Thursday, October 9, 2014
Finishing thought
Because I have no talent, borrowing the thoughts of someone that does.
Portugal's Violante do CEU (1601 - 1693) words:
Divine little Shepherd,
Who slayest with love,
Withhold not thine arrows
From falling in my heart!
But draw thy bow and strike me,
Slay me with love,
That I may no longer wish for life,
Save but to die for thee!
Better in Portuguese:
Pastorzillo divino
Que matas de amor
Ay, tened no flecheis,
No tereis, no,
Que no cabem mas flechas
En mi coracon!
Mas tirad, y flechadme
Matadme d'amor,
Que no quiro mas vida
Que morrir por vos!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Frankfurt. Finished.
22- 26 of Sept, 2012
3 days of rest in Frankfurt (Pictures)I have heard Germans express virulent disdain for Frankfurt. Now, I understand why. It is a filthy place. Happily moving on Wednesday to suffer through some silly long layovers in London and NYC.
Hotel: Ramada Hotel Frankfurt City Center. Interesting experience. The room was smaller than my out stretched arms.
Sept. 22
GPS - Mainz to Frankfurt am Main (Pictures)
Frankfurt. Finished!!!
| Totals | Miles/FT | KM/M |
| Distance | 2,072.73 | 3,335.73 |
Army memories in Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz):
Summary of 3 days - Kaiserslautern to Mainz:
Comments:
Comments:
Comments:
- This area is where I was stationed for a couple of years. There’s deeply mixed feelings about this place. The US Army left, but you can see what’s left in the wake of 60 something years of occupation.
- This is a pretty place with deep woods... and once you’re away from the city... even deeper German culture. One of the most striking things is realizing the cost these small places have paid for Wars. Not just WW2, but all the wars that have come before. It kind of makes you mad if you focus on it too much.
- It’s a good place to ride a bike, but it’s also cold and often steep.
Facts:
Distance: 46.05 mi
Time: 5:52 / Moving Time: 4:06
Avg Speed: 7.8 mph / Avg Moving Speed: 11.2 mph / Max Speed: 35.8 mph
Elevation Gain: 2,444 ft
Elevation Loss: 2,779 ft
Min Elevation: 203 ft
Max Elevation: 867 ft
Weather - Low 60's Northern Euro Cold
Climbs - 3 after mile 19
Difficulty - 6 Distance and Climbs.
Scale:
0 = 25 miles around San Francisco with the marin headlands climb.
10 = Next to the last day of a hell week in the military with a few hours of sleep.
Hotel - overpriced business hotel, but I was tired and cold.
Comments:
A. Long day. There were a couple of hills through rhine’s vineyards after Bad Kreuznach. Fairly wearing.
B. Mainz
is a great town to visit. There’s a college with all the things that
brings. Vibrant place with a historical center that’s been rebuilt.
Facts:
Distance: 26.06 mi
Time: 4:19 / Moving Time: 2:30
Avg Speed: 6 mph / Avg Moving Speed: 10.4 mph / Max Speed: 39.6 mph
Elevation Gain: 2,274 ft
Elevation Loss: 2,475 ft
Min Elevation: 620 ft
Max Elevation: 1,488 ft
Weather - 60-70's Northern Euro Cold and Sunny.
Climbs - Yes! Harder than it looks on the map
Difficulty - 3. Harder than the miles indicate.
Scale:
0 = 25 miles around San Francisco with the marin headlands climb.
10 = Next to the last day of a hell week in the military with a few hours of sleep.
Hotel - Hotel Pfaelzer Hof Highly recommended. Vet’s will remember this place.
Comments:
A. Kriegsfeld, North Point Army Depot: Isolation is a hard thing.
This
is where I spent 2 years in the Army. It's a remote site...the only
outside contact was mail. When I first got there, we had no english Tv,
radio, nor papers. There was a pay-phone at the gate, but it was too
expensive for a pvt->pfc->spc. paying for college... and car in
storage to drive during college. Just the Army everyday... kill a
commie for mommie. 1985... cold war, so it didn't come to that but we
did have losses. For example:
- 2 guys jumped out of the barracks. Couldn't take it. Both lived.
