May 19, 2011
Ornbau - Uffenheim: We cross a watershed
In the morning we followed the Altmühl bike path across the fields, just followed the signs, no need for maps or GPS here. The sky was Bavarian blue with puffy, white clouds.
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The flat ride took us through Oberfelden and Unterfelden on paths built for tractors and other farm machinery. We were actually gaining altitude, but almost imperceptibly. We left the Altmühl bike path, which continues on to Rothenburg on the Tauber, and here it was useful to have our planned route on our GPS. Small roads, beautiful countryside and sunny weather for most of the day made this an unforgettable ride.
We were surprised when we saw the countryside spread out before us - we were at the watershed between the Mediterranean and the North See. (I read this in my notes for that day and am surprised that I did't take any pictures of the view that I was so enthusiastic about.) We flew down the hills we didn't realize we had climbed.
Sometime in the afternoon we noticed black clouds following us. We hoped to beat them and that we would find a place for the night before the storm broke. We didn't quite make it. We had to take refuge under a tree for the worst of the downpour and in our rain gear we set out for the last 15 km. The rule is, if you put on ALL of your rain gear, it will stop raining. You then either sweat it out or stop again and take off all those items. We stopped.
I had never heard of Uffenheim, maybe because it's not on a bike path. It has a large historic center with half-timbered buildings and doesn't deserve obscurity. However, just as we arrived we got caught in a second downpour - we shouldn't have taken off our rain clothes - and saved sightseeing for the next day.
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Our hotel, Hotel Lichterhof, was very pleasant and moderately priced - 48 € incl. breakfast.
Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 259 km (161 miles)
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