Before we left for this 2 month cycle adventure we researched the weather of the cities along our route. After our drought experiences in California on the PCT last year we were aghast to see it rained 16 days a month in all the cities we would ride through-Mainz - Koblenz - Cologne - Düsseldorf - Rotterdam. We planned accordingly, and made sure we had good rain gear and everything packed in plastic bags. The average high temperatures were reported to be in the high 70's with average lows in the low 50's. We packed fleece and clothing to keep us warm on chilly nights.
Hmmmm. As you might have seen in yesterday's post the temperature at midnight was 82°, with daytime highs in the 90's. To sum up our weather experience, it has either been sunny with high temperatures in the high 80's to high 90's or 68 and raining. Not much in between. Today, we continued that pattern. The forecast showed rain beginning this morning about 3:00 am and continuing nonstop all day, night and all the next day. This we had not seen. It has rained at night quite often, and if it did rain during the day, it was only for 3-4 hours. An all day soaking was something new. We went to bed last night only after making sure everything was wrapped in plastic and ready for the soaking we expected to receive today.
I woke many times during the night, as is usual, but the rain had not started as predicted. Finally, as we were waking up to prepare to leave, about 6:30 am, the rain started. We took our time packing, hiding in the tent as long as possible. I brought the TarpTent because it is lightweight (2 lbs) and packs really small, but it is hard to sit up in and is really only good for lying in and sleeping. Our Irish acquaintances called it the coffin. Sally repeatedly reminds me how much she hates it.
Rain gear on, we got on the road about 8:30 am, heading north and down river. The rain was steady, although light. The wind was fiercely against us, blowing the rain and mist in our faces. There was not a lot to see for the first 15-20 miles, so we just plowed ahead. Our route left the riverside bike trail and brought us into the town of Andernach. We stopped at a quickie store to use the bathroom, get a pastry and a soda about 10:30 am. It was nice to get out of the wind and rain for a few minutes. Once on the road again, we made occasional stops under bridges to adjust gear or clothing, enjoying a respite from the rain. I continued to use the App, MotionX GPS on my iPhone to navigate. I had my iPhone sealed inside a waterproof bag and it inside my vinyl bag attached to my handlebars. The two layers of plastic still let me tap and swipe, although as a little water got inside, when I took the phone out to take pictures, the operations got a little flaky. Still, I could navigate well with it as our route ducked in and out of small towns, running down on the river bank and then up into towns.
A word about MotionX GPS. It is an amazing app! It cost $2.99, yet has detailed maps for every inch of the earth's surface. More than that, it has all the bike routes on Europe highlighted, all the trails of the Sedona, Arizona area, the entire PCT . . . in short, it has every trail, track, path and road. I know I extolled its virtues in an earlier blog, but it truly is amazing. By setting waypoints ahead of time, I can mark turns, sites to see and landmarks. Remarkable.
We stopped at the bridge footings and towers at Remagen. This is all that is left after the bridge collapsed in 1945 after the Americans captured it. The Germans were trying to destroy it, but their attempts to blow it up failed. The American 9th army captured it; the only bridge across the Rhine that the Germans did not blow up. The U.S. moved troops and equipment across it for ten days while engineers worked to repair the damage done to it. On the tenth day, the bridge collapsed, killing 28 engineers working to save it. Now, the bridge towers are a museum devoted to peace.
The bridge and the rain put into perspective the difficulties and hardships of the war. Sally's dad moved across Europe as the allies advanced on Germany and experienced the rain and terror associated with war. Being at this spot, seeing the size of the Rhine, the severity of the weather, the landscape of mountains, farm fields and small villages brought a better insight to the events and locations of the war. It also created in me a confusion. How could the people of Germany throw the entire world into conflict under the leadership of a mad man? What was so important that they would murder their fellow Europeans? What in their history, traditions and national psyche would make them lash out with such hate and violence? I have read the analysis of the war from many authors and historians, yet standing in the rain and wind on the banks of the Rhine gives me a real perspective and makes me wonder anew. I can see I have more reading to do.
Quite wet and getting hungry, we stopped at a riverside restaurant for lunch. The moment we walked in the door we knew it was the right place to eat. The temperature inside must have been near 80°. We hung our coats on the backs of chairs to dry, plugged in Sally's bike battery and my iPhone to charge and enjoyed a lazy lunch of potatoes, sausage and eggs. Greasy and delicious.
Once on our bikes again, we covered the 10 or so miles to the ferry at Rolandseck. Here we were to cross the river and get to the resort town of Konigswinter. While waiting at the ferry dock, I had my opinion of German drivers reinforced.
We have noticed, since entering Germany, that the drivers are aggressive. They are downright mean and belligerent. They do not slow or stop for pedestrians waiting at a crosswalk to cross the street. If a pedestrian sees no traffic on his side of the street and steps into the crosswalk, the drivers in the other lane will not stop for him. Not at all. They don't even slow down. After observing this phenomena a few times I decided to test it. I stood on the curb, bike pointed across the street, front wheel slightly beyond the curb, indicating my desire to cross. A dozen cars whizzed past, none of them slowing or stopping. When a break in the traffic on my side of the two lane road came, I pushed my bike out into the road and walked until my wheel was slightly over the center line, clearly communicating my desire to cross the street. Not a single car stopped or even slowed. They just barreled past, missing my wheel by inches. The break in the traffic in the lane I was in was ending, with cars approaching. They showed no signs of slowing. I am sure they would not have run me over (I hope!), but I did not get a chance to find out because the traffic in the other lane had a break and I could finish my crossing of the street. As we rode through the narrow streets of Bacharach, the cars would not slow in the least as they whisked by on the narrow streets, again, just inches from our handlebars.
As I stood with my bike at the ferry line, next to the first car in line to board the ferry, I realized I needed to be on the other side of the ramp to board. The last car coming off the ferry was just leaving the ramp. There is no one on the ramp directing traffic as these are small ferries holding 10-15 cars, max. There were only six cars in line. I started to walk my bike in front of the lead car. As I took my first step, the driver jerked his car ahead one foot and abruptly stopped, obviously challenging me not to cross. I moved forward again, and he lurched forward again, threatening to hit my bike. The last car off the ferry now cleared the ramp. This 70ish year old, aggressive driver now gunned his car down the ramp, missing my front wheel by millimeters. All the cars behind him followed suit, each cutting off my path across the ramp. When the last car passed, I rode my bike across the ramp and down onto the ferry.
After this test of German driving kindness I now know the rules of their roads. Most of the drivers here do not realize, or don't care, that they are piloting 2500 pound missiles capable of squashing the life out of passers by. They show every sign of aggressive, belligerent and callous behavior. As Obe Wan Kenobi would say, "We must be cautious."
Once on the other side, we covered the three miles to Konigswinter and began our search for lodgings. We hoped to find a cheap zimmer, but could not find any dwellings with signs out, advertising a room. After 20 minutes we found the visitors information office and inquired about rooms. We ended up in a quaint hotel/restaurant, a member of the bike and bett group. The room was upstairs, above the restaurant. It was large and comfy. We hung all our gear to dry and cooked soup for dinner. I must have been tired, because I fell asleep about 7:00 pm and was out for the night.
All in all, in spite of the wind and rain, it was a good day. The bridge at Remagen was enlightening, lunch was superb, the scenery, through raindrop splattered glasses, was magnificence. The weather forecast says we get to do a repeat tomorrow. I can't wait!
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