Italy 2026 – A Bella Vita #9

On October 14, 2026October 18, 2026 By KBGearDaveIn Biking Stuff, On the RoadLeave a comment

October 11 – 15

Day 56: Sunday, October 11… St Peter’s Basilica in Rome was meant to be the crown jewel of Christianity. The finest craftsmen and artists were recruited. There is little doubt that for many, work on this building was an act of devotion and love. It shows. Every detail was stunning.

Amazing detail on even the smallest figures

Interesting side note: St Peter’s Basilica was also partially responsible for starting the Reformation. Building such a large and lavish church was expensive. Under Pope Leo X, the church heavily marketed the sale of “Indulgences” to fund construction. An Indulgence was basically a gift card good for X number of years off time in purgatory. A popular sales pitch from the time was, “As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” That prompted Martin Luther in 1517 to nail a challenge to the practice to a church door. The rest as they say…

Our goals for today were #1 – Visit the Vatican. #2 – Walk. With #1 checked off, we walked up Giancolo hill, second highest in the city. We admired a sweeping vista before heading down to the funky Trastavere Quarter for lunch. We meandered past the site of a Jewish ghetto established by Pope Paul IV in 1555. We contemplated the site where Julius Caesar was murdered. By the time we passed the Pantheon, wall to wall people convinced us to be done touristing for the day.

Another Egyption obelisk and the Pantheon from behind.

Day 57: Monday, October 12… Rome always had an … uncomfortable relationship with Israel. “And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.” Not winning hearts and minds with that upheaval to their lives. Some Jewish folks did avail themselves of Pontius Pilate’s ability to hand down a death sentence when they wanted rid of a certain carpenter’s Son. Otherwise, Jews hated being under Rome’s thumb. They revolted in the late 60’s (foolishly it turned out) and were crushed in 70ad. People were massacred. The city and temple were looted and destroyed.

In the Triumphal arch erected by Emporer Vespasion and his son, there is a picture of a parade showing off the spoils taken from the Jerusalem Temple. The golden candlestand (menorrah) is clearly visible.

Fun fact: Treasure taken from the looting of Jerusalem and Temple financed the construction of the Colosseum, officially known as the Flavian Ampitheater (after Emporer Flavius Vespasian).

One has to admire the scale and engineering prowess that enabled this imposing structure to be built in eight years. Less admirable is the use of an estimated 40,000 slaves to do the heavy lifting. And whilst admiring the grandeur, it also pays to remember its sole purpose was to allow as many as 70,000 citizens to be ‘entertained’ by watching people hack each other to death.

We left the Colosseum and made our way to the nearby Palatine hill and the Forum. The Forum was not a building, it was more like the “downtown” of ancient Rome. The most important buildings were clustered together. Sadly not much remains from from that era.

Another fun fact: We walked past this temple dedicated to Emporer Antoninus and his wife Faustina. Their son Commodus was the Emporer played by Joaquin Phoenix in the movie “Gladiator”. By all accounts, Commodus was every bit the psycho portrayed in the movie.

A portion of the Forum area with colosseum in the distance

We roamed the grounds for a bit after our tour, but it seems our brains were full and our bodies were overheating. We grabbed a bite and called it a day.

Day 58: Tuesday, October 13… There are few better ways to explore a new place than by taking an early morning run. As the city yawned and stretched, Sharon headed south. I ran north along the historic Tiber River and then back through neighborhoods. People were running, biking, rowing and heading off to work. Just another day in the life.

After our Alta Via hike (a lifetime ago) we reached out to Francesca – a fellow Warmshowers host. She allowed us to send our hiking specific gear to Rome, and graciously agreed to hold it until we arrived there. While we had messaged and even chatted on the phone, today we met to claim our gear. What a lovely visit!

Francesca works at Radio Vatican. She and co-worker/friend Kielce (from Jacksonville, Florida) graciously gave us a tour. News about the Pope and the church’s work around the world goes out from this place in 57 different languages. Francesca and her colleagues work in the English language department.

As interesting as the tour was, Francesca and Kielce were even more so. It was fascinating to hear their stories. Their backgrounds. Their interests. Their travels. Their unique approach to what is already a unique job. I could easily have spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and listening and sharing stories. But alas, twas not to be. Work called. So we gathered our gear and parted ways with a heart-felt invitation for them to visit Durango.

And then it was just another day in the Eternal City. There were still neighborhoods to explore. Cafes in which to lounge. People to watch. Churches, fountains and architectural gems to admire. It was late when we arrived back at our little hidey hole, pleased with our accomplishments.

Day 59: Wednesday, October 14… On the map, Borghese Park looks large. Wrong! It is massive. Most of my a.m. run took place inside the park. I didn’t come close to seeing it all. At 200 acres it is only Rome’s third largest park. After exercise, we asked ourselves “What do we want to do on our last full day in Rome. On our last full day in Italy?” In the end we did pretty much what we had done every other day. We strolled. We sat on the Spanish steps and took in the prime people watching crowds. As we often do, we looked back on the highs and lows of this trip. Shared thoughts and observations. And then we began to imagine what our next trip might look like. It is never ending folks. We ended the day exploring a new part of town and sampling the offerings of a new restaurant.

Rome and St Peter’s Basilica from Borghese Park

Day 60: Thursday, October 15… This trip has given us plenty of opportunities to show our ability to adapt. It seemed entirely appropriate then, that a spanner got tossed into our efforts to leave Rome. Late on Wednesday, Sharon was notified that her flight was delayed. That delay would make it impossible to make a connecting flight. She adeptly rebooked on a different flight – only for the same thing to happen again in the wee hours. Third times the charm? I awoke at 3:00am to find that my flight had been delayed which meant I wouldn’t be able to make a connecting flight. By the time we got that all sorted, we started waiting on the only one of a dozen shuttle services that guaranteed they had a vehicle that would accommodate both our bikes and our gear. After playing Tetris with the boxes for ten minutes, turns out they did NOT have a large enough vehicle. No one panicked. The driver made a phone call and within minutes a second van arrived. Nessun problema!

From that point on, everything went smoothly. Seventeen hours after takeoff I arrived in Durango nine hours later (time changes – right?) Somewhat later Sharon arrived in Florida to spend time with mom and sister. And thus ended our trip to Italy.

This was a trip that bore little resemblance to the trip we envisioned or expected.

We expected the Dolomites to be beautiful. They were. It was stunning. We enjoyed the hike tremendously. (If we’re being honest – maybe I did a bit more than Sharon). We did not expect the Alta Via 2 to be quite so difficult. There were almost no “easy” days or trails. We were challenged every day. Still, would we do another Alta Via route? Absolutely.

From our research, we thought finding places to camp was going to be an issue. We expected that. Wild camping was/is illegal. A reliable Italian authority said that in places it was tolerated. Yet, we rarely found appropriate places when or where we needed them to be. Campgrounds were expensive and also not often conveniently located. Out of sixty days, we only set up our tent three times!!! That was completely unexpected. That also may have contributed in part to the next point.

On every other trip, we’ve met locals and other travelers almost on a daily basis. In Italy we made friends along the Alta Via hike. We won the lottery when we met Vera and Luca in Taranto, and Francesa and friend Kielce in Rome. Beyond that, we did not expect to meet and talk to so few people. During our two months, the kinds of interactions we’ve come to expect were almost completely absent. We did not expect to feel so isolated. Good thing we like each other’s company!

We are used to changing plans. That is how we travel. We did NOT expect my “bomb-proof- trouble-free-ride-around-the-world-indestructable-Pinion-drive-equipped” bike to break down. We did NOT expect the Pinion company to tell me to “sod off we don’t talk to customers – only dealers.” We did not expect to be completely ignored by every authorized Pinion dealer in Italy listed on the Pinion site that we tried to contact. We did not expect to not have a rideable bike one week into the biking portion of our trip. We did not expect to have to come up with a completely new plan. Having said all that – we also recognize these were “First World” problems. Nothing important was at stake. We adapted and ended up enjoying some amazing places and experiences.

Some Favorites!

The Dolomites: Mind blowing, world class scenery, every single day
The Puglia region: The coast. The unique cities. Narrow lanes winding through endless miles of olive groves.
Italian Trains: They went everywhere. The Trenitalia app was easy and intuitive to use. Fares were reasonable. Since we couldn’t travel by bike, trains made it possible to travel easily with our bikes.
Swimming in the sea caves outside Santa Maria di Leuca.
Almost every Italian city: We never tired of roaming the narrow streets of the “old towns.” Having said that Matera and Alberobello were among our favorites.
New Foods: When you go beyond ‘normal’ Italian food, you find things like Piadina. Panzerotti. Orecchiette. Burrata and stracciatella cheese. Pasticciotto. Nduja sausage. Puccia. Arancini. Primitivo Rose’ wine. Inexpensive every other kind of wine.
History. Come on man! This is Italy! Some of these towns have been continuously inhabited for 9,000 years. The Greeks were here. The Roman empire. Major players have been taking the stage here during major world events for thousands of years. All over Italy there are little pockets of almost unknown history with minor players. For a history nerd, this is a slice of paradise.
One more time. Vera and Luca for making it a bike ride in Puglia possible. Without them, it wouldn’t have happened. Francesca (and Kielce) for her openness and willingness to offer whatever help we needed, and for sharing their time and knowledge of Rome.
The best travel partner anyone could ask for. Thank you Sharon for coming up with ideas, and doing so much work on the details to make them reality. And for fighting through difficult days.

I could go on, but I think I’ve said enough. Thank you all for coming along, and for the many kind thoughts and comments. Until next time, and (Lord willing and the creek don’t rise) there will be a next. Write your own stories. Take your own adventures, big or small. Seize the Carp!

Italy 2026 – A Bella Vita #8

On October 11, 2026October 11, 2026 By KBGearDaveIn Biking Stuff, On the Road2 Comments

October 3 – 10, 2026

Day 48: Saturday, October 3… Travel day. One hundred sixty miles from Taranto to Salerno. Forty-four euros. Three and a half hours. Bikes on dedicated racks. Comfy seats. Easy peasy on Trenitalia.

It was a short ride south from the train station to our “Holiday Home.” That’s actually the name of our little apartment. We plan to use it as a base for exploring Salerno and the famous Amalfi coast. But that’s for tomorrow. The rest of Saturday was for eatin’, drinkin’, and chillaxin’!

Day 49: Sunday, October 4… It was really a good plan! Carefully crafted. Well thought out. The product of countless man/woman hours and Google searches. Except – much to the chagrin of a several other hopeful folks – the 8:30am city bus never showed. We watched dozens and dozens of MAMILS (middle age men in lycra) cycle by on their Sunday morning ride. No bus by 8:45am. An interesting cross-section of the community – men, women and children – zipped by on scooters. 8:55am, still no bus. By 9:15am we decided the bus drivers were either on strike or had fallen victim to some oddly specific natural disaster.

We gave up and started walking. By the time we reached the north end of town an hour later, the noise and heat had lessened our enthusiasm for a hike. So we meandered the narrow, shady streets of old town.

Parallel parking Italian style – efficient use of space.

By a happy accident we stumbled upon the suggested starting point for our hike. Well – “Why not?” We went high enough to gain a view of the city, then decided that was far enough! Given the intense afternoon sun, we retreated into the shadows for our reward…

Day 50: Monday, October 5… The Amalfi coast of Italy is famous for cities that seem to defy gravity. They cling to mountains that plunge into the sea. People speak of it in reverential tones. It is a “must see” of Italy, or so we’re told by Influencers, Facebookers, Instagrammers, “Eight Must Sees on the Amalfi Coast” -ers.

The Amalfi coast is indeed beautiful. We “oohed” and “aahed” along with everyone else on the ferry as we made our way to the city of Amalfi.

When we came ashore and immediately jumped on the city bus to the trailhead of “the most beautiful hike in all of the Amalfi!” A “must see!” we were told. We were prepared to be blown away by the charm and beauty of this “must see” region.

The hike was nice. The view of the coast and Positano from on high was stunning. Then we walked into the Industrial Tourist Complex of Positano. It was an assault on our senses. All day long along the coast, ferries disgorge seething masses of cruise ship passengers and other tourists (just like us). An endless stream of tour buses disgorge an endless stream of tour groups. Positano was filled with a suffocating crush of selfie-taking humanity. And this is the off season!!

And what is there to see? Jewelry stores. High end clothes and purse stores. Shops selling “authentic” Amalfi limoncello? Wine stores. Bars. Fridge magnet and T-Shirt stores. Galleries. Restaurants. B&B’s. Hotels. Guest houses. Every building wholly devoted to the tourist trade.

We desperately wanted to love the Amalfi coast. We really did. While it was nice enough from a distance, up close it was not charming. It was sad and pathetic and disturbing. We saw a hollowed out city over run and ruined by people like me. It made my skin crawl. As soon as we found space to breathe, we booked seats on the next ferry back to Salerno. We kept asking “what are we missing?” How could our experience be so at odds with everything we had read? We had no answers. I guess we will just agree to disagree.

Masses waiting to get on ferries after equal numbers got off!

Day 51: Tuesday, October 6… We have gotten quite good at bike touring. We kinda suck at touristing. Who knew that tickets to major tourists sites in Rome sell out a month or more in advance? Apparently everyone who bought tickets a month or more in advance! So, we spent a good part of the day booking lodging, trains and figuring out last-minute workarounds. With some creativity and a willingness to throw cash at a problem, almost any challenge can be overcome.

The rest of the day was low key. I finished a book. Sharon collected sea glass on the beach. I ran up into some local hills. Sharon explored more of Salerno. We watched a NatGeo video about Pompeii. We both were feeling a need for quiet.

Day 52: Wednesday, October 7… Travel day. Another painless train ride. Our host was kind enough to allow an early check-in. With gear safely stowed, we wandered the streets of “new” Pompeii, in part to seek out street art. Early evening we took part in la passeggiata…the evening stroll. Even with all the attention obviously paid to the tourists visiting the archeology site, the city didn’t feel touristic.

