his bike was hurt but he was laughing about it.
We got to our hotel to find out that they didn't have any room for our bikes. The hotel was tiny. We told the guy at the front desk that our bikes were very expensive and that we couldn't leave them on the streets. He ended up letting us put them in the very small lobby and he watched over them carefully for us. It was a great hotel and the best news was that it was next door to a Starbucks coffee! We had both been dreaming about a good cup of coffee. I am not exagerating when I say that at one place in France I ordered a coffee and it was in a dixie cup and was only half full!!! So to have a Starbucks right next to us was fantastic.
So in Paris..... we saw the Eiffle tower, it is impressive. We saw the Arc De Triumph and the Champs Elyse. We actually went to Sunday Mass at the Notre Dam Cathedral in Paris. That was quite interesting. We didn't have any idea of what he was saying but it was still inspiring and we felt more pure when we exited!! And, of course, we saw the last day of the Tour De France!! That was really very exciting. There are many, many thousands of people there lining the streets of the Champs Elyse. We got to see them come by 16 times. You can't believe the speed! It was a fitting end to OUR tour de France to see some other guys on bikes finishing their Tour De France.
We had planned on doing a lot of shopping in France. We thought we would buy some really cool chic Paris jeans or something but, it really just did not happen. The reason was we had to box our bikes for the trip back.
We didn't think this was going to cause us a lot of problems but we were WRONG. It basically took us the whole day! You see, most of the bike shops don't have bike boxes and they didn't seem to simpithetic to us that we needed them. We ended up going to a Decathlon store which are the Europe version of REI but maybe even better. They told us they would save a couple of boxes for us on Monday morning. Monday morning we were in front of their store when they opended. The boxes were there but they where huge! We broke the bikes down and put them in the boxes and taped everything up and were done by noon. However, the guy at the hotel who arranged our ride to the airport said they were too big for the van that was going to pick us up. We also got worried that the airport wouldn't take them because they really were huge! So, We unpacked them again and decided to cut the boxes up and just make them smaller. After taking the metro all over Paris for tape and box cutters and packing materials we finished up around 5:00pm!
We were fortuante that we did break them down as when the van driver did show up, they just barely fit into the van!!
We got to the airport 3 hours early which was just enough time. There was a bag left in the airport so they evacuated us to another end. We were sitting there having a sandwich when an enormous explosion went off!!! Scared everyone. However, I guess it is just routine that they actually blow up any suspicous bags!
The flight home went well. We both watched 3 movies on the flight back!! It is a long flight from Paris to Detroit! We both slept on the flight from Detroit to Minneapolis. Vanessa was nice enough to meet us at the airport with flowers and drive us home.
We are updating the pictures as I write this so take a look. We have about 300 photos to upload.
We made it back to Minneapolis on Tuesday night at 8:00pm.
Let me try and update since the last time we posted. We ended up camping outside of Paris the two days prior to actually making it to the city. Paris suburbs go for about 100 miles or at least it seemed that way to us. We camped along the Seine river in a town called Melun at a campground. A lot of the other campers where visiting Euro Disney but we actually met several other bicycle touring people as well. Then we biked along the Seine river to Joinville which is just 20 miles outside of Paris. There we camped along with more bicycling tourists. We were surprised to get camping so close to the heart of the city.
The last day riding into Paris was really something! It was like the Beverly Hillbilly's come to Paris. I am not sure what the bigger attraction was in Paris that day, the Eiffle tower or us! Sure we didn't smell all that great after living in a tent the last 45 days, sure we were a little dirty and grimey after living in a tent the last 45 days, but we shouldn't have drawn that many stares from the so called "beautiful people" of Paris.
It was something going around some of those roundabouts where six cars deep are either entering or trying to get out of it!! We lived though, we didn't get hit by any cars. That wasn't the same for one guy from Toronto that we met though. He got hit at the Arc De Triumph roundabout which has to be the most insane place you will ever see. There are probably 12 roads that lead into that one round about and every drives about 50mph. He was shook up and his bike was hurt but he was laughing about it.
We got to our hotel to find out that they didn't have any room for our bikes. The hotel was tiny. We told the guy at the front desk that our bikes were very expensive and that we couldn't leave them on the streets. He ended up letting us put them in the very small lobby and he watched over them carefully for us. It was a great hotel and the best news was that it was next door to a Starbucks coffee! We had both been dreaming about a good cup of coffee. I am not exagerating when I say that at one place in France I ordered a coffee and it was in a dixie cup and was only half full!!! So to have a Starbucks right next to us was fantastic.
So in Paris..... we saw the Eiffle tower, it is impressive. We saw the Arc De Triumph and the Champs Elyse. We actually went to Sunday Mass at the Notre Dam Cathedral in Paris. That was quite interesting. We didn't have any idea of what he was saying but it was still inspiring and we felt more pure when we exited!! And, of course, we saw the last day of the Tour De France!! That was really very exciting. There are many, many thousands of people there lining the streets of the Champs Elyse. We got to see them come by 16 times. You can't believe the speed! It was a fitting end to OUR tour de France to see some other guys on bikes finishing their Tour De France.
We had planned on doing a lot of shopping in France. We thought we would buy some really cool chic Paris jeans or something but, it really just did not happen. The reason was we had to box our bikes for the trip back.
We didn't think this was going to cause us a lot of problems but we were WRONG. It basically took us the whole day! You see, most of the bike shops don't have bike boxes and they didn't seem to simpithetic to us that we needed them. We ended up going to a Decathlon store which are the Europe version of REI but maybe even better. They told us they would save a couple of boxes for us on Monday morning. Monday morning we were in front of their store when they opended. The boxes were there but they where huge! We broke the bikes down and put them in the boxes and taped everything up and were done by noon. However, the guy at the hotel who arranged our ride to the airport said they were too big for the van that was going to pick us up. We also got worried that the airport wouldn't take them because they really were huge! So, We unpacked them again and decided to cut the boxes up and just make them smaller. After taking the metro all over Paris for tape and box cutters and packing materials we finished up around 5:00pm!
We were fortuante that we did break them down as when the van driver did show up, they just barely fit into the van!!
We got to the airport 3 hours early which was just enough time. There was a bag left in the airport so they evacuated us to another end. We were sitting there having a sandwich when an enormous explosion went off!!! Scared everyone. However, I guess it is just routine that they actually blow up any suspicous bags!
The flight home went well. We both watched 3 movies on the flight back!! It is a long flight from Paris to Detroit! We both slept on the flight from Detroit to Minneapolis. Vanessa was nice enough to meet us at the airport with flowers and drive us home.
We are updating the pictures as I write this so take a look. We have about 300 photos to upload.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Paris only 100Km away
Well last you heard from us we had spent a cold and wet day of ridding to the town of Nevers. While Bobby updated our web site I was at the Lavare aka laudromat drying our wet clothes. Of course I should probably point out for you some important information, just in case you plan on traveling to France. When you are walking you should take care to watch where you are putting your feet! Otherwise you may find that you have stepped in a big pile of dog POOP while you were looking at you map and trying to find the Lavarè!
But dog poop aside, Nevers was a great town and we enjoyed a wonderful Chinese Dinner!!! We also met a lovely couple from holand who were also traveling via their cycles. They gave us some great information about cycle touring in Europe which will come in handy when we come back. Which we are sure will be very soon.
So lets see where have we been and where are we now. We left Nevers on Monday morning under cloudy skies. It had rained really really really hard throughout the night so we were very pleased to have only cloudy skies. As the day progressed the skies cleared and we enjoyed a beautiful day of ridding through rural France. I know we keep saying how beautiful it is to ride in France but we have to say it again. It is so very beautiful here!!! Most of the cycling today we were on small country roads with little to no car traffic. The road followed along a canal which made for long stretches of smooth flat roads with just enough small rolling hills thrown in to keep our legs working. The wild flowers seem to be in full bloom so even the fields that are not planted with corn, wheat or sunflowers are beautiful. It seems as though someone flew in a plance over this area sprinkling wild flower seeds! We rode 61 miles to the town of Briare. Very cool town. The last 5 kilometers we were on a trail next to the canal.
Briare is one of the neatest towns we have been through which is saying a lot since we have been in some pretty amazing places. But Briare is truly a place everyone should visit. Several of the canal systems that run through France convergein Briare! Boats are everywhere! They even have a bridge that boats float across! We stayed in a lovely campground for only 8euro! This area is known for their white wines so we felt obligated to try a bottle! It was very tasty!!!!! We slept like babies and were ready to ride this morning!
Tonight we are in the town of Souppes su Loing. Another cute French town which also sits along a canal. We rode on more spectacularly beautiful roads under warm SUNNY skies. Much of the ridding was on a canal trail which was a mix of pavement, dirt, and at times just a grass path but it was so beautiful that we did not mind the terrain. We were so taken in by our surroundings that nothing could have ruined this day.
Tomorrow we have heard that the weather is also going to be warm and sunny. We are going to stay on the canal trail for as long as it is rideable! We keep getting conflicting information regarding the canal trail. By looking at the maps it appears that we should be able to ride it all the way to the Seine River and then follow the Seine right into Paris. But some people say "Yes, it is possible" and other say "No, it is not possible" I guess that is why it is called adventure cycling! We will just have to find out as we go!
Sorry no pictures yet. These computers are so SLOW and it takes too long to download and it just turns into a frustrating time! But we promise to post them just as soon as we can.
We are having an absolutely fabulous time and can't believe it is almost over but we are also looking forward to seeing everyone and sleeping in a nice soft bed!
Bob & Sherry
But dog poop aside, Nevers was a great town and we enjoyed a wonderful Chinese Dinner!!! We also met a lovely couple from holand who were also traveling via their cycles. They gave us some great information about cycle touring in Europe which will come in handy when we come back. Which we are sure will be very soon.
So lets see where have we been and where are we now. We left Nevers on Monday morning under cloudy skies. It had rained really really really hard throughout the night so we were very pleased to have only cloudy skies. As the day progressed the skies cleared and we enjoyed a beautiful day of ridding through rural France. I know we keep saying how beautiful it is to ride in France but we have to say it again. It is so very beautiful here!!! Most of the cycling today we were on small country roads with little to no car traffic. The road followed along a canal which made for long stretches of smooth flat roads with just enough small rolling hills thrown in to keep our legs working. The wild flowers seem to be in full bloom so even the fields that are not planted with corn, wheat or sunflowers are beautiful. It seems as though someone flew in a plance over this area sprinkling wild flower seeds! We rode 61 miles to the town of Briare. Very cool town. The last 5 kilometers we were on a trail next to the canal.
