July 7, 2023
Day 4: Millinge Klint to Ballen
It was our last morning cycling with Lukas and Marie and we at last had some calm sunny weather to enjoy together, for about 14 kilometres. Along the way we chanced upon a 5,000 year old burial mound and made a stop to investigate. These Bronze Age burial mounds are common in Denmark but this one was well preserved and it was even possible to crawl inside through a little passageway to where there were once dead bodies. Nice.
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We decided to continue the Spotting Things Game and Lukas jumped ahead when he spotted two of his remaining three things during an unscheduled detour into a town after I missed a turn on the bike route. It was a costly error that lost me the game. Then he even rubbed it in by sending me a photo of them all in a car park with a red Tesla later in the day.
We cycled to Faaborg together and took a break in a really fun park where there was lots for the kids to do, then said our goodbyes. From here we would be going different ways as they wanted to visit some islands before going home by train in a couple of days, whereas we had to press on eastwards. So it was farewell and see you soon, and hopefully we will get the chance to cycle altogether again. It’s really so nice to have friends with a similarly aged child who also want to travel by bike and it had been such a nice few days and so easy to travel together. Hopefully we can do it again one day.
Then it was just the three of us as we climbed a big hill out of Faaborg. Suddenly it seemed very hot and as Kevin took a nap in the trailer we even had to put the fan on over his head to keep him cool. Quite a contrast from the few days before and as little flies began to irritate me and the heat took its toll on each climb I even began to miss the wind and rain a bit! But in truth it was fine cycling and being out here with my family I had nothing to complain about.
We ended the day a bit early at a really nice campground. It was right on the water and with the weather Kevin was able to paddle in the shallows. He was in a really good mood now! As for me, I took the chance to go for a proper swim. I’m signed up to do an Ironman in less than three months and my training so far has been a bit sporadic. I had meant to bring my goggles on this trip but I had forgotten them. After about a minute of swimming without any I remembered all the jellyfish I’d encountered in Danish waters in the past and, completely unable to see anything under the water without goggles, I chickened out and headed back to shore. Maybe I’ll have a chance to swim in a lake one day.
The campsite was a great one with yet more goats to look at and berries you could pick, a playground of course, and a special area for tents that was just what we needed. It’s such a great place and Kevin was in a fantastic mood all evening, which is what makes this trip really worthwhile when we see what he is getting out of it. After he was tucked up in bed I went for a run in a nearby forest. It was my first run in over a month due to being away doing the Race Around the Netherlands and it showed. Actually it felt like I had never run before and it was a pretty pathetic effort for 15 inglorious minutes. Anyone seeing that would laugh at the idea of me being able to do an Ironman within 90 days. I guess it shouldn’t be my last training run of this trip then!
Today's ride: 36 km (22 miles)
Total: 150 km (93 miles)
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