Not technically street art, but I love the name

Day 53: Thursday, October 8… I do not believe in ghosts. Yet, in the archeological park of Pompeii, it is easy to imagine the ancient residents still present going about their business. Some houses are so well preserved and restored, it is as if the owners just stepped out to run an errand. Pompeii is an amazing time portal to life 2,000 years ago. Walking the narrow streets of Pompeii also called to mind every historic city center we’ve visited during the last month. It was striking how similar they felt. Viewing the plaster casts of the men, women and children who perished in this disaster drove home the human element. We wander the homes of thousands of people who died tragic deaths. It is a sobering realization.

I won’t bore you with all the history. Suffice to this this self-proclaimed history geek was well and truly satisfied. This was one, much-hyped tourist attraction that lived up to the hype.

The streets and stepping stones worked as intended. Flushing waste from the streets, and allowing citizens to keep their feet dry.

25,000 seat amphitheater. And yes, people watched people kill each other here…for fun. And you thought football was violent!

Outdoor reclining dinner table with a fountain in the foreground. As always, the wealthy lived comfortably. Wealthy or poor – they all met the same fate.

Hard to imagine the terror as fire rained from the sky, and then a pryoclatistic flow snuffed out thousands of lives.

Day 54: Friday, October 9… Travel day. Our apartment was less than five minutes from the train station. We arrived with plenty of time to spare. I commented to Sharon that we always question the need to arrive so early when everything goes smoothly. No sooner had the words passed my lips, I received an email from Trenitalia. Extreme weather had caused the cancellation of our train! Didn’t see that coming!

What to do? While we were trying to decide, a train heading to Naples rolled into the station. We made a snap decision and jumped on. Better to ask forgivess than permission? We figured we’d sort the ticket situation later. Turns out we didn’t have to. No one checked, so we didn’t have to attempt explaining why we had tickets for a different train. The rest of our ride to Rome was uneventful.

We knew Rome was big. Four point three million people big. We’d heard that Rome is frantically busy. We generally really dislike big, busy cities. Rome seemed different somehow. Not sure why, but it was exciting to be part of it.

Full raingear from Roma Termini station to our apartment – our last in Italy. After we had dried out and the rain ended, we were off exploring. Sharon wandered. I went in search of bike boxes.

First impressions. Rome is a comfortably chaotic mix of new, old, and really old. Example: Our room is near the Piazza Popolo. The ornate entrance on the north side is the original gate through the city wall dating to 275ad. An Egyptian obelisk carved by order of Pharoah Seti I and his son Ramses II sits in the center of the piazza. It dates to 1300bc and was brought to Rome by Caesar Augustus in the first century bc. It is cuurently guarded on four corners by lion fountains built in the early 1800’s. Currently the plaza is set up for some event that includes a stage pumping out thumping music.

Day 55: Saturday, October 10… Prior to our arrival I reached out to half a dozen bike shops inquiring about bike boxes. Zero responses. So today I set myself the task of finding the necessary items. It took five miles of walking and half the day, but by early afternoon I had what I needed. By late afternoon I had cut down a comically large box and packed my bike.

Box #1 from a shop that’s been here since 1899!

Box #2 from Norai (sp?) at Bicificio Dinamo

Between her exploration and la nostra passeggiata serale (our evening stroll), Sharon wandered almost ten miles. I took care of a necessary chore. We both counyed our days as time well spent.

Close up of the face above. Creative use of chicken wire.

Thus ends our last full week in Italy. We are looking forward to seizing the carp in our remaining time here in the “Eternal City.” We are both also looking forward to being home. Until then – enjoy! STC!

Italy 2026 – A Bella Vita #7

On October 4, 2026October 5, 2026 By KBGearDaveIn Biking Stuff, On the Road5 Comments

Sepember 27- October 2

Day 42: Sunday, Sept 27… We started the day with fireworks. Literally! At 8:00am! The unmistakable concussion of fireworks came rolling in from town. These patron saints must really love a party.

It was definitely a party in town when we arrived. All streets around the Mother Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian were closed to cars. This festival celebrates the martyred 3rd century twin brothers who practiced medicine without ever asking for payment. Damian and Cosmas are thus the patron saints of the sick – and of Alberobello. When the statues of the saints emerged from the church doors, four solid blocks of celebrants let out a cheer and started clapping. Fireworks erupted. This was a big deal.

Crowds starting gathering in front of the Basilica of Cosmas and Damian

The statues emerge! The band plays! People cheer! Fireworks erupt! What a day.

This was all layered on top of the masses of regular visitors who came to admire the densely clustered neighborhoods of trulli. And Sunday morning also meant hundreds of weekend vendors had set up shop. We easily spent half of the day enjoying the spectacle.

Sharon enjoying the trulli ahead of the crowds

Finally we pulled ourselves away. We had a destination in mind today that required us to make miles. And what lovely miles they were. We sought out little traveled roads and were rewarded with rustic trulli and picturesque rural lanes.

When we travel, we are used to being clueless about the language or how things work. You just go with the flow. The one thing that really makes us realize we’re not in Kansas any more Toto, are the hours they keep. At three in the afternoon, Gioia de Colle was a ghost town. Everything was closed.

At 9pm (when we are often in bed reading) the city is alive! All the shops are open. Couples are strolling, holding hands. Old men are sitting on benches loudly proclaiming their solutions to the problems of the world. Little kids are running around having a ball. Teens are being teens. People are sitting outside of bars, cafes, restaurants enjoying drinks, dinner, laughter, a smoke. Tonight, we pretended to be Italian. We strolled hand in handv late into the evening. We liked it… even if we were up past our bedtime.

Day 43: Monday, Sept 28… Curse you Komoot!! We should know better. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…” right? We let both Google and Komoot suggest routes to take us to Gravina in Puglia. Distance and elevation were the same, but Komoot seemed to offer a more interesting route. After bumping down a rough gravel road (??) this devil spawn app suggested we take a barely there overgrown path for nine miles. I don’t think so!

We explored our options and ended up backtracking to the Google route. That added six miles and a hour to what was already going to be a long day.

West of Gioia de Colle, the landscape changed again – and not for the better. In fact it was so unremarkarkable, neither of us bothered to take a single photo. For all that, the riding was not unpleasant. Mostly flat. We still had a headwind, but the winds were very light. Even though this stretch was the least scenic we’ve seen in Puglia, we passed several large groups of cyclists on organized tours. Strange.

Mid-afternoon we detoured into Altamura for a quick look, and changed our plan to make it to Gravina. We spent the night in Altamura and once again did the late night stroll. I think we’re getting the hang of this!

Day 44: Tuesday, Sept 29… Today was “just very good” as our grandson used to say. The headwind finally decided to give us a break. Rolling hills offered interesting views and riding.

It was a quick trip into Gravina. A few pics online made it seem intriguing. In person, maybe not so much. After a short stroll we pointed out steeds south.

Read the signs carefully. Which way to Matera??

We may have been underwhelmed by Gravina, we were plenty whelmed by Matera. We arrived. Rested. Did laundry. We grabbed a bite before a late night stroll through the old town. I was wholly unprepared for the unique beauty of this place. I have never seen anything like it. It took my breath away. Even as the streets emptied of people – we kept walking, never tiring of the views. It was after 10pm before we arrived back at our room.

Day 45: Wednesday, Sept 30… For thousands of years people have been carving rooms out the volcanic tuff and soft limestone in Matera. Later arrivals expanded those rooms into chapels, churches, monasteries, stables and homes. Even later arrivals in the 15th-19th centuries added stone facades onto those caves, giving old town, or Sassi d’Matera, it’s unique appearance.

Life in post WWII Matera was grim. The caves/homes had no running water, sanitation or electricity. A famous writer’s description of the squalor, disease, and poverty led the Italian government to declare Sassi d’Matera “the national disgrace!” From 1952 to 1968, all 16,000 residents were forcibly removed and placed in government housing on the flat area above the old town. The Italian government took ownership of the empty homes, which continued to deteriorate and fall into ruin.

In the 1980’s, the government began offering long term leases on properties for a pittance if people would repair them. It was a long, fraught process with work yet to be done. Still, the results are on display today.

Small portion of a nun’s monastery carved out underneath the carved out church above.

Day 46: Thursday, October 1… Sweet Mother of all that is good and right in the world! More down than up with a tailwind most of the day. I’d like to think we earned this. What a glorious day!

We poked around some ancient ruins outside of Matera before coasting into Ginosa. Not sure what to make of that city. A hike along the gravina felt like a walk back in time. Parts felt ancient. Others felt ragged and run down, possibly like Matera prior to rehab? We climbed out of that part of town right into a modern city.

I felt a bit torn. We bemoan Disneyland-esque restoration and over-touristing of many ancient cities. A part of Ginosa is no doubt quite old. It is also run down, dirty, lived in and not terribly attractive. Tourists are not wandering the streets. Real people live there. And really, what I think doesn’t matter. Are people who live here jealous of nearby Matera’s success? Likely, few here could afford Matera. Or, are they grateful the town, warts and all, still belongs to them? These are all questions I pondered as we rolled down to the sea.

Quite a contrast between the old parts of town and the new.

Green and red eating grapes were being harvested. Tis the season apparently.

We ended the day in another charming and eerily empty vacation town on the coast.

Day 47: Friday, October 2… Our route into Taranto was… utilitarian. A frontage road along a major highway eventually took us through a lengthy zona industriale on the outskirts of Taranto.

The real fun began after we entered Taranto proper. A historic district offered an interesting diversion.

We didn’t tag the building. Probably one of Sharon’s many fans.

Sharp dressed little man on his way to a wedding.

By afternoon, we had completed our loop of Puglia and were welcomed back into Luca’s warm embrace. Unfortunately Vera was attending a work conference, so we missed her this time around. We made quick work of stripping the rental and returning all parts to my bike. After showers, Luca had a plan for our evening. We returned the bike to Decathlon. Then a short drive brought us to the city of Grattaglie, famous for its unique ceramic artistry. After a walking tour of the city and several ceramic shops, we ended up at Luca’s favorite pizza place. Stupendo! It was the perfect conclusion to our tour of Puglia.

We are in the home of cycling aficionados.

Vera’s custom painted Pinarello. If you don’t know bikes – this is a *seriously* nice bike.

Our return to Taranto also marked the end of the biking portion of this trip. From here on we will be regular tourists doing regular tourist stuff. We are looking forward to it. At the same time I am disappointed. My Pinion drive should not have failed. The complete and utter lack of support by Pinion has been massively frustrating. It also meant we only saw only a fraction of what we hoped to see in Italy. And while Trenitalia makes it super easy, traveling with bikes is not at all the same experience as traveling by bike.

Still, I am proud of our ability to adapt and change plans. And it bears repeating that without all the help and guidance from Luca and Vera, our experience of Salento and Puglia would have been much diminished. Thus ends another week. Hope you enjoyed it. STC!

Italy 2026 – A Bella Vita #6

On September 27, 2026September 27, 2026 By KBGearDaveIn Biking Stuff, On the Road3 Comments

September 20 – 26

Day 34: Sunday, Sept 20… How often do you get to do something you’ve never done before? Not very often! Not when you’ve lived a long time and make a point of trying new things. That made this day pretty special.

Just outside Santa Maria de Leuca we climbed down a jagged cliff and jumped into the sea. We spent the next hour or two swimming (and floating) around giant sea caves. That was a first! A local woman swam by and told us the occasional pockets of icy water were large freshwater springs flowing into the sea from the back of the caves. OK! That’s new and unusual! And because Sharon had been smart enough to buy some cheap goggles earlier on this special day, we got to look at colorful little fish and underwater rock formations we otherwise would not have seen. Yet another first!! Eventually a flotilla of tour boats began to encroach, but we didn’t mind. We’d already had our special day – and it wasn’t even noon!

Our sea caves – “Grotta delle Tre Porte”

Santa Maria de Leuca was only a few minutes from the Grotto. We found the missing tourists from the “ghost towns”. It looked interesting, but we left it in the capable hands of the touring hordes. Santa Maria was of interest to us as the southernmost point of our trip. Once we turned the corner and started north, the coastline changed from mostly flat to soaring. We climbed until both the vastness of the impossibly blue sea, as well as the point where it beat itself against the cliffs.

We ended the day in a barely there little town that looked sad, and a bit ghostly when we arrived. Later when the sun dropped out of sight, the two restaurants in Marine di Novalgie opened and the town sprang to life. Cars were zipping around. People were walking their dogs. Grandparents were singing songs to a disinterested infant. Drinks flowed and dinners were served! Perfect end to a special day.

Day 36: Monday, Sept 21… Magically, miraculously, we discovered we have a new superpower! We can control the wind! It is true. First day excepted, whichever direction we travel we cause the wind to blow directly into our faces. It pairs well with my other superpower of making easy things look hard. We rode into a wind almost all the way south. Now that we’ve turned the corner and are heading north, we once again had a stout headwind as our companion.

Just past Santa Cesurea the landscape shifted. Suddenly it was almost devoid of anything green except prickly pears. Small wonder so many buildings are made of stone – in this arid, rocky region they have an endless supply of building material!

Downtown Otrento and the waterfront looked appealing. We tried very hard to enjoy it, but a cold aggressive wind made it difficult. Instead, we returned to the campground with ingredients for dinner.

Day 37: Tuesday, Sept 22… Headwinds reared their ugly head – again! Sharon has been feeling a bit worn of late. So our “plan” was to pedal a relatively short distance up the coast, see some sights along the way, and stop early. That was a plan, but you may know about us and plans…!

We arrived at our potential stopping point and thought “Why stop now? We feel good! The day is still young.” So we didn’t. We turned inland toward Lecce. When we left the coast we were sort of expecting the whole arid, rocky, cactus-y thing again. Surprise! We rode through olive groves on narrow lanes lined with hand built stone walls. Some of these trees looked ancient. Once again we are charmed by the variety Italy has on offer.