Briare is one of the neatest towns we have been through which is saying a lot since we have been in some pretty amazing places. But Briare is truly a place everyone should visit. Several of the canal systems that run through France convergein Briare! Boats are everywhere! They even have a bridge that boats float across! We stayed in a lovely campground for only 8euro! This area is known for their white wines so we felt obligated to try a bottle! It was very tasty!!!!! We slept like babies and were ready to ride this morning!
Tonight we are in the town of Souppes su Loing. Another cute French town which also sits along a canal. We rode on more spectacularly beautiful roads under warm SUNNY skies. Much of the ridding was on a canal trail which was a mix of pavement, dirt, and at times just a grass path but it was so beautiful that we did not mind the terrain. We were so taken in by our surroundings that nothing could have ruined this day.
Tomorrow we have heard that the weather is also going to be warm and sunny. We are going to stay on the canal trail for as long as it is rideable! We keep getting conflicting information regarding the canal trail. By looking at the maps it appears that we should be able to ride it all the way to the Seine River and then follow the Seine right into Paris. But some people say "Yes, it is possible" and other say "No, it is not possible" I guess that is why it is called adventure cycling! We will just have to find out as we go!
Sorry no pictures yet. These computers are so SLOW and it takes too long to download and it just turns into a frustrating time! But we promise to post them just as soon as we can.
We are having an absolutely fabulous time and can't believe it is almost over but we are also looking forward to seeing everyone and sleeping in a nice soft bed!
Bob & Sherry
Monday, July 23, 2007
Nevers, France
Greetings from Nevers Fance.
We have been riding some incredible back roads of central France. We decided to get local maps and it helps us to find the little roads. Some of these roads look like rabbit trails and there is no traffic on them for long long periods of time. They take you thru all these quiet little French towns with little homes that are full of flowers. I mean like rediculously full of flowers. They are beautiful!!!
Yesterday we had a fantastic ride into Moulins and stayed at the edge of the center ville in a campground right next to the river. We had other touring cyclist staying next to us as well as a family canoeing down the river. What a great town and a perfect spot.
Today we saw a wild billy goat in the woods and some wild boars!!!
Today was a rainy cold day. It rained thru out the night and continued all morning. We biked 50 miles to Nevers all in the rain. It was a lot of fun for 40 miles but the cold got to us and we ended up getting chilled to the bones. We checked into a hotel and showered and fell asleep in about 2 minutes flat!!! It was only 1:30 but we felt like we could sleep straight thru until tomorrow.
We hear tomorrow is suppose to be better again. We are getting close to Paris and should have no problem reaching the outskirts by Friday. We have reservations for Saturday night so we want to position ourselves as close to the city as we can on Friday so we can navitgate the city early Saturday morning.
We have so much more to tell you but zith limited time it is difficult. I know we promised more pictures but not today. As soon as we get to a good place we will download more.
Miss you all.
Bob and Sherry
We have been riding some incredible back roads of central France. We decided to get local maps and it helps us to find the little roads. Some of these roads look like rabbit trails and there is no traffic on them for long long periods of time. They take you thru all these quiet little French towns with little homes that are full of flowers. I mean like rediculously full of flowers. They are beautiful!!!
Yesterday we had a fantastic ride into Moulins and stayed at the edge of the center ville in a campground right next to the river. We had other touring cyclist staying next to us as well as a family canoeing down the river. What a great town and a perfect spot.
Today we saw a wild billy goat in the woods and some wild boars!!!
Today was a rainy cold day. It rained thru out the night and continued all morning. We biked 50 miles to Nevers all in the rain. It was a lot of fun for 40 miles but the cold got to us and we ended up getting chilled to the bones. We checked into a hotel and showered and fell asleep in about 2 minutes flat!!! It was only 1:30 but we felt like we could sleep straight thru until tomorrow.
We hear tomorrow is suppose to be better again. We are getting close to Paris and should have no problem reaching the outskirts by Friday. We have reservations for Saturday night so we want to position ourselves as close to the city as we can on Friday so we can navitgate the city early Saturday morning.
We have so much more to tell you but zith limited time it is difficult. I know we promised more pictures but not today. As soon as we get to a good place we will download more.
Miss you all.
Bob and Sherry
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Another Dragonfly Day
Hello from Florac, France!
We are sorry for the lapse in communication but we have been busy busy busy pedalling, pedalling, pedalling!!!!
We spent a few days along the coast of France but soon grew weery of the constant winds and the flat terrain so we pointed our wheels to the north and are now headed to Paris.
We could go on for pages trying to discribe the amazing, awsome, beautiful, stunning areas we have been pedalling through but time is money and at 3euro`s for 30 minutes we`ll just tell you about the absolutely encredible day we had today!
Last night we treated ourselves to a much needed soft bed (7 nights of sleeping in a tent) We stayed at a lovely Gite in the town of Ganges, France. The woman who runs the Gite let us use her washing machine and we were able to get all caught up on the VERY stinky laundry! After a good nights sleep and a great breakfast we set out to attack the day.
Nothing like a 3 mile climb with grades of 15-18% to get your legs warmed up! And don't forget thats with each of us lugging 45lbs of "stuff" with us! But the scenery is so amazingly stunning that you hardly even notice that your thighs are burning from the latic acid build up. The mountains we are ridding through are almost more majestic than the pyrenees' were. And as grand as the climbs were in the pyrenees these are even more impressive!!!!!
The woman at the Tourist Office in Ganges and our host at the Gite tried to warn us of the steepness of the route that we had chose but to us it looked just too beautiful to pass up. After the first BIG climb we had a pleasant gradual climb of 4-5% for 10km the REAL climbing began! Oh my gosh!!!!! For the next 2.5hours we climbed and climbed and climbed. We thought for sure we were going to end up in heaven. At about a 1/4 of the way up the hill Sherry had a Dragonfly fly in front of her. She knew that meant two things, 1. It was going to be a tough climb and 2. that she would make it to the top eventually! She hadn,t seen a dragonfly since the last big climb over the pyrenees`. It was an incredible climb. Bob felt very strong and led the way but both of us actually passed two other riders!!! Pretty impressive considering all the extra weight we carry. Of course Sherry was soon sorry that she had passed them because now she had to maintain that lead! I `think it is something about a woman who has a Dinosaur horn on her bike passing a man on a hill that makes them feel a little like a whimp. But try as they might they did not regain the lead. Bob meanwhile was breezing along making it look easy. He claims that his thighs were burning but I don,t believe him. He was a good Sherpa though and waited for me at the top!!!!
Of course the top really wasn't the top! We still had another 8km to go! As we reached the 5000ft mark and were above the tree line the top finally came into view! We were rewarded by the most spectacular views!!!!!! We have so many pictures to down load! (we promise to get them downloaded soon)
Once at the top the road sign informed us that it was only 30km to the town of Florac. Our days goal! It was a beautiful ride down down down but neither of us had done a very good job of eating enough and Sherry especially hit the wall. Poor Bob was just as tired but playing the role of the "Sherpa" he kept his spirits up and gave Sherry some much needed encouragement. When we FINALLY reach Florac our first stop was the market for a Knickers bar and an orange Fanta!!!!!!!
As a recap..............
7/17 Agde, France to La Grande Motte via a dirt canal trail = 50miles
7/18 La Grande Motte to Ganges 2 cols climbed one of which was on the 2006 Tour De France Route = 60miles
7/19 Ganges to Florac 2 cols climbed one of which was on the 1960 Tour De France Route = 60miles
Tomorrow we have some more climbing to do but as we head more to the Northwest we should be getting into more moderate terrain. Or so our legs are hoping! We are treating ourselves to another Gite tonight and will be fresh and ready to go in the morning!!!!!
The weather has been exceptionally warm which suits us just fine but our goal is to be off the road by early afternoon so as to avoid the real heat of the day. The forecast looks like we are likely to get rain as we get closer to Paris. Hopefully it will be a warm rain and not the cold weather we had at the beginning of the trip.
And for those of you who were keeping track..........Bob is holding steady at 19 flat tires (thanks to the new wheel) and Sherry at ZERO!
France is so amazing!!!!!!!!
Bob & Sherry
We are sorry for the lapse in communication but we have been busy busy busy pedalling, pedalling, pedalling!!!!
We spent a few days along the coast of France but soon grew weery of the constant winds and the flat terrain so we pointed our wheels to the north and are now headed to Paris.
We could go on for pages trying to discribe the amazing, awsome, beautiful, stunning areas we have been pedalling through but time is money and at 3euro`s for 30 minutes we`ll just tell you about the absolutely encredible day we had today!
Last night we treated ourselves to a much needed soft bed (7 nights of sleeping in a tent) We stayed at a lovely Gite in the town of Ganges, France. The woman who runs the Gite let us use her washing machine and we were able to get all caught up on the VERY stinky laundry! After a good nights sleep and a great breakfast we set out to attack the day.
Nothing like a 3 mile climb with grades of 15-18% to get your legs warmed up! And don't forget thats with each of us lugging 45lbs of "stuff" with us! But the scenery is so amazingly stunning that you hardly even notice that your thighs are burning from the latic acid build up. The mountains we are ridding through are almost more majestic than the pyrenees' were. And as grand as the climbs were in the pyrenees these are even more impressive!!!!!
The woman at the Tourist Office in Ganges and our host at the Gite tried to warn us of the steepness of the route that we had chose but to us it looked just too beautiful to pass up. After the first BIG climb we had a pleasant gradual climb of 4-5% for 10km the REAL climbing began! Oh my gosh!!!!! For the next 2.5hours we climbed and climbed and climbed. We thought for sure we were going to end up in heaven. At about a 1/4 of the way up the hill Sherry had a Dragonfly fly in front of her. She knew that meant two things, 1. It was going to be a tough climb and 2. that she would make it to the top eventually! She hadn,t seen a dragonfly since the last big climb over the pyrenees`. It was an incredible climb. Bob felt very strong and led the way but both of us actually passed two other riders!!! Pretty impressive considering all the extra weight we carry. Of course Sherry was soon sorry that she had passed them because now she had to maintain that lead! I `think it is something about a woman who has a Dinosaur horn on her bike passing a man on a hill that makes them feel a little like a whimp. But try as they might they did not regain the lead. Bob meanwhile was breezing along making it look easy. He claims that his thighs were burning but I don,t believe him. He was a good Sherpa though and waited for me at the top!!!!
