In Afrikaans we have a saying "Hoe meer dae, hoe meer dinge!" I suppose the English version will be "more days bring more things!". Well the day started very interesting. After I had breakfast and paid my bill, I was on my way. The obvious thing to do was to go bsck to where I left the track yesterday. I do have the track on my Garmin and on my phone with the Ride with GPS app. Now the app wanted me to take a different route. I toyed with the idea to rather go back to where I left yesterday, but then, incorrectly, decided that the app probably want to take me to a shorter connection and therefore in a different direction. The different direction looked OK because it seems as though it would intersect with my track further down the road. One of the problems I did have was that the main track did not reflect on the app. Normally the part I have completed is reflected in red and where I am going in blue. Try as I may, I could not get the main track reflected. Only where I was going reflected. As the general direction made sence I proceeded down the road. I also checed the Garmin track and my general direction was fine. The roads I was on was quite beautiful, meandering through lanes of trees and fallen leaves.
After an hour and a half of cycling, I realised that I am on my way back to Tavaroni! I looked at various options and then decided that the best solution is the go back to where I left yesterday. When I finally got to that point, I have cycled 20 km and lost 2 hours!
Once back there, I followed the Garmin track. Try as I may I could not get the app to show me where I should go! The first part of the actual track was very rough and steep. No chance of riding it. It took me 24 minutes to cover 769 meters. Big stones and very steep.
When I got to the top, I was confronted with stinging flies and bramble bushes. It was a nightmare! Trying to cycle through bramble bushes which keeps on trying to "grab" me while I had to keep the flies away! Fortunately the flies were easy to kill, but it was quite a struggle managing them and the bushes. The bramble bushes abated fairly quickly but the flies kept on coming. If one goes fast enough, you can "out run" the flies, but due to the train, this was not an option.
By this time I managed to get the Ride with GPS app to show the whole track! The problem is that I do know what I am doing wrong! It just was there when I reloaded it for the umpteen time! Here is photo of what it should look like.
The flies an bramble bush problem lasted for quite awhile until I came to the top of a hill. The "jeep track" changed to a single track and I was cycling and sometimes pushing through a surrounding of trees and the ground covered with big ferns, just like the Knysna forest.
Eventually I connected with a good jeep track which once again followed the contour of the mountain. Every now and then I got a glimps of the sea, far away and again of small villages in the valleys.
This road meandered along until I got to a point where I picked up a conundrum. Ride with GPS indicated I must go on the right side of the hill and Garmin, left. There also was a Alta Via board which clearly showed left. I went left and saw I was off course according to Ride with GPS. Went back and tried right. Looked at the track and thought it through and decided to rather follow the board and Garmin. The track was very rough and very steep. Once on top it was an easy ride and connected with Ride with GPS around the corner.
The dirt track was in a good state, but had some very steep sections. The surrounding hills were covered with ferns which was a yellowish colour. Quite beautiful! I then got to a junction where four roads met, two with gates. I first tried the road without a gate, but that was wrong. I then went trough the first gate, but that was wrong too! The second gate, which led to the worst road, was the correct one. I now picked up another problem! It started raining lightly and my Garmin stopped showing my track and the app on my phone as well! This is a problem I have encountered before with the Garmin when it gets wet. Before this happened, the app did indicate I had to go down the bad road, so I did. After awhile everything worked again and I saw that I was on track. The rough track leveled put onto a good jeep track which once again followed the contour of the mountain, with a kicker every now and then.
I have had a problem getting "unclipped" from my pedals since I got my bicycle back from service. I managed this quite well by unclipping before I stop, but one or twice I did get caught out and did not unclip in time. This resulted in me toppling over. Fortunately this have always happened in areas where a fall did not create any problem. I had one such encounter along this road when my front wheel suddenly slid into a deep vehicle track in the mud. No damage!
I eventualy emerged from the woods onto the SP49. This took me to a junction where I found the Rifugio Passo del Bocco, but again they were full! They suggested I try Giaiette, one km down the road. This little town did not show much life, but I did find Green Riviera with an open door, with key in the door and nobody home. I first tried phoning but the line went dead. I decided that this was it. I am going to claim it! I saw a vehicle pulling into a house accross the road. I walked up to the driver and asked about Green Reveira. He contacted the owner, who once again said that guests are coming, but there may be a solution. He directed me to the owner of a bar behind the Green Riveira. Here I met a very helpful guy who was fluant in English. He contacted the owner of the Green Rivera who then got me into a dwelling next door.
What a day! Never a dull moment while cycling through Italy.
I had the most gorgious pizza at the bar! The story of Green Riviera was on the front of the menu.
Geen opmerkings nie:
Plaas 'n opmerking