We’ve planned a rest day in Lecce, so we put off exploring the city until tomorrow. The afternoon and evening were spent doing the laundry, shopping for dinner, working on the blog and Polar Steps, showering, reading, relaxing.

Day 38: Wednesday, Sept 23… Pietra leccese is a soft, warm limestone that is easy to carve when freshly quarried. Over time it hardens when exposed to air and Mediterranean heat. For centuries, craftsmen have gone wild turning stone into exuberant art all over the city.

This is one of many interesting tidbits we learned while exploring Lecce. Another is that Lecce is home to the remnants of a large Roman stadium. Estimates vary, but many believe the stadium could hold as many as 25,000 people. According to historians, in the morning, spectators were treated to gladiators killing wild animals. One could then enjoy lunch while watching public executions. Afternoons were reserved for the main event, when gladiators faced off in hand to hand combat. Such beauty and such barbarism existed side by side in the Roman empire.

Day 39: Thursday, Sept 24… We had a campground picked out forty some miles away. In spite of the prevailing headwinds prevailing yet again, we made good time. Even with stops in picturesque little towns. Even with locals literally taking us by the hand and walking us to an eatery when we asked for a nearby market. Even with a stop to render assistance to a driver who flipped his truck, and needed help getting out. Even with all that, we arrived in Mesagne by 2:00pm. Plenty of time left to bike the last eight miles to the campground.

Mission accomplished even without a common language.

The ambulance arrived shortly after we helped the driver and his dislocated shoulder out of his truck.

As we meandered charming old town Mesagne, the gravel parking lot campground we were heading towards lost its appeal. It took us all of 30 seconds to change our minds and book an amazing room near the “centro storico.” Perfect place to celebrate my birthday with perhaps just a bit too much local wine and beer.

Day 40: Friday, September 25… Today the weather has finally matched the calendar. Long sleeves were not too warm. It felt good to not swelter. Off and on throughout the day our rain jackets also got put to good use.

It is a sad commentary on the human race that from the earliest times, people have had to seek safety from other humans. The historic city centers, the “centro storico” that everyone enjoys are almost always enclosed within protective walls. For 2,500 years people in Ostuni have used an imposing hill and walls for protection.

We spent an enjoyable evening wandering the labyrinth of the centro storico. We also were introduced to panzerotti. This taste treat from the Puglia region is basically a deep fried calzone. Mmmmmm! So good!

Day 41: Saturday, Sept 26… Fun Facts: The Puglia region is home to sixty million olive trees, many are thousands of years old. As a result, Puglia produces 40% of Italy’s olive oil. Our tour guide was the owner of a small (5,000 trees) masseria. They only make cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil – and she was passionate about the process and their product. She dismissed lesser quality mass produced olive oil as nothing more than “lamp oil!” Certainly not suitable to consume.

Our guide next to a thousand year old olive tree

We use olive oil fairly often in our cooking. I will never think of it in quite the same way after today. Or after spending hours riding past a few more of the 60 million trees.

In the 1400’s the Kingdom of Naples decreed that local nobles pay a royal tax on any new permanent settlements on their lands. The crafty nobles required their peasants to build stone homes without mortar. When the royal tax man made his rounds, the peasants had to partially dismantle their “trullo” homes. Tax man came, found just piles of stones, not a permanent settlement, saving the nobles some money. I’m sure those well compensated peasants were happy to endure any hardships, like unbuilding and rebuilding their homes, to save the uber rich overlords some more money.

These trulli were everywhere as we rode through the Itria valley. Apparently it has become quite the tourist draw, as many trulli have been converted to luxury B&B’s. “Experience life just like medieval peasants barely eking out an existence in our luxurious, well appointed Trulli!”

We ended our day in a campground just outside Alberbello. It is famous for the large number of well preserved trulli, which we will see tomorrow. Turns out we also arrived during the weekend-long celebration of Saint Medici, the town’s patron saint. We rode past a large numbers of pilgrims making their way towards Alberobello. We also got to enjoy the music of Fabrizio Moro. Even though the venue was a mile away, I felt as though Fabrizio and his amplified voice were right in the tent with us. It was a special night.

So there you have it, our week in the Puglia region. A few years ago in France, Hubert invited us to his house for lunch. Over cheese and wine, it came out that he was the organizer of a rather famous event that celebrated “slow travel” in all its forms. This region of Italy invites – begs – you to travel slowly. We can do slow. And we still have almost a week to continue to slowly explore this captivation region. Until next week – ciao! And Seize the Carp!

Italy 2026 – A Bella Vita #5

On September 20, 2026September 21, 2026 By KBGearDaveIn Biking Stuff, On the Road1 Comment

September 13 – 19

Day 27: Sunday, Sept 13… What to do? What to do? We have talked, and talked, and talked. We have both swung back and forth on an emotional pendulum…STAY! GO HOME! Ugh! We opted for short term gain and no pain and kicked the decision down the road. Ninety minutes after jumping on a regional train in Bologna, we were on the beach in Rimini. Among other things, Rimini is sort of the “South Beach” of the Italian Adriatic coast. It is also home to miles of inexpensive hotels and lovely beach. Whatever we end up deciding, a beach holiday seems like a good idea.

It turned out to be a really good idea. The Adriatic is lovely. Watching people stroll by on the beach was endlessly entertaining. Back at the room, we prepared grilled cheese sandwiches with 18 month aged prosciutto crudo. It paired nicely with my 5 euro bottle of Pinot Grigio. Molto bene!!

Day 28: Monday, Sept 14… Did you know that you can take a short ride west of Rimini and visit the third smallest country in the world? (behind Monaco and the Vatican). Well, neither did we. We forked over a handful of euros and took the hour long bus ride up to San Marino. The setting for the city, the fortifications, and the old town were all impressive. Inside the walled city however, an endless line of tourists inched past an endless string of shops hawking tourist crap. We’re out! In the end, we spent more time in the bus than we did in San Marino. We did not count either the time or money well spent.

A little time and distance has given us a fresh perspective and renewed optimism Clearly the biking portion has not turned out as hoped. After considering several options, we feel we can still salvage somthing of our original intent. All we have to do is a) decide on an area of Italy to explore on a shortened trip, b) find a suitable bike to rent, c) find a place to store my bike for two to three weeks. Coming up with the plan has turned out to be the easy part. No one answers their phone. Automated phone trees in Italian are a mystery. We’ve sent a dozen emails into the ether with no responses to any of our queries. But, as Chief Dan George said in the Outlaw Josey Wales, “We vowed to endeavor to persevere.” Either it will work or it won’t. We will hopefully know more tomorrow.

Day 29: Tuesday, Sept 15… Another early morning run. Another nice breakfast spread at Hotel Tiberius.

We spent several hours chasing any kind of certainty around anything. By noon, we definitely had a train ticket to Taranto (inside the boot heel of Italy). We definitely might have a bike to rent from Decathlon, which may or may not be suitable. We might have a hotel that may keep my bike (for a hefty price) for two plus weeks while we tour. Granted, my super power is making easy things look hard, but still. Nothing has been easy. We are beginning to wonder if the universe is sending us a message? (Just. Go. Home!) Well, we’re not listening…yet.

Mentally exhausted and frustrated by the endless stream of uncertainties, we escaped to the beach. We read. We watched the always interesting cast of characters stroll by. We swam. Gradually, like the tide, the stress ebbed away. It felt good. By day’s end we know we are going to Taranto. The rest…well? I think Jesus said it pretty well. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Yeah! What He said.

Side note: Rimini has plenty of public beach space. Having said that, miles and miles of beach is covered by private “clubs” or hotels that have quadrants filled with beach chairs, umbrellas, volleyball courts, playgrounds and other amenities.

We calculated something like 30,000 chairs and umbrellas from our hotel to the end of the beach just over half a mile to the north. This beach stretches south for many, many miles. I would HATE to be here during high season.

Day 30: Wednesday, Sept 16… Once again, thank you Trenitalia. We traveled half the length of Italy, in comfort, at a reasonable price, in seven hours. Even as we were making our way to Taranto (emphasis on the first syllable… TAH–ran-to) we were still trying to nail down details and getting nothing! Then we heard from Luca and Vera!

Sharon had posted a request on a Facebook cycling page asking for anyone around Taranto willing to store our bikes. We hit the jackpot!! This amazing couple met us at the train station, loaded our bikes and all our gear in their car, and dropped Sharon at our hotel. Then they drove me to Decathlon and helped me get the bike. When it turned out not to be equipped as advertised, we scavenged parts off mine to make the rental usable. After all that, they brought me back to the hotel. Luca insisted we stop by their house on our way out of town to continue making fixes to the rental.

I cannot say we were surprised. One of the benefits of travel is to know from experience that there are kind and generous people in the world. So, we were not surprised – but we were humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude. Two kind people swept away days of uncertainty, stress, and frustrations. Thank you!

Day 31: Thursday, Sept 17… Did I mention that Luca and Vera are seriously cool? They have an impressive fleet of bikes, including vintage road bikes. They love touring. Vera is a PT who specializes in helping kids with scoliosis. Luca is retired after forty years in the Navy and now helps Vera in her practice. We are looking forward to spending more time with them in a few weeks.

A few more swaps and additions and I finally had a rental bike that should take us around the “heel” of Italy and beyond. Armed with local knowledge, we made our way down the coast. It is amazing!

It was a confusing day. Mid-September felt like August. We were immediately drenched in the midsummer heat. We passed postcard perfect coves and beaches. While there were a few lively towns, many more were giving off creepy, ghost town vibes. Shuttered storefronts. Chairs on tables. Darkened restaurants and markets. Entire towns without a soul in sight. Is it possible the tourist season is already over? We found a very nice campround that was open, but it was mostly empty. This was completely unexpected.

Day 32: Friday, Sept 18… More of the same today. Perspiration. Rugged, rocky coastline. Beautiful beaches and coves. Occasional tourist hot spots and more often – ghost towns. We are having to respect the weather. We took more frequent water and shade stops to avoid overheating.

We were ready to be done by the time we pulled into Gallipoli (not the WWI Gallipoli in Turkey). Records exist of people living in this location since prehistoric times. Then the Greeks arrived and gave town its name. In Greek, Kallipolis means “beautiful city”. In 265BC, Rome took control and made it a military and trading hub. The city walls date to the Byzantine empire. We ate dinner outside a 900 year old church. Needless to say, there’s a bit of history here.

Day 33: Saturday, Sept 19… By 8am it was already oppressive. Not a good sign. Two hot days in a row have taken their toll on my lovely bride. We set our sides on a campground only twenty miles down the coast. It was a moving rest day, if you will. As we were leaving town, we met up with some enthusiastic Greek cyclists doing our trip in reverse. They offered some good suggestions.

We arrived early at a gargantuan camp resort. One host said in August they had as many as 7,000 people staying there. NO THANK YOU! This late in the season, it was blissfully empty. We used our extra time to swim several times. Well, if I’m being honest it was more of a float than a swim. Incredibly easy due to the higher salinity of the Mediterranean.

Thunder, lightning, rain and a waterspout a few miles off shore while we swam (floated)

In spite of the frustrations and challenges, we are feeling incredibly blessed once again to still be on the road in this beautiful part of Italy. So – that’s it for this week. Until next time, Seize the Carp!

Italy 2026 – A Human Powered Bella Vita #4

On September 12, 2026September 13, 2026 By KBGearDaveIn Biking Stuff, On the Road3 Comments

September 6 – 13, 2026

Day 20: Sunday, Sept 6… Sunday is meant to be a day of rest, so we rested. We gave our bodies and minds a much needed break after playing mountain goat for twelve straight days. We ate. We drank. We repacked. We plotted. We read. We surfed. But mostly, we embraced the idea that “supine is divine!”

Day 21: Monday, Sept 7… Today we start our bike ride in earnest – with a train ride! Twenty euros gets us and our bikes out of the foothills and past a section of busy road we’ve already ridden. Today’s goal – Castelfranco Veneto to Vicenzia. Dead flat. Pretty agricultural country. Phoenix hot! One note: for all the billions Google makes, you would think they could do better than send us down an overgrown dirt path to an impassable pond. Doesn’t seem unreasonable, but maybe that’s just me.

Loving reasonably priced, convenient mass transit.

Day 22: Tuesday, Sept 8… In 49ad “Vicetia” was officially recognized as a city of the Roman Empire. Today “Vicenza” is a Unesco World Heritage site, thanks mostly to architect Andrea Palladio. His designs were cutting edge at the time. Most of his buildings from the 1500’s still exist. Point of interest: The White House was designed by architects using Palladio’s principles of design.

Before getting “citied out” we opted to spend a day seeing Vicenza. We walked cool, empty streets, serenaded by ancient chants from early morning mass in ancient churches. One of the famous Palladio buildings is the Olympic Theater. It is the oldest indoor ancient theater in existence – almost 500 years old. You don’t need to know the innovative details that went into its construction to appreciate this theater. It is enough to park your backside on the original wooden benches and just let your eyes wander.

Before the heat crushed our spirits, we wandered the city and explored some of the notable tourist attractions.

Decoration no house *really* needs. Look closely!

Day 23: Wednesday, Sept 9… We opened the shutters this a.m. to black skies, a brilliant pyrotechnics, and walls of water being hurled against the windows. Every cyclist’s dream! Forecast says this is our life today and tomorrow. The reality of riding in rain is not nearly as bad as the thought of riding in the rain. So we packed, dressed, and headed south during a lull. Sure enough, an hour later we had stowed our rain gear and rode a southbound wind train.

The rain did stalk us throughout the day, and finally caught us as we reached the outskirts of Montagnana. We used another lull to make a quick inspection of the town.

From small Roman village, to impregnable middle age city. The walls around Montagnana are among the best preserved in all of Europe…*so I’m told.*

Day 24: Thursday, Sept 10… The Po River valley is broad, flat plain stretching across almost all of northern Italy. These fertile lands fed a growing Roman empire, and were the basis for wealthy and powerful northern Italian dynasties. They are still well used today. While not the most scenic, it has been a pleasant (and flat) few days to get our cycling legs back.