Of course the top really wasn't the top! We still had another 8km to go! As we reached the 5000ft mark and were above the tree line the top finally came into view! We were rewarded by the most spectacular views!!!!!! We have so many pictures to down load! (we promise to get them downloaded soon)
Once at the top the road sign informed us that it was only 30km to the town of Florac. Our days goal! It was a beautiful ride down down down but neither of us had done a very good job of eating enough and Sherry especially hit the wall. Poor Bob was just as tired but playing the role of the "Sherpa" he kept his spirits up and gave Sherry some much needed encouragement. When we FINALLY reach Florac our first stop was the market for a Knickers bar and an orange Fanta!!!!!!!
As a recap..............
7/17 Agde, France to La Grande Motte via a dirt canal trail = 50miles
7/18 La Grande Motte to Ganges 2 cols climbed one of which was on the 2006 Tour De France Route = 60miles
7/19 Ganges to Florac 2 cols climbed one of which was on the 1960 Tour De France Route = 60miles
Tomorrow we have some more climbing to do but as we head more to the Northwest we should be getting into more moderate terrain. Or so our legs are hoping! We are treating ourselves to another Gite tonight and will be fresh and ready to go in the morning!!!!!
The weather has been exceptionally warm which suits us just fine but our goal is to be off the road by early afternoon so as to avoid the real heat of the day. The forecast looks like we are likely to get rain as we get closer to Paris. Hopefully it will be a warm rain and not the cold weather we had at the beginning of the trip.
And for those of you who were keeping track..........Bob is holding steady at 19 flat tires (thanks to the new wheel) and Sherry at ZERO!
France is so amazing!!!!!!!!
Bob & Sherry
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Somewhere on the Coast of Spain
Hello from ? Spain. We have enjoyed two very incredible days. When we left Girona we made one final stop at the bike shop to get a photo of and to thank the bike guy at Bike Girona for fixing Bob´s wheel and then we headed for the hills.
We took a route that is a popular training route for the many professional cyclists that train in Girona. Up Up Up to Dels Angeles and then down down down to the Sea. Everyone in Girona including the bike shop guy warned us that the climb was very steep but after 11 days of rest and relaxation we were up to the challenge. It was wonderful and beautiful ride up the mountain. We were rewarded at the top by panoramic views. We could see all the way to the Meditteranean Sea!!! The road was well paved and we saw only 6 cars!
We spent our first night on the beach in La Franc which is the beach that we went to with our neighbors. We thought it was so beautiful we wanted to spend one more day there. So after 35 miles of some really great cycling we set up camp at around 3pm and headed to the beach. It´s a tough life that we live!
This morning we were up and ready to ride. After a quick breakfast of granola with orange juice we headed into the town of Palafrugell for coffee and the it was on the road........
As we explained a few days ago, this part of our trip is going to be very serendipitis. Our only goal is to cycle and to stay close to the sea. Today was the absolutely perfect cycling day. With just a little breeze, enough to keep us from getting too hot, and smooth roads with little traffic we navigated through the small towns along the coastline. The serenity that we felt is difficult to explain. We took some great pictures that we hope will convey the beauty that surrounded us throughout the day. We came upon an ancient Greek City that was only found in the 1920´s. It was uncovered in an archeological dig! We got to ride our bikes on part of the old wall!!! We also met some lovely people from London who shared the history of the area with us.
It was one of those days that just seemed to float by.........as we rode along the pathway that followed the beach we made frequent stops to take photo´s, have a cold cerveza or to just stop and admire the view.
This afternoon we stopped cycling at about 2:00. The beach was calling us!!! We are camping only 200km from the beach! It is so lovely here we are planning on staying an extra day. There is a national park just a few Km up the road and we plan to take the bikes out in the morning and do some riding/exploring without all the gear. Lots of hills to attack which will be fun without the extra weight that we usually have to pull along with us.
We hope to be able to download some more pictures soon. For now we are on our way back to the beach to take a stroll.......
Bob & Sherry
We took a route that is a popular training route for the many professional cyclists that train in Girona. Up Up Up to Dels Angeles and then down down down to the Sea. Everyone in Girona including the bike shop guy warned us that the climb was very steep but after 11 days of rest and relaxation we were up to the challenge. It was wonderful and beautiful ride up the mountain. We were rewarded at the top by panoramic views. We could see all the way to the Meditteranean Sea!!! The road was well paved and we saw only 6 cars!
We spent our first night on the beach in La Franc which is the beach that we went to with our neighbors. We thought it was so beautiful we wanted to spend one more day there. So after 35 miles of some really great cycling we set up camp at around 3pm and headed to the beach. It´s a tough life that we live!
This morning we were up and ready to ride. After a quick breakfast of granola with orange juice we headed into the town of Palafrugell for coffee and the it was on the road........
As we explained a few days ago, this part of our trip is going to be very serendipitis. Our only goal is to cycle and to stay close to the sea. Today was the absolutely perfect cycling day. With just a little breeze, enough to keep us from getting too hot, and smooth roads with little traffic we navigated through the small towns along the coastline. The serenity that we felt is difficult to explain. We took some great pictures that we hope will convey the beauty that surrounded us throughout the day. We came upon an ancient Greek City that was only found in the 1920´s. It was uncovered in an archeological dig! We got to ride our bikes on part of the old wall!!! We also met some lovely people from London who shared the history of the area with us.
It was one of those days that just seemed to float by.........as we rode along the pathway that followed the beach we made frequent stops to take photo´s, have a cold cerveza or to just stop and admire the view.
This afternoon we stopped cycling at about 2:00. The beach was calling us!!! We are camping only 200km from the beach! It is so lovely here we are planning on staying an extra day. There is a national park just a few Km up the road and we plan to take the bikes out in the morning and do some riding/exploring without all the gear. Lots of hills to attack which will be fun without the extra weight that we usually have to pull along with us.
We hope to be able to download some more pictures soon. For now we are on our way back to the beach to take a stroll.......
Bob & Sherry
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Goodbye Girona
After 11 days of rest, tomorrow is the big day. Back on the road again!
Bob took Vanessa to the airport in Barcelona early this morning while Sherry enjoyed sleeping in. (Although she did get up this morning to fix Vanessa breakfast and say goodbye!)
We took the bikes out for a 26mile ride this afternoon. The new rear wheel and tire on Bob´s bike seems to be working fine. 26miles without a flat. Yipee!!!
Tomorrow morning we plan to be on the road by 9am. We have 17 days before we have to be in Paris. Our plan at this point is to cycle along the Spanish coast back into France and then continue along the French coastline. At some point we will turn inland and make our way towards Paris. We don´t know if we will cycle all the way to Paris or take a train. We are keeping our options open and will let the road and the adventure lead the way!
So goodbye for now. Hopefully we will find internet access in the small coastal towns so we can keep everyone updated.
We want to say THANK YOU one more time to Frances, Pilar, Mark, and Sergi. They made our stay here in Girona absolutely wonderful. We hope that they will come and visit us in the US so we can return the hospitality.
Keeping the rubber side down and air in the tires!
Bob & Sherry
Bob took Vanessa to the airport in Barcelona early this morning while Sherry enjoyed sleeping in. (Although she did get up this morning to fix Vanessa breakfast and say goodbye!)
We took the bikes out for a 26mile ride this afternoon. The new rear wheel and tire on Bob´s bike seems to be working fine. 26miles without a flat. Yipee!!!
Tomorrow morning we plan to be on the road by 9am. We have 17 days before we have to be in Paris. Our plan at this point is to cycle along the Spanish coast back into France and then continue along the French coastline. At some point we will turn inland and make our way towards Paris. We don´t know if we will cycle all the way to Paris or take a train. We are keeping our options open and will let the road and the adventure lead the way!
So goodbye for now. Hopefully we will find internet access in the small coastal towns so we can keep everyone updated.
We want to say THANK YOU one more time to Frances, Pilar, Mark, and Sergi. They made our stay here in Girona absolutely wonderful. We hope that they will come and visit us in the US so we can return the hospitality.
Keeping the rubber side down and air in the tires!
Bob & Sherry
Monday, July 9, 2007
Costa Brava
We have been living large in the Costa Brava region of Spain these past few days.
With Vanessa here to translate things it has been much easier to get around. We have ventured via train and bus and with our neighbors in their car all over the area. We made a trip to Fugeres to see the Salavador Dali museum which was very interesting. Salvador Dali is one of the most famous artists from Spain and his work was fun to see. The town was a fun place to visit as well, with lots of shops and resturants.
Friday night we had a wonderful dinner at our neighbors house. Frances, Pilar and Sergi. They are wonderful people and the dinner was perfect!!! Vanessa is really getting her Spanish fine- tuned as she is the translater. Bob is starting to understand the language more but has a difficult time adding to the conversation with out a little help from Vanessa to translate.
On Saturday we visited Barcelona. Wow, what a city. It is big but it is very fun. There were a lot of street performers, a beautiful harbor, a even a Starbucks!! Vanessa smelled the Starbucks before we even got to it! Many great squares with cafes everywhere. The archetecture was amazing on every street you go down there was another amazing building. It was a full day of walking and sight seeing. The train ride home was a little bit of an adventure as we got on the wrong train!! We did eventually figure it out and switched trains to get back to Girona but not after being stuck in a couple of different towns for a while. Luckily Sherry had packed a few oranges so we didn´t starve while sitting in the train station while but 1 hour train ride from Barcelona to Girona turned out to be a 2 1/2 hour ride.
Yesterday we went out with our neighbors, Frances, Pilar and Sergie as well as Pilar´s brother and his wife. We went to the coast to Begur first and then to Sant Sebastia. We swam at one of the prettiest harbors I have ever seen. I hope you can check out the pictures but I am sure they won´t do justice to the beauty of the area. Sherry and Bob went out for a long swim into the Mediterranen sea using our goggles to see the fish. It was so pretty and the water perfect. We had a fantastic lunch in town before going off to the El Far (lighthouse) in Sant Sebastia. This town, beach and harbor were even prettier than the previous. It was so beautiful. We have been very, very lucky to have such wonderful neighbors while we are here in Girona. They have been so kind to us and have treated us like family. We are very thankful!
Today is a rest day here in Girona. We got up late and had a big breakfast at home. We are going for a walk in the city today and have plans to take Vanessa out for Tapa´s tonight for her last day here before heading home. Bob will take her to the Airport in Barcelona early tomorrow morning via the train. Hopefully he finds his way back easier this time!!!