- 1 guy had a heart attack training for a special forces course. Died.
- 1 guy smacked a rock face repelling. Knee face and shoulder. Eventually let our as a cripple.
- Too many cases of guy's cracking and doing stupid shit to get kicked out to remember.
- My truck got blown up after I parked it right after we bombed Libya.
Its
mixed feelings to come back here, see weeds grow on the former special
weapons site. For the junior enlisted, this place was a steep price to
pay and no one even understood. 1985... everyone through being in the
army overseas was a cake walk.
North
Point marked the lives of the young people that served there. For some,
it was a high-point. For most, it was a burden they couldn’t wait to
leave behind.
I
went on to do other things in and out of the Army. Many of them more
dramatic, but none stick out more than this place. I’ll always have deep
respect for the people that served here.
B. I
stopped at the North Point, 952 and rode through Kriegsfeld->St.
Alban to Rockenhausen. The biggest change... weed growing where nukes
used to be, wind turbines growing on some of the farms, and the gate on
952 was open. I stood there amazed. In my time, some crazed, lonely,
been a tower too long MP would have shot you. Other than that, it’s
still a “truly” German place.
C.
As biking goes, the hills are steeper/pitchier than I remember. The
first climb out of Kirchheim is pretty tough. The forest is thick and
dark. You can’t see 30’ feet into the tree line, but it’s pretty. The
roads are good.
Facts:
Distance: 25.45 mi
Time: 2:57 / Moving Time: 2:15
Avg Speed: 8.6 mph / Avg Moving Speed: 11.4 mph / Max Speed: 24.4 mph
Elevation Gain: 1,181 ft
Elevation Loss: 1,112 ft
Min Elevation: 607 ft
Max Elevation: 1,035 ft
Weather - 60-70's Northern Euro Cold, windy, and Sunny.
Climbs - pitchy with many small climbs
Difficulty - 3. Harder than the miles indicate.
Scale:
0 = 25 miles around San Francisco with the marin headlands climb.
10 = Next to the last day of a hell week in the military with a few hours of sleep.
Hotel - Hotel Braun $69 euros with breakfast. Super clean, well run, friendly spot right by old b40. The father ran in it in the 80’s and has passed it to his son. It’s the only proper business class hotel in town. Highly Recommended.
Comments:
A. Mixed
feelings riding down L401. Vets will remember it as B40. It’s been
renamed. Dressed like a tree and in a matching military vehicle, I took
this route many times. Destination Kaiserslautern where our main support
was. Those days are gone, but the land remains mostly the same.
Slightly more built upon, there’s a autobahn (a63) now and a few more
houses, but it’s mostly unchanged.
The
biggest difference is... No US Army... No Air Force... which was
formerly ubiquitous on this road. That traffic brought it’s own issues
and business opportunities. The Army was small. The Air Force had a
larger, but still small, base near the halfway point. So, there were
relatively few military personnel around, but being the supply access...
they all traveled this road.
B. The
Donnersberg is in sight once you make it to the top of the first climb.
This is the highest peak in Palatinate. North Point is on the opposite
slope. Land here is not flat, but it’s cut by rivers. Everything goes
down. Not up. The Army put us on top of the only mountain. It’s a
navigation reference from a long way away.
C. Kirchheimbolanden - It’s
a lovely little town with a long history, including passing between
French and German rule. They try at tourism. The wine road is nearby,
but mostly it’s a locals spot. Family friendly. The buildings are
excellent excellent examples of Northern Germany architecture. The town
is built on a steep hill. Other that the plaza, little is flat.
Saarland (Germany)
Summary of 2 days - Saarlouis to Kaiserslautern:
Comments:
Comments:
- Crossing into the historically industrial Germany. This area has passed between Germany and France many times. It also features in a the sad history of the “Wars of Religion” and “the 30 years War”. The combination of which left villages barren, poor, and depopulated.