More of the same today, with two noteworthy events. Back in the day, a bridge acoss the Adige River near Montagnana was important enough for Rome to station troops to protect it. In 586ad, a massive flood rerouted the river. Today, ten miles south of Montagnana, we crossed the Adige. That must have been some flood.

Later, we rode along and finally crossed the Po River. It has clearly been affected by the drought and heat wave that has devastated the rest of Europe this summer.

In the 1300’s, the people of Ferrara were exhausted by famine, hunger and oppressive taxes. Anger toward their ruler boiled over in a bloody riot. The ruler, Niccolo d’Este, did what any good ruler would do. He saw their suffering, heard their complaints, and built a castle to protect himself from his people. Brilliant!

Between bouts of rain, we wandered the narrow streets searching to quell our own hunger.

Day 25: Friday, Sept 11… More flat. Unfavorable winds. Traffic. In an effort to find less traveled roads … we may have overshot!

Nice stretch of singletrack – perfect for load touring bikes.

Eventually the forest paths dumped us out onto the frantic streets of Bologna. It was a bit jarring! While drivers have generally been very considerate of us, the raging hormones were on full display on the city streets as drivers competed with other. It was a relief to get to our quiet little corner of old town.

Our relief quickly faded. Soon after stopping, I noticed an oil puddle under my bike. My “indestructible”, “bulletproof”, “ride around the world” Pinion drive left a big, steaming dump for me to clean up! In plain English, an internal seal seems to have ruptured. Important lubricating oil is suddenly no longer in position to do what it is supposed to be doing.

I had identified a problem. The bigger question is “Now what?”

Day 26: Saturday, Sept 12… I made good use of my normal insomnia to research “Now what?” There were no good answers. By all accounts, this requires a professional fix to avoid ruining the drive. OK. A trip to and from the Pinion factory to fix naughty drives takes six –ish weeks on average. Perhaps you see the problem. Without a working bike, or a way to fix it in a timely fashion – our trip is over!

No sense wallowing in self-pity over a 1st world problem. We had a city to explore! For two hours Rafaela led us around a bustling historic city center. Some interesting tidbits from our walk.

-Most important! Spaghetti Bolognese is NOT a Bolognese dish. Dont’ ask for it here unless you wish to receive scorn and derision! You want tagliatelle with ragu.

-All 24 remaining towers in central Bologna are leaning. (Take that Pisa). Only one needs help to make sure it continues standing.

-Bologna is home to the oldest university in Europe. If memory serves, seems like we have visited several “oldest universities”.

-The city fathers established legal prostitution in one location in the city. When Napolean and the French conquered the city, they moved the red light district across the street from the university. Did I mention only fabulously wealthy noble’s sons could afford university?

A few of the cities famous and plentiful portici *(plural of portico)*

After our tour and lunch, we addressed the elephant in the room. What now? Just fly home? Rent a car, stash bikes and road trip? Stash bikes and roam via train? Rent a bike? All options come with significant pros and cons. We both are riding an emotional roller coaster. Sorry to leave you all with a cliff hanger, but as of right now, we are still trying to figure out our next steps.

As we have reminded ourselves, ultimately it’s all good. We’ve had an amazing month in Italy so far. We are blessed beyond belief to even have options. As with much of our “no plan planning”, we will probably be just as surprised as you by how the next weeks unfold. Until then…STC.

Italy 2026 – A Human Powered Bella Vita #3

On September 6, 2026September 6, 2026 By KBGearDaveIn Backpacking/Hiking Stuff, Mountain Stuff, On the Road1 Comment

August 30 – September 5, 2026

Day 14: Sunday, August 30… Work smarter not harder. I heard that somewhere. We smartly booked a night in the Hotel Costabella in San Pelligrino. Luxury! It was so nice it was almost embarassing. It even had a spa and hot tub. Since it was apparently “clothing not allowed”, we passed. All but one rifugio/hotel for this trip is “half-board”, which means dinner and breakfast are included in the (eye watering) price of the room. Costabella was on a different level. We reveled in flavors heretofore unexplored. The quantity and quality of both dinner and breakfast left us well fueled for a big day.

We also smartly jumped on a gondola to save 1,000 feet of climbing. It made sense given that our goal for the day was Rifugio Mulaz, one of the more remote places along the AV2. Early on we wandered through alpine meadows. By afternoon we left vegetation behind and entered a world of rock and scree. Every ridge we topped revealed another higher still. Words cannot express our joy at reaching our goal. Hard to imagine a more stunning setting.

We were assigned tables for dinner and breakfast. We met Missy, a nurse from Eagle, Colorado. Naturally, half way around the world in one of the most remote huts in the Dolomites, we find we have a mutual friend. Missy works with a very good friend of our son and daughter-in-law, and ours as well. Small world indeed. Missy and her friend Robin, a Seattle couple, a British couple, Sharon and I had lively conversation that lasted long after our palty dinner. Side note: from all the Colorado people (12+ so far) out here, is anyone left in CO?

Also hard to imagine a less comfortable setting. We were assigned bunks in what became known as the “sardine room”. All eleven bunks were physically touching, which meant I slept closer to a stranger than I normally do with Sharon in our queen bed. The symphony of snores was spectacular. We had the “grumpy grizzley bear growl” snore. The steady “auto rumble strip” snore. Across the room someone added a higher pitched “revving crotch rocket motorcycle” snore. And according to my lovely bride, I added to the harmony with my heavy breathing.

Day 15: Monday, August 31…

In our home mountains, we generally cover a mile uphill in 20-30 minutes, maybe 45 if it is really steep. Our first mile today took us two hours of blood, sweat and tears – literally. Straight up, straight down then a traverse to a hell-spawned scree and boulder slope. This led to a via ferrata section on both sides of a pass extreme enough to bring Sharon to tears. That was the first mile.

1st climb – you see the obvious route, yes?

It became less death defying as the day wore on, but no less difficult. Most people we talked to were stopping after four and a half miles at Rifugio Rosetta (smart move). We stopped there long enough to refuel and wait out a passing rain storm. It was a welcome sight several hours later when we finally laid eyes on Rifugio Pradidali, our home for the evening. By every measure it was an improvement.

Pradidali was a big step up in comfort. We got settled and spent the hours before dinner enjoying somr drinks, the views and playing cards. Tonight at our assigned table we had two Italian climbers, a young American couple from near Denver (of course), and an Indian couple now living in Munich. Such a diverse mix of people once again made for lively banter.

The recent landscape has been beyond stunning. It is everything we were led to believe about the Dolomites.While we don’t mind working hard, the extreme difficulty has been a bit more than expected. We are both looking forward to a lighter effort day two days hence.

Day 16: Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 1… The route description from yesterday’s heinous section said this, “This remote and remarkable route is a delight!”. Hmmmm. The same guide describes the AV2 climb and descent beyond Pradidali as a “steep, rocky trail with some cables to assist in the more exposed areas.” That is followed by a 4,000′ “kneebreaker” descent that is “quite challenging with loose, moving scree“, and “some hands-on sections along the steep rocky track.” Doesn’t that sound special!

Might there be options? Without wifi or cell service to aid us, we went old school. On an old paper map from the rifugio we found an alternate path to the valley floor that skipped all the silliness. It was better than imagined. We still had a huge drop, but relatively easy by Dolomite standards. Lower down we strolled through forests and along streams. We traversed beautiful meadows. At one point we met the Denver couple from the previous evening. These young, capable climbers said the standard route was, “really technical and pretty sketchy!” Yeah us! We “chose wisely!”

Our day wasn’t over though. We still had to climb over the Forcella d’Oltro to get to the next valley. At times it was more like low-grade rock climbing than hiking.

Along this stretch of AV2, rifugio Cereda is the normal place to stay. We’d been unable to book a room and thus we’re forced to traverse some distance in the wrong direction along a barely beaten path.

Malga (mountain hut) Cavallera was worth the extra distance. It was modern, spacious, friendly – and eerily empty. We were the only trekkers in the dorm room! It was puzzling! But after the last few nights, we weren’t complaining. It was a glorious night of luxury.

Day 17: Wednesday, Sept. 2… With several hard days behind and a challenging trail ahead, this had been planned as a light day. We made the most of it. We strolled through the forest along a path recommended by our host. Three miles and a thousand some feet down we arrived at the tiny town of Mis. After a quick snack from a local shop, we allowed the bus to whisk us to the top of the pass and rifugio Cereda.

We came over that…?
View from the Cavallera bunk room.

Day 18: Thursday, Sept 3…

As often happens on a through hike like this, we’ve fallen in with a group moving in the same direction and staying at the same rifugios. Anxiety levels were high at rifugio Cereda. We all faced a climb of 2,600 feet in a mile and a half. If you haven’t been in the mountains there is no way to describe how steep that is.

Turns out it was insanely steep, but not quite as bad as we all imagined. This ended up being our biggest elevation day of the trip. But that was not what made the day memorable. Our little United Nations tribe leapfrogged each other throughout the day. Everyone was cheery and encouraging. The scenery, as always, was Dolomite stunning. The setting of rifugio Boz was postcard perfect. After an ok dinner, almost everyone moved outside to chat and watch the colors fade behind the peaks. By all accounts, it was a very good day.

Smiles all around at the top of the big climb

Day 19: Friday, Sept 4… One last big day on the trail. Many in our group are hiking the nine challenging miles from Boz to rifugio Dal Piaz. Several others are continuing another three miles to the small village of Croce d’Aune to catch a bus into Feltre. We are in the first group.

The mountains today had a very different feel. There was the usual dose of straight up, and jagged peaks. For most of the day though, we were immersed in the color green. Meadows and even the peaks were cloaked in a mantle of greenery. In spite of the hard work, we arrived early at Dal Piaz and shared some final beers with those who were contingent one. Definitely a bittersweet day.

It was a perfect last evening. Members of our tribe arrived through the afternoon and gathered for happy hour on the “patio” of Dal Piaz. I moved inside and chatted with Frank. He was the older half (74) of the pair of Irish mountain goats who were racing around the Dolomites like it was a stroll in the park. At dinner we sat and chatted with our Austrian mother/daughter and young Dutch/German couple. Fascinating people all. BTW – the mushroom and speck lasagna was to die for! The second course was beautifully prepared beef and potatoes. Dessert was apple kuchen with vanilla creme. Well played Dal Piaz!

Day 20: Saturday, Sept 5… The small town of Croce d’Aune looked like a tiny scale model village 3,000+ feet below. At this point in our hike, it required no special effort to make the descent. We did enjoy the whimsical wooden sculptures scattered along the trail. We arrived in time to enjoy one of many “final” gatherings of the tribe before the bus to Feltre arrived.

Austria, Netherlands, Germany, UK, U.S., Aussie. What a great, fun , wonderful group.

Final thoughts: The Dolomites delivered! We wanted beautiful mountains – check! We wanted a challenging hike – CHECK!! We hoped to meet interesting, like minded individuals – definitely check! We looked forward to the huts and the luxury of not hauling camping gear and food – ummm, sort of check? I think we envisioned a somewhat more leisurely stroll with time to enjoy a beer and lunch at a rifugios along the way. In reality the trail was so hard we typically did not have the time or mental bandwidth to dawdle. And it was often cool/windy/cloudy enough that a lengthy stop for lunch wasn’t especially appealing. The huts and hotels ranged from “OMG can you believe how nice this is?” to “adequate” but always in amazing locations.

The big question is always – would we do it again? The qualified answer is probably yes. But now with one hut to hut under our belt, I think we would be more discerning. We would aim for beauty as always, but also something a bit more … relaxed. But that’s for another day. Now we have biking plans to make and a whole country to explore. Until next week Seize the Carp!!

Italy 2026 – A Human Powered Bella Vita #2

On August 30, 2026August 30, 2026 By KBGearDaveIn Backpacking/Hiking Stuff, Mountain Stuff, On the Road3 Comments

August 23 – 29, 2026

Day 6: Sunday, August 23… A long day yesterday left us with a mere dozen miles to reach Feltre. That was by design. We wanted adequate time to organize gear and nail down transportation for our travel day tomorrow. Success on every front. It was beautiful riding along the Piave River.

These folks are serious about their relaxation

The last few years have offered up a crash course on navigating public transport. So far we’ve only been kicked off one train and gotten into an argument with one bus driver (I’m especially proud of that one – since it was in Spanish). Which is all to say we finally ended up with the means to get from point A to B … we think. Tomorrow will tell the tale.

The rest of the afternoon was equally productive. We sorted gear. We packed excess gear and found a safe home for our bikes for the next two weeks. We feasted on another grocery store dinner. We even had time for a walk around the neighborhood before settling in for the night.

In two weeks we will walk down from those peaks

Day 7: Monday, August 24… Forty one years ago Sharon and I said “I do” to a life of adventure together. And what a wild ride it’s been – and continues to be! How apropos that we celebrate our special day in a charming city in the heart of the Dolomites of northern Italy.

It took six hours, three different trains and a bus criss-crossing the Italian countryside to get us from Feltre to Bressanone. Well worth it.

The final leg of our “travel day” journey

Tomorrow we head out (up) into 100% chance of rain and thunderstorms to begin our twelve day trek back to Feltre and our bikes.

Day 8: Tuesday, August 25… It was a day! One hour of bus and gondola travel saved us 6,000′ of climbing. (Good idea!) Hiking in the clouds and rain? (Meh!) Amazing views when the clouds broke (Outstanding!) Confusing trails and signage, especially in impenetrable fog (Could be better!)

Overall – it was an amazing day in the Dolomites. Whenever the clouds lifted, we were treated to sublime views. All around were peaks, ridges, spires and valleys. We met interesting people along the trail and in the rifugio.

At one point during the day, a dozen cows and an equal number of hikers all took the same narrow trail. That worked fine until the cows figured they’d gone far enough. Gridlock ensued.

Chaos and confusion reigned, until one brave cow led the herd to a slow vehicle pullout. All hikers safely passed and order was restored to the forest.

