Like a Box of Chocolates

To Dreieich, Germany -- 51.2 miles, 11.5 mph, 1150 ft

It was really nice to have so much space again when we woke up this morning in the Rheinauer Hof Hotel. Sylvia had already moved our bikes out of the dining room and into the courtyard when we made it down to breakfast at 8:00.

So far the riding paths in Germany have been great. When in towns, we’re either on red painted bike lanes or red bricked sections of the extra wide sidewalks. The corollary to this is, however, if you’re not on a bike path, the shoulder is nonexistent and the German drivers seem to be among the fastest we’ve come across.

As usual, the ride was like a box of chocolates -- we never quite knew what the next turn would present. There was a surprising amount of dirt and gravel today, though most were excellent, and Meg was a real trooper drawing on her long dormant mountain biking skills for a few challenging sections. We were constantly in and out of forest, farmland, and small towns.

The fact is, for us, 50 miles is a pretty long day, even on relatively flat roads.  On the best days, we're not particularly fast -- upon arriving at Karlsruhe the other day, Komoot showed our total pedaling time as just over 100 hours and total distance at 1171 miles for a whooping 11.7 mph average -- and when there’s a lot of starting, stopping, gravel or fumbling around for the right route, it takes a while. The good news is, we have the time. :)

When we finally made it to our Campingplatz Dreieich-Offenthal around 6:00, the campsite struck us as rather uninspiring, especially compared to the French ones we’ve grown accustomed to. However, there was space for our tent and showers even if lacking electricity, WiFi, restaurant and general ambience.

For dinner, we strapped on our Chacos and walked a mile into the small farming town to the Peking Garden. It felt great to sit in a padded seat. Though I was concerned after our tiny wonton soup and single spring roll, by the end -- three main dishes shared between the four of us -- our tummies were filled and my fears of hunger unfounded. By 10:00, we were back at camp, ready for a couple chapters of the latest family book and another restful night in our trusty tent.