Day 14: Wolfsbruch to Duhnen-Cuxhaven

April 26, 2022

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Behind the slick veneer of every journal that can be read here on cycleblaze, there is an awful lot of computer/tablet/smartphone manipulation going on. No matter what equipment is being used, each author is typing on something, and they are finding a way to store and organize and probably edit many photos, and have them ready for upload to Cycleblaze. In addition, they may be adding special features, like RWGPS tracks, or GoPro videos.

Over the years I have tried various hardware and software combinations to achieve this, while minimizing time and hassle after a long day of cycling. An amazing number of these combos have failed on the road, just out of perversity, I think, and nothing to do with being continually bashed about over cobbled pavement in a side pannier!

This time I set off with the ultmate luxury, a 13" Windows 10 Surface Pro. With Windows, everything for me is easier. Android and its typical apps is a toy. And Apple-IOS? I hate it.

Everything was swell, until yesterday the Surface died in its sleep. I had actually woken up in the night because I forgot to put something into the blog. I put the thing in, and shut down the Surface normally. In the morning it would not wake up, and it has been dead since. Of course I have fully charged it, and also tried all the magic key press remedies. Nothing.

I just hate it when an important piece of equipment is on the fritz. It bugs me until there is a resolution. Here on the road, there is no fixing or replacing the Surface. But for now I have Dodie's Android tablet in front of me, and I have refigured out how to do all of the tricks needed to produce the blog. So maybe it's ok. But maybe I need to redouble the search for favourite things, 'cause this computer thing sucks

OK, I think I have a new counterbalance favourite thing: The gracious way Dodie has moved over to look for Bookings on the smartphone, so I can monopolize her favourite tablet!

We set off to regain at first the distance we had lost the day before by having to backtrack to the hotel. But we again took a bit of a shortcut, taking us over new territory. That turned out to have a bit of a benefit, because we came across a large building that was just in the process of being re-thatched. Thatching of course is a mysterious craft to us, and we watched with interest as four men were tearing off the previous roofing with pitch forks. The one lowest down was continually getting hit with thatch avalanches. Later we looked at reeds growing by the roadside, and wondered if these were the ingredient for new roofs. The reeds we found seemed rather thin, but looking at another roof later on, it did seem like the thatch reeds are in fact rather thin. This is of course just theoretical, because we are no more able to get a thatch roof on our own house today, than we are able to get the shiny black, brown, or blue tiles of yesterday. For the record, though, we have decided on brown!

We were soon able to take on our main route for the day, which for one last time (we hope) was dike riding. In fact we like the dike, because it is uncrowded, and because it brings you close to a fair variety of both wild and domestic animals.

This really is a great environment to cycle in.

For obvious general reasons these guys remind me of Shaun the Sheep. But it's also the way they are looking at me from over the ridge.

Trick question for Scott Anderson: can you tell the sheep from the goats?

Carrying on with the geese theme, we were amazed to see an entire field covered with them. I thought here was my chance to get a good shot of one on the wing. So I sent Dodie zooming down to scare them (despite her already registered objection to that). But the geese were having none of it, and they did not move at all. Anyway, these were pretty unique looking geese. Can anyone identify them?

We returned to the basic path, which often featured crops on either side, or just plowed areas. Looking at one field, I commented that the sandy soil looked good for potatoes. Sure enough we soon came upon farmers with crates of seed potatoes ready to go in. We cast a seasoned eye on their seed stock, and declared it fit to go in.

Farther along, I was saying that it looked like many fields already had potatoes planted. They looked like this:

But Dodie doubted this was actually potato. She would not let me dig a plant up, but here is what they look like. Potato or something else?

Whereas earlier in the day the air had been calm, as time went by the wind picked up. Eventually we were really getting beat up by the cold North Sea wind. This idea of a North Sea wind is not just the concept that the wind originates with the North Sea and comes to you. No, in fact we had come to it. At a certain point we could say that we had followed the widening river enough that we had reached the North Sea. And so we declare:

As we drew closer to Cuxhaven, there were increasing signs of industry. With the wind pummelling us, one was particularly apt, the wind turbine company Titan Wind. Canada had a chance to get in on turbine production twenty years ago, but no. Now this one company sells for half a billion annually, in Europe. I think it is Chinese owned.

As we passed deeper into Cuxhaven, we passed first very large fish processing and wholesaling facilities, and then increasing numbers of fish restaurants. Even though we really do not like fish at all, I began to feel that it would be only right to try some, here in fish central. The most common thing seemed to be fisch brotchen, with tempting descriptions of the freshness of the fish and the home made and fresh baked nature of the brotchen. For the moment, though, we pedalled on. I was eager to reach our hotel, before anyone bonked in the cold wind!

We think Cuxhaven has some sort of downtown, but we carried on past it. Our hotel was on the other side of town, further along the coast, in a place called Duhnen. To get there, we faced about 10 km of additional cold wind and beach. In summer the area is clearly popular, something we could see from stacked up beach cabana type structures.

Whereas Cuxhaven had seemed quite dull and industrial, Duhnen had a lively cafe and restaurant scene. We ditched our bikes and stuff at the hotel and walked out for a look at it.

This is where my sort of hankering for some fish would have a chance to be acted on. We walked into one of the many fish shops and saw this:

But more to the point were the fish brotchen. The first ones I saw had raw (looking) herring in them, and this had me scurrying for the exit. Dodie persisted, and pointed out that some had sort of cooked fish balls and could be ok. But I was already cured of my hankering. So no sale!

We later found what must be the full story, on a chalk bord:

But no, it was too late, my career as a fish fan today was over. Maybe I'll check back in on the next tour, like in Portugal or Spain!

Today's ride: 73 km (45 miles)
Total: 705 km (438 miles)

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Scott AndersonToo bad about the surface. We killed one once too, in Taiwan. We stopped for lunch in a blinding rainstorm and left a pannier open, beneath a drain spout.

Get an iPad! They’re indestructible, in my experience. Well, unless you fall asleep on the toilet and drop it on the tile floor. That can be fatal.
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1 year ago

Tricia GrahamThere is a huge Saturn shop inBremerhaven which saved our blog about 8 years ago when I was having bad problems. As I remember otitis on the main square
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1 year ago

Laurie MarczakSo wait - was that Avi's ill-fated Surface Pro or a newer one that has also decided to die?

Also - the internet tells me that - although it is still April 26th here - it is April 27th already in Germany and so it is officially your birthday! We assume there will be pictures of some appropriate baked item to come in tomorrow's blog eh...

(Happy Birthday from the Seattle Crew).
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1 year ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesYes, after months of enjoying its ressurection, it was Avi's computer that quietly died in the night. I have been trying to resuscitate it as before, but this time no luck.

As you will see from the next page of the blog, there was no birthday cake for me, but only the chance to lie under a down quilt.
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1 year ago