Bob´s bike has been fixed and is ready to go. A new rim, a new tire and a new tube. We are hoping that this fixes the whole flat thing!!
With Vanessa here to translate things it has been much easier to get around. We have ventured via train and bus and with our neighbors in their car all over the area. We made a trip to Fugeres to see the Salavador Dali museum which was very interesting. Salvador Dali is one of the most famous artists from Spain and his work was fun to see. The town was a fun place to visit as well, with lots of shops and resturants.
Friday night we had a wonderful dinner at our neighbors house. Frances, Pilar and Sergi. They are wonderful people and the dinner was perfect!!! Vanessa is really getting her Spanish fine- tuned as she is the translater. Bob is starting to understand the language more but has a difficult time adding to the conversation with out a little help from Vanessa to translate.
On Saturday we visited Barcelona. Wow, what a city. It is big but it is very fun. There were a lot of street performers, a beautiful harbor, a even a Starbucks!! Vanessa smelled the Starbucks before we even got to it! Many great squares with cafes everywhere. The archetecture was amazing on every street you go down there was another amazing building. It was a full day of walking and sight seeing. The train ride home was a little bit of an adventure as we got on the wrong train!! We did eventually figure it out and switched trains to get back to Girona but not after being stuck in a couple of different towns for a while. Luckily Sherry had packed a few oranges so we didn´t starve while sitting in the train station while but 1 hour train ride from Barcelona to Girona turned out to be a 2 1/2 hour ride.
Yesterday we went out with our neighbors, Frances, Pilar and Sergie as well as Pilar´s brother and his wife. We went to the coast to Begur first and then to Sant Sebastia. We swam at one of the prettiest harbors I have ever seen. I hope you can check out the pictures but I am sure they won´t do justice to the beauty of the area. Sherry and Bob went out for a long swim into the Mediterranen sea using our goggles to see the fish. It was so pretty and the water perfect. We had a fantastic lunch in town before going off to the El Far (lighthouse) in Sant Sebastia. This town, beach and harbor were even prettier than the previous. It was so beautiful. We have been very, very lucky to have such wonderful neighbors while we are here in Girona. They have been so kind to us and have treated us like family. We are very thankful!
Today is a rest day here in Girona. We got up late and had a big breakfast at home. We are going for a walk in the city today and have plans to take Vanessa out for Tapa´s tonight for her last day here before heading home. Bob will take her to the Airport in Barcelona early tomorrow morning via the train. Hopefully he finds his way back easier this time!!!
Bob´s bike has been fixed and is ready to go. A new rim, a new tire and a new tube. We are hoping that this fixes the whole flat thing!!
Friday, July 6, 2007
Salvador Dali
Good morning!
Yesterday was another fabulous day in Spain. We took the bus to the beach and were treated to the perfect day. Lots of sun, sand and beautiful blue water. It was plenty warm and we enjoyed swimming in the mediterranean. The water was not too cold and not too hot, aka it was "just right"
We did all the touristy things. We ate lunch at a cafe on the beach, drank cold cerveza´s, did a little browsing through the shops, and spent more time just lying on the beach. We returned to the apartment around 7:30. Our neighbors came over and brought us their lap top so we were able to upload the past few days of pictures. Vanessa impressed us with her spanish language skills. She was just chatting up a storm with Francis. She doesn´t think she does well but listening to her she never seems to miss a beat and Francis always seems to understand what she is saying.
This morning we are taking the train to Figueres (30 min ride) to visit the Salvador Dali museum. Tonight we will be having dinner with the neighbors!
Tomorrow morning we will be heading out early to take the train to Barcelona!
Bob, Sherry & Vanessa
Yesterday was another fabulous day in Spain. We took the bus to the beach and were treated to the perfect day. Lots of sun, sand and beautiful blue water. It was plenty warm and we enjoyed swimming in the mediterranean. The water was not too cold and not too hot, aka it was "just right"
We did all the touristy things. We ate lunch at a cafe on the beach, drank cold cerveza´s, did a little browsing through the shops, and spent more time just lying on the beach. We returned to the apartment around 7:30. Our neighbors came over and brought us their lap top so we were able to upload the past few days of pictures. Vanessa impressed us with her spanish language skills. She was just chatting up a storm with Francis. She doesn´t think she does well but listening to her she never seems to miss a beat and Francis always seems to understand what she is saying.
This morning we are taking the train to Figueres (30 min ride) to visit the Salvador Dali museum. Tonight we will be having dinner with the neighbors!
Tomorrow morning we will be heading out early to take the train to Barcelona!
Bob, Sherry & Vanessa
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Discovery Team Slept Here!!!!!!!
Hello again from Girona, Spain.
So far our stay here has been incredible! We have been doing a lot of relaxing aka sleeping in. On Monday we took the bus to the coast and spent a lovely day lounging on the beach! It was the first time for Sherry to see the Mediterranean. The water is so crystal clear!
That night when we returned to the apartment we got to meet our neighbors!!!! (Tony had sent them an e-mail to let them know we would be staying in Girona) They are so nice!!! Their youngest son Sergre speaks very good English and provided the translation that allowed us to talk to his family, mom Pilar, father Francis, brother Mark. Tony had told me that these people were the nicest people you could ever meet and they certainly are. They drove us around the city to show us where the bike shop and sports stores are. (We hope to get the problem with the rear wheel on Bob´s bike resolved) We plan to have dinner with them one night which will be wonderful.
I think it finally hit Bob, after talking with the neighbors, that he is actually staying in the same apartment that some pretty famous professional cyclists stay in when they are training in Girona! Tony Cruz, Floyd Landis, Levi Liepenhiemer, Dave Zabriske! I think he is hoping that his legs are going to get stronger just by sitting in the same chair that they have.
Tuesday we took the train to Barcelona to meet Vanessa at the airport. It was a long day. Her flight from Malaga was delayed twice! But we kept ourselves entertained by watching all the people in the airport. The world reallyis made up of lots and lots of characters!
Vanessa finally arrived and we made our way back to Girona. It is great to have Vanessa here. She spent the previous week in Malaga participating in Young Presidents Orgination which promotes the development of leadership quailities in young adults. It sounds like she had an amazing week and learned a lot about herself. She is full of optimism and ready to take on lifes challenges!
Today is cloudy and looks as if it could turn a little wet. Which is ok with us as we are headed into the old city of Girona to do some sight seeing. The cloud cover should give us some relief from the sun. But after today we expect the sun to come out as we are headed back to the BEACH!
Check back tomorrow for pictures of todays adventure!
Bob, Sherry & Vanessa
So far our stay here has been incredible! We have been doing a lot of relaxing aka sleeping in. On Monday we took the bus to the coast and spent a lovely day lounging on the beach! It was the first time for Sherry to see the Mediterranean. The water is so crystal clear!
That night when we returned to the apartment we got to meet our neighbors!!!! (Tony had sent them an e-mail to let them know we would be staying in Girona) They are so nice!!! Their youngest son Sergre speaks very good English and provided the translation that allowed us to talk to his family, mom Pilar, father Francis, brother Mark. Tony had told me that these people were the nicest people you could ever meet and they certainly are. They drove us around the city to show us where the bike shop and sports stores are. (We hope to get the problem with the rear wheel on Bob´s bike resolved) We plan to have dinner with them one night which will be wonderful.
I think it finally hit Bob, after talking with the neighbors, that he is actually staying in the same apartment that some pretty famous professional cyclists stay in when they are training in Girona! Tony Cruz, Floyd Landis, Levi Liepenhiemer, Dave Zabriske! I think he is hoping that his legs are going to get stronger just by sitting in the same chair that they have.
Tuesday we took the train to Barcelona to meet Vanessa at the airport. It was a long day. Her flight from Malaga was delayed twice! But we kept ourselves entertained by watching all the people in the airport. The world reallyis made up of lots and lots of characters!
Vanessa finally arrived and we made our way back to Girona. It is great to have Vanessa here. She spent the previous week in Malaga participating in Young Presidents Orgination which promotes the development of leadership quailities in young adults. It sounds like she had an amazing week and learned a lot about herself. She is full of optimism and ready to take on lifes challenges!
Today is cloudy and looks as if it could turn a little wet. Which is ok with us as we are headed into the old city of Girona to do some sight seeing. The cloud cover should give us some relief from the sun. But after today we expect the sun to come out as we are headed back to the BEACH!
Check back tomorrow for pictures of todays adventure!
Bob, Sherry & Vanessa
Monday, July 2, 2007
Hello from Espana'
Good Morning! And what a georgous morning it is here in Girona. Our last update we were in Ceret getting ready to make the last few climbs that would take us into Spain. Well much has happend since then and we want to share it all with you so.....sit back relax and join us on a wonderful journey through the Pyrenees!
After spending a wonderful evening in Ceret we had a lovely breakfast, sent one more update to the blog site and pedaled out of Ceret under warm slightly overcast skies. Until getting to Ceret we were still uncertain as to the route to take into Spain. Originally we were going to go through Andora but due to weather in that area we turned further east with plans to cross right along the coastline. The night before arriving in Ceret we met a family from the States (San Juan Islands) who had just crossed over the boarder through La Vajol. They explained that the La Vajol crossing is not accessible via car. It is the pass that was used by the French when they fled France in WWII to escape capture by the Germans!
It sounded like the perfect way for us to cross into Spain! So off we pedaled with our spirits high and our legs feeling strong. The road leading to the top is very very steep but very very beautiful!! It was so incredibly quiet, the pavement was smooth and we saw only an occational car. As a bike rider I have to say that it was one of those truly amazing climbs where you are so taken in by your surroundings that you don´t even feel the steepness of the climb. For those of you who knew my friend Geri, I can tell you that she was right there with me. Each time I came to an extremely steep section a Dragonfly would suddenly appear and fly next to me as I made my way up the hill. The weather was perfect for climbing! It was fairly warm but with the thin layer of clouds we never felt the sun beat down on us and we even enjoyed a few soft cool breezes. Just at the top of the climb on the French side of the mountain is the town of Llama. This town was exactly what you would imagine to find at the top of the pyrenees. Very quiet, no one on the streets. You could tell that the people who lived here were here because they did not want to be part of the mainstream. With no road signs to tell us which way to turn we were in a bit of a quandry as to what to do.........But as I said Geri was there with me the whole time. Not a sole was to be seen in this town when suddenly a door opended and out walks an Asian woman who in very clear English asks us where we are going! She pointed us in the right direction but not before telling us that it is "very very steep".
