To recap, the weather forecast was terrible with heavy rain starting just after 8am. I intended to get out of here early, and back up to the path at the top of the steep hill.
I slept through my alarm and woke to the sound of heavy rain. Good start.
Luckily, my tent is big enough that I can pack everything into the dry bags while inside the tent. At least my gear is dry even if the tent isn’t. The last step is to pack the tent into another dry bag, so really, the weather isn’t too much of a bother, it just makes everything tedious. And then I have to dry everything out at some stage.
I got away without being drenched and went into the old town, to a nice bakery for breakfast. It was time then, for the climb out. I took a different route to the way in, and it was much much better than expected. I was back on the Vennbahn, and yesterdays ear worm started again immediately. I barely remember the song, but I hate it fairly intensely – Venga boys gets replaced by Vennbahn boys. Every time I see the Vennbahn sign, it starts again. It’s a Dutch band, so damn you Holland !!
The riding was fairly pleasant but there was constant rain or drizzle and it didn’t take long for Poncho Man to make an appearance. Dadahdadah. And he stayed for the rest of the day. So there aren’t many photos today.
After thirty kms of riding in the rain, I stopped in a shelter and re-evaluated my day. I rode about 800 metres into the town of Bütgenbach to find the bakeries closed, so I stopped at the supermarket. Excellent choice John. I got a salad for lunch and ate it by my bike, undercover. The temperature dropped, my fingers got numb and I decided to look for a hotel nearby. Everything was over-the-top expensive until I found the excellent Hotel Drosson in Wirtzfeld. It’s nice and friendly, has a lockup for This Moment, and it’s dry. The tent is drying right now.
While it’s nice, I really do prefer my tent, especially now that my sleeping mat is repaired.