Keith and I were expecting a fairly easy day. Hah! We had looked at an open cycle maps elevation chart, and things were looking good. We obviously didn't go the way they charted. We were up and down all day, like a yo yo.
Things started out with a ten jammer breakfast and a beautiful day. Our first few kilometres were steadily downhill and we were having a blast. The fun part never changed...it was a great day, but the climbing began, and an hour and a half in we had only gone about twenty kilometres. That is what climbing does to distance covered. The scenery was fantastic, as was the weather.
We were about twenty kilometres in at this point...and a great deal of climbing. The river was way down there. Keith was ahead of me taking this picture and I saw the restaurant. Are you kidding me? I practically rode my bike up onto the deck. I was stopping for sure! We had a lovely cold drink, and then continued to climb.
After our refreshing drink, we continued up the hill. The couple across from us on the deck couldn't believe we didn't have e bikes. I was starting to think an e bike might be a good idea! About 200 meters later, we lost all that elevation and went right back down to the river. This pattern repeated itself several times, but the views were spectacular. Keith kept saying that he was sure we were on the last climb. That really started to make me laugh.
The climbing did end though, in the small community of Ellmau. They were having a huge annual fall market. That slowed us down too! Our first clue was the parking lot full of tour buses at one end, and when we made it through, there was a matching parking lot full of tour buses at the other end. It was one of those really great moments, when you land in the middle of something that is a lot of fun. We had many more adventures throughout the afternoon, but they, and the pictures, will have to wait until the morning. As Keith just indelicately put it, the Internet here sucks! To be continued...
And now for the rest of the story. First up is the Octoberfest in Ellmau. There was live music, beer, beer and beer, more sausages than you could imagine, crafts, and people. It went on for ages. We loved it! It was even fun trying to push loaded bikes through all the people. Everyone was having fun, including ourselves. The people watching at this sort of thing is just so entertaining.
Approaching the town. We are just loving Austria. Note we are going downhill here, after another big climb. Keith had a dirt bike rider come around a tight curve at the bottom, cutting the corner, who had to make a wild swerve to avoid him. It woke both of them up! I don't think the motorcycle was supposed to be there in the first place.
Delicious brot. I am amazed Keith didn't take any sausage pictures. We were laughing the other night that we have more processed meat in a month in Germany and Austria than we do in a year at home.
After all the noise and chaos we found this tiny chapel with a bench and a view to enjoy our picnic lunch. Keith got up when we were done to look at the chapel and...
After that surprise, we were on the flat or downhill the rest of the way. We met some animal friends and had a great ride. Every village we went through was lovely. We were short on water and looking for somewhere to get some - it was 24 degrees - and stopped at a fitness center. Score! They understood the need for water and we were also getting to the point where we wanted to find accommodation. They suggested a lovely spot about 8.5 km. down the road. We really appreciated the help. They printed instructions and we were confidently on our way. Hah! The best laid plans...
Our water stop. Keith found a hockey rink. He was very excited. Really, he was. I was a little less excited about it. This was the last picture of the day.
Because then we had a wee bit of excitement. We arrived at the recommended Hotel, and guess what was parked out front? Yup, a tour bus. This time I was a little less amused when Keith came out and said 'fully booked'. There were three more properties nearby, but they had all closed for the season September 30th. Hmmmm. So we jumped back on the bikes and headed to the next community. We saw several closed Gasthaus'. They will all reopen for the ski season, but that wasn't going to help us. The next one we saw that was open had a tour bus parked out front. Remember that Octoberfest?? I wonder if that is where they came from. At this point I had resigned myself to biking another 50 km. into Innsbruck. We could have done it if we had to. We brought lights for night riding. Fortunately, around the corner we found a cute spot, and they had a room. I was so grateful! I think Keith felt the same way. We couldn't check in fast enough. We had the most delicious dinner in their restaurant, and so to bed.
Today's ride: 73 km (45 miles) Total: 1,670 km (1,037 miles)
