So…. I ended yesterdays Blog with this…..
“Tomorrow, we’re going to try to beat the forecasted rain by 1 pm. If we can get started by 0830 we may make it!!” The rain chances looked horrible last night….90% early in the morning. We planned to leave early and beat the rain. We got up and at 7 am there was no rain! I loaded my gear in the van at 0730 and there was a slight drizzle. And by 830…. NOTHING!!! The clouds were breaking up and the temp was rising. No wind to speak of either so it looked pretty good!
So we walked down to the Bike Garage and what do you know? My bike had a rear flat tire!!! 2 flats in 2 days!! After changing the tube, we headed out of Cochem on our way to Koblenz. 34 miles…. Should be smooth sailing.
So we took off….. literally! We had a great first half of the ride, getting to about Halfway in around an hour. We decided to stop for a break in Löf at Hotel Lellmann for some treats. But unfortunately, all they would let us have is drinks. So coffee, water and Coke was what it was. It was a nice stop and nice scenery too.
After leaving the Hotel, signage on the route left a bit to be desired. We followed the signs but we got to a place where the normal 12’ or so bike path changed to a 6’ path then to a 4’ path then to a small cobblestone path finally to a Goat Trail!!!! We ended up walking along the trail till we found a spot where there was a stone stairway. We hoisted all the bikes up the stairway up to the Roadway with an actual bike trail on it. Like I always say, BG Adventures always provides you with a new and challenging adventure every day!!
Then it was back underway. Again, no wind, no rain bright sunny skies!! So we rode on another 10 miles or so and stopped in Winningen for a bite and some refreshment. I had a cup of coffee and a Bienenstitch (“Bee Sting” cake) one of my favorites. But they also had some great breads too.
We were about 6 miles or so out of Koblenz so we kept riding towards the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) where a huge statue was erected of Wilhelm I, who was instrumental in unifying Germany, in 1897. There were tons of people in the area making our progress slow. Another interesting site was the Eherenbrightstein Fortress, a fortification designed as part of fixed defenses to keep the French out. The French had attacked and destroyed the previous fortress and a repeat was not desired to have happen. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehrenbreitstein_Fortress).
As we rounded the Eck, we rode about 3-4 Km again towards our hotel but we couldn’t pass up getting a photo of this couple….
We made it to the hotel and relaxed till about 6 pm. Some went for a walk, others enjoyed a bier and conversation. Dinner was at a local Italian restaurant…. Is it Spaghetti Carbonara or ice cream?
Or Fettuccine con Porcini?
After a walk back to the Hotel, it was time to turn in. Tomorrow is a 40 mile ride to Rüdesheim….. no rain forecast after 9 am. Breakfast is 8-9 am!