Germany Tandem Tour Sat. Sept 12 thru Sept 14

TyUpdate I have been trying to post my blog for over a week. Hopefully today it works!

Sat. sept 12 and Sunday Sept. 13

We left Dallas on a 3:30pm flight for Germany. Melody and Jim Uhn and John and Nancy Griswold were waiting for the same flight. It was an easy flight. I only slept about 20 minutes. I did watch 2 and 1/2 movies and read most of my book. Jim was a little uneasy and did not sleep much better. When we arrived we caught up with up others to meet in the terminal 1 of the airport.

Unfortunately there was some issues with the bus to take us to Strasbourg so about 2 hours later we get on our way. I found myself sleep deprived and sleep was about the only thing I could think about.

At the hotel everyone set about getting their bikes together. 

Ernie Coose putting his bike together. A beautiful Ti/carbon combination. He manages to get it together. He removes every piece off the bike.Amazing!

We all group together to get a briefing on how the trip will play out. After that we all go our way in small

Groups to find dinner for the evening. Then off to sleep, I can't wait.

With our Canadian friends Ron and Michele Barton and Ron and Cheryl. We found a small quaint

Restaurant down the ally from our hotel. Really good food.

Big Ron suggest we walk down to the Rhine River. It is a lovely walk, there are Sycadmore trees all

Through the different plazas we passed.

The evening is cooling down and add a slight mist to it and we hurry up our stroll to get back to the hotel before it becomes and all out rain. Back in our rooms we hear the rain.  It will make sleeping even 

More pleasant. Good Night Mr. Jimmy!

Monday Sept 14

Today we wander around Strasbourg. It is a facinating city. These sculptures are all around town in

Places you would not expect. We joined in with these ladies. It was fun to see everyone do their thing.

Ernie and john are sudsing it up.

The cathedral was amazing. All of the small intricate sculptures kept your attention. The details 

Made us all point out unique features and characters in the different scenes .

The windows are huge and the colors. We so intense with all he stories depicted in each panel.

The organ was up high unfortunately we did not get to hear it. It was an imposing sight. I'm sure 

The music it projected throughout the church was inspiring.

There was beautiful stain glass windows through out. 

Out the door we off and wandering. We passed this window display with a dress made out of beer 

Bottle caps.

This is Sandra and Klaus. He has been a customer of Jim's since the 80's. A long time bike rider, his 

Wife Sandra has only been riding for about 7 months. We are excited to have her on the trip

With us.

We were walking with Klaus and his wife Sandra in search of a bike shop. He wanted to buy a lock.

After a scenic tour of the city we found it. This sign was inside the shop when we walked in.

We asked the fellow if he had hot dogs in the cart. He said look for yourself. We did and only found dirty laundry.

All of our travels in Europe always delights us with lots of flowers. They were abundant in Strasbourg 

As well.

TuesdaySept.14

Michele and Ron, Al and Sheryl, Ernie and Regina, Jim and Rhonda, Alan and Renee,

John and Brenda, Melody and Jim, lee and Becky, Nancy and John, and Klaus and Sandra.

We are ready to ride the Rhine!

So the plan was to have one of the ride couple to go off the front and the other to bring up the rear. Sounded great but taking off was a little sketchy. With Monday morning traffic and all those bikes we quickly separated. We eventually got together.

This is Lee and Becky. Lee did some down loading of GPS maps which we were all happy to have.

Well we were not in the Black Forest, however looking at this photo it looks as if it could be what you would imagine the forest would be like. Klaus explained to me that the Black Forest was called that

Because the pine trees grew so tightly together very little sunlight came through. He also says it isn't 

Quite as dense now.

This who have read my blog over the past few years know I enjoy a really fine barn. This one actually

Connects to the house.

Riding through this little town along the Rhine they had several flowering boats.

Oh yes and surf boards too!

Al and Sheryl we have ridden with in Italy. We were so please to spend time with them on this trip 

As well. They live in San Fransico right by the Golden Gate Bridge.

Ron and Michele come from Canada. We have ridden with them for many wonderful trips.

Our first time with them was in the Texas Hill Country. They had several things they wanted to see in Texas. The two I remember was a Texas Long Horn and an Armadillo. By golly they saw them!

So there are many routes you can take by bike. Today we followed the neat blue one with the yellow

Bike for the Rhine Route. 

