To Biberbach

September 8, 2022

What a memorable day, a roller coaster day of surprises, concerns, exhilaration, hilarity, and loss.

To begin with, it was my birthday and I was thrilled to be sharing the day with Suzanne biking through the Black Forest. We wouldn’t be cycling my age in miles, or even kilometers, but double the fun must count for something. The surprise of the day came at breakfast when Suzanne gifted me a wonderful buff that thoughtfully matched some of my cycling gear. It was a perfect gift for a chilly morning like today.

I was packing up after breakfast when I got a birthday wish from my sister, who was on a guided group cycling trip in Scotland with her husband. The call contained some very un-Happy Birthday news – both had contracted Covid, their first infection. She was not feeling well, so it was a brief conversation with promises to call tonight. There was nothing I could do, so we carried on.

We were just on the edge of Freudenstadt when I noticed that my phone had died – a problem insofar as I use my phone for navigation. I made sure it was connected to the charger and restarted it, but it again lost all power. I was a bit distracted by the morning’s Covid news, so it took a while for me to recognized that I’d had a similar problem during our CycleBlaze group ride in Burgundy – which turned out to be due to a faulty charger cord. And so it was this time. Suzanne waited patiently while I retrieved another cord from the panniers, entertaining herself taking pictures in the rose garden. I was soon powered up and we were off, once again cycling into the woods – a joyous few miles that pushed Covid concerns to the back of my mind.

Our ride through the forest ended in the small village of Loßburg Schömberg, where we picked up a small highway that followed the Kleine Kinzig (Little Kinzig) River down into the Kinzig Valley. An initial convoy of large trucks and cars were a little concerning, but they were an anomaly as the next ten miles proved to be an exhilarating stretch of cycling through tree-covered hillsides and open fields with grains, goats, sheep, and cows. In fact, the livestock far outnumbered the cars. All too soon we arrived in Schenkenzell, where we met Hwy 442 and the Kinzig River.

The day started with another delightful ride through the forest

Storm clouds to the north and sunshine to the south - we didn't mind the headwind as we headed south, hoping they would push the rains away

Suzanne is just a yellow dot as we followed the Kleine Kinzig down a long and winding road

The birthday girl in her birthday buff - but you have to look closely

A big-horned goat, though I don't think that's an official breed

The cow in the foreground looks udderly distressed

Sprinkling the logs - something I'd not seen before

Deciduous trees appeared on the hillsides as we descended into the Kinzig River valley

Our splendid downhill run ended in Schenkenzell, where we met Hwy 442 and the Kinzig River

After just a few miles alongside the busy Hwy 442, the route veered off toward the town of Schiltach. Suzanne spied a sign directing us to the medieval town center, and we ascended to a cobbled square surrounded by an amazing array half-timbered houses. Located along a route once used by Romans traveling to Strasbourg, Schiltach grew to be an important crossroads for transport of goods by rail and along the Kinzig River. Though the Schiltach-Schramberg railroad line has closed and commercial river traffic has greatly declined, the town remains a popular tourist destination for lovers of half-timbered houses and nearby hiking and biking trails. We took our time in Schiltach, taking too many pictures and enjoying tasty lemon tarts in the town square.

The half-timbered homes in the historic hilltop section of Schiltach

The afternoon was spent along dedicated cycle paths, traveling west toward Biberach as we criss-crossed the highway and Kinzig River using a variety of tunnels and bridges. The southerly winds had brought sunshine, blue skies and warming temperatures and it was easy and relaxed riding through the small towns that populated the Kinzig River valley.

As the miles remaining to our hotel approached zero, there was no sign of civilization and Suzanne began to fret that she had booked us into a place in the middle of nowhere, a place with no nearby restaurant – something Rachael would never do. Although I teased her a bit, offering to share my half-eaten Clif Bar for my birthday dinner, I knew all would be fine. And it certainly was. The Landsgasthof Kinzigstrand was indeed in the middle of nowhere, but it was very nice inn with an excellent restaurant where we dined on grilled Black Forest trout. There was no Black Forest birthday cake on the menu, so I indulged in an enormous bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce - I can't believe I ate the whole thing! It was a superb birthday dinner to cap off an outstanding day of cycling.

Teamwork: Suzanne noticed this unusual tree, which I recognized as a Monkey Puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) from my cycling trip in Patagonia where the tree is native

A look back after passing through the town of Hausen, with Hausen Castle on the right

Suzanne giggling and elated after successfully removing her merino shirt from UNDER her cycling jersey

Nearing our hotel, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

In lieu of birthday cake - a very large bowl of ice cream and chocolate sauce for me; crème brûlée and ice cream for Suzanne

We got the news during dinner that Queen Elizabeth II had died – a great loss for her family, for Great Britain, the Commonwealth, and for many countries and people around the world who will miss her steadfast sense of duty and honor, along with her grace and humor. As for my sister and her husband, I got a text saying they left the group tour but she was too tired to talk, maybe in the morning. (Spoiler – I’m writing this a few days after the fact and although they each suffered for a few days they are both feeling better and are now resting on the Isle of Skye.)

It was quite the birthday, one I will always remember.

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Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 2,655 miles (4,273 km)

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Janos KerteszAlles Gute nachträglich zum Geburtstag!
Du hast eine schöne Reisebeschreibung mit guten Bilder. Ich habe sie gern gelesen.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonHappy birthday! It’s great that you had such fine company for your day.
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2 years ago

Rachael AndersonSorry in late wishing you a happy birthday! I better add it to my calendar! I’m sorry your sister and her husband got Covid but I’m glad to here they are doing better now! That’s not the kind of news you want to get, especially on your birthday.
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2 years ago

Susan CarpenterTo Janos KerteszDanke Janos for the nice comments and birthday wishes. It was special sharing my birthday with Suzanne
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2 years ago

Susan CarpenterTo Rachael AndersonThanks for the Birthday wishes Rachael. And we're all hoping my sister and her husband keep improving.
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2 years ago

Susan CarpenterTo Scott AndersonThanks Scott - and it was indeed special sharing the day with such a fine person as Suzanne
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2 years ago

Rich FrasierHappy belated birthday, Susan! I’m loving this trip you’re doing with Suzanne.
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2 years ago

Susan CarpenterTo Rich FrasierThanks Rich for the birthday wishes, and sharing it with Suzanne was the best.
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2 years ago