Kalyves

May 5, 2018

Olamos is a bit crazy this morning. Quiet when we first come down to the restaurant at 7, by 8 the place is crammed with hikers, gorging themselves before the big gorge hike. Outside, several busses and taxis drive up and disgorge more troops - a hiking army is mustering, half an hour later they’ve all cleared out and it’s quiet once more.

Today’s ride will be much easier than yesterday’s of course, since we’re on top of the world this morning. Over breakfast I go over the day’s route with Rachael. Easy, for the most part: downhill for the first 20 miles, taking us nearly all the way back to Chania. Then we turn east and climb the stiff ascent to Malaxi that we climbed on our first day ride from Chania a week ago. After that we continue east and drop to the sea at Kalyves. Simple.

It’s comfortably cool when we head out to start riding this morning. With a 3,500’ descent ahead, Rachael decides she needs another layer and puts her coat on. About a half mile later, we discover that I forgot to mention that before the descent we have a 300’ climb to get out of the basin. She stops halfway up, overheated, and takes her coat off again.

Finally we’re at the top. Let the fun begin!

In Olamos. I’m always impressed that a shepherd and his few dogs can control so many sheep.

Leaving Olamos Plateau, layered up for the anticipated chilly descent ahead.

First, a small climb. Olamos is completely surrounded by high ground. I’m not sure why it’s called a plateau rather than a basin.

The goats and I share this lovely final look at the Olamos Plateau.

Now we’re at the top. The next inflection point is 3,500’ down and 23 miles away.

And fun it definitely is. It is a delightful ride, coasting down the convoluted road, constantly switching directions, trying mentally to tease out which route we will eventually take to break free of the broken mountainous landscape. There is little traffic, most of which is going the other way from us, back into the mountains - a few more busses of hikers, a few rental cars, and every so often an open bed pickup truck jammed with a dozen or so sheep.

The next ten miles looked like this - a fast downhill on a road with one crazy bend following another.

Yes, this definitely counts as fun in my book.

Still careening down Linguini Road. It’s still overcast at the coast, but it will burn off before we get there.

I’m not sure but I think this is St Dimitrios church striding the neighboring ridge.

Toward the end of the descent we come to Lakkoi, a small mountain village we’ve seen before - it was at the upper end of a day ride we took from Chania on our first visit to the island. It was interesting to me to reread our journal of that ride now, six years later. Two things impressed me - one was the amount of snow on the White Mountains then, in contrast to now - even though we were in Lakki on almost the exact calendar day. The other was the stark evidence of how much detail I forget over time. So much of what we’re seeing here seems so fresh and new, and it’s startling to be reminded that we biked down through the Therissos Gorge on our previous visit also.

Which is good, really - it means we can hope to come back to Crete again some day and still be awed by it as if we were seeing it for the first time.

I am sure of this one though: Saint Anthony’s Church, in Lakkoi

Continuing downhill, we soon level out, leaving the mountains and entering a green belt of orange, lemon and olive groves. For a few miles parallel the small Kalitis River, and then turn off at the road to Alikianos. We’re on a mission, looking for a bridge worthy of posting for The bridge challenge over on Cycle365. There aren’t many noteworthy bridges in Crete, and I was pleased to discover this one just yards off of our route. We would never have come across it otherwise.

The bridge over the Kalitis River at Alikianos. Built in 1908, scene of Nazi atrocity in World War II; my submission for the Cycle365 May Challenge of the Month.

A few miles further and we run up against the outskirts of Chania. Here, we turn east on the quiet rural road that we saw on our first day out of Chania, climbing steeply away from the city and gaining great views back on it. It was a challenging climb then and more so today, carrying all our luggage this time. Topping out at Malaxa, we gradually drop toward the coast again until we come to Aptera, our final stopoff for the day.

Aptera was an important ancient city, known to the Minoans. A few thousand years ago it was the most important city in Western Crete. You wouldn’t know it now though, because there’s not much evidence. There is a small, fairly undeveloped architectural site with a few ruins to be seen. We miss the most important of them, the amphitheater, because the site closes at 3 PM and we’re about a half hour after that. If Rachael hadn’t talked me into stopping in the village for a beer and ice cream first, we might have just made it.

Working our way down toward Aptera and rather coast. The inlet in the distance is Souda Bay, and the rocky promontory beyond is Cape Drapanos.

Cooling off before our trek out to nearby Ancient Aptera. I disagree with Rachael - it’s quite normal to mix beer and strawberry ice cream.

Alicia biennis, a relative of the hollyhock (credit:Andrea Brown)

From Ancient Aptera we drop back to the coast, enjoying a splendid view of Souda Bay. We have a commitment to arrive at our lodging at around four, so we’re a bit behind. Foolishly, I’m focusing on that and don’t stop to take a photo of this, or of the ruined Turkish fortress on a neighboring hill, or of the small island in the bay with a ruined Venetian fortress on it. For which I’m verbally punished the rest of the day by Rachael, who wondered why the hell I didn’t stop anywhere along the way.

Good question. It gives us a good reason to return some year . Always leave something behind.

My favorite shot of the day. In my quest to find the quietest route into town, I brought us to this 100 yard stretch of beach sand spanning two dead end roads.

I gave an audible gasp when we entered our room and our host opened the window onto the bay. Incredible blue.

Like many old Greek villages, at the heart of Kalyves is a taverna and a venerable plane tree.

The site of our celebration meal. The home sale finalized yesterday, with the proceeds posted to our bank account last night.

Bonus tracks! Rachael came in with two videos from yesterday’s ride that weren’t ready when we went to press:

Ride stats: today, 42 miles, 3,000’; for the tour, 284 miles, 27,200’

Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 328 miles (528 km)

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