One more sleep - Looking for Tractors along the Rhine and the Mosel - CycleBlaze

August 1, 2025

One more sleep

In full bloom
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ann and steve maher-wearyReading your news this morning, that you have another tour happening, just makes my heart sing! Besides so enjoying your stories as you travel along, your ages make me believe that anything is possible with the right attitude - and you two have it in spades! We are heading to Europe too and will start cycling in Basel on Aug 21st, but alas, I do not think our paths will cross as we are heading east along the Rhine and you are heading more west from Frankfurt. Along with so many others, we will be reading your blog as you go because it always brings us so much joy to learn of your escapes. Thank you and happy cycling!
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1 week ago

Today the weather is beautiful clear sunny skies, no wind and temperatures nudging 20 degrees.  It has been like this for most of the last week so it seems we are seeing the beginnings of spring.  The earliest of the cherry blossom and the magnolias are coming out. 

This huge michalia is one of my favourite trees I am so glad that we got to see it flowering this year
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This one is tiny but will be beautiful in years to come
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Probably the most important job for the day was to take Miss Puss out to her holiday home.  We always feel bad doing this.  It is such an indignity for a princess to be put in a cage and she complains bitterly on the way there.  however Feline Farm Stay is a very superior cattery and Julie who runs it is I think a Cat Wisperer.

We feel bad doing this
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At reception. We know that she is safe and happy here
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We have a small 50acre farm about 15km away.   Ken runs steers on this, has a big vegetable and it is an excuse to still have a couple of old tractors although the collection is well down now - he used to have 10! The next thing therefore was out to the farm to make sure the tractors were OK in his absence and to drop off one of the cars

Leyland 150
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Massey Ferguson 135 - Ken loves old tractors
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Never before have we toured on hire bikes so it has made our packing quite different, just personal things, cycle clothes and a few regular clothes.  It makes for easy packing, Hope it all works out.

That all sorted we can relax back and watch the Tour de France Femmes.  I am relying on watching all this cycling to make me fit.  Although we aim to ride most days it has been pretty pathetic in the last while as not only have we had a quick trip to Queensland to visit our daughter and her family we don’t enjoy riding in wet, windy winter weather particularly as we have both had heavy colds

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Kathleen JonesI’m sure watching the cycling will help your physical conditioning. Chapeau!
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2 weeks ago
Michael HutchingEnjoy the ride Trish and Ken - we had a pleasant ride on La Route Bleu in 2022. Some interesting cities along the way. All the best, Michael & Ann
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2 weeks ago
Steve Miller/GrampiesDespite the best intentions we never seem to get much actual cycle training done. Often the pretrip weeks are either too cold and wet or too hot and sunny. Being the delicate flowers we are, we want the weather to be just right before venturing too far from home. Kudos to you for having the discipline to watch the Tour. Surely it will help in preparation for your own tour.
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2 weeks ago
Tricia GrahamTo Michael HutchingWe rode the part from Dijon to Lyon last year and really enjoyed it
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2 weeks ago
Tricia GrahamTo Kathleen JonesHope so Kathleen
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2 weeks ago
Tricia GrahamTo Suzanne GibsonThanks Suzanne our first highlight is to meet Susan
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2 weeks ago
Tricia GrahamTo Steve Miller/GrampiesAm sure the tour will be a great help!!! Feeling rather nervous about the whole thing as we are marginal at best
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2 weeks ago
Susan CarpenterWishing you a safe and uneventful journey to Paris. At least no worries if your bikes make the flight. I'm so looking forward to seeing you and Ken in a few days!
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2 weeks ago
Tricia GrahamTo Susan CarpenterWe are so looking forward to seeing you Susan.
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2 weeks ago
Steve Miller/GrampiesDid your flight to Paris day disappear, or did you delete it? In any event, hope this reaches you...... We saw that the plan is to pick up your bikes in Frankfurt, on the 20th of August? If so, and it works for you, we can do a slight tweak to our plans and meet up with you on the 20th!!!!!!!! We land in Frankfurt at about 1 pm on the 20th. Is there a way we could find you in the city centre, or you find us at the airport, and we could actually have a face to face hello. Maybe a meal? Please let us know soon so we can make the necessary adjustments if it looks like a go..
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1 week ago