TK's Travels: The ADAC plug

This trip wouldn't have been half as much fun without the ADAC maps. ADAC is the German Auto Club, and they put out a series of maps for motorcyclists. The maps show great roads, merely excellent roads, and good connecting roads. They also show moto museums, racetracks, and other places of interest. They don't show a lot of detail, which is nice when you're trying to find a destination name in a hurry. Some maps, ie, Marco Polo, are impossible to read at a glance. It means you really need additional maps, but the roads on the ADAC maps are guaranteed to be fun. And they're free.

I don't know who found them, or how, but the roads can be simply amazing. Take yesterday, for example. I joined the ADAC green line between Balze and Verghereto, East of San Marino. (I tried to buy some new boots at a duty free Motostore there, but they're closed Wednesday afternoons.) The green line on the map ostensibly went from north-east to south-west across the country. It wound around Lago di Montedoglio, then entered Arezzo from the north. Then it headed back _north-east_ again to San Polo, San Severo and back down to Cortona. Heh. there had to be a reason ADAC wanted me to go out of the way.

It only took 4 stops to ask directions to get to San Polo. The first 2 times, the person I asked turned to another local with a quizzical look on their face and asked, "How do I tell someone how to get to San Polo?" They all said it was difficult to find. Well, yeah. That's because it's a one-lane twisty road in the boonies to a podunk village of ten houses. I found it, though, and it was fun doing it. In San Polo, when I asked about San Severo, his eyes lit up. He pointed and said something about "no asphalt" and motioned take a sharp turn down to the right. OK, and off I went. But the sharp turn where the pavement ended went to three homes and stopped. I asked another woamn on the road, and she said, yes, it's a long way down the dirt road. (I know, I'm not supposed to do dirt any more, but it was a good dirt road.) 5 miles later, after climbing up the mountain into some incredible views, the paving started and there was the sharp right turn.

And the fun really began. That road made me laugh out loud. I've often compared good roads to good surf. It's all about lines and trajectories. Sure, the surface counts, and other traffic, and a few other variables, but for me, the most important thing, whether it's riding waves or roads, is the line you take. Is it interesting? The road from San Polo through San Severo to Castiglion de Fiorentino has great lines. It swoops and dives, zigs, zags, bends and blasts its way through forests of pine and (I think) oak. I had so much fun, I went back and did part of it again. That's when I took the pics of the church at San Severo. Cool building. It has a bell from the year 1031.

After that, the green line took me to Cortona, an ancient Etruscan town on a hill top. I found a place to stay in the Institute de Santa Margaita, run by nuns, where I am typing this. I can't wait to see where ADAC sends me tomorrow Now I have to go get breakfast and take more pix of another beautifully quaint and romantic old town.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/it/rimini/507127452391533662