September 11, 2023
Day 5: Lago di Corbara to Chiusi Scalo
Took a whole lotta tryin' just to get up that hill
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We were up before the crack of dawn, yet we still managed to miss our 7am hit-the-road target. This tent currently takes forever to pack. We'll eventually find our groove.
It was almost chilly enough for me to want to wear a skull cap. As it was, I soaked up that cool air to remind myself later how good I've got it right now.
We quickly made our way back to the still-unmarked EV7 and the town of Orvieto Scalo. So we suspected that the "Scalo" place name referred to a town that was established as a modern adjunct to a medieval town, especially one located on a hill. It turns out that we were right, but it specifically refers to a town that serves as a railway stop for another nearby, less-accessible place. Orvieto has a funicular, and I just love funiculars, and I just love singing Funiculì, Funiculà, and I just love the fact that several classical composers mistook it for a real Neopolitan folk song and incorporated it into their own works. We missed a golden opportunity here. Then again, the camping experience was pretty neat, too.
Once back on track, we were off to the races!
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We paralleled a rail viaduct for a while, watching the trains whoosh by every few minutes:
There were a couple of warmup hills before the Big Kahuna. Then we began the long, relentless slog to the top. It was considerably warmer than we hoped it would be. We were sweating like nobody's business.
I forgot to mention one thing a couple of days ago, and that is the menace that is the deer fly. We encountered them on our first day of riding without it registering exactly what was going on. All we knew is that whatever was biting us wasn't a mosquito. The second day, I saw one on my leg and immediately had a flashback to 1995, when I worked as a camp counselor in the San Jacinto mountains of Southern California. I swore at that time that I could worship no god who had created such a vile beast. So yeah, they were annoying and painful and they made resting almost impossible. We had to just keep trudging up the steep grades. Even while moving, the occasional fly might harass us.
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We bagged the summit and celebrated with a lunch of bread, cheese, and veggies. Just as we were getting ready to leave, we spotted a bike approaching. We clapped for him. He smiled but didn't say anything. And shortly afterwards, a couple comes creeping up with a tandem. They're from Germany, and they have ridden this far from what we can only guess was their house. Their final destination is Roma. It was nice to chat with them. Best of luck, guys!
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It was quite hot out by this point, so we stopped for a macchiato and gelato. Pretty good stuff!
Towards the end, we had to tackle some gravel, but it was good quality for the most part. The most exciting part is that we finally started seeing wayfinding signs! They didn't specifically say EV7, but they were good enough.
We reached Chiusi Scalo at 2:30, checked into the outdated but perfectly reasonable Hotel Centrale, and took a long rest away from the heat and the dust and the flies. As I asked on page one of this journal, why are we doing this again? I suppose it's in order to have days like today, where we conquer big climbs, knowing that we could do it all again tomorrow if we had to. But we don't have to. Tomorrow's going to be pretty flat. Whew.
Today's ride: 64 km (40 miles)
Total: 293 km (182 miles)
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