Day 6: Chiusi Scalo to Arezzo

September 12, 2023

Me and my Arrow, straighter than narrow*

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The trains were running early, and we were too. The pasticceria we wanted to visit at 6:15 still had its doors shuttered, so we instead went to an interesting little bar a couple doors down. They sold cup ramen, among other things. We did not get the cup ramen.

The Chiusi Scalo train station in all its sparkly glory

The coolest morning yet. Sure feels good after sweating so much yesterday.

We knew a few things about today's ride. It was going to mostly be dirt path along an irrigation canal. The unknowns were how much shade we were going to get, and how good or bad the surface was going to be.

"If you overcome everything, you forget nothing." Honestly not sure if this is supposed to be inspirational or vindictive.

This was our morning! Aren't you jealous?

We crossed a few of these slippery steel bridges. Thankfully they've added high railings.

Anyone know what crop this is? We're stumped.

After a couple of hours on the trail, we debated whether to jump on a parallel paved road. When the opportunity presented itself, we went for it. It turned out to be a good decision, for not only did we enjoy the change of terrain, but we also unexpectedly happened across a bar that was open. They had cats. A lot of cats. The cats seemed quite happy.

Komoot told us to go this way. It was certainly not a real path, but it was short and somewhat rideable.

Second breakfast in the middle of nowhere

As the day wore on, the heat crept up. It wasn't a problem while riding, but all stops had to be taken in shady areas. Shady areas that were also fly hangouts. But at least they weren't biting flies.

We were also getting pretty bored of the straight and narrow. I'd forgotten what this feeling was like. You're cranking out the mileage, and it's almost effortless, but are you present in the moment? The mind is always seeking novelty. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't, and appreciation for the beauty of your surroundings begins to fade. It's so funny that we tell ourselves, "I just want this day to last forever", but we really don't, because we have limited attention spans. We love for things to have a well-defined beginning, middle, and end, and we even have expectations for the ways in which each of those stages presents and resolves itself. So when you see the 17th magpie, you tell yourself that maybe you shouldn't pay so much attention to magpies because you're going to see a bunch more of them along the way. So what? Shut up, brain! I love magpies no matter how many I run across! Speaking of which, I saw 3 pheasants today. I like pheasants too.

Bees! You can tell by the bee logo on the package!

We jumped off the path and the EV7 route in order to visit Arezzo. I'd contacted a Warmshowers host in Arezzo, who never replied. I wasn't surprised, because their response rate was dismally low, but I was kind of hoping for a miracle. They seemed like a fun family.

Instead, I booked this "4-star" hotel in the city center, because it was nearly as cheap as the kinds of places we normally choose. I have to admit, it's a pretty awesome room with a lot of the rustic charm that charms me so easily. But otherwise it doesn't feel swanky at all. The main thing is its location. Within a couple of blocks, we were wandering down narrow alleyways that open up into grand piazzas. I knew that Arezzo had some history, but this place really feels like a semi-hidden gem. And we hardly had the time or energy to explore much of it.

We did visit the Decathlon on our way into town, but struck out with the gas canisters. They normally stock them but they just happen to be all sold out for some reason. That MSR stove that runs on unleaded is starting to look pretty good again.

Tomorrow it's off to Firenze, and we'll have some climbing to do. It'll also be the longest distance day yet. I think we can push ourselves a little bit, because there'll at least one, and maybe two, rest days following right on its heels.

* I became familiar with this tune as a TV ad jingle for the Plymouth Arrow automobile. I've since come to appreciate Harry Nilsson both as a songwriter and a singer. Incidentally, I seem to recall the ad showing the car winding along mountain roads, which would be ironic.

Today's ride: 68 km (42 miles)
Total: 361 km (224 miles)

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