Denver

I headed to underground which required carrying the bike box and gear three blocks and not setting it down in the water as it was rain hard.  No problems with taking the bike on the underground.  At the airport the bike and gear weigh out at 53.1 kg or 116.8 lb.  Back in Denver US Custom pulled me over searching all my gear by hand.  They only found one wine bottle out of three that I did not declare.  I am glad I did not do my laundry at Aine’s.  Last adventure was me getting off at the wrong bus stop to meet my ride up the mountain.   This just required me hoping another bus to the main terminal a good bit late.

10/6/10

Total mileage for the trip was 6884.2 miles 11014.8 (More rain leaving London) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Bayswater

It was a days of threes.  I biked over to Baywater to find a hostel.  Third hostel had a room.  Then the third bike shop had a bike box for me.  Tour the Science museum and found how the British tried to shoot down the Russian Sputnik.  Taking apart the bike one of the peddles would not come off.  I ended up carrying the bike frame three blocks to the hardware store to buy a wrench which would work as mine bent.  `1`

10/5/10

35.6 miles 6.01 hr / max speed 32.2 / avg moving speed 5.9 / stopped time 6:04 / 653 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a bit of rain) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Wanstean

I wonder about London seeing a few sights.  Then back to Aine’s.

10/4/10

37.8 miles 4:36 hr / max speed 21.8 / avg moving speed 7.6 / stopped time 2:41 / 592 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a bit of rain) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Wanstean

I followed the canal into London.  Stayed with Aine in London and caught up with her and her family.

10/3/10

19.1 miles 2.54 hr / max speed 20.7 / avg moving speed 6.6 / stopped time 3.56 / 482 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a bit of rain) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Chesthunt

I headed south towards London through a few hills.  Following bike routes I found along the way.  Hostel in Harlow was booked to a group so I pushed on to Chesthunt and found a open hostel.

10/2/10

53.4 miles 5:50 hr / max speed 33.5 / avg moving speed 9.1 / stopped time 3.45 / 1857 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a bit of rain) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Cambridge

No running with fish and no sticky fish

Great sunrise as I headed on to the Fins.  Cathedral at King’s Lynn has a bit of the water problem over the years.   After a quick tour of King’s Lynn, I headed for Cambridge on a train.   Nice ride around Cambridge in the rain.  I found a nice campground outside of town.

10/1/10

62.1 miles 6:49 hr / max speed 26.0 / avg moving speed 9.1 / stopped time 4:14 / 1347 ft total ascent. (More rain in England what a surprise) 

Love & kisses

Steve

West Stow

Time passeth away like away Shadow..

The fierce hedgehog gargoyle

I spent a little time drying out the gear in the morning.  Then it was off to the fins.  Need to make a call and found most phone booths are kept for appearances with no working phone.  Yes, you could be a bell ringer and hearing impairment is not a problem.   Another church appears to be weighing souls literally.   Going through the town of Bury St Edmond I though they should take up a collection and get St Edmond in the ground.  I found a great camping spot in the woods.  I did wonder if a dog walker would find my camp when my bike decided to fall over as he passed by.

9/30/10

61.5 miles 6:58 hr / max speed 28.8 / avg moving speed 8.8 / stopped time 12.41 / 1762 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a bit of rain off and on) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Ramsey

Start at dawn.  I found that there is another number to get a picture of.  It is only ten miles in 10 degree weather to get the picture of the sign.  This time the ticket is valid for the ferry ride.  Arrive after dark in the rain.  Did check that there was camping in town.  So I headed to the campground.  Found that they do not take tent campers, but have a map for me to a place that takes tents only two miles away.  Also found British get upset when I ride on the wrong side of the rode, with one cab blocking the rode to make his point.  In Holland they did not care which side of the road they you were on.  Camping was behind a pub and a nice spot. 

9/29/10

30.8 miles 3:58 hr / max speed 24.8 / avg moving speed 7.8 / stopped time 4:56 / 559 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a bit of rain) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Hoek Van Holland

Got a early start and found the next river ferry running or it would have been a long trip around.  I was feeling good as I found more numbers.  Then I came to a new region where the signs had no numbers.  I tried to document which sign should go with which number, but it did not feel right.  I was thinking of the rooky DJ at a radio station who says “this is station 99 I will take the 99 caller”.  At call 50 the DJ makes a mental note not to do that again.   I am also glad I did not do something silly like going 1 to 99.  At least what I am doing has purpose and is worthwhile.  I then had to come up with a new route to make up for missed numbers in the last area.  So I rode out of that region and into another which did have numbers.   I got a couple of more bike tunnels in under rivers.   I need to remember to hold the front brake when going down the escalators. 

9/28/10

101 miles 10:26 hr / max speed 29.3 / avg moving speed 9.7 / stopped time 10:43 / 1141 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a bit of rain) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Kievitswaard

There is danger and I did not put my nose in it.

