One thing that concerned us about our trip was the weather. We had checked the weather last year for this time period and found temperatures in the high 30's with humidex temperatures in the low 40's. How were we going to bike in such heat? Even the long term forecasts before we left indicated humidex values in the 40's.
We didn't anticipate the weather we got today. Rain and 13 degrees! Our entire ride today was in a steady cold rain. Last night we saw the forecast and planned our route. The guide book indicated that the distance to be 29 kms. That's less than 3 hours riding, so not too bad.
The book was wrong. We rode about 20 km and had lunch at a trail side cafe. After lunch we got back on the trail and started on the last 9 km. Then we came to an intersection and noticed that the sign indicated that our destination was still 23km away. The sign was right, the guide book was wrong.
Now I'd like to say a few words in praise of Goretex. Actually most of our rain gear is not Goretex, but a cheaper imitation. Nevertheless it worked. Except for our hands (wish we had waterproof gloves) and faces, we stayed mostly dry and mostly warm. That was not the case for everyone. Remarkably we met the English family from yesterday again on the street outside our hotel. They still had a few kms to travel to get to their hotel and they were drenched to the skin. All smiles though.
Because of the rain, we didn't take as many pictures today. These two show us kitted out in rain gear. Notice the mud beside the trail. The mud is from the flood. There are machines that plow the mud off the trail.
This picture is probably the most dramatic evidence of the flood levels we have seen. Notice the piece of a dock up the tree.
The next picture shows the scenery along the river has changed. We are entering area where the river narrows and speeds up as it flows through a more mountainous region. This picture was taken as we entered the area. The next few kms were quite beautiful, but I didn't take any more pictures since it was hard to keep the camera dry.
We have had great luck so far with our inns. The Gasthof Bolm in Persenbeug is no exception. It is a very nice privately run inn.
Tomorrow's forecast is for more rain, cold temperatures but with the addition of wind. I hope the forecaster has got it as wrong for tomorrow as the guide book writer did about today's distances.
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