Cows weren’t the only thing making life difficult. On again off again misty rain was a bother. It was a long uphill grind did the most to wear us down.

We topped out in a soupy fog. However, as we made the final traverse to the Schleuter Hutte, the clouds parted. We were given a tiny preview at what we have to look forward to on clear days.

Our first night in a rifugio was mixed. Staff was super good at organizing the chaos of many dozens of hikers seeking food and shelter. Excellent food and conversation around our communal table made the evening fly by. The downside is that rifugios are busy, boisterous places with very little privacy. Eight of us shared a tiny room. As son Kevin commented, “So you’re saying the old college cram isn’t really your jam anymore?” Very astute grasshopper.

Day 9: Wednesday, August 26… Sharon and I have done some hiking. We know what distances and altitude we can handle. We used that experience to plan this hike. Turns out we may have underestimated the difficulty of hiking in the Dolomites. This day was a butt kicker.

This little gem was our second climb of the day

But wait, if you order now we’ll throw in an extra set of gnarly climbs at no extra cost!

Kind of unseemly complaining about hiking when we’re wandering through this landscape… so we won’t. Suffice to say we earned every one of these views.

One measure of the popularity of these hikes is that all lodging on the trail had been completely booked in February. We detoured off trail several miles to Badia to reach our hotel for the night.

Day 10: Thursday, August 27… “We didn’t see that coming!” We knew it was going to be a big climbing day – over 4,000′ vertical. For comparison, you gain 3,300 vertical feet climbing Humphreys peak outside Flagstaff. Getting to the top of Engineer Peak north of Durango involves 2,200′ -ish feet of uphill travel. What we did not expect was hundreds and hundreds of feet of via ferrata climbing. It wasn’t a designated via ferrata route…just the regular trail. We both enjoyed the challenge, but it was much steeper and harder than anticipated. Our motto for the day “We’re not slow! Its just slow going!”

We also did not expect surrounding peaks to be hidden behind a thick haze. We assumed forest fires were to blame. Apparently “high summer temperatures and humidity frequently trap moisture and fine particles in alpine valleys, creating a milky or hazy obstruction around high mountain passes.”

The haze did not do any favors to the Sella massif. We spent much of our day passing through this luna landscape. It was interesting, but…unimpressive. The last bit of “meh” came after Rifugio Boe. A gondola deposited hordes of daytrippers at elevation only a few miles from the rifugio. We found ourselves in almost unbroken conga line stretching in both directions. I

With age comes wisdom. We followed the conga line to the top of Sass Pordoi tram, flashed some plastic, and miraculously were transported thousands of feet to the valley below. Brilliant!

Day 11: Friday, August 28… Fun facts. The road over Passo Pordoi was built in 1905 to open the area to tourism. This second highest pass in the Dolomites has been featured in the Giro d’Italia bike race over forty times, and four times as the finish line. During WWI, brutal fighting took place between Italian troops and Austrian-Hungarian forces. The high peaks and ridges of this area served as the front lines. Hard to imagine.

Statue honoring famous Italian cyclist Fausto Coppi. He won the Giro d’Italia five times.

Our Italian word for today is “Ventoso” – “very windy” perfectly describes our day today. We had a very civilized six mile hike from Pordoi pass to Fedaia pass.

Yes, there was still plenty of elevation, both up and down, but more gradual. The trail was better. We exchanged yesterday’s lunar landscape for verdant valleys and honrst to goodness glaciers! It was all good, except for “ventoso”. Wind gusts were strong enough to literally blow Sharon off her feet. It was ventoso enough to require shouting within a few feet of each other to be heard. As we passed Fedaia Lake, gusts would drive freight train walls of spray the length of the lake. Other times, downdraft microbursts would hit the lake and explode – sending up huge plumes of spray. Wild. We were happy to arrive early at our rifugio.

Civilized hiking with the Marmolada massif and glacier in the background.

Fun fact. The barely visible Marmolade glacier has shrunk by 90% in the last century. In WWI, the front lines actually crossed the much larger glacier. Austrians actually carved out and built an “ice city” inside the glacier. As the glacier melts, war artifacts are still being found. Now you know.

Day 12: Saturday, August 29… Rifugio Fedaia seems to be a family run affair. The accommodations were very nice. The food was excellent and plentiful. The family in charge were grim and grumpy. Somebody doesn’t love their job.

I feel like we hit our stride today! Caught the local bus and skipped three miles of trail that just followed the road three miles down to the bottom of the valley. We hiked today with youngster Marwen from the Netherlands. He was born there, but his family came from Morocco and Tunisia. When he is not squeezing adventures into his busy schedule, he works part time while attending pharmacy school. Our conversations made the time pass quickly.

And just like that we had topped out at over 9,500′. We joined an organized group at a small summit. It included a young woman from Chicago, two Irish lasses, Brits and Kiwis. Before the trip they were complete strangers. “Now we know everything about each other” they said. Clearly they were having more fun than humans should be allowed. We also ran into Leo and Abby from Denver. We’d spent several hours in their company on night one. Felt like running into old friends. Funny how that happens on the trail.

A quick hike down (with one quick stop for a rifugio beer) brought us to San Pellegrino and our lodging for the night. We said good-night to Marwen with every expectation that we will cross paths again.

Tonight is our last hotel of our trip. Except for the first night, we’ve ended every day and spent our nights where a busy road crosses a popular pass. Going forward, it looks like we will be in rifugios in a more remote region. In fact we may not cross a road again until we reach Feltre at the end. We’re looking forward to it. Our trip in the Dolomites really hasn’t felt like a “through hike”. It has felt more like we are doing a series of day hikes connected by posh accommodations. I suspect that feeling will change.

But that’s to be seen, and of course we will let you! Until then, seize the carp people!

Italy 2026 – A Human Powered Bella Vita.

On August 23, 2026August 23, 2026 By KBGearDaveIn Backpacking/Hiking Stuff, Biking Stuff, On the Road5 Comments

August 18 – 22, 2026

Day 1: Tuesday, August 18 … Travel.

Day 2: Wednesday, August 19 … Benvenuti in Italia!! Fifteen hours from DRO to DFW to VCE (Venice, Italy). Even though we do this on a regular basis, there is nothing like the stress of “Did I remember to pack…?” “And “Is everything ready for us to be gone for two and a half months?” Or, “Our flight is delayed! What happens if we don’t make our connection?”

Like every other trip, we answered those questions, and a hundred others. Yes, we brought everything we need. Yes, life will go on in our absence! Yes, we made our connection in spite of the delay. And, thanks to Sharon’s excellent find, we changed our flight at the last minute to use miles and get extra comfy seats in Economy Plus. Luxury!All our gear arrived undamaged and in a timely fashion. And in spite of Komoot once again trying to kill us, (we should know better), we arrived downtown, mainland Venice a few hours after noon (4am Durango time).

We spent a leisurely afternoon dealing with jet lag and planning our time in one of the world’s most visited tourist sites during the busiest time of the year. It will be interesting.

Day 3: Thursday, August 20 … At its height, the Roman empire stretched from modern day Iraq in the east, through northern Africa, to Spain in the west, and as far north as England. It included all of modern day Europe. Imagine watching greedy, arrogant, incompetent, corrupt leaders piss it all away. I know, hard to imagine. As that once mighty empire deteriorated, people living near modern Venice were subjected to constant attacks and raids by ‘barbarians’ from the north. It was so bad that people found it preferable living in reed and mud houses built on stilts miles from shore in the marshy lagoon. Eventually, those resourceful (and now safe) settlers drove millions of logs straight down into the mud of the lagoon to serve as a solid base to build on. This is Venice’s origin story. Much the same is true of the nearby islands of Murano and Burano.

From those humble beginnings, Venice grew to be a trading and naval powerhouse. That time also passed. Now Venice deals with different invaders. Every year thirty plus million suitcase toting, selfie sticking tourists overrun the city.

We arrived, sans suitcase or selfie stick – but we arrived as part of the tourist hordes all the same. As Sharon has aptly observed “popular places are popular for a reason.” I get Venice’s popularity. It is cool. It is unique. Narrow alleys and canals weave and jog between charming buildings all very much showing their age. The canals, large and small are not just a tourist attraction. They serve the very real function of moving people and goods to around the city.

Since there was no way around being part of the hordes, we at least tried to be smart about it. We arrived early. We enjoyed seeing the major attractions, and then wandered far off the well beaten path. We spent the afternoon visiting the islands of Lido, Murano and Burano. It was interesting, and enjoyable. By late afternoon though, jet lag and tropical conditions had worn us down. We retreated to our air-conditioned room on the mainland for an early night.

Day 4: Friday, August 21… As veterans of a whole day of touristing, we employed a different approach this morning. We hopped of the bus directly onto a vaporetto – the everpresent water ferries that ply the waters all around Venice. These also happen to be part of our two day Venice transit pass. The #2 took us around the north and west sides of the island. We hopped off when the spirit moved us to explore an interesting looking area. We wandered down tiny alleys, into courtyards and along canals. Another vaporetto took us down the main canal to the bus station midday, as the rain showed no sign of stopping. We weathered the thunderstorms from the comfort of our room.

By early evening the storms had passed, so back to Venice we went. We spent the evening strolling, people watching (a favorite pastime), and sampling food and wine. As we walked, it struck us – in spite of the tourism, Venice is a real city! Well duh! No really. Many historic cities appear to be hollowed out shells. The only “residents” are tourists in short term rentals. Many seem more like Disney attractions than places where people live and work. We found neighborhoods in Venice where people hung out their laundry, walked their dogs, watched kids play, walked home past graffiti covered walls with their grocery carts, and stopped to chat with friends along the way. Regular folks living regular lives on their amazing, historic, rundown, unique island – that’s the Venice I will remember.

Day 5: Saturday. August 22… Our plan: spend two weeks hiking the Alta Via 2 in the Dolomites. The hike begins in the town of Bressanone, and ends in Feltre. We made arrangements to spend Sunday night at a guest house in Feltre. Monday morning we will take a train to Bressanone. The guest house owners have agreed to store our bikes until we return. Our goal today is to ride into the Dolomite foothills to the small town of Quero.

We put the ocean and Venice in our rear view mirrors and headed north. For most of the day we managed to find lovely, quiet backroads. Even on the busier roads, Italian drivers do not deserve their reputation for being aggressive and reckless. Everyone was courteous and considerate. The Sun was not so nice. It forced us to make regular shade stops to keep from overheating. How rude! Still, our first day of biking was a success. We reached Quero. Found dinner at the local market. Rinsed a gross amount of salt off our bodies. And enjoyed our evening in this charming mountain town.

It feels good to be on the road again. There are lots of moving parts with this trip, and we’re grateful everything has gone smoothly – for the most part. This next week will see us begin traversing what already looks like some amazing terrain. Until then- Seize the Carp!

Also…Sharon has started posting to Polarsteps. If you follow her, you not only get her side of the story, you get a little sumpin’ sumpin’ every day.

Follow Sharon Neubauer ‘s trips at https://www.polarsteps.com/SharonMoore234?referral=true

Asia 2026 – The Road Less Traveled #2

On January 10, 2026January 12, 2026 By KBGearDaveIn Biking Stuff, On the Road8 Comments

Cambodia

Day 8 (Sunday – 1/4/2026): We started the day riding over the Kampong Kdei bridge. This particular bridge has been in use since the 1100’s. We passed several other smaller bridges from that same era as we traveled. Pretty incredible when you think about. That was also a sign that we were getting closer to the historic center of the ancient Khmer empire.

The other sign was the large English language billboard advertising tourist activities that have nothing to do with temples or ancient history. Yay tourism! One other visible change was a transition from open fields to forest canopy. The shade was very welcome.

We had our sights set on Siem Reap since leaving Phnom Penh. Two hundred some miles later, we arrived. It is modern, smaller, and less claustrophobic than Phnom Penh. Per our usual practice we sought out inexpensive, air-conditioned rooms after our steamy ride. Our chosen hostel, the Lub d’Siem clearly caters to a hip, young, cosmopolitan crowd. At last! We found our people! We ignored the admiring, envious stares from the youngsters who no doubt wanted to hang with cool oldsters. Instead we went upstairs and took a shower. We enjoyed some quiet time…and quite possibly a nap! “Party on Garth!”

Refreshed, we explored our little corner of the city. Street food vendors set up shop next to fine dining restaurants. Hostels jostled for space next to posh hotels. Higher end stores and T-Shirt shops all competed for attention. A quick stroll by the shops and hawkers was enough though. We grabbed dinner and headed back to the hostel to make plans for the morrow. Time to visit the ancient sites that have put Siem Reap on the map.

Day 9 (Monday – 1/5/3026): At its height, the Khmer Empire ruled not only modern day Cambodia, but also Thailand, Laos and southern Vietnam. It lasted from 800 to 1400 AD. The area around Siem Reap was the capital. Our excellent tour guides over two days did a massive data dump. Here is the brief take away. Khmer kings observed either Hinduism or an earlier form of Buddhism. Each king set out to build elaborate temples reflecting their beliefs. They built the largest and most elaborate for their own personal use. They built temples in honor of parents. They built temples for common people to use. Some kings wanted to cover all the bases and built temples with both Buddhist and Hindu elements. And often, when they died, successive kings of different faiths would deface the temple and change it to reflect their faith. And finally, ego clearly played a part. Kings seemed obsessed with trying to show that theirs was biggest! It can all get a tad overwhelming since there are over 300 temples within the Angkor Archeological Area. We were in a constant state of awe, looking at what people were able to accomplish with rudimentary tools, passion, ingenuity, and, one would guess, massive amounts of slave or forced labor.

Sok, our first day guide, gave us the history and context of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, and Bayone temples. Not only did they build on a massive scale, they also paid attention to the tiniest of details. It seemed every square inch was covered with decorations or details that added beauty and had meaning for those visiting.