Melody and Jim we have known for many years. They are fun to be around.  Many tandem rallys, 

Parties and especial riding in the Texas Hill Country. They now have a place there.

We are finally in Germany and right around the corner is our hotel for the evening.

Hotel Schweigener Hof.

Everyone is settled in and we have had our meeting to go over the next day's ride. We off to find 

Dinner. We are in front of a place we couldn't get into, but up the hill we had a wonderful meal

At a small B&B.

Wednesday Sept.16

Out in front of the hotel we were already in our rain gear. The weather is suppose to be all day rain.

Thank goodness we have the right stuff.

We are following the wine route for bikes. A lot of up and down but it truly beautiful. We pass tractors 

Pulling big containers of grapes.

We pass these deer in a pen. My happy thoughts are they are just keeping them out of the vineyards.

However they do have a lot of venison around too.

This young lady with her horse were so sweet. She was keeping him calm while we passed.

But the look in his eyes you could tell he was more curious than scared.

The path changes as far as its composition. Here it is concrete, where in other areas with was 

Asphalt. Looking at the skies we knew we were in for a long damp day.

Taking a break couldn't be better than by a big ole pear tree.

Lots of pears eh.

In the field opposite the pear trees is a huge field of turnips. And they were huge.

The sky behind us looks ominous. 

So while we are eating pears this fellow arrives. We have a few people among us that know a 

Little German. Eventually we figured out he wanted us to leave and not to eat his pears.

There are many bike paths crossing each other in the fields and in the villages. We all got to a point 

We were not sure where to go. Al and Sheryl kept pointing at the signs in different directions. It got 

Really funny to watch them.

Well it was decided we would go back to where we started sort of. This guy peering over the fence

We passed 3 times. I didn't have my camera ready the first and second time, but I got home the third time.

We always wondered how they picked the grapes. Yahoo, we finally caught the machine that 

Does it in action. And when he passes by there isn't a grape to be had.

So after a while we all split up in to smaller groups. Jim and I with Ernie and Regina plus John 

Nancy. We would figure out which way to goand sometimes it didn't work out. In this case the bike route just ended. Ernie was really sad.

We eventually got to the hotel with Jim and myself getting lost from the others. Purely by chance 

We found the hotel only to look down the road and see the others about to go the wrong way.

As Jim said this was the longest fourty mile ride we had ever done.

Thursday Sept 16

This was the only photo I got that was sunny. The front of the hotel we stayed in. Dressed in our

Rain gear like yesterday we knew we were most likely going to ride all day in the rain.

We are passing through a town called Ludwigshafen. Mainly an industrial area. Here is an area

Where there were a lot of shipping containers being loaded and unloaded.

We are so happy to have our rain gear on. The temperature is about 56 degrees. We are toasty 

With the right stuff on.

These canoes caught my eye. They were so bright and happy on an otherwise gloomy day.

We are riding the bike paths that follow the Rhine exclusively today. There are points where the 

Info on the GPS is a little tricky. There are a lot of swans along the Rhine. I don't know where these 

Were headed, but they definitely had themselves in a row.

Most of the sunflowers we passed were dying out. It was great to see these so bright and pretty.

I'm not quite sure why this plane was on display. I thought maybe it was a Lufthansa facility.

But farther down the road was a fighter jet up in the air.

We arrive in Speyer and stop by a cafe to get a warm drink. This fireplace was one of the neatest 

I have ever seen. However from the fur on top I figured out it was just decorative.

A beautiful cathedral here. It wasn't as colorful with stain glass windows. There were religious 

Painting that were soft in color. They added to the calm of the church.

Once again factories along the Rhine.

Jim and I lost Ernie, Regina, Alan mad Renee and were pretty much on our own. The best thing we 

Were on the bike path using the GPS. We decided to follow our instincts and follow the GPS

and it was working really well.

You can barely tell but the fellow in the photo I carrying an umbrella while riding his bike.

Behind him are the most of the group that had managed to be lost several times. We grouped 

Together. After several little mishaps we all seemed to split up again. Jim and I were to determined 

To follow the GPS as best we could. As a result we actually were the first ones to the hotel.

Very wet and very muddy from riding soggy hard packed trails we were glad to be there.

In the evening we had dinner with Sandra and Klaus and two of there friends. A nice evening.

Probably the best thing is we have our rest day in the town of Worms. It is pronounced with a "V"