No one picked lucky number 7 which has a view of  a wall.

Off to follow the numbers.  Start with ten numbers and more come in as I wander about finding the number location.  There is danger along the way, as those claws would be hell on my nose.  I did not put a clause in for stopping for rain, so I ride on all day in the rain which gets stronger as I go.  The wondering allows me to see interesting things along the way, which I would have missed if I had gone straight to the ferry.  I will get your individual picture out as soon as I have internet and time or Christmas.  As night approach found that the ferry I was going to use stopped service two weeks earlier for the year.  As it turned dark the rain continued and I could not find any locations to wild camp as there were few trees and there were pools of water everywhere from the rain.  Then there was a nice sign to a mini camp.  I was curious what a mini camp was so I head that way.  Owners were still up and I was able to camp in their small campground.  I did find a small spot above the pools of water.  And there was internet in my tent as I listen to the rain drops.  I also found out I had more numbers to find.

9/27/10

58.5 miles 5:57 hr / max speed 21.1 / avg moving speed 9.8 / stopped time 3:18 / 334 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a rain) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Terheijden

Spend the day talking with Cindy about travels.  I am such a rookie traveler.

9/26/10

13.4 miles 2:18 hr / max speed 33.6? / avg moving speed 7.2 / stopped time 3:38 / 189 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with a bit a rain) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Terheijden

It is an easy ride to Breda where I meet up with Cindy after she gets off from work.  Put the ad out for numbers to follow.

9/25/10

40.6 miles 5:12 hr / max speed 33.6 / avg moving speed 7.8 / stopped time 7:03 / 483 ft total ascent. (Cloudy with rain in the afternoon) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Berger Op Zoom

Morning and the rain did not look like it is going to stop, so I am off at eight and planning to get wet.  I make it to Luxembourg and then to the city.  Guide book describe the city as fairy tale, but I did not see it as I rode around the palaces in the rain.  Maybe it was the rain that took away fairy tale look.  So I hopped a train north as I need to be in Holland tomorrow night.  I went to the hostel at Bergen op Zoom as I been to the hostel and most likely has room.  Found my hostel card is gone, but they find me in the system and give me the member discount. 

9/24/10

44.4 miles 5:07 hr / max speed 27.9 / avg moving speed 8.6 / stopped time 1.52 / 1294 ft total ascent. (Clear in the morning and rain in the evening) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Baranzy

 

So I caught the early morning train to Verdun.  Ok the last part of the trip was on a bus, but it waited for a second person before driving to Verdun.  I ran across a union protest march in Verdun.  There were old tunnels under the fort at Verdun which ended up being more amusement park ride than seeing the tunnels.   Off to the hills and other forts around Verdun.  The forts are mainly in ruin as they were taken and retake during the Great War.  In one battle a million shells dropped in the valley.  Forest now surround the old forts as the land still is upturned from the shelling and creator holes can still be seen everywhere.  By the end of the war a 60 million shells were fired into the valley and half a million men lost there lives fighting over the ground.  I headed on toward Luxembourg.  As evening approached I started following the GPS directions to a camp site.  It was taking me under the biggest thunder cloud around.  As I felt the concussion of more thunder I still wonder if the bike is a aluminum lightning rod.  A lady waves me over after passing me in her car.  I make out she is offering camping and something about sheep as did say “bah”.  She was very talkative in French and speaking more and faster did not help, when I indicated I did not understand.  So I followed her, a couple of miles to a farm.  I was introduced to the owner who spoke English and they did run some camping.  They had me stay in the dining room as they did not think it was good camping weather with the poring rain.

9/23/10

66.4 miles 7:04 hr / max speed 33.7 / avg moving speed 9.4 / stopped time 4:01 / 3567 ft total ascent. (Clear in the morning and rain in the evening) 

Love & kisses

Steve

Strasbourg

When I got up there was still no sign of the warden so I pack and rode on.  I was glad after miles of downhill to start climbing as my fingers we needing to thaw out. I arrived in Besancon with a view overlooking the fort.   Tried to take a train to Verdun but the bike was an issue.  Then I saw an email about visiting friends in Geneva but the train would arrive at 11pm.  That would not be good timing for a visit with friends that work.  So I went for Strasbourg as it gets me in the direction I want to go as there were no trains for bikes to Luxemburg.  Hoping on a train is not so easy with a bike.  The train follows a river and there is a great bike trail also following the same route.  Strasbourg cathedral had lots to look at.  The second hostel a bit out of town had a room.

9/22/10

35.1 miles 4:22 hr / max speed 26.0 / avg moving speed 8.0 / stopped time 4:49 / 1401 ft total ascent. (Cold morning and clear) 

Love & kisses

Steve