I asked Jacinto what was the earliest he was willing to get up. He didn't argue much, but asked what I was afraid of. I can't tell you how many times we've had the conversation about how he grew up in the tropic heat without electricity (forget AC, they didn't even have a fan!). I would go so far as to say he enjoys the heat. Me, I wilt. End of story is that we were on the road by 8:30 - which is excellent for Jacinto. My thought was that the road was flat enough I should keep up a good speed.
We didn't have ice, or even cold water. But there was cloud cover for the first hour or so. We stopped at a gas station that appeared to have a store (rare on this trip). Jacinto said there were people inside, but they told him they were closed. We continued on.
Today was a country riding day. We rode through miles and miles of milo (say that quickly). We also saw hay fields and smelled what I think were pig farms. There were a number of small towns. Jacinto wanted me to lead at one point, but I told him I'd made two correct turns today. That was probably my limit.
We had a couple of really stiff little climbs. Just because our elevation is back down to 350 feet - doesn't mean there aren't climbs. I went flying down one, trying to get enough momentum to get partway up the next hill. Guess what? I was supposed to make a left at the bottom of the hill. At least I got to coast back down to the turn.
Tonight we were in an apartment. I had been messaging with the owner on whatsup. He said we could get in early, just let him know what time. I said I'd let him know an hour ahead. Of course, that's right where the slow climb came in! The owner said he would meet us at the castle turret. That certainly sparked my interest.
He's a very nice man. Older than us. He lives in the next town over, but keeps two apartments here to rent. Our bikes are at the next house over, locked inside of the gate, under a patio. When we were walking back from dinner, there was a family in the yard. I'm puzzled.
The owner had fixed us a fancy snack, with wine, and sat down to chat. We relied heavily on google translate. I showed him our schedule and map. He was very impressed.
We walked to the pizzeria for dinner. We ordered a four seasons pizza, which listed four toppings. We presumed all four toppings would be on the entire pizza. Silly Americans! One topping per pizza quarter. It was an 8.50E dinner. You can't beat that.
Our host left us all sorts of food for breakfast in the morning. I hope we can get out earlier. We have a short, stiff climb earlier, and one at the end of the day. Let me tell you about that. At the time we were planning (winter), we wanted to go around Turin. Lodging was hard to find at appropriate spots. I found a farm to ranch place outside of town. Great. They would feed us dinner, and breakfast. We have an apartment with AC. What's not to like? Now that I'm looking at the map, I've definitely found something I don't like! We have a one mile, 300 foot climb at the end of the day to our lodging. That is a steep climb. It will be hot. The booking is nonrefundable at this point. Current research shows several places NOW in town. I was for forfeiting our money and staying in town. Jacinto asks what I'm afraid of - it's not like I haven't climbed 300 feet before. End of story is that we stuck with the original plan. I'm sure I'm going to whine. High tomorrow is 89, slightly cooler. My best case scenario is overcast. I might get lucky.
I took many photos on the fly today. We were in the country, but passed through many small towns, and I didn’t want to get too far behind the navigator.
There was one way traffic on this bridge because of road construction. Often there are signals controlling traffic to one lane on bridges because the bridge is too narrow.
Mystery building of the day. Is it a family crypt? I saw 2-3 more for every one I photographed. Some were at the end of driveways. Others were at intersections.
The bedroom. The dresser had keys in the drawers. It was so close to the bed that I scraped my leg on a key. I have a two inch bruise/scratch now across that thigh. Jacinto took the keys out so we didn’t hit them again.
A snow capped peak. I wonder if all of the rain that flooded Bardonecchia resulted in snow on that peak. We were exactly 24 hours ahead of the June 30th flood.
We ordered the four seasons pizza with four toppings. We did get four toppings, but they didn’t cover the entire pizza. Silly Americans. Such expectations. 8.50E pizza. It was an inexpensive meal.
