September 26, 2003
Friday Sep 26: Bled to Kranjska Gora: Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!
Cloudless again. So there was really heavy frost. So heavy in fact that at one point along my route through Triglav National Park, the puddles were frozen. Like my fingers. The fields were white, but it made them really interesting against the mountain backdrop.
The tourist information office had suggested a particular route for today, and they said the road was macadam - little did I know that macadam meant gravel. Mind you it was packed so the washboard road was kept to a minimum. I think over that period of about 15-20 km there might have been 5 cars. Very nice, and again with a huge canopy of trees towering above me and I saw deer, too. And keeping the warm sun from me. There were no homes, so it was pretty well Brent and the cattle and a few barns and hay-drying racks.
All the way along this gravel path/road I was slowly climbing, so when I emerged from the trees about 10 km from KG I had a hairy descent and was wondering if my brakes were going to hold - note to others pulling a BOB trailer through mountains: get disk brakes. Really. It would have been ugly if the cable had let go. I say the climb was gradual, but I must add that there was one point where the climb was 18% (there was a warning sign at the bottom with that number, so I suppose if you did not like it, you could call in a helicopter) and that was tough. I made it, but I took a bit of a break once I had done it. I think I am either taller or shorter because of it now (whichever one means I suffered some pain.)
The whole time there have been rocky peaks way above me as I come around Triglav and approach the Vršič Pass. From where I am sitting as I type I can see a bit of snow at the very top. I also heard that tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and the pass snowy. That might make things tough. I did not bring my skis or tire chains.
Forget looking for my own place, I went right to the i office and they suggested a sobe (room) and it looks again like a little alpine cottage with those flowers all along the front garden and in the window boxes (the ones I always forget the name of, but they are everywhere in southern Spain). Beautiful, and the landlady is so nice. She suggested I put my bike in the garage for safekeeping, then after cleaning everything up, I watched the BBC news in my room. Yes, there is a black plastic box in my room that talks to me. Its face is glass but it changes a lot with pictures of many things.
There is not much to do in this town, as it is a skiing and hiking resort town. I will not go hiking thanks, as I want to rest myself for it WILL be an excruciating day tomorrow. At least my planned stop is only 30-40 km away, and the pass is only 13 km away, but there is that altitude gain thing to 1 611 m that worries me!
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Today's ride: 40 km (25 miles)
Total: 1,611 km (1,000 miles)
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