With less that 3km to go we felt bullet proof. However after turning the corner and looking up up up at the wall they called a road we suddenly felt full of holes! We dug down deep and somehow found the strength to push up the last bit of road which in addition to looking like a wall it was only partially paved and that part was even a little scetchy.
At the top of the mountain the partially paved road now became a dirt road with 8 different trees that had been chopped down to block the passage of cars! So taking all the gear off of the bikes and detatching the trailer together we hauled the bikes and gear over the trees. On the opposite side the road was not rideable so we pushed our bikes the remaining 200meters into Spain!
Under a beautiful blue sky we entered Espana'!!!!! At the top there is a monument to WWII and the rememberance of those who crossed the pyrenees to flee the Germans. We sat at the foot of the monument with only the sounds of the breeze through the trees, birds singing, and cow bells ringing in the distance. It was truly a wonderful experience for us. To come so far and work so hard and then to be able to sit and enjoy such a serene and beautiful area. And we had it ALL to ourselves. Not another sole to be seen!
After sharing a much deserved Snickers Bar we climbed back on the bikes to head down the mountain. As we started out our path was suddenly blocked by a HUGE white sheep dog! This beautiful dog was hearding his flock of goats across the road. No shepard around, just the dog and his goats. He blocked our path as he hurried his flock across the road. Once they were all safely across he then stood gaurd as we pedaled past. What a wonderful way to be welcomed into Spain!
Each day of cycle touring you experience such a wide range of emotions. In the morning you wake usually a "little achy" but after a few cups of coffee and some cereal your spirits perk up and you look forward to the days adventures. If the weather is warm and skies sunny that light happy feeling stays with you and you feel indistructable. As the challenges of the days ride insue you have moments where you feel as though you can´t possibly turn the crank one more revelution but then you look up and are greeted by something beautiful that you know you would not ever had seen had you not been going 4miles/hr and you find new energy. This up and down of emotions continues throughout the day. If you are lucky you get to end the day on the upside of the emotions. But it seems that on the best days we always seem to presented with the biggest challenges at the end of the day.
Our last day in the Pyrenees was one of those days. We were litterally on cloud nine most of the day. Only 3km from the Spain boarder we stopped at a restuarant to have lunch and a celebratory cold Cerveza. What a kick this restaurant was. The people in France are very quiet. Everywhere they speak in soft tones and you do not hear much laughter. I don´t want you to think they are not friendly because they were VERY friendly but they are a very quiet culture. So it was a big change for us when we pedaled into the parking lot of the restaurant and could hear music and laughter! There was a party goin on at 2:00 in the afternoon! A bus of elderly people were there and they were having themselves a grand time. The music was playing and they were shakin their boodies!
With only about 25km to go we left the restaurant and pointed the wheels down hill! But as I mentioned a day in the life of a cycle tourist is full of emotions and challenges. I had been fighting an intestinal BUG for the past 24hrs. While climbing the mountain I think all my energy was sent to my heart, lungs, and legs. Well now that we were going downhill.........well I´ll just let you use your imagination! Needless to say it was not a pleasant leisurely afternoon ride. The road map in Spain is not as detailed as in France and there are actually few roads. What roads there are do not have very good signage and we made a few wrong turns. Once we finally figured out which way to go, mother nature decided we had had enough nice weather and she brought in the clouds and RAIN. My goodness did it rain. So not only did I have to stop on the side of the road every few kilometers (thats probably a little too much information) it was pouring cats and dogs. The only saving grace was that it was not cold. I have to laugh everytime I think of this next part..........
We are riding along, Bob is well ahead of me (can you blame him) and we are both completely soaked! As the rain begins to come down in sheets he slows enough to ask me if I want to stop to put on my rain gear? At this point we are both so soaked that you could litterally wring us out and fill a gallon bucket! Poor guy he just didn´t know what to do for me. I just put my head down and kept pedaling. Eventually we made it to the campground which turned out to be a very nice spot. They had a great patio where we took shelter and waited for the rain to stop. Which eventually it did.
The following day we were once again feeling energized and excitted about getting to Girona! With map handy and some scetchy directions from one of the locals we set out for Girona. The road held much promise for a lovely 40mile ride to Girona. However........our lovely road soon turned to dirt and gravel with lots of short steep hills thrown in for good measure. It was lovely country however and with the sun shinning we pedaled and walked (as the road dictated) our way along. Oh but lets not forget Bob´s flat tires!!!!! He definately has a problem with the rear wheel and although we have tried everything we can think of to figure out what is wrong he contiunues to get a flat about every 10MILES! We have become experts at changing flats and repairing the tubes! It will be good to get to Girona and a bikeshop!!!!!!
Girona is a lovely city!!!! Sherry´s friends Tony & Jody Cruz live here while Tony is cycle racing. Tony set us up with the family whom he rents an apt. from when he stays here. They have been everybit as wonderful as Tony & Jody told us they would be. As soon as we mention Tony & Jody doors just start opening for us. What a wonderful welcome we have recieved. The apt we are renting has 4 bedrooms! It feels good to be able to spread our stuff out and not to have to look in a baggie to find what you want to wear that day.
We went to the grocery store yesterday afternoon which was quite the adventure. If any of you have seen Tom Hank´s movie "The Terminal" well then you will understand when I tell you that we though we were living that movie. It took us about 1 hour to do the shopping and another 2 hours to figure out how to get out of the store! It was pretty commical! Here we are with 10 bags of groceries and we can`t find the exit. Oh it would have been easy had we had a car. You just wheel the cart right out the door into the parking garage.......but we had come via our bikes which were parked out front on the sidewalk. The only way out was through the parking garage and they wouldn´t let us wheel the cart out of the garage!!!!! But eventually we worked it out, loaded our arms up with the bags and struggled up the escallators and out into the fresh air!!!!!
I could go on and on but the day is beautiful and you are probably loosing interest. So goodbye for now. We are headed to the beach this afternoon and later today we will get to meet with Serge! Serge and his family live in the apartment across from ours and they are good friends of Tony & Jody´s.
Update on the flats
Bob 19 flat tires!!!!
Sherry 0 flat tires!!!!
Bye for now!
Bob & Sherry
After spending a wonderful evening in Ceret we had a lovely breakfast, sent one more update to the blog site and pedaled out of Ceret under warm slightly overcast skies. Until getting to Ceret we were still uncertain as to the route to take into Spain. Originally we were going to go through Andora but due to weather in that area we turned further east with plans to cross right along the coastline. The night before arriving in Ceret we met a family from the States (San Juan Islands) who had just crossed over the boarder through La Vajol. They explained that the La Vajol crossing is not accessible via car. It is the pass that was used by the French when they fled France in WWII to escape capture by the Germans!
It sounded like the perfect way for us to cross into Spain! So off we pedaled with our spirits high and our legs feeling strong. The road leading to the top is very very steep but very very beautiful!! It was so incredibly quiet, the pavement was smooth and we saw only an occational car. As a bike rider I have to say that it was one of those truly amazing climbs where you are so taken in by your surroundings that you don´t even feel the steepness of the climb. For those of you who knew my friend Geri, I can tell you that she was right there with me. Each time I came to an extremely steep section a Dragonfly would suddenly appear and fly next to me as I made my way up the hill. The weather was perfect for climbing! It was fairly warm but with the thin layer of clouds we never felt the sun beat down on us and we even enjoyed a few soft cool breezes. Just at the top of the climb on the French side of the mountain is the town of Llama. This town was exactly what you would imagine to find at the top of the pyrenees. Very quiet, no one on the streets. You could tell that the people who lived here were here because they did not want to be part of the mainstream. With no road signs to tell us which way to turn we were in a bit of a quandry as to what to do.........But as I said Geri was there with me the whole time. Not a sole was to be seen in this town when suddenly a door opended and out walks an Asian woman who in very clear English asks us where we are going! She pointed us in the right direction but not before telling us that it is "very very steep".
With less that 3km to go we felt bullet proof. However after turning the corner and looking up up up at the wall they called a road we suddenly felt full of holes! We dug down deep and somehow found the strength to push up the last bit of road which in addition to looking like a wall it was only partially paved and that part was even a little scetchy.
At the top of the mountain the partially paved road now became a dirt road with 8 different trees that had been chopped down to block the passage of cars! So taking all the gear off of the bikes and detatching the trailer together we hauled the bikes and gear over the trees. On the opposite side the road was not rideable so we pushed our bikes the remaining 200meters into Spain!
Under a beautiful blue sky we entered Espana'!!!!! At the top there is a monument to WWII and the rememberance of those who crossed the pyrenees to flee the Germans. We sat at the foot of the monument with only the sounds of the breeze through the trees, birds singing, and cow bells ringing in the distance. It was truly a wonderful experience for us. To come so far and work so hard and then to be able to sit and enjoy such a serene and beautiful area. And we had it ALL to ourselves. Not another sole to be seen!
After sharing a much deserved Snickers Bar we climbed back on the bikes to head down the mountain. As we started out our path was suddenly blocked by a HUGE white sheep dog! This beautiful dog was hearding his flock of goats across the road. No shepard around, just the dog and his goats. He blocked our path as he hurried his flock across the road. Once they were all safely across he then stood gaurd as we pedaled past. What a wonderful way to be welcomed into Spain!
Each day of cycle touring you experience such a wide range of emotions. In the morning you wake usually a "little achy" but after a few cups of coffee and some cereal your spirits perk up and you look forward to the days adventures. If the weather is warm and skies sunny that light happy feeling stays with you and you feel indistructable. As the challenges of the days ride insue you have moments where you feel as though you can´t possibly turn the crank one more revelution but then you look up and are greeted by something beautiful that you know you would not ever had seen had you not been going 4miles/hr and you find new energy. This up and down of emotions continues throughout the day. If you are lucky you get to end the day on the upside of the emotions. But it seems that on the best days we always seem to presented with the biggest challenges at the end of the day.
Our last day in the Pyrenees was one of those days. We were litterally on cloud nine most of the day. Only 3km from the Spain boarder we stopped at a restuarant to have lunch and a celebratory cold Cerveza. What a kick this restaurant was. The people in France are very quiet. Everywhere they speak in soft tones and you do not hear much laughter. I don´t want you to think they are not friendly because they were VERY friendly but they are a very quiet culture. So it was a big change for us when we pedaled into the parking lot of the restaurant and could hear music and laughter! There was a party goin on at 2:00 in the afternoon! A bus of elderly people were there and they were having themselves a grand time. The music was playing and they were shakin their boodies!
