Day 15 Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

Beautiful day to ride. Moderately cool in the morning, no thought of jackets, and warming up to upper 25 degrees C (77 F) by noon. and a bit warmer later in the day as the winds picked up. All in all a wonderful weather to be on the bike.

Our ride today took us west back toward Lake Garda where yesterday we traveled down the east side of the lake and today we traveled along the bottom south of the lake before following the eastern shore North.

When we reached to resort town of Peschiera del Garda we found ourselves again in the middle of traffic and vacationers trying to get there last dose of summer fun in the sun.

Doug had driven the van this morning and found a restaurant in the small town of Crociale where he found a roadside restaurant for lunch.  I volunteered to drive the van from lunch to the hotel. The rest of the riders continued north along the lake where I understand a very steep hill with some 15% grades were waiting for them.

I headed to the hotel and when it got there I checked in and immediately unloaded my bike. It was such a beautiful riding day I decided to backtrack the route to meet the riders from lunch. Since there was a chance that our paths didn't meet, my plan was to bike a certain distance and if I didn't meet up with them, I would turn around and return to the hotel by about 5PM.

So off I went. Using the Garmin in the reverse mode, I followed the route backwards. Left the hotel at 3:30 PM. There was a possibility that we could have been on different routes So I had decided to ride 45 minutes and if I didn't meet up with them, then return to the hotel.

The afternoon winds had picked up and blowing pretty strongly. Mostly crosswind and as the road curved, sometimes a head wind or a tail wind. Either way it was wonderful to be on the road. At 3:15 I turned around having previously decided to be back at the hotel by 5PM.

The town of Montichiari is not much to look at. Narrow streets with a large church dominating its central square. Many of the buildings are shuttered against the afternoon sun.

The street facing walls hold many surprises if our hotel is an indication. Below is the hotel street entrance. I had to double check the address twice to make sure I was at the correct location.

Upon entering the hotel, you find a grand entrance, ceilings painted beautifully and wonderfully quirky rooms. I give the hotel two big thumbs up.

This is a great example of that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

Even the nearby restaurant held surprises. I rode by the restaurant earlier in the day and saw a courtyard with some tables and chairs, but in the evening it turned into a gorgeous outdoor experience. All the food was wonderful and quickly filled up as well as a lot of take out dinners.

Tomorrow will be the final ride into Milan. A huge fashion and manufacturing city and home to the Last Supper. The ride will be over 100 km and fairly flat but should be a nice end to a great tour. Many, Many thanks to Jan and Eduard for planning and guiding us on this wonderful adventure. We are planning to reciprocate on a tour in the US next year.

  

Today's Photos

Brian

brian@coxintl.com