Looking toward the Angkor Wat entrance from inside the complex

Carvings covered almost every square inch of the temple. Angkor Wat

Meditation and purification pool. Angkor Wat

Modern shallowness vs the deep spiritual significance of Angkor Wat.

The Ta Prohm temple is famous for making an appearance in the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie. It is also famous for the trees that grew up, around and through the temple. After the fall of the Khmer Kingdom the temples were abandoned and largely forgotten for centuries. Now these trees have become an integral part of the structure.

The Bayon temple was built with fifty-four towers. Each tower had the face of Buddha on four sides – north, south, east and west.

Of course no one knew what Buddha looked like. No problem! They used the face of the king as the model. Did the king mind seeing his face 216 times all over the temple? Did I mention ego?

Our day started early so we could experience the Instagram inspired Angkor Wat sunrise photo op. By 2:00pm we were back at the hostel and ready for some AC and quiet time.

Day 10 (Tuesday – 1/6/2026): Today tour guide Sam showed us several more temples. We heard more fascinating stories about the kings who had them built. Equally interesting were the stories Sam told us about himself and life in Cambodia. Because his family had little money, he attended a Buddhist school. It was more difficult than regular schools, but he loved it, and allowed him to become a teacher. He taught for many years before becoming a state certified tour guide. He made more money as a teacher, but loves sharing the history of his country and meeting people from all over the world.

The temple towers were built using a unique brick and stucco method. It failed and wasn’t repeated.

Speaking of people. Our group today was awesome. They hailed from Bulgaria, Hungary, France, China, Russia, Australia, and Seattle! The conversations between temples and at lunch made a great day even better.

We ended the day at the oldest temple in the Siem Reap area, built high stop a hill in the 800’s. Like sunrose at Angkor Wat, it has become an extremely popular place to observe and photograph the sunset.

Day 11 (Wednesday – 1/7/2026): The plan today was simple. Bike forty miles to a small village at the foot of Kulen Mountain. Next day explore Kulen National Park on top of the plateau and return to the small village for a 2nd night. We were excited to get get away from the city and back into the coutryside. However, as Poet Robert Burns famously said, “The best laid plans of mice and men gang oft aglee.” Roughly translated, “Sometimes things go to shit!” Sorry for the rough language but in this case – it is appropriate.

We were making our way north out of town. An adorable young man (Javid), possibly four years old, was riding behind grandma on her scooter. As they pulled alongside Sharon and Katy, Javid asked in perfect English, “Are you happy?” That led to the most precious conversation between Sharon and Javid that carried on for several minutes. It was a magical moment.

It was magic right up to the point where Sharon clipped a tree next to the road and went down HARD! Once the dust settled, Sharon was showing symptoms of a concussion. Her elbow was a mess. Clearly, going forward was not an option. At the very least we needed a place for Sharon to rest while we evaluated the extent of her injuries. Trooper that she is, Sharon managed to ride several miles back into town.

Google Map Streetview of the malicious tree

Steve pulled into what looked to be a luxury hotel and asked the price of a room. $40!!! Yes please! Turns out we chose well. The people at the Angkor Regency could not have been more helpful. One staff member helped clean Sharon’s wound. Another saw to our bikes and gear. The manager himself walked us to a small, but clean and modern clinic literally next door. He explained our situation to the staff and left us in their capable hands.

Sharon had X-Rays. Had her wounds cleaned and bandaged. Met with the doctor. Received some meds. Total cost: $65. That was the good news.

The bad news diagnosis: Pack your bags, you are going home! The concussion would get better with time and rest. The broken bones around her elbow would not heal as quickly and will almost certainly require surgery. We were gutted! Imagine being invited to a smorgasbord filled with unfamiliar, but delicious looking food. You sample a few items and are blown away by how good it is. You can’t wait to try more. Then someone pulls the fire alarm and you have to leave. Yeah. It’s kind of like that. We had just begun to sample all that Cambodia has to offer. We loved it! We were eager to try more. That was no longer going to be possible.

We also had a difficult decision to make. What does Dave do? It would be possible to get Sharon sorted and safely on her way home – alone. Katy and Steve were awesome through the entire ordeal and were willing to stay as long as necessary to help us. But they obviously were going to continue the journey. I could continue the trip with them. Almost immediately Sharon was pushing for that option. I would have their company all the way to northern Vietnam until they turned toward Laos on their way to Chiang Mai, Thailand. I could make a right turn and make a solo journey the rest of the way to Hanoi, almost per our original plan.

While Sharon rested and let her brain unscramble I did some soul searching. I had done a month long solo ride last summer. I felt comfortable riding alone. I very much wanted to continue sampling the ‘smorgasbord’. However, after a long heart to heart with Sharon, it was clear we both felt strongly about returning to this part of the world. Given the choice of continuing now or returning with Sharon, the latter is by far the better option. Sharon and I would travel home together.

Day 12 (Thursday – 1/8/2026): More tears today as we said good-bye to Katy and Steve. Thanks for the wonderful company on this too brief trip. Enjoy the ‘feast’! Watch out for trees.

We spent yesterday afternoon, and most of today organizing the details of our return. Would our travel insurance pay for our return due to Sharon’s accident? Thanks for your premium payments – but “No!” Can we rebook our Hanoi to Durango flight two months early out of Siem Reap instead? Without going broke on last minute tickets? “Yes!” Thank you United. To the front desk: can you help us arrange a ride to the airport an hour away? “Yes! We have a shuttle here at the hotel. Ratana will drive you. It is $35.” Well that was easy. How about bike boxes somewhere in town? “Yes!” Thank you kind lady at Cyclo Velo. And thank you Tuk Tuk driver somehow fitting me and the boxes in your tiny vehicle.

Thank you everyone at Angkor Regency for being so incredibly attentive and helpful.

Lavish smorgasbord breakfast (included with room)

Day 13-14 (Friday/Saturday – 1/9-10/2026): We left our hotel at 7am Friday morning. After 30+ hours of travel time and layovers, we arrived in San Francisco 14 hours later! At 9pm Friday night!!!

Rest – Ice – Elevation. Sharon is a good patient!

Not much to say about the travel. Turns out the world is a big place. It takes a long time to fly across the Pacific Ocean, and all the way to our little corner of southwestern Colorado. The longest leg was from Singapore to San Francisco. We spent fifteen hours in a metal tube. Everyone did their part to make it as pleasant as possible. At San Francisco we were even comped a room at a nearby hotel because of their inability to check our baggage through to Durango until the following morning. We didn’t sleep much because our days and nights are now backward. Even if we couldn’t sleep, it felt good to be supine, in a quiet room, with our eyes closed. We finally arrived in Durango on Saturday afternoon, 42 hours after leaving Cambodia. It was the very definition of “bittersweet.” Having to cut our trip short and leave Cambodia left a bitter taste in our mouths. It was definitely sweet being greeted with hugs, smiles and laughter from Oliver, Kiri, Aaron and Ethan.

Final Thoughts

We arrived home exactly two weeks after leaving, rather than the two+ months we had planned. That was massively disappointing. Yet – we recognize how fortunate we are to be able to visit a place few ever get to see, and travel in a manner that few people have the interest or ability to consider. As the BLE folks in Flagstaff like to say, “Don’t be sad its over, be glad it happened!” We are.

It’s all about the people. The world is filled with areas of great natural beauty. We regularly seek out those places. However, the enduring memories from our travels are of the people we meet. When I close my eyes and think of Cambodia, I see smiles! Big, beautiful, joy-filled grins. Smiles so wide it squeezes the eyes shut. I see the waves and hear countless lilting calls of “Hello!” We fell in love with the people of Cambodia.

Cambodia is a developing country. Google tells me the average income is between $250-$500 per month. Obviously, we were there a very short time. It would be the height of arrogance to assume I know anything about the country. It would be foolish to make generalizations. From the people we did talk to, from observing how people interacted with each other and with us, it sure seemed as though people were happy. I contrast what we witnessed in Cambodia with what I witness daily here in the wealthiest country in the world. We who have so much, find so many reasons to be angry and dissatisfied with… everything! It would be great to see in our country more of the concern for others, the kindness and generosity that is so evident in Cambodia and so many of the places we have traveled. I always return from these trips committed to let this little light of mine shine a little brighter. Let’s all do our part. Amen. Here endeth the sermon!

That’s all for now! I sincerely wish I had more to share. As you might imagine, plans are already afoot for more adventures. And I will happily share as soon as there is an adventure worthy of putting pen to paper, as it were. In the meantime, if Cambodia piqued your interest, I suggest you get the Polarsteps app (https://www.polarsteps.com/login) , set up an account and request to follow “katy abrams Traveler” and follow Katy and Steve’s excellent adventure title “From Cambodia to Thailand.” This time we get to be the ones living vicariously through them, to see what we missed. It is good stuff.

Until next time, Be Kind! Be Generous! Seize the Carp!

Asia 2026 – The Road Less Traveled #1

On January 4, 2026January 4, 2026 By KBGearDaveIn Biking Stuff, On the Road1 Comment

Durango, Cambodia

Day #1 (Sunday – 12/28/2025): It seemed liked a good idea. Months ago, it seemed entirely reasonable to leave for a grand cycling adventure just three days after Christmas, and just two months after a lengthy bike trip in Europe. As it turns out, it’s been rather a lot to manage. Since returning from Europe we’ve wanted to spend time with family and friends here in Durango. It has been important to set aside time for exercise. There have been home and car repairs, as well as bicycles and gear to attend to. Unlike Europe, travel in Asia requires visas and preparation for border crossings. Speaking of border crossings, an active war zone continues to command our attention and actually dictated an earlier route change. Previously we’ve traveled with people we’ve met on the road. We are excited to be taking this trip with friends from Flagstaff, but that also requires coordination, and planning beyond our normal “no-plan plan.” To all this preparation, we added the happy chaos of multiple, large gatherings during Christmas with family and friends. Its been great fun. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It has also been a bit exhausting.

But now the day has arrived. After final farewells, we will make our way to the airport and thirty-one hours of travel. Durango to Denver to San Francisco to Hong Kong to Phnom Penh. In general, our plan is to ride north to visit Angor Wat. We will then turn east, away from the conflict zone on the Thai border, through Cambodia to Vietnam. We intend to fly home from Hanoi in mid-March. Everything else in between is TBD.

Day #3??? (Tuesday – 12/30/2025): It is never ‘comfortable’ coiling my body into airline seats, and lengthy flights always involve a certain amount of sleep deprivation. Still, it amazes us how quick and easy it is to travel half way around the world. And apparently, time travel is also possible. We left Durango on Sunday, and only thirty-one hours later landed in Phnom Penh on Tuesday! Somewhere along the way Monday went missing.

In spite of that significant loss, we did manage to negotiate connections and bureaucracy, with our bikes and gear, and arrived in Cambodia. One more place in the world Sharon and I never in our wildest dreams imagined we’d be visiting. After the usual formalities we had our bikes assembled and were on the road.

Although it was mid-day locally, our bodies and minds were several time zones away. We were eager to find our hotel and get some rest. As we made our way into the city of 2+ million people, Phnom Penh assaulted our senses! At first, rural agricultural smells combined with the odor of garbage and the fishy smell of the Bassac River. As we drew deeper into the cities’ embrace, masses of scooters and trucks added petroleum notes to the mix. They also added to the noise of construction, hawkers selling their wares, and countless smiling people shouting “Hellos!” The sights had us laughing, and our heads on a swivel. It is amazing what can transported on small motorcycles, especially when the “rules of the road” aren’t even a figment of anyone’s imagination. The only rule seemed to be don’t get hit. Beyond that, anything goes. We threw ourselves in with gusto.

At the Sim Boutique Hotel we showered, napped, and wandered out to explore. We took in the sights, tried mystery street food and a local beer. It was all fascinating, but our lack of sleep led us back to the hotel, and sweet, sweet, blessed sleep.

Day 4 (Wednesday – 12/31/2025): Imagine a person with a massive ego. A person who believes he is the smartest person in every room. A person who craves power, imagines enemies everywhere, and is surrounded by slavishly devoted followers willing to support and enable this person’s worst impulses. In Cambodia, that person was Pol Pot. Secret U.S. bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam war enraged and disrupted people’s lives across the country. That ultimately helped Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge come to power. From 1975-1979, Pol Pot’s minions carried out the brutal murders of anyone who questioned his judgement, or were identified as an enemy of his vision for a perfect Cambodia. Eventually, one quarter of the population died in the “killing fields.”

We visited the infamous Choeung Ek killing field outside Phnom Penh. It was gut wrenching, and one more example of what happens when hatred of anyone deemed “other” is fostered and festers.

The day started on a much happier note. Katy and Steve arrived around midnight. We met for breakfast and happily planned our day. What started as a sightseeing stroll ended with “Paul” carting us all over town in his tuk tuk. He showed us a side of Phnom Penh we would never have known to explore, and most certainly wouldn’t have experienced on our own. We visited the killing field, palaces, temples, and authentic restuarants serving up frog, octopus and peppers that melted my brain. We are grateful for that. The day ended on a sour note though. It appeared our new best friend Paul had taken advantage of our trust to do us wrong. It definitely left a bad taste, and we hate the take away lesson that we should be suspicious of people. It did not, however, ruin our day.

“I know! It’s so hard finding a decent duck!”

Under the colorful towel, she is working on intricate silk weaving

Day 5 (Thursday – 1/1/2026): Happy New Year! Although as I write these words, in Durango it is still early afternoon of New Year’s Eve. Here on the other side of the International Date Line, 2026 is off to a good start.

After taking full advantage of our hotel’s breakfast, we hit the mean streets of Phnom Penh. With an early start, we managed to get ahead of some of the traffic and high temps. The countryside north of town was much more sedate. Even on the busier roads, drivers seemed deferential to two wheeled vehicles.

Although different from the big city, the sights, sounds and smells continued their assault. Very little seemed ‘normal’ to our cultural norms and expectations. It was fascinating to observe differences, and to ponder the factors leading to different choices and norms. One thing was universal though. All day long, hundreds of times, over and over we were greeted with a joyful “Hellooo!”, usually accompanied by joy-filled, beautiful smiles. (Is there really another kind?”). It just never got old. It aso kept a near permanent grin on my face.

