August 22, 2015
In the Carpathian Mountains
Or should I call them the High Tatras
Wow. The mountains are kicking my butt. I know I have too much weight on the bike, too much weight on me, and not enough climbing in my legs, but I thought I'd be stronger by this time in the trip. I've been keeping miles relatively low, and have quite a few days off the bike, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.
I left Dobcycze in the morning and started climbing right away. I took a little short cut off the main road, just to get out of traffic, and it hit 20% grade before rejoining the main road. That's hard to walk up, even without a loaded bike! Once I got out of town traffic was fairly light, and it was a nice ride. I walked some of the steeper sections, but was on the bike for the first peak. Unfortunately the view that should have rewarded me was obscured with smoke from a farmer burning his field. The smoke also irritated my eyes and breathing, so I skedaddled off the peak.
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There were a few more after that, and then a real pass at Kasina Wielka. Kasina Wielka is a ski area. The town was down the pass, and I enjoyed the long downhill. As I was coasting through town a guy in a car, but wearing a Cannondale jersey, pulled up next to me and started talking. He went through a few languages before I said "English", and then he started speaking the King's English, very well indeed. He said there was another pass ahead, and when he asked where I was going and I explained he said it would be hilly. He left with a "Keep smiling."
There was indeed another pass, not as long or as high as the first, but a pass nonetheless. Then I reached Mszana Dolna, and sat for a while at a gas station. I was thinking about staying there, but realized that the road to Rabka Zdoj mostly followed a rail line, so I figured it couldn't be too steep and went on. The road was busier, but there were towns with sidewalks/bike paths most of the way. While it wasn't too steep, and I didn't have to walk my bike, it was still hilly as the road pulled awayfrom the tracks quite often.
I'm in Rabka Zdoj now, at Guest House Stella. It's an old house so the noise carries, but I have a decent room with attached bathroom and the price is reasonable.
This is a resort town, for skiing in the winter and hiking and other outdoor pursuits in the summer. This weekend is some kind of train festival. In honor of the festival, the proprietor of the guest house is having a bonfire and cookout in the back yard. He's a nice guy who tried very hard to communicate, and typed a whole paragraph into Google Translate to explain the cookout. I came into town without accommodation booked. I looked up the first place I passed on line, and it was a fancy spa with rooms upward of 300 USD a night. The second place I stopped, guided by my GPS wasn't actually there, and the third will only rent rooms for a minimum of two days. So I feel somewhat fortunate to have stumbled on this place. Despite the outdoor sports emphasis, there haven't been any campgrounds since I left Wieliczka.
Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 1,426 km (886 miles)
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