Photo Faux Pax

To Hemmingen, Germany -- 53.2 miles, 12.0 mph, 1800 ft

With little to get in our way this morning, our pedals were turning at 9:45. We ate our breakfast in the same tiny food shack as last night. The family at the other table offered us a few of the remaining sausages from their breakfast plate, maybe feeling sorry for us.

It was in the fifties with grey skies, so with tights and long sleeves, we hit the road and were soon tooling along a series of roadside bikeways. The slugs and snails were out in force, and we eventually gave up on trying to avoid them (besides, none were as pretty the bright orange ones from the other day.)

After one of the early morning climbs into a small town,  Dex befriended a sweet, submissive, brown and blue eyed Australian Shepard. Animal sightings often provide a welcomed break from turning the cranks.

Unfortunately, Kylie and I had a small mishap before lunch. The long sections of quiet riding paths, with no risk from the German “MAN” big rigs, have encouraged me to snap photos while riding…a real time saver. However, while taking a particularly unimpressive photo, I wandered to the side and over corrected trying to get back onto the gravel path. Kylie and the bike were fine, while my left index finger took the brunt of the impact. The camera, though, now complains a bit more loudly when opening and closing.

Unimpressive photo

For the fourth day in a row, we consulted Google to find the nearest supermarket for lunch. Coming across a sign for McDonald’s, however, I suggested a change of plans, mainly because I was hungry for WiFi after the spotty service of the last few nights.

It was then that a young man on a bike, trying to get past our significant bulk in the cycle way, asked where we were from. He, it turns out, has been in Germany for only 9 months, an Afghan refugee. This provided an excellent opportunity to talk to the kid’s about the US’s continuing war prompted by the events of September 11th. We also spent a few minutes discussing the disturbing news of the Bastille Day tragedy in Nice, which had greeted us on our phones just that morning. We had absolutely biked along that very waterfront roadway exactly one month before, making the events much more real.

The afternoon passed quickly, no major hills. Kylie occasionally asks questions about about whatever’s on her mind, which sometimes gives me a chance to launch into some big explanations of physics, chemistry, history etc.  I spent a good 20 minutes this afternoon talking about different metals: steel, aluminum, copper, gold… what they’re good for. Good topic for a mechanical engineer. (Meg, though, apparently feels my attention to the bike routes wanes during these periods…hmmph).

The campground tonight is laid out like a small town with narrow dirt roads and sign-posted streets. Apparently you can buy a small plot and build your summer home here. Our tent site is not particularly private, directly across from a row of houses, but it was right next to the pond surrounding the campground, so the kids wasted no time filling their shoes with sand.