Forty miles after setting out we arrived in Ph’av. Camping is not really an option in Cambodia, so we took the scary step of leaving our camping gear behind. We are 100% reliant on finding guest houses. Here in Ph’av – no problem. We easily found some lovely rooms. Sixteen dollars got us a clean, spacious room, comfy beds, AC, and a cold shower. Perfect.

Later we joined the throngs of locals (not a tourist in sight) perusing the food stalls. I found a tasty Num Pao – a savory dumpling type thing. Sharon, Katy and Steve chose rice dishes. I think it may take us some time to get comfortable with our food options.

Day 6 (Friday – 1/2/2026): Kickstands up at 6:50am today. One day on the road and already the weather is a force that must be reckoned with. It was already in the mid 70’s (on the way to 90+) when we set out. The first fifteen miles were probably the most interesting as we followed back roads. For a time we were part of a mass migration of school kids on scooters making their way to class. We saw similar scenes repeated throughout the day.

With headwinds and heat, the day grew long. It was late afternoon when we fell into the cool embrace of air conditioned rooms at the Glorious Hotel. It was aptly named. Unfortunately, we had little energy to enjoy the exercise room, or the pool, or any other amenities. We were content with the shower and the bed.

Day 7 (Saturday – 1/3/2026): We’re starting to get the hang of this. Another early start. We happily accepted the gift of a tailwind for part of the day. Plenty of stops to cool off in the shade with cold drinks. For me – getting soaked whenever possible.

It took some coaxing, but she got in the spirit!

There was a subtle shift in the landscape today. Hard to really pin it down. More trees perhaps? Once again, no shortage of interesting things to see.

Fascinating process of making ambok… toasted, pulverized, and sifted rice plants.

We were quite happy to arrive at Kampong Kdei. It was another long day, and while I think we’re adapting well to the heat, it still takes its toll. After cooling off a bit, we wandered the street stalls in search of food. Tasty num pao and more rice dishes hit the spot. We had a great time talking to Nye who has just finished 12th grade. His goal is university in Phnom Penh to study to be a doctor. If he achieves his goal (I believe he will) he stands to earn $400-800/month. Good luck Nye.

A few thoughts as this week winds to a close. -Many places we visit have looked remarkably similar to Wisconsin, or places out West. Not once has that thought occurred to us here. We wanted different – we got it!

-People here are entrepreneurs. The entire distance we’ve traveled from Phnom Penh has been like one long, 3rd world version of Milton Avenue in Flagstaff. Literally everyone is selling something. There are stands and stalls everywhere! Everyone, it seems has a side hustle or is engaged in commerce. At the same time, everyone is chill. No hawking. No high pressure sales tactics. Cool.

-Cambodia is a developing country. As in many such countries, paying money for garbage disposal is a luxury. As such, garbage is obvious and ubiquitous. Disappointing for sure, but understandable.

-The smiles! Oh, the beautiful, joy-filled smiles! And “hello” from almost everyone we pass. How can you not fall in love with a country filled with people like this?

So on that happy note, I will conclude this post. Until next week, Seize the Carp!

Europe 2025 – Back Behind Bars #11

On October 21, 2025October 21, 2025 By KBGearDaveIn Biking Stuff, On the Road5 Comments

Switzerland, Durango

Day 63: Sunday (10/12/2025). Chris and Patricia took seriously their responsibility to show us only the very best that Swizerland has to offer. Truth is – we didn’t know what we didn’t know. They could have taken us anywhere and we would have been happy.

Ultimately we ended up at the Diemtigtal Nature preserve nestled next to a mountain called Wiriehorn. This was to be no mere hike however. We started with a chairlift ride part of the way up the mountain. We proceeded to hike completely around the mountain. It was a grey, dismal day in Spietz. Here in the mountains, above the clouds, we reveled in bright sunshine.

Back at the chairlift, we enjoyed conversation, cards and adult beverages. Fat tire rental scooters brought us quickly back to the bottom of the hill. Later we met back at the house for the evening ritual of a shared dinner and conversation with the flat mates. As we looked across at the countless peaks of the Alps, I asked if Gerhard had climbed many of the mountains. “Every one you can see!” was the answer! That included the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Especially impressive considering the “modern” equipment he would have used back in the day.

Day 64: Monday (10/13/2025). Another day – another hike. From the house it again seemed unlikely that we’d see blue skies anywhere. And yet again, our hosts had a trick up their sleeve. We drove up to the village of Beatenburg on the other side of the lake. From there, we hiked farther up – and through – the thick layer of clouds blanketing the valleys. It was another in a long string of spectacular days.

With all that we’ve seen in Switzerland these last ten days, it was hard to imagine finding anything better. And yet…we continued to climb until a sea of clouds below us filled the valleys and stretched as far as we could see in all directions. To the south the Alps spread from horizon to horizon.

Alpine Ibex were hunted to near extinction in these parts. Starting in 1906, efforts were made to bring them back from the brink. If our experience proves anything, those efforts have been successful.

Back into the soup. Last view of the big peaks.

Our long, last day in the mountains concluded with our home made pizza, apple pie, a Swiss dessert called vermicelles, and home made liqueur. Fun stuff.

Day 65: Tuesday (10/14/2025). This is the beginning of the end. In two days we take to the friendly skies from Zurich. Today a train will take us on the next to last leg of our journey home.

We did not waste our final morning in Spiez. As has been our custom, we first enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. Then we all wandered down to the lake to witness Patricia’s daily routine. Whenever possible, she starts the day with a swim. Water temps in the Thunersee this morning were a balmy 52 degrees. Air temperature – the same! Chris and a few other hardy folks joined her. Apparently there are health benefits. I’m sure it was “refreshing.” I was happy to count myself among the spectators.

We made a quick stop at a local cheese shop, then booked passage to Zurich at the local station. As our prepared to leave, we bid our friends a sad “auf wiedersehen.” This is now the third time we have reconnected and been able to spend time with cyclists met on previous trips. It is hard to fathom the almost infinite number of random decisions and choices that somehow led to Sharon, me, Chris and Patricia crossing paths on that particular quay, in that city in Turkey, on that exact moment. We consider ourselves incredibly blessed to have friends like Chris and Patricia in Switzerland, and so many others around the globe. I’m sure I’ve shared this elsewhere, but I love the comment from Tim Cahill. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”

Our arrival in Zurich and bike ride to the hotel were mostly unremarkable. What does merit a remark is Switzerland’s amazing public transport. Our train ride could not have been easier, or more comfortable. In Zurich especially, we were amazed by the masses who rode their bikes to the station en route to other destinations. Look at the picture below. Imagine the gridlock on the streets and the parking required if all these people were driving cars and trucks instead of bikes.

Commuter parking at the downtown Zurich train station.

Day 66: Wednesday (10/15/2025). Any flight home from anywhere in the world requires boxes for our bikes, and boxes for our clothes and camping gear. It is often a logistical challenge getting boxes, bikes, gear and ourselves to the airport. Fortunately there was a store selling bike boxes in the airport right next to our check-in gate. I took a quick ride to the airport early in the morning to check the route and verify that boxes would be available. All good on that front. We then made the rounds of local businesses trying to find something for our gear. No joy! Eventually I rode to a self-storage company to buy suitable boxes.

With those details settled, we rode the city tram downtown. When in Rome, right? We wandered the streets, poked around in a museum, and did all manner of touristy things for the rest of the day. It was pleasant enough, but the horses smell the barn. This close to departure, we’re now ready to just be on our way.

Day 67-68: Thursday/Friday (10/16-17/2025). We used our headlights for the first and only time on this trip. Sharon indulged my anxious desire to get to the airport super early. Predictably, everything went smoothly so we didn’t need the extra time. Still, it was nice not to be rushed. As has often been the case when we contemplate traveling twenty-four (plus) hours to get home, the thought of it was worse than the reality. The airlines were efficient. People, for the most part, were friendly and chill. And when we think about it for more than a second, the whole process is comically easy. So it was that in the wee hours of Friday morning we set foot in Durango and called this trip complete!

Postscript

The numbers: On this trip we cycled 1,600 human powered miles in 68 days. In Poland, Austria and Switzerland we used buses and trains to travel an additional 550 miles. Interestingly, in the last two weeks, we cycled less than 100 miles. We stayed in a relatively small area of Switzerland, and rather than cycling, we spent most days hiking. We tallied some fifty miles walking in the Alps. We split almost 50/50 between camping and staying in hostels, guest houses, and hotels. Uncharacteristically, most of our camping was in actual campgrounds. We only wild camped two nights. From Helsinki to Zurich, we passed through ten different countries. In the last few years, not counting the U.S., we have now cycled in 25 different countries.

Gear: No flat tires!! That might be a record! In February of this year I took possession of a new bicycle. It was built just for me by Eric Tomczak of Myth cycles right here in Durango. As expected, the fit was perfect. The pinion gearing and belt drive performed flawlessly. And best of all – no wobble from the front end. Last summer we replaced our aging REI Halfdome Plus 2 tent with their updated version. My concerns about durability were misplaced. It is holding up well, weighs less and continues to keep us dry. Couldn’t ask for more.

Thumbs Down on Old Town: The “Old Town” of many European cities is generally the original town site now surrounded by the modern city. Centuries old buildings rich with history and visually appealing often lie within ancient fortified walls. We usually made a point of visiting. We found that “free” historic walking tours were a great value. But we’re done now. We have grown tired of being part of the shoulder to shoulder mass of tourists shuffling along the streets. In many (most?) places, the history is a thin veneer, the beauty only skin deep. Inside those historic buildings one can browse the likes Versace, Prada, Rolex, Gucci, Hermes, etc. Short term rentals dominate the upper floors. We no longer wish to be part of the tourist “problem” plaguing so many areas.

People: Its always about the people! There are many appealing aspects about bike touring. Bikes offer the perfect pace to enjoy natural beauty as well as the towns and village we pass through. We love the physical exertion required, and seeing what our bodies are capable of doing. We love the simplicity of a minimalist lifestyle. But at the end of the day, it is always about the people. From all of our trips, our favorite memories and the stories we tell are about people we’ve met and friends we’ve made.

Now we are back home in Durango, blessed to be surrounded by family, friends and the mountains of Colorado. Thanks for coming along on this journey. Until we hit the road again (teaser: January in Vietnam) get out there and Seize the Carp!

Europe 2025 – Back Behind Bars #10

On October 12, 2025October 12, 2025 By KBGearDaveIn Biking Stuff, On the Road1 Comment

Switzerland

Day 56: Sunday (10/5/2025). We woke to a fresh coat of snow on the local peaks. A raw wind made staying inside an easy decision. Fortunately, we had nowhere to go today and all day to get there. This marks the first time on this trip we’ve spent three nights in the same place. Obviously, we love biking. But we’ve really come to value these breaks.

Other than a short walk during a pause in the weather, this was a true rest day. Sharon did some laundry and worked on Polarsteps. I finished the blog. We played cards.We talked about the past and planned for the future. We watched a movie, read books, and surfed. All very mundane, but appreciated all the more for its rarity.

Day 57: Monday (10/6/2025). Our friend Abby recently raved about the beauty of Lauterbrunnen. We trust her judgment, so we had high expectations climbing south out of Interlaken. Laiterbrunnen lived up to the hype.

We took time to get situated at camp and immediately went for a walk. Lauterbrunnen is nestled in the bottom of a long, narrow valley. Waterfalls leap from the top of cliffs. The end of the valley is dominated by glaciated peaks. It is clear from the faces we see that people have traveled from around the globe to enjoy these views.

Because of the deep valley, “sunset” for us happened at 2:45pm. With the shadows came a drop in temperature. It would keep dropping into the 30’s overnight. Fortunately, the campground has both an indoor kitchen area and a warm communal lounge. Perfect for cold evenings and frosty mornings.

Day 58: Tuesday (10/7/2025). We face an embarrassment of riches in Lauterbrunnen. How does one choose where to explore when faced with jaw-dropping beauty in every direction? We settled on a cable car ride to the Grutschalp station above town. From there, we climbed above timberline and spent the rest of the day in awe. We had seen the Eiger and Jungfrau from Grindlewald. From this vantage point, they were looming large directly in front of us. In addition, a whole array of jagged, ice encrusted peaks were on display. I think I will just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Day 59: Wednesday (10/8/2025).

The early bird gets to see stars and reflected moonlight. What a brilliant way to start the day.

Before any bike trip, a basic question needs to be answered. Is the goal to see a little of a lot, or a lot of a little? In other words, in a given period of time, travel a greater distance with more limited exposure to the culture, history, and scenery? Or, spend a greater amount of time in a more limited area, and get to know that area intimately. There is no right or wrong approach, just different goals.

On average, we tend a bit more towards “seeing a little of a lot.” This past week we flipped the script. We spent two days hiking around Grindlewald. We rode fifteen miles and spent three days in Interlaken waiting out a storm. When it wasn’t raining, we explored and hiked around town. Today is now our third day in Lauterbrunnen, a mere ten miles from Interlaken. In those three days we’ve taken three hikes. We have seen quite a lot of a relatively small corner of Switzerland. We’ve come close to hiking more miles than we’ve ridden. It has been an enjoyable change of pace.

Day 60: Thursday (10/9/2025). Four years ago we met a young, Swiss couple in Bodrum, Turkey. That chance encounter led to a friendship and six weeks of cycling together. In Cappadocia Sharon and I turned west towards eastern Europe. Chris and Patricia continued east for another two years of an epic adventure. In the years since we have stayed in touch.

From the beginning of our current trip our goal has been to visit Chris and Patricia in Switzerland. Today after a short ride from Lauterbrunnen, we finally arrived at their home in Spiez.

