Day 5 - Let's try camping! (Noordwijk to Delft via Leiden and the LDS temple) - Planned Spontaneity

June 26, 2018

Day 5 - Let's try camping! (Noordwijk to Delft via Leiden and the LDS temple)

How soft is that grass, Erika?

Heart

Comment

Marvin narrating:

So we started out on day 5 with the bikes once again fully loaded and the prospect of a campsite at the other end of the day, something we hadn't tried yet in Europe. We were also looking at a longer ride than we had yet attempted on this trip, but we still didn't get underway very early as you can see if you click on the "view full version" in the left top corner of the map above. When the map opens on the Ride With GPS site you can see in the right hand sidebar that we started at a rather unrespectable 10:33 AM. Oh well, breakfast was very good :)

First we went up the path toward the dunes from the hostel

Very soon we were back on pavement and forest

Emerging into the dunes and headlands of the North Sea coast

These 'inland lakes' have been formed by the dikes. We really are quite inland and the lakes are fresh but I think most of them are below sea level

We cross a canal on a ferry that just runs continuously back and forth, taking cars and trucks, pedestrians and bicycles all at once

I am adjusting my bike to make a bit more room for the truck to move forward so another can come on behind

We are right up against the ramp that will drop as soon as we touch the other side

We ride into an extremely pretty little village called Kaag

Ha! Time to pull in for some refreshment on the left

Looking ahead from our spot in the shade

Runs daily in June, July and August and on weekends in May and September.

This is a very 'resort like' area. Lots of sailing goes on

The sailor in me is getting jealous. The whiskers on me are getting too long

This picture was taken by our new friends

And of course we took one of them. Now where are my notes on who we have met so far? Hopefully new friends will drop us a note if and when they read this

The iconic countryside. Note the grass bending in the wind

I try to take pictures of signs like these to keep track of where we are at the time

This one I took for Iris (Erika's mom). She loves JYSK in Nanaimo

Leiden was where the Mayflower pilgrims lived after fleeing England from persecution.

Coming off the bridge from the left, Erika couldn't quite hold the corner and thought she would test the softness of the grass. The big panniers tend to break the fall while at the same time making sure it happens. Erika was in a pretty good humour about this one, but as I was helping to get the bike back up, the kickstand on my bike (Steve's bike) suddenly snapped so we had both bikes down at once

We found the temple that I had insisted I wanted to see. While not anything like the old cathedrals that are in all the big cities, it is very beautiful to us as we have a very close connection to it spiritually.

We have seen quite a few of these amazing willows on the banks of canals

I noticed they were whistling the collies through their herding trials

Notice how the "car lane" isn't even wide enough for a car. Basically, the cyclist always gets the lane until the car has room to go around

Entering the outskirts of Delft. The campground shows up before we even get into town

Just outside the laundry area at the campground

I go upstairs to the restaurant and get us some take out

Taken the next morning, here is our first campsite

A couple of French girls came in on bikes just after we did

Today's ride: 59 km (37 miles)
Total: 244 km (152 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	3
Comment on this entry	Comment	0