Landslides

Day 14-17

Still headed north, we left Padova and pushed towards the Alps. The elevation gain wasn't bad at all, but the heat and humidity made it difficult to be efficient in our mileage. We tried to swim in rivers, but they were more nasty brown lagoons, so there was a lot of dunking shirts in fountains. Most of the adorable towns we went through were quick memories of beautiful churches, cool castles and looking for ice cream or parks that have swings.

We were desperate for lodging one night near Basssano del Grappo, which is the cutest town with mind blowing expensive loging. The only camping was 3 miles east, nowhere on our route, at the top of the hill...again. We were starving and exhausted when we got there and soon disappointed as they literally put our camping spot in a restaurant with a crazy loud party. There was a chain link fence, but we were 10 feet from people eating dinner and literally teenagers screaming until midnight. I wanted to cry and you couldn't pay me to stay there again...Camping Santafelicita -- you suck.

After Bassano, an amazing ride along the river north.

Our map had planned to reroute us about 50 extra miles around a mountain to avoid a landslide area. Or you could stick the same route but ride the highway. We weren't excited about the extra ups and when we met an Italian who told us to just go through the closure gates, as everyone was doing it. I thought "Works for me!" Apparently the highway killed or nearly killed some biker recently at the detour so the closure rules no longer had clout.

Around and over the gate we went....and the first landslide area was fine and quite beautiful. To think we almost skipped it.

Then we continued past a second set of detour signs and realized where the landslide actually was. We thought we may navigate over it...but carrying bikes and gear through blackberry bushes and stinging nettle was a no from me while Jared and Darien rock jumped.

I found a dirt rode that went around it, but as we entered through a fence, a construction man started yelling at us it was closed. So I started yelling at him that the rode isn't closed on my map!!!.... in Spanish. I let him know he was sending us to certain death and that will forever live in his conscious and how will he explain to Jesus he sent kids to death??!... like a Spanish 4 year old...cuz my Spanish is rusty and simple. No! Muerte!! Tu culpa!! I yelled.

Turns out we passed the scary highway part with our first illegal fence jumps and now we're on rural roads again. So it was fine. But still homeless and I refused to go to a campsite and pay to not sleep. Then we found a nice beach area near the dam and proceeded to play and hang there, and camp discreetly in the thick forest, to avoid any more confrontations. It was a great afternoon spot.

The bike path continued, we pedaled north along the water, around lakes, over big hills, through quaint towns.

We needed to stay in a town with a train station as Jared was heading home tomorrow. He couldn't get more time off work and would be departing from the posseé. Unfortunately Bolzano is this sheikh town that has the most inflated hotel prices in Italy.

Thus, the ride has some thorns with the roses. There we were, paying more than I could imagine for a room...with no time to enjoy the city because Jared packs up his gear, Darien is vomiting in the toilet, (we hope it's food poisoning or that he drank lake water and not an appendicitis), and Sawyer just wants to watch t.v. even if it's in Italian.

Jared -- I will truly miss you and hope to see you again

At least our laundry had a good view