Chris’s great-uncle Gerhard (91) still lives in the home he moved into when he was three. He shares this large home with Chris’s uncle Simon, as well as Chris and Patricia since their return. We spent a lovely afternoon/evening chatting, drinking local beer, and sipping wine made from Roman era vineyards outside the back door. We feasted on raclette, a meal that is a celebration of Swiss cheese. It’s been fun catching up.

Day 61: Friday (10/10/2025). Our hosts both had to work today. Using their suggestions, we took a casual bike ride through the countryside. We sampled backerei in Wimmis. We came across a picnic area in the forest and stopped for a snack. We strolled the old town area of Thun. Back in Spiez, we prepared dinner and dessert. Once again the evening was filled with talk of travels, life on the road, as well as life at our respective homes.

Day 62: Saturday (10/11/2025). Whenever we think about traveling, we dream about days like today. We slept in. Enjoyed conversation over an extended breakfast. Eventually we made our way high above Gstaad. Chris’s extended family has had a farm in the hills here for as long as anyone can remember (perhaps 1561). This entire weekend, they were celebrating the cows being moved down into the valley for winter. As guests of Chris and Patricia, we were welcomed to the large family gathering. We were treated to a variety of cheeses, goat and beef bratwurst, freshly squeezed apple juice and wine. Desserts galore. And while we had no clue about the content of most conversations, we enjoyed watching the banter and laughter. The hospitality was incredible.

As people started to drift away, the four of us headed into the surrounding hills to burn a few calories. There just is no end to the beautiful scenery. While we’ve enjoyed our entire trip, the mountains of Austria and Switzerland have been our favorite. Chris and Patricia have been perfect hosts. We’ve certainly saved the best for last!

That’s it for this week. Until next week – STC!

Europe 2025 – Back Behind Bars #9

On October 5, 2025October 5, 2025 By KBGearDaveIn Biking Stuff, On the Road5 Comments

Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland

Day 49: Sunday (9/28/2025). Turns out our happy place is often a hard place. Our happy place is in the mountains. The Austrian Alps are making us very happy…but they are also very hard. We left Flirsch with the goal of crossing Arlberg Pass, twelve miles distant and 3,000 feet above us. Several moments had us questioning our life choices. But it was glorious! It was stunning! It was worth the screaming thighs of death and every drop of sweat! We found a shelterd place in the sun, sat back and just drank in the views.

View down the valley from the top of Arlberg.

Interesting note about Arlberg Pass. It is home to the largest ski area in Austria. There are 186 miles of groomed trails, 120 miles of lift served backcountry routes, and 97 lifts. The scale boggles the mind. A tiny portion of that terrain was visible from the pass.

While gravity can be a heartless wench, as soon as we left the pass, she welcomed us back into her warm embrace. We gave almost no thought to pedaling for twenty-four miles. All told, we had over fifty miles under our tires when we rolled into our campground in Feldkirch. Without a doubt, one of our more challenging – and satisfying days of the trip.

Day 50: Monday (9/29/2025). Looking out the tent door, a heavy blanket of clouds rested on top of the trees. As the hours ticked by, there was no sign of the predicted clearing. When the first evidence of a sun finally appeared, we’d left Austria, biked eight miles through Lichtenstein, and entered Switzerland. We realized none of this until we checked our progress on the map.

We were right back in our happy place as the clouds continued to part. The route followed a blissfully flat valley floor with peaks soaring above on either side. The last few miles hugged the shoreline of the Walensee. The views made the Swiss campground sticker shock slightly more bearable.

Day 51: Tuesday (9/30/2025). The rain played cat and mouse with us today. We being slow, geriatric mice and the rain being an athletic farm tabby, well versed in the black art of catching and toying with mice. That is to say, we got wet. Rolling into Pfaffikon, the nearest campground was twenty miles away in the next valley over. We opted for a night indoors.

Random thought: We love Switzerland … mostly. Our ride yesterday featured amazing scenery. What we could see of it today was just as nice. The bike path along the lake this morning was an engineering marvel and scenic wonder. Almost all our miles in Switzerland have been on dedicated bike paths or scenic backroads with no traffic. People have been friendly and helpful. All huge checks in the plus column. So where does the mostly come from? Sticker shock! $45-$50 to pitch our tent! Really? Yes, there are showers, but really?? With the price of groceries, we decided that now might be a good time to start a diet. It reminds me of the joke, “How do you become a millionaire in Telluride? Move there with two million and don’t stay long.” I know. Look where you are and what your doing. Stop whining! OK.

Day 52: Wednesday (10/1/2025).

“You’ve come far pilgrim.”

“Feels far.”

“Were it worth the trouble?”

“Ah? What trouble?”

-scene from Jeremiah Johnson

The first day of October. Fifty-two days on the road. With today’s forty miles added to the total, one thousand five hundred meandering miles from Helsinki. It feels far. We have had countless hours of low gear grinding, overcast skies, unrelenting headwinds, chilly days and frosty nights. We have had countless miles of beautiful scenery, miles of glorious downhill coasting, tailwinds, sunshine, and warmth. Today was unique, and yet very much like all the others. “Ah? What trouble?”

Over the mountains and through the woods, along rivers and through fields, we arrived at Lucerne mid-afternoon. It is lovely. It is historic. Its setting on the shores of Lake Lucerne and straddling the Reuss River is stunning. This will likely come across as jaded and unappreciative – but we’re kind of “over” the big, touristic spots. The street level shops of beautiful, historic buildings offer Rolex watches and Louis Vitton handbags. Yawn! Long queues of tourists (like us) shuffle along crowed streets, all snapping the same photos and selfies. Over priced food and drink are on offer everywhere. Clearly, loads of people were having loads of fun in a magical place. We very much enjoyed the hour we spent sightseeing. But an hour was enough. We happily moved on to our camp for the night.

Day 53: Thursday (10/2/2025). Dilemma. Grindlewald is home to the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau, famous mountains steeped in climbing lore. It would likely take two days of very hard riding to reach there. Current weather calls for two days of good weather. After that, three days of rain and snow. Solution: Three trains and half day of travel brought us to Grindlewald. A bonus of train travel was the pleasant company of a Swiss couple. They bought a day pass for the train, and were doing a huge, activity filled loop around their country – all in one day.

By noon, we were camped at the base of the Eiger. With blue bird skies. Unbelievable! We briefly pondered taking the gondola up to the Eiger glacier, but the $100/person price tag put us off. Instead, our fast forward gave us time to climb high up the surrounding hills to a point looking directly across at the Ogre. Cheaper, and much more satisfying.

Day 54: Friday (10/3/2025). Slushy water bottles and hard frost this morning. That’s our sign to head lower before the storm (and snow) come calling later today.

Traveling is its own reward and fills our hearts. Meeting other travelers makes our hearts soar. Dane’ and Louw are on holiday from South Africa. With their rental car, they are camping and day hiking their way across the alps. Their enthusiasm for life was infectious. A simple inquiry led to a lively exchange about places we’ve been, places we’d like to go, and adventures we’ve had. Dane’ and Louw were adamant! We must come to South Africa! Perhaps the universe is telling us something. In recent weeks, this is the third time we’ve been given a South Africa sales pitch. Well – why not? Of course, we did sing the praises of our little corner of Colorado. Like many of our other new friends, hopefully our paths will cross again.

Day 55: Saturday (10/4/2025). It was an easy (beautiful) fifteen miles downhill to Interlaken yesterday. After some overnight rain, we had a window of clear weather in the morning. We took full advantage. Without packs we took a relaxing ten mile ride along the Brienzersee. Later, we took a bench and watched as a steady stream of tourist carrying paragliders landed in a large green space in the heart of Interlaken.

One month ago Interlaken was home to the Jungfrau marathon. The route left Interlaken, ascended some 6,000 feet and ended at the Eiger glacier twenty-six miles later. OK! For those with slightly lower aspirations, there was the “Harder Run Race.” This trail race ascended 2,400 vertical feet over a very rough 4.4 kilometer trail system to the Harder Kulm overlook above the city. Just by chance, I found myself on this trail. I felt good and was rather proud of my time. The race web site, however, said that my time was the cut-off time for the slowest runners. Hmmm. Thanks for keeping me humble.

We ended the day, once again warm and dry as waves of rain washed over the city. Higher up, snow was accumulating on the peaks and ridges. We chose…wisely! Thus ends our week in the alps. Until next time – STC!

Europe 2025 – Back Behind Bars #8

On September 27, 2025September 28, 2025 By KBGearDaveIn Biking Stuff, On the Road2 Comments

Austria, Germany, Austria

Day 42: Sunday (9/22/2025).

I have no proof of this, but last night seemed like locals celebrating Salzburg. Today felt more like the tourist mosh pit found in every historic city in Europe. We’re torn. Just like everyone else, we like to see the sights. We also despise being part of the tourist hordes. It’s a figment of our imagination, but as cyclists, we like to imagine ourselves superior to the common masses roaming the streets. Although, as the saying goes, we’re not stuck in traffic – we are traffic.

We did stumble across a huge October Fest style beer tent. Well, not so much stumble upon as get drawn to it. We heard the music from blocks away. When we entered the tent our sense were assaulted by lively oom-pah music, groups standing on the chairs, steins raised singing drinking songs at the top of their lungs. What a hoot. What else to do but join the festivities. Well, the drinking beer part anyway. We started chatting with the family next to us. Many years ago, Herbert had done the bicycle Race Across America and had ridden through both Flagstaff and Durango. Small world.

Day 43: Monday (9/22/2025). We left Salzburg on a brilliant set of bicycle pathways. It is so nice not having to risk our lives on the “commercial strip” traffic nightmare found in every city in America.

G.L.O.W. Glamorous Ladies of Worldcycling

This morning we were given a slight reprieve from what was meant to be a wet day. We took full advantage. By afternoon, though, warm clothes and rain jackets came out. As temps dropped and the rain continued, a hotel started sounding attractive. What followed was a comedy of errors. Our first try was a self-serve hotel that could not get us a code to get into our room. After 90 frustrating fruitless minutes, we bagged it. Cancel that. Next, Sharon booked an inexpensive hostel in Bergen, three miles down the road. Oops! Turned out it wasn‘t that Bergen, but Bergen, Norway! Well shoot! Cancel that! Then we booked a nearby guest house. Oops. Nearby for a car, maybe. Turned out to be twenty-two miles away. In the rain? Late in the day? That was a nonstarter. Cancel that one! By then we were angry, laughing, frustrated, and slightly hypothermic. Sod it! We rode into town and checked into the first gasthaus we came to. We gagged slightly at the cost, but enjoyed lengthy, very, very expensive showers. Aaaah! The included breakfast the next morning helped as well.

Day 44: Tuesday (9/23/2025). We left Salzburg and connected with a popular cycling route suggested by Craig and Coralee. It was lovely and took us through some beautiful countryside. It also kept us at arm’s length from the mountains. After poring over the maps we decided to turn left and head into the Alps.

We hit our stride, and by 1:00 p.m., already had forty miles behind us. Thirty minutes after arriving in Kufstein, we were on a train heading another fifty miles to Innsbruck. Thankfully, the clouds cleared long enough for us to walk around town and get a glimpse of the peaks towering above Innsbruck.

Day 45: Wednesday (9/24/2025). Rain overnight meant a lazy lie in. During a few hour intermission, Sharon wandered Innsbruck and did some errands. I opted for an “easy” local hike – straight up a mountainside. Makes me wonder what manner of creature lives in these here parts! The views likely would have been amazing had they not been hidden behind a thick blanket of cloud.

Bit of a climb to get to the start of the climb

View across Innsbruck to the Olympic ski jump

The rain’s return gave us all the excuse we needed to laze around the rest of the day.

Day 46: Thursday (9/25/2025). Hard to know what to make of the weather. Based on the forecast, we prepped for rain again today. All day we faced ominous looking skies. We couldn’t help noticing the fresh snow on the peaks above the valley. Temps barely broke fifty. For all that, we had only the briefest of showers in the outskirts of Imst.

Feeling kinda “gangster” for crushing an 18% hill with the “comically” low gear on the new bike.

Forty miles after setting out from Innsbruck we arrived at Imst. We also arrived at the unmistakable conclusion…we chose wisely entering the Alps. Even with the colder temps and steep climbs, we love the mountains!

Day 47: Friday (9/26/2025). Woke up to heavy overcast and forty-three degrees. Come on clouds! We want to see the mountains. Also realized that a screw had worked loose – on my BIKE rack – not ME!

Fortunately I was able to dip into the parts bin. What could have been a royal pain was a minor inconvenience – and a good reminder to check the fittings occasionally.

Today we headed in the direction of Arlberg Pass. Thirty-four miles and four thousand vertical feet above Imst. A bit daunting. Not ones to be easily daunted, we slogged upwards. By mid-afternoon, we’d made it twenty-four miles and almost half the elevation.

My Suunto watch said that during two miles of climbing I’d averaged 2.1 and 2.4 miles per hour! Impressive right? That seems only slightly faster than the slugs we’ve seen crawling along. We did the math and realized we would not arrive at the top of the pass until 5:00pm. A bit late in the day. We had found a place to camp short of the top but weren’t thrilled to see snow in the forecast. Because this is supposed to be fun and we have no one to impress, we are now lounging in a spacious off-season hotel room.

Day 48: Saturday (9/27/2025). Over the last few days we’ve seen the snow line creeping down the mountainsides. Lovely to look at – especially in shorts and a tee inside a toasty room. Sunday looks to be a far superior day to bike over Arlberg, so today we’ve decided to celebrate “Explore Flirsch day.” Since that didn’t take long, we used free bus passes offered by the hotel and went a few miles up the road to Schnann. This entire valley is a hiker’s paradise. One of Schnann’s contributions was the Schnanner Klamm. How could you not want to do a hike with such a fun name?

Interesting “tiered outlet” flood control dam above Schnann

Cycling through the mountains this late in the season brings some added challenges. Yet, we have no regrets. We are in our happy place! Which seems like a wonderful place to bring this week’s adventure to a close. Until next week – STC!

Seizing the Carp!

Author: KBGearDave

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