Olden today is basically a continuation of yesterday. It’s also a bit of a sad day. When I travel I bring a little map / schedule so I know what day it is and what’s on the agenda. Each evening I check off that day as you can see in the below photo. Today marks the official middle point of the trip. It’s a bitter sweet day.
Today is also the most north we’ll be during the trip. Here’s a little map to give you an idea where we are. Its surprising how inland we really are.
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| 6am – might as well get up and get breakfast (yes I sleep with the door open every night) |
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| This is where the ship parked all night. No fear of running aground as there is 600 feet of water under us |
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| This is what I’ll miss most at home, no epic views while eating |
My body is feeling better so it’s only right to put it through some paces in this stunning setting. When I booked this “excursion” the description said take a leisure bike ride through the valley. It’s been 20 years since doing any kind of serious bike ride. But if it’s at a leisure pace I shouldn’t have a coronary, today right?
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| A “simple” campground |
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| So many building have vegetation on roofs |
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| These views sure beat the ones from out the window of a tour bus |
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| Their version of fish and chips. Pickles and carrots? |
While beautiful that ride was not at a leisure pace! Sure if you were preparing for Tour de France it would be but the dozen of us aren’t professional cyclists. Heck, one couple would take smoke breaks during the stops. In total we biked for 40 miles! My thighs are so angry at me. But hey, those photo opportunities will be a good distraction from tomorrow’s cramping.
The Olden valley may be one of the most beautiful places I’ve yet seen.
At sail away the port folks and many folks turn out to say goodbye by playing a few songs. Patriotism is on display as they wave their flags. A number of people aboard were showing tears as we left at the sensory overload.
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| You can see the speakers to the left of the gentleman. They were ‘waving’ while blasting John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High |
This video is a little long but you can picture what it was like in-person. The sound was much louder which does add something to the experience.