- Today, this is a combination of city, hills, valleys, rivers, and deep wood. Not just the wars marked this place, but the occupation post WWII and immigration. This area is often different from most of Germany.
- The terrain and roads are excellent for biking. The weather is cool to biting... even in the summer.
Facts:
Distance: 45.43 mi
Time: 5:06 / Moving Time: 3:45
Avg Speed: 8.9 mph / Avg Moving Speed: 12.1 mph / Max Speed: 31.4 mph
Elevation Gain: 1,617 ft
Elevation Loss: 1778 ft
Min Elevation: 717 ft
Max Elevation: 1,226 ft
Weather - 60-70's Northern Euro Cool and Sunny not warm.
Climbs - Two. Not horrible.
Difficulty - 5 Distance and a couple hills
Scale:
0 = 25 miles around San Francisco with the marin headlands climb.
10 = Next to the last day of a hell week in the military with a few hours of sleep.
Hotel - Hotel Astra Nice place. Little loud from the street, but maybe the best you’ll find at the price point.
Comments:
A. This
is a nice mostly rural section of riding. It could be hard if the road
didn’t follow a valley for a while. There were a couple of climbs. It’s
pretty before the city starts.
B. Between Landstuhl and Kaiserslautern it’s all American Military stripmall services. Bleak.
C. It’s
a tale of two rides between A and B above. If you combine the first
half of this leg and the second of yesterday, you have a very fine ride.
Well worth returning to.
Facts:
Distance: 52.37 mi
Time: 6:41 / Moving Time: 4:58
Avg Speed: 7.8 mph / Avg Moving Speed: 10.5 mph / Max Speed: 35.2 mph
Elevation Gain: 3,806 ft
Elevation Loss: 3,468 ft
Min Elevation: 619 ft
Max Elevation: 1,213 ft
Weather - 70's Northern Euro Cool and Sunny not warm.
Climbs - All day. 400-700 ft at a time. Hard.
Difficulty - 8. Climbs, Distance, Time. One of the hardest days of the trip.
Scale:
0 = 25 miles around San Francisco with the marin headlands climb.
10 = Next to the last day of a hell week in the military with a few hours of sleep.
Hotel - Sengscheider Hof - Outstanding non-chain German hotel.Outstanding food and service. Nice, almost resort, feel to the courtyard and building. You could spend a pleasant afternoon resting here. Probably the best hotel I stayed at in Germany... or the trip.
Comments:
A. Very difficult day. One of the hardest of the trip. 52 miles with 4 climbs going from 600 ft to 1200 ft.
B. The
GPS took me all over the place. Of the 52 miles, 20 where in the right
direction. Once you figure that out, it’s pretty disappointing...
Thankfully, I had the day to burn, but now I’ve got to focus on making
Frankfurt with enough time to box the bike.
C. I
was a complete over-cooked noodle by the hotel in Niederwürzbach...
only to find a full hotel, waning light, cold air coming, and the
nearest bed 10-15 km’s away. Dang. That was painful.
D. This was a lovely place to ride. Surprised me to find such an area in between the industrial and military parts of Germany. This rolls through rural hills tuck off the side of main corridor running from Saarland to France. Very nice.
Luxembourg: Where the elegant go to shop
This is a placeholder for this section. Update coming soon.
Luxembourg:Sep 14 - GPS - Mexy to Luxembourg
Sep 16 - GPS - Luxembourg to Saarlouis
WW1:
This is a placeholder for this section. Update coming soon.
WW1:
GPS - Verdun to Mexy
GPS - Sainte-Menehould to Verdun
GPS - Chalons-sur-Marne to Sainte-Menehould
Champagne Valley:
This is a placeholder for this section. Update coming soon.
Champagne Valley:
GPS - Epernay to Chalons-sur-Marne
GPS - Chateau-Thierry to Epernay
GPS - EuroDisney to Chateau-Thierry
Leaving Paris :
This is a placeholder for this section. Update coming soon.
Leaving Paris :
GPS - Paris to EuroDisney
Road to Paris
This is a placeholder for this section. Update coming soon.
Road to Paris:
GPS - Angerville to Paris
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