Aquileia to Monfalcone

May 15, 2023

With the weather forecast being good today, I wanted to hit the road as the ride today is along the sea and had I stayed an extra day to sightsee a little more efficiently, I'd be back in crappy weather. So off I went.

The bike route heads to the city of Grado. When you look at the map, it's just a narrow strip. Should be interesting. And it was! Just enough of a "road" for traffic and then I had a separate bike path separate from the cars. As I approached, I could smell the sea. Awwwww, heaven! It was such a nice ride. However, I kept looking for crocodiles even though I am pretty sure there are none. Then again, I didn't expect to see flamingos either. 😂 After spending time touring in Africa last year (see previous blog) it's as if my mind still thinks I'm there. The same thing happened to me after I spent a winter touring in Florida. My next trip, I kept looking for alligators.

My ride started off on a bright note today

I can live with this view as I bike along the causeway

Grado is a popular beach town, but I was just happy to follow the bike path and enjoy a sunny day. I stopped at a EuroSpar and bought some food and had a little break. I bought some milk advertised that it had extra protein. I took one swallow and quickly spit it back in the bottle. I thought that maybe it was bad. I then asked a lady sitting nearby what the bottle said and she told me that I had bought "sour" milk and don't worry, it's good for me. I forced myself to drink a bit more of it but threw most of it away. The perils of not being Italian speaking (or reading).

I did not take the direct route today, but it was a fantastic ride including through a couple of reserves. My favorite section was a bike path elevated above the road and it followed the sea. There were other cyclists out, so sometimes, if I overlapped with them, I just waited a few minutes so I felt like I was on the path by myself without other people encroaching on my view of the trail ahead. 😂 I loved hearing all the birds chirping and a few times I caught a whiff of a fragrant smell as I passed through a section of flowering trees. I got to the end of the path where there is a restaurant/hotel and pulled out my chair and enjoyed a nice break and lunch. The sun shining on me, a pleasant breeze blowing, and a nice view of a marshy/water area.

If I'm going to wait for cyclists to get ahead of me, may as well take a picture of this flowering tree while I'm waiting

Probably one of the favorites routes I have ever ridden. Right along the Adriatic Sea

My route today. I also got a kick out of me being the blue dot in the very corner of the land. What can I say, I am easily amused.

After lunch, the "trail" headed north again. I was a bit worried at first as I hit large patches of water on the trail and lots of mud which I can confirm was very slippery. I ended up pedaling on the grassy weeds along side of it. Last thing I need to do is fall over in this mud. Thankfully that didn't last too long as it was hard work. I eventually rejoined some very quiet country roads that were paved. Had to get on the highway a bit before turning off again and heading south. North, south, north south, as I said, not the most direct route. I missed a turn and rode almost a mile down the road when a big reservoir came into view with a bit of a bench. Seems like a good place to take a quick break. Checked my phone. Oops, I'm on a trail that ends at the sea. Time to backtrack.

These pink flowers were scattered about. How pretty!

The color of the water and I'm just crossing a canal/river

Looks nice. Too bad it's not the road I'm supposed to be on.

I guess if I'm going to go down the wrong road, this isn't a bad consolation prize

See that dark cloud to the left? It's headed my way!

Headed back and was trying to look at a screenshot of the Eurovelo 8 route I took. It clearly showed I should head south to the water again, but google maps was looking like there was no way through. A) Google maps can't be trusted so I checked the more preferred map planner Komoot. It didn't look good either. A bit disappointed, but I'd be more upset if I had to backtrack again, so I went ahead and followed the route suggestions they gave. I saw rain clouds in the distance and though of my friends Rachel and Patrick who were likely getting the rain I had yesterday today. Then I noticed the clouds were moving my way.

I was planning to go to a campground about 8 miles further down the road, but then it started raining. I took cover under an awning and waited a while debating what to do. I was in the town of Monfalcone, but all the hotels were expensive. In the end, that it was I opted to do and called it a day. I've been wet enough on this trip already.

What a glorious day of biking it was! That'll change again tomorrow. Rain and wind warnings are back for the next couple of days.

My hotel is next to a shipyard. Everybody and their brother and their brother's uncle rides their bike!

Today's ride: 31 miles (50 km)
Total: 201 miles (323 km)

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