September 29, 2023
Day 23: San Vito Chietino to Termoli
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A few more things happened during our campground stay. First, there was a mystery operation that seemed to only take place at night. Every few minutes you'd hear the clang of maybe a hundred or so bottles being dropped into a container. It riled up the neighborhood dogs, too. Needless to say, it did not make slumber an easy task. I do carry an eye mask and earplugs for just such occasions, but the noise (or light) has to be pretty bad for me to break them out. This was just below the threshold, for me, anyway.
We had a frog visit our vestibule. I like frogs. My dear wife does not. I have to admit that I don't treat her frog phobia with the seriousness that it deserves. So there was that.
Surprisingly, there were few mosquitos in the morning, but there sure were a lot of ants. Decent-sized clumps of them gathered under random items in the vestibule. Our tent, as long as we take care to keep the doors zipped up, is a sanctuary when nature gets all frisky around us. Near the beginning of the tour, it was uncomfortable, since the rainfly eliminates any chance of a cooling breeze, but the temps have dropped enough to where I'd much rather be in the tent when the bugs are biting.
I will say some more nice things about this place. The staff were a little rough around the edges, but they were very kind to us, which we really appreciate. Second, it was the least expensive campground stay we've had so far this trip.
This morning was going to start with a return to the outstanding Via Verde della Costa dei Trabocchi (I finally discovered its name today). The magic carpet ride along this rail trail lulls one into a false sense of security. You just know in your heart of hearts that this trail is going to last forever, that you will never have to navigate again, that you've literally found Easy Street. Bars to the left, restrooms to the right, picnic tables, shade, tailwinds, sun, ocean, public art, happy people everywhere. It's really too good to be true.
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The trail ended abruptly, or rather, it turned to loose gravel. I think it was actual rail bed ballast. Mountain bikers were tackling it, but we were whisked towards our good friend SS16, which has honestly been our savior many times on the Adriatic. We've been met mostly with good shoulders and good drivers. That being said, it's very busy at times, and is a royal pain in the ass when you have to cross it or make a left-hand turn on or off it.
We picked the trail back up a couple of kilometers down the road. We're still scratching our heads as to the story behind this missing link. It's not like there were any bridges or anything, at least not that we're aware of.
It continued for a ways. Just as I was saying something along the lines of being thankful that we didn't have to deal with cruddy trail conditions today, well, I jinxed it. We found ourselves on hardpack with a plethora of road-width puddles and mud patches. Then we made a dreaded left-hand turn up a steep rocky path.
This gave way to a less steep, and thankfully wider dirt path.
At the top were hints of decayed asphalt road, which was a good sign, but more importantly: THE VIEW!
At first we encountered farmland, which often means a bumpy road, but then the asphalt suddenly smoothed out and we encountered a penitentiary. We speculated that the prison staff somehow managed to get the roads department to improve their commute. As we passed the facility, I spotted a huge mural of Lupin III on the prison yard wall, which I found both hilarious and adorable. I took a photo, but the layers of fencing obscured it too much.
The country roads twisted and turned and descended to the sea, where much to our satisfaction, the deluxe bike trail continued. In the calm and ease of this environment, we reflected on how good it was to sweat and curse and whatnot in the morning while we still had lots of gas in the tank.
Soon it was time for a lunch break, but there were no markets to be found. It was slim pickings even among the restaurants. A lot of them were only open in the evenings. We settled on a bakery that had pizza slices available. We took them to a nice shady spot by the beach and enjoyed a light meal. In a million years I'd never think I'd type the words "light meal" in a bike touring journal. It goes against all convention.
In the afternoon, we alternated between bike path and the state road. There were some fun sections riding through dense thickets of trees. On the road, we were pushed off the shoulder by construction, but we retracted our angry shaking fists when we discovered that they were busy building a bike path!
Between the tailwind and some elbow (knee?) grease, we were finally able to see Termoli in the distance. We messaged our host that we would meet her at 3:00pm. We didn't want to be late.
The place I booked is perfect for us. Ground floor, lots of room for the bikes. We're experiencing reverse culture shock right now. You'd think that after only four nights of camping, we'd be ok, but I still feel compelled to take my toothbrush with me when I leave the bathroom. And cooking with full-size pots and pans and eating on plates is so, uh, civilized!
We had a lot of chores to take care of, mostly relating to laundry and general not-being-dirty-ness. After dinner, we took our passeggiata through the old city. First impressions are very promising, so Scott, it looks like you're off the hook! There will be many touristy photos tomorrow, but for now, I'll leave you all with this little preview taken from just outside our apartment.
Today's ride: 66 km (41 miles)
Total: 1,343 km (834 miles)
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