By now you may know my morning routine. I was up early, trying my best to be quiet, until that turncoat of a creaking bed gave me away. Sue let out an audible and disapproving grunt, and that was my cue to get dressed and out the door. Besides, the light this morning looked like it might favor some nice photo opportunities. Here are some shots of my morning jaunt to coffee.
When I walked through town this morning, I slammed back a cappuccino, a chocolate croissant, and then another espresso. That woke me up enough for me to tackle the hill up to the church. Along the way, I discovered an info-sign that indicated that artifacts of a bronze age settlement was found where the Soca and Idrijca rivers meet. Fragments of pottery were dated to 1200BC. Cool stuff.
Our hotel up to the right with the Soca flowing away from the shot.
I don't know anything about tractors but I did do some research on this little red beauty. IMT or Industry of Machinery and Tractors is a Serbian tractor company founded in 1948. This tractors looks to be about that vintage. I like the bull on the logo. Plus the SLO (Slovenia) sticker adds some pizazz.
After a fine breakfast, we headed off on the relatively busy 102 for about 2kms, until our turnoff for the 403, just past the town of Postaja where we became acquainted with the Baca River. We would follow the Baca upstream for the next 25km, slowly gaining elevation with a gradual gradient interspersed with some punchy bits for good measure. It was interesting to observe the Baca becoming smaller and smaller in volume as we approached its headwaters.
The Baca River valley is spectacular, and if you're lucky enough get to Slovenia to ride your bike and you need a good route to get from Most Na Soci to Skofja Loka, then I might suggest this one. There's a bit of climbing, but nothing that is too serious. Besides, the breathtaking views and scenery will take your mind off your climbing legs anyways.
Just past the town of Podbrdo, the climb reared up for a short spell. What was especially incredible about today was how cool and comfortable the temperatures were. It's ironic as I write this. I'm watching BBC news, and they're talking about the fact that the UN has claimed that the Earth has entered a point of, what they term. 'Global Boiling'. Unsettling to say the least.
Sue climbing out of the town of Podbrdo through cool beech, oak and pine forests.
I remembered this place from Google maps when I was researching the trip and thought what a great place to stop for a rest. So, now that we're actually here, we did!
We stopped for a little break here before tackling the more serious climbing. The Lasko I had gave me superpowers. No wonder the Slovenians are so industrious.
Newsflash. As I was writing this journal, I just discovered a tick attached to just inside the rim of my nostril. WTF? I picked my nose, and thought this to be a little booger, but that booger began to move and my nose began to bleed. What is it with me and ticks? If you were a follower of our journal from last year, you'd know that I also got a tick bite in Italy, and cautiously proceeded with a round of antibiotics to prevent Lyme Disease. How the hell did a tick get into my nose is the big question? I mean, I'm a nature lover and love to get up close to all god's creatures but how the heck did a tick get up my nose? And, then I thought. I did smell a beautiful yellow rose earlier in the day. Could that have been it? Maybe, it attached to my helmet when I set it down somewhere? Maybe it crawled into our little cabin last night and zeroed in on my gaping nostril? Who knows how the creepy little bugger got there? Well....let's just hope this is a nice tick (if there is such a thing) and it doesn't carry Lyme Disease. What are the chances of a tick getting into someone's nose? Anyways.... here's a pic if you're interested in seeing the evidence.
Tick on left. If you don't know this from last year. I *&^%$# hate ticks!
Anyways, back to today's news. After topping out at our high point of the day at a little over 800m, it was down, down, down for the next 30 kms. We sailed along at a -2% gradient. We almost didn't even need our brakes.
Sue descending. From this point on, it was all downhill to Skofja Loka.
Once over the top, we entered the watershed of the Selska Sora river and followed this downhill all the way to SL. Through this stretch of road we hardly saw a car for several kms and the temperatures actually plummeted to around 15 degrees which forced us to stop and layer up. This valley was almost like a cold air sink. It was a blissful descent and a gratifying way to end the later half of our ride.
Patrick O'HaraTo Scott AndersonHey Scott. We wish we had another day here to explore. It's a tiny town, but does have a lot of charm. Reply to this comment 9 months ago
Today's ride: 64 km (40 miles) Total: 333 km (207 miles)
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Rachael AndersonWhat a challenging ride! Congratulations. By the way, I’m really enjoying your photos from your early morning walks. I love exploring a place at that time of day. Reply to this comment 9 months ago