With only about 25km to go we left the restaurant and pointed the wheels down hill! But as I mentioned a day in the life of a cycle tourist is full of emotions and challenges. I had been fighting an intestinal BUG for the past 24hrs. While climbing the mountain I think all my energy was sent to my heart, lungs, and legs. Well now that we were going downhill.........well I´ll just let you use your imagination! Needless to say it was not a pleasant leisurely afternoon ride. The road map in Spain is not as detailed as in France and there are actually few roads. What roads there are do not have very good signage and we made a few wrong turns. Once we finally figured out which way to go, mother nature decided we had had enough nice weather and she brought in the clouds and RAIN. My goodness did it rain. So not only did I have to stop on the side of the road every few kilometers (thats probably a little too much information) it was pouring cats and dogs. The only saving grace was that it was not cold. I have to laugh everytime I think of this next part..........
We are riding along, Bob is well ahead of me (can you blame him) and we are both completely soaked! As the rain begins to come down in sheets he slows enough to ask me if I want to stop to put on my rain gear? At this point we are both so soaked that you could litterally wring us out and fill a gallon bucket! Poor guy he just didn´t know what to do for me. I just put my head down and kept pedaling. Eventually we made it to the campground which turned out to be a very nice spot. They had a great patio where we took shelter and waited for the rain to stop. Which eventually it did.
The following day we were once again feeling energized and excitted about getting to Girona! With map handy and some scetchy directions from one of the locals we set out for Girona. The road held much promise for a lovely 40mile ride to Girona. However........our lovely road soon turned to dirt and gravel with lots of short steep hills thrown in for good measure. It was lovely country however and with the sun shinning we pedaled and walked (as the road dictated) our way along. Oh but lets not forget Bob´s flat tires!!!!! He definately has a problem with the rear wheel and although we have tried everything we can think of to figure out what is wrong he contiunues to get a flat about every 10MILES! We have become experts at changing flats and repairing the tubes! It will be good to get to Girona and a bikeshop!!!!!!
Girona is a lovely city!!!! Sherry´s friends Tony & Jody Cruz live here while Tony is cycle racing. Tony set us up with the family whom he rents an apt. from when he stays here. They have been everybit as wonderful as Tony & Jody told us they would be. As soon as we mention Tony & Jody doors just start opening for us. What a wonderful welcome we have recieved. The apt we are renting has 4 bedrooms! It feels good to be able to spread our stuff out and not to have to look in a baggie to find what you want to wear that day.
We went to the grocery store yesterday afternoon which was quite the adventure. If any of you have seen Tom Hank´s movie "The Terminal" well then you will understand when I tell you that we though we were living that movie. It took us about 1 hour to do the shopping and another 2 hours to figure out how to get out of the store! It was pretty commical! Here we are with 10 bags of groceries and we can`t find the exit. Oh it would have been easy had we had a car. You just wheel the cart right out the door into the parking garage.......but we had come via our bikes which were parked out front on the sidewalk. The only way out was through the parking garage and they wouldn´t let us wheel the cart out of the garage!!!!! But eventually we worked it out, loaded our arms up with the bags and struggled up the escallators and out into the fresh air!!!!!
I could go on and on but the day is beautiful and you are probably loosing interest. So goodbye for now. We are headed to the beach this afternoon and later today we will get to meet with Serge! Serge and his family live in the apartment across from ours and they are good friends of Tony & Jody´s.
Update on the flats
Bob 19 flat tires!!!!
Sherry 0 flat tires!!!!
Bye for now!
Bob & Sherry
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Pyrenees + Sunshine + warm
We have made it to Ceret, France in the Pyrnesees mountains right on the border with Spain. Tomorrow we enter Spain!!!!!!! But, not before climbing a few more passes in the Pyrenees.
It has been an amazing last couple of days. We have biked canals, and mountains and have seen castles that would blow your mind. We have met bicyclists from around the world. We have stayed at some incredible campgrounds and they often put all the cyclists together.
We have been climbing the Pyrenees for 2 days now. They have exceeded every possible expectation that we have had. They should be on everyone's to see list before they die. It is hard to explain the sheer beauty. The amazing thing is that there is hardly a soul up there. We have had 10 to 14 percent grades but shared the roads with hardly a car!!
We have loaded more pictures onto the website. I hope they do it justice. The canal was spectacular as well but the trail just kept getting smaller and smaller to the point we thought it would soon disappear! However, we made it 70 miles on it and it was a great escape from the cars and the wind.
Oh, the sun came out!!!! It has been beautiful for the last two days.
Quick update on flat tire counts
Bob ===== 13 flats. He had 1 all the way across the U.S. last year!
Sherry ==== 0 flats!!!! On those skinny little tires!!
Please check out the new pictures.
Biker Roberè and mon Sherriè!!!
We are spending our last day in France in a hotel and treating ourselves to dinner on the town!!!
It has been an amazing last couple of days. We have biked canals, and mountains and have seen castles that would blow your mind. We have met bicyclists from around the world. We have stayed at some incredible campgrounds and they often put all the cyclists together.
We have been climbing the Pyrenees for 2 days now. They have exceeded every possible expectation that we have had. They should be on everyone's to see list before they die. It is hard to explain the sheer beauty. The amazing thing is that there is hardly a soul up there. We have had 10 to 14 percent grades but shared the roads with hardly a car!!
We have loaded more pictures onto the website. I hope they do it justice. The canal was spectacular as well but the trail just kept getting smaller and smaller to the point we thought it would soon disappear! However, we made it 70 miles on it and it was a great escape from the cars and the wind.
Oh, the sun came out!!!! It has been beautiful for the last two days.
Quick update on flat tire counts
Bob ===== 13 flats. He had 1 all the way across the U.S. last year!
Sherry ==== 0 flats!!!! On those skinny little tires!!
Please check out the new pictures.
Biker Roberè and mon Sherriè!!!
We are spending our last day in France in a hotel and treating ourselves to dinner on the town!!!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Toulouse
Hello family and friends,
We are now in Toulouse, France. When we woke yesterday to be greeted by yet another downpour of rain we decided to cheat a bit and hopped a train: It turned out to be a good decision in that it was only (km from the campground to the train station but it took us over 1 hour to get there! Bob had THREE flats in those short 5 km: So taking the train gave us time to find a bike shop in order to replenish the flat repair kit, buy new maps (our were so wet we could hardly read them) We are still dealing with the rain and winds and we decided we needed a break. But the train was just what the doctor ordered and the miles flew by!!!
As a side note: While changing the 2nd flat of the day we happend to stop in the driveway of the most wondeerful womans home. She INSISTED that we come into her home and wash up after changing the tire. After giving us the grand tour of her very lovely home she then sent us on our way with fresh baked cookies!!!!!
Toulouse was a real eye opener. Very big city! The train got in at 8pm under dry but cloudy skies: We set off to find a place to stay but found the city was booked! We saw several poeple sleeping on the streets and were worried that we would be joining them. Bob was scared but Sherry did not seem worried. After many attempts we found a place right next to the train station. I guess we should have looked there first!!
We slept like babies last night and are ready to tackle another day of rain and cloulds and wind. It is still so amazingly beautiful and the rain makes everything so green. I cannot imagine how pretty it must be when it is 80 and sunny!!!
Today we set off for the Pyrenees and then into Spain:
What an adventure!! Are spirits are high and we are enjoying everything that comes our way.
Bob & Sherry
We are now in Toulouse, France. When we woke yesterday to be greeted by yet another downpour of rain we decided to cheat a bit and hopped a train: It turned out to be a good decision in that it was only (km from the campground to the train station but it took us over 1 hour to get there! Bob had THREE flats in those short 5 km: So taking the train gave us time to find a bike shop in order to replenish the flat repair kit, buy new maps (our were so wet we could hardly read them) We are still dealing with the rain and winds and we decided we needed a break. But the train was just what the doctor ordered and the miles flew by!!!
As a side note: While changing the 2nd flat of the day we happend to stop in the driveway of the most wondeerful womans home. She INSISTED that we come into her home and wash up after changing the tire. After giving us the grand tour of her very lovely home she then sent us on our way with fresh baked cookies!!!!!
Toulouse was a real eye opener. Very big city! The train got in at 8pm under dry but cloudy skies: We set off to find a place to stay but found the city was booked! We saw several poeple sleeping on the streets and were worried that we would be joining them. Bob was scared but Sherry did not seem worried. After many attempts we found a place right next to the train station. I guess we should have looked there first!!
We slept like babies last night and are ready to tackle another day of rain and cloulds and wind. It is still so amazingly beautiful and the rain makes everything so green. I cannot imagine how pretty it must be when it is 80 and sunny!!!
Today we set off for the Pyrenees and then into Spain:
What an adventure!! Are spirits are high and we are enjoying everything that comes our way.
Bob & Sherry
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Goodbye from Angouleme
Good morning! We just wanted to make another note about France before we leave this beautiful city.
I know that our posting last night may have sounded a bit dreary but the weather aside France is absolutely stunning. We are very anxious to get some pictures downloaded becase words just can not describe how very beautiful it is here! The flowers are amazing!!!! Hydrangeas grow wild here and the most vibrant blues, pink, lavender, and even magenta! The small roads that we travel on go through a small village about every 12-15 K. Each village has a large Cathedral as it's center and then everything else is built around it. As we pedal through these villages we are greeted with smiles and lots of Bon Jour,s.
Yesterday Sherry did the laundry which was somewhat commical. It was a trial and error process. They have one central pay point for the machines. You put your money in then push the button that coincides with the machine you are going to use. Sounds pretty simple, Right? Well it is except that you have to place the clothes in the machine BEFORE you push the select button because as soon as you push the button the washing starts. The machine is a front loader so once it starts you can't open the door!
One other thing that we forgot to add to yesterdays blog. On friday night when we finally made it through 82 miles of wind and rain to the campsite the first thing Bob wanted to do was use the bathroom............well after 5 min Sherry got a little worried and went looking for him. As she approached the restrooms she could hear loud banging!!!!!!! Poor Bob, the handle on the door had broken and he was stuck in the bathroom! Sherry had to find the man who runs the campground then explain to him through gestures (There wasn't a translation in the French handbook that covered "stuck in the toilette") He finally understood and came to rescue Bob! They ended up practically tearing the door off before they got him out!!!!!!! The perfect end to a very wet and cold day! I guess that is why they call it "adventure cycling"
That,s all for now we'll update again as soon as we can and hopefully get some pictures out to you:
Bob and Sherry
I know that our posting last night may have sounded a bit dreary but the weather aside France is absolutely stunning. We are very anxious to get some pictures downloaded becase words just can not describe how very beautiful it is here! The flowers are amazing!!!! Hydrangeas grow wild here and the most vibrant blues, pink, lavender, and even magenta! The small roads that we travel on go through a small village about every 12-15 K. Each village has a large Cathedral as it's center and then everything else is built around it. As we pedal through these villages we are greeted with smiles and lots of Bon Jour,s.
