Last night, I cozied up with a symphony of rain as my white noise, praying it would clock out by morning. As luck would have it, it did clock out but not without dropping a thick fog as its foggy farewell gift. As predicted, the sun burst through, busy clearing the foggy mess, so I decided to delay hitting the roads until visibility was back on my side.
All was well until the Garmin suggested a “mild incline” 20 kilometers in, translation: an improvised mountain climb on what could even hardly be called a hiking trail. As I pondered whether I’d taken a wrong turn into Narnia, another bewildered soul appeared, equally betrayed by their Garmin. Realizing our situation was less about adventure and more about misadventure, we set out to find an alternative route. After a delightful detour through mud, I switched to Google Maps, the supposed guardian of the paved roads. Alas, it too had a sense of humor, sending me back into the wilderness. After some time looping around, I defied the hat trick of misguided tech and switched to old school road signs, town to town, slower, yes, but perserving my sanity, and bicycle.
Mid adventure, I paused to consult with a local who, thankfully, didn’t require me to dust off too much of my German. However, entering Bavaria, my German will soon be of no use. She advised that the road ahead was partially paved with a bonus feature: an under construction bridge. So, back onto the main road I went.
With frequent stops to preempt any more surprise off-roading, I stuck to the pavement, which eventually allowed me to pick up speed. Zipping down paved hills at 50 km/h was a thrill I hadn’t anticipated but thoroughly enjoyed.
The morning chill was swiftly taken away by a diligent sun, which cleared the skies and turned up the heat, much to my delight. Encouraged, I chewed through a bit of tomorrow’s route, eyeing a potential extension of my Alpine rendezvous. Tomorrow’s plan remains hopeful, aiming for sunlit, paved only roads. If all the stars align, I might just crank out an extra 20-30 km for good measure.
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