Yesterday Sherry did the laundry which was somewhat commical. It was a trial and error process. They have one central pay point for the machines. You put your money in then push the button that coincides with the machine you are going to use. Sounds pretty simple, Right? Well it is except that you have to place the clothes in the machine BEFORE you push the select button because as soon as you push the button the washing starts. The machine is a front loader so once it starts you can't open the door!
One other thing that we forgot to add to yesterdays blog. On friday night when we finally made it through 82 miles of wind and rain to the campsite the first thing Bob wanted to do was use the bathroom............well after 5 min Sherry got a little worried and went looking for him. As she approached the restrooms she could hear loud banging!!!!!!! Poor Bob, the handle on the door had broken and he was stuck in the bathroom! Sherry had to find the man who runs the campground then explain to him through gestures (There wasn't a translation in the French handbook that covered "stuck in the toilette") He finally understood and came to rescue Bob! They ended up practically tearing the door off before they got him out!!!!!!! The perfect end to a very wet and cold day! I guess that is why they call it "adventure cycling"
That,s all for now we'll update again as soon as we can and hopefully get some pictures out to you:
Bob and Sherry
France!
Hello from Angouleme, France. It has been a wet, windy, hilly and cold 5 days. But do not feel sorry for us; besides Bob crashing in England; he had a small problem with a curb, the curb won! But he rode away with a smile on his face and only a few little bumps; Sherry got bit on the foot by a dog within the first 10 miles in France; on day 2 Sherry had a big crash which she rode away from but had some really BIG scrapes and bruises and maybe a broken arm?!?!? But she is a pretty tough cookie and we are still pedaling...........
On day one in France we met a lovely woman at the auto parts store who invited us to stay at her home: How's that for French hospitality! She even cooked us dinner and breakfast and refused to take any money! It was a wonderful first day in a strange country where we don't even know the language.
The past three days we have put in some good miles, although if it was up to just Bob we would have gone even FURTHER! 400 miles of hills, wind (15 -25 MPH head winds) rain and cold. I think we already mentioned the riding conditions but we feel they warrant repeating.
Tonight we find ourselves in the most amazing town. Angouleme is very quaint, the bulk of the town is accessible only by foot. It is especially wonderful as this will be our first night not spent in the tent, rain, wind, and cold! (oh, I think we already mentioned the weather)
Camping in France is really very nice. The campgrounds are well equiped, clean and quiet: And most importantly they are very inexpensive: So far we have kept our daily budget to under 20euros/day! But not tonight...............we are really going to treat ourselves well tonight: Poor Bob's sleeping pad developed a LEAK! We attempted a repair but alas it did not work: He has spent 4 nights on the cold hard ground! Tonight he gets to pick which side of the bed he is going to sleep on!
The laundry is done! Blog site updated! E-mails answered! Showers taken! So good bye for now we are on our way out the door to have some PIZZA (our first dinner in france not cooked on a campstove) and oh yes some MORE wine: Wine is the one thing we have not gone without! Lots of Frances version of 3 Buck Chuck but much better can be found at any store! And we have been trying out a different one each night!
We have lots and lots of pictures to share but right now our growling stomachs take precidence!
Some interesting tidbits
1.4 dollars = 1 euro
Camping per night = 6 euro's
1 french bread baguette = .20 euro's
A nice bottle of vino = 3.50 euro
A new sleeping pad = 27 euro's!!!!!
Laundry = 3.50 for wash, and 4 euro's for a dry.
Oh, and the French people seem very friendly to us when we tell them we are American!!! That was a surprise...... I guess it is okay to start buying yoplait yogurt and Evian water again!!
Bon Soir!!!
Bob and Sherry
On day one in France we met a lovely woman at the auto parts store who invited us to stay at her home: How's that for French hospitality! She even cooked us dinner and breakfast and refused to take any money! It was a wonderful first day in a strange country where we don't even know the language.
The past three days we have put in some good miles, although if it was up to just Bob we would have gone even FURTHER! 400 miles of hills, wind (15 -25 MPH head winds) rain and cold. I think we already mentioned the riding conditions but we feel they warrant repeating.
Tonight we find ourselves in the most amazing town. Angouleme is very quaint, the bulk of the town is accessible only by foot. It is especially wonderful as this will be our first night not spent in the tent, rain, wind, and cold! (oh, I think we already mentioned the weather)
Camping in France is really very nice. The campgrounds are well equiped, clean and quiet: And most importantly they are very inexpensive: So far we have kept our daily budget to under 20euros/day! But not tonight...............we are really going to treat ourselves well tonight: Poor Bob's sleeping pad developed a LEAK! We attempted a repair but alas it did not work: He has spent 4 nights on the cold hard ground! Tonight he gets to pick which side of the bed he is going to sleep on!
The laundry is done! Blog site updated! E-mails answered! Showers taken! So good bye for now we are on our way out the door to have some PIZZA (our first dinner in france not cooked on a campstove) and oh yes some MORE wine: Wine is the one thing we have not gone without! Lots of Frances version of 3 Buck Chuck but much better can be found at any store! And we have been trying out a different one each night!
We have lots and lots of pictures to share but right now our growling stomachs take precidence!
Some interesting tidbits
1.4 dollars = 1 euro
Camping per night = 6 euro's
1 french bread baguette = .20 euro's
A nice bottle of vino = 3.50 euro
A new sleeping pad = 27 euro's!!!!!
Laundry = 3.50 for wash, and 4 euro's for a dry.
Oh, and the French people seem very friendly to us when we tell them we are American!!! That was a surprise...... I guess it is okay to start buying yoplait yogurt and Evian water again!!
Bon Soir!!!
Bob and Sherry
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Wonderful British Hospitality
Good morning from across the pond. We have had the most amazing few days here in England. We can't thank Ashley, Amanda, Ryan, and Alexander enough for their amazing hospitality!!!
Friday evening all of us (Ashley, Amanda, Ryan, Alexander, Bob, Sherry) rode our bikes to dinner. As you can imagine it was quite the adventure. Ryan who is 8 is like most boys of that age and only knows two speeds.....STOP and FAST! Bob did a good job keeping up with him and instructing him on the fine points of watching out for cars, animals, and small children. Although Alexander had recently liberated his bike of the "stabilizer's" aka training wheels, he rode on the tag-a-long attached to Amanda's bike.
Dinner was wonderful. We ate at a local "pub" and it was actually nice enough to sit outside which was very nice. After dinner we all played a game of "tag" (when was the last time you did that) and then it was back on the bikes and up the hill to home. Ashely took over as captain of the tandem team aka tag-a-long so Amanda could have a leisurely ride home.
Saturday Bob & I had a special treat. Ashley & Amanda had arranged for a cycling friend to take us out for a bike tour of the area. John was an excellent tour guide and took us on the most wonderful country roads. We rode through the countryside enjoying the car free roads while being treated to amazing views. We rode past centuries old churches and even a Castle! Bob had a bit of a problem with a flat tire! Unfortunately being the "experienced, prepared for anything cycle tourists" we had left the house with no pump! But I guess that's why they call it Adventure Cycling....... We managed to patch the tire and had our first encounter of British help when a group of cyclists stopped to let us use their tire pump. However the tube continued to have a slow leak. And being the "experienced all prepared for anything cycle tourists" we left the house without an extra tube. So Bob & I slowly made our way home relying on more "prepared" passing cyclists allowing us to use their tire pumps. The ride back to Wimborne was slow but we enjoyed more beautiful scenery as we rode along a bike path next to the English Channel.
Ashley, Amanda and the boys came and rescued us once we made it to Wimborn and we all piled into the Mini Van for a ride up the hill to home. Another wonderful dinner with lots of stories told and laughs shared and we were off to bed.
Today we pack up for the ride to Portsmouth where we will take the ferry to LaHavre, France. It will be hard to say goodbye to the Longs. They have been the ultimate hosts! We have especially enjoyed their boys. Sherry has had enjoyed the past few nights when she has gotten to read the boys their bedtime story! Hopefully the Long's will come and visit us in America this winter!!!!
More picture have been added.....Enjoy!
That's all for now..........
Keeping the rubber side down,
Sherry & Bob
Friday evening all of us (Ashley, Amanda, Ryan, Alexander, Bob, Sherry) rode our bikes to dinner. As you can imagine it was quite the adventure. Ryan who is 8 is like most boys of that age and only knows two speeds.....STOP and FAST! Bob did a good job keeping up with him and instructing him on the fine points of watching out for cars, animals, and small children. Although Alexander had recently liberated his bike of the "stabilizer's" aka training wheels, he rode on the tag-a-long attached to Amanda's bike.
Dinner was wonderful. We ate at a local "pub" and it was actually nice enough to sit outside which was very nice. After dinner we all played a game of "tag" (when was the last time you did that) and then it was back on the bikes and up the hill to home. Ashely took over as captain of the tandem team aka tag-a-long so Amanda could have a leisurely ride home.
Saturday Bob & I had a special treat. Ashley & Amanda had arranged for a cycling friend to take us out for a bike tour of the area. John was an excellent tour guide and took us on the most wonderful country roads. We rode through the countryside enjoying the car free roads while being treated to amazing views. We rode past centuries old churches and even a Castle! Bob had a bit of a problem with a flat tire! Unfortunately being the "experienced, prepared for anything cycle tourists" we had left the house with no pump! But I guess that's why they call it Adventure Cycling....... We managed to patch the tire and had our first encounter of British help when a group of cyclists stopped to let us use their tire pump. However the tube continued to have a slow leak. And being the "experienced all prepared for anything cycle tourists" we left the house without an extra tube. So Bob & I slowly made our way home relying on more "prepared" passing cyclists allowing us to use their tire pumps. The ride back to Wimborne was slow but we enjoyed more beautiful scenery as we rode along a bike path next to the English Channel.
Ashley, Amanda and the boys came and rescued us once we made it to Wimborn and we all piled into the Mini Van for a ride up the hill to home. Another wonderful dinner with lots of stories told and laughs shared and we were off to bed.
Today we pack up for the ride to Portsmouth where we will take the ferry to LaHavre, France. It will be hard to say goodbye to the Longs. They have been the ultimate hosts! We have especially enjoyed their boys. Sherry has had enjoyed the past few nights when she has gotten to read the boys their bedtime story! Hopefully the Long's will come and visit us in America this winter!!!!
More picture have been added.....Enjoy!
That's all for now..........
Keeping the rubber side down,
Sherry & Bob
Friday, June 15, 2007
Minneapolis to England
Greetings from across the pond!
We started out from home at 4pm Tuesday, June 12th. My lovely daughter Vanessa gracefully offered us a ride to the airport and dropped us off with two big duffel bags and two bikes boxed up. We were charged $160.00 per bicycle and an additional $50.00 for the heavier of the two bags that included Sherry's bike trailer, aka BOB trailer, the Beast Of Burden.
The flight over was pretty uneventful. We both slept a little but not a lot! Because we were flying north, it never got dark over night! Upon arriving at London Gatwick our bikes and bags arrived in perfect condition. We found a great spot just outside the airport and put our bikes together without any problems. See pictures!
From there we biked directly out of the airport on a bicycle trail that was heading south. We promptly got lost in Crawley. Then we got lost again, still in Crawley. We asked directions and got lost again. Finally a young gal on a bike escorted us in the right direction.
We didn't make as much progress our first day as we had hoped, but did get out of London and into the countryside. We ended up staying the first night at a great little campground in Billingshurst. There was a pub right next to the camp ground which we made good use of! After a much deserved hot shower and a wonderful camp side dinner (thank you Sherry) of clams and oysters and linguine, we finished the night off with a bottle of wine. Our charge for camping for the night was £5.00 or $10.00 U.S. They gave us a half price deal because we were on our bicycles.
Although we had beautiful 70 degree sunny weather upon arriving and for much of the day cycling, it rained buckets throughout the night. I wouldn't have noticed but Sherry kept waking me to let me know! The tent dripped ever so slightly but mostly over Sherry. I think I get that side of the tent from now on!
The morning brought cloudy but dry skies. We started off by 7:30 and had an English breakfast 10 miles down the road in Petsworth, a small village. The cafe was built in the 1400's, the ceiling was about 5' 6"!! The people were small back then! English breakfasts are wonderful, and filling. Eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, beans, mushrooms, and coffee.
Our riding goal for this day was to make it to Ashley and Amanda's in Wimborne, England approximately 100 miles. We didn't quite make it. The roads here are very narrow. A 6 inch shoulder was a luxury here of which we rarely found. We were usually riding a white line while traffic buzzed by only inches away and going the wrong direction (for us anyways) at speeds over 50mph. It is very difficult to have the traffic passing on our right.
We reached Lindhurst, England which was about 70 miles into our ride that day and called Ashley and Amanda to tell them we would camp there for the night. They insisted, and we gladly accepted a ride to their house.
We had a fabulous evening. We met up with Ryan (8) and Alexander (6) their two boys and proceeded to keep us entertained for the night. Ashley fixed a wonderful dinner of Tuna and potatoes and gravy that was out of this world! We enjoyed English cider, wine, and port before during and after dinner. Needless to say, we have been moving slowly this morning! For all that know Ashley and Amanda, we strongly recommend you come and visit them!! The hospitality is wonderful here.
Today we toured the Dorset county area and spent a lot of the time by the English Channel. It is beautiful county down here. Tonight we are going out to a local English pub for dinner. Tomorrow they have arrange with a "keen" cyclist friend of theirs to take us on a cycling tour of the area. We are looking forward to riding with our all of our gear.
We have posted more pictures for your entertainment!!
We are going to be here with Ashley and Amanda until Sunday before heading to Portsmouth where we will board a ferry to Le Havre, France.
Stay tuned for the next post.
Bye for now. (BFN)
Bob & Sherry
We started out from home at 4pm Tuesday, June 12th. My lovely daughter Vanessa gracefully offered us a ride to the airport and dropped us off with two big duffel bags and two bikes boxed up. We were charged $160.00 per bicycle and an additional $50.00 for the heavier of the two bags that included Sherry's bike trailer, aka BOB trailer, the Beast Of Burden.
The flight over was pretty uneventful. We both slept a little but not a lot! Because we were flying north, it never got dark over night! Upon arriving at London Gatwick our bikes and bags arrived in perfect condition. We found a great spot just outside the airport and put our bikes together without any problems. See pictures!
From there we biked directly out of the airport on a bicycle trail that was heading south. We promptly got lost in Crawley. Then we got lost again, still in Crawley. We asked directions and got lost again. Finally a young gal on a bike escorted us in the right direction.
We didn't make as much progress our first day as we had hoped, but did get out of London and into the countryside. We ended up staying the first night at a great little campground in Billingshurst. There was a pub right next to the camp ground which we made good use of! After a much deserved hot shower and a wonderful camp side dinner (thank you Sherry) of clams and oysters and linguine, we finished the night off with a bottle of wine. Our charge for camping for the night was £5.00 or $10.00 U.S. They gave us a half price deal because we were on our bicycles.
Although we had beautiful 70 degree sunny weather upon arriving and for much of the day cycling, it rained buckets throughout the night. I wouldn't have noticed but Sherry kept waking me to let me know! The tent dripped ever so slightly but mostly over Sherry. I think I get that side of the tent from now on!
The morning brought cloudy but dry skies. We started off by 7:30 and had an English breakfast 10 miles down the road in Petsworth, a small village. The cafe was built in the 1400's, the ceiling was about 5' 6"!! The people were small back then! English breakfasts are wonderful, and filling. Eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, beans, mushrooms, and coffee.
Our riding goal for this day was to make it to Ashley and Amanda's in Wimborne, England approximately 100 miles. We didn't quite make it. The roads here are very narrow. A 6 inch shoulder was a luxury here of which we rarely found. We were usually riding a white line while traffic buzzed by only inches away and going the wrong direction (for us anyways) at speeds over 50mph. It is very difficult to have the traffic passing on our right.
We reached Lindhurst, England which was about 70 miles into our ride that day and called Ashley and Amanda to tell them we would camp there for the night. They insisted, and we gladly accepted a ride to their house.
We had a fabulous evening. We met up with Ryan (8) and Alexander (6) their two boys and proceeded to keep us entertained for the night. Ashley fixed a wonderful dinner of Tuna and potatoes and gravy that was out of this world! We enjoyed English cider, wine, and port before during and after dinner. Needless to say, we have been moving slowly this morning! For all that know Ashley and Amanda, we strongly recommend you come and visit them!! The hospitality is wonderful here.
Today we toured the Dorset county area and spent a lot of the time by the English Channel. It is beautiful county down here. Tonight we are going out to a local English pub for dinner. Tomorrow they have arrange with a "keen" cyclist friend of theirs to take us on a cycling tour of the area. We are looking forward to riding with our all of our gear.
We have posted more pictures for your entertainment!!
We are going to be here with Ashley and Amanda until Sunday before heading to Portsmouth where we will board a ferry to Le Havre, France.
Stay tuned for the next post.
Bye for now. (BFN)
Bob & Sherry
Monday, June 11, 2007
One day and counting......
Tomorrow is the big day. We leave Minneapolis at 7pm on a direct flight to London. We should arrive at 9:30am Wednesday.
Today we are busy tieing up all the loose ends. Last week we took the bikes into the shop for one final "check up" a few tweaks were made and the Bike Mechanic gave them a clean bill of health. This morning we loaded "Everything" up and took them out for a 15mile loop around one of the many lakes here in Minnesota. Everything went well and we are now ready to Box, Bag and Stuff everything up for the long awaited journey.
We have had a wonderful weekend spent with family and friends. On Saturday we had a BBQ here at the house to say "farewell, to everyone for the summer!" We had a great time and lots of laughs were shared by all. On Sunday we spent the day "Boating" with our friends Todd & Diane who very generously took us out for a wonderful day boating and swimming at Lake Minnetonka. Bob's sister Ruth and her friend Matt also joined us. The weather was absolutely perfect and the water very refreshing. We had a special surprise when we met up with Vanessa and a few of her freinds who were also "Boating" around the lake. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family to enjoy these last few days with.
We still have lots of "STUFF" to get done so we'll say so long for now. We hope you will enjoy visiting the blog often to check on or progress and keep up on our adventure. We will post whenever we can find internet access. We will be using flickr.com to upload our photos. There is a direct link to our Flickr photo's on the right side of the blog home page. Enjoy! And don't forget to send us your comments!
BonJour,
Bob & Sherry
Today we are busy tieing up all the loose ends. Last week we took the bikes into the shop for one final "check up" a few tweaks were made and the Bike Mechanic gave them a clean bill of health. This morning we loaded "Everything" up and took them out for a 15mile loop around one of the many lakes here in Minnesota. Everything went well and we are now ready to Box, Bag and Stuff everything up for the long awaited journey.
We have had a wonderful weekend spent with family and friends. On Saturday we had a BBQ here at the house to say "farewell, to everyone for the summer!" We had a great time and lots of laughs were shared by all. On Sunday we spent the day "Boating" with our friends Todd & Diane who very generously took us out for a wonderful day boating and swimming at Lake Minnetonka. Bob's sister Ruth and her friend Matt also joined us. The weather was absolutely perfect and the water very refreshing. We had a special surprise when we met up with Vanessa and a few of her freinds who were also "Boating" around the lake. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family to enjoy these last few days with.
We still have lots of "STUFF" to get done so we'll say so long for now. We hope you will enjoy visiting the blog often to check on or progress and keep up on our adventure. We will post whenever we can find internet access. We will be using flickr.com to upload our photos. There is a direct link to our Flickr photo's on the right side of the blog home page. Enjoy! And don't forget to send us your comments!
BonJour,
Bob & Sherry
Thursday, May 17, 2007
26 Days and counting
Not that we are counting the days, but............
There are only.........
There are only.........
- 624 hours left before we leave
- I only have 6 shifts left to work
- Bob only has 19 work days left
If you have done the math correctly you know that our adventure will begin on June 12th. But before we get too excited there is still lots to do. Getting this blog up and running is one of the major tasks and is still a work in progress. Hopefully we will have all the kinks worked out soon and the finished product will provide us a simple way to keep everyone updated while we pedal across France & Spain.
Bob & Sherry
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
