Sunday:

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/de/augsburg/185127356903979181

Monday:

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/san-diego/295127357148757601


I got stories to tell, but I've also gotta get on the road. I'll catch up wid ya later.

Out of Heidelberg

This was Friday's ride. It wasn't long, but it got me out of town and on the road.
Heidelberg:

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/de/heidelberg/700127338803011327

I found out quickly one of the advantages to having California plates. It's hard for the cops to pick it up with their laser guns. (CA plates are about 1/3 the size of German plates.) Not far out of Heidelberg, I woman cop stepped into the road in front of me and waved a stick with a blinking red light at me. She explained that in the last village, a cop had radioed ahead, saying I didn't have a plate and he couldn't get a speed reading. After seeing my CA platee, she was very friendly and apologized.

I stopped in Neckarsulm to visit the German Two-Wheel Museum. It's impressive and well worth a visit. There is a wooden bicycle from 1817, and a great collection of bikes, both pedal & motor.

And this was Saturday's ride

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/de/neckarsulm-augsburg/676127339101518720


The German tourist industry around 1950 decided they needed to imorove their image with Americans, so they started advertising what they called the "Romantic Road." It was a route that wound through a string of beautiful quaint little towns in Southern Germany. The program was a success, and they created others - the Castle Road, the Wine Road, the Toy Road, etc. Since Heidelberg is a major stop on the Castle Road, it was an obvious route to follow. The Castle Road stretches from Mannheim to Prague, and the are 95 castles along the way. Some are ruins, some are private residences and some are tourist traps. I stopped at the Langenburg castle, which has a public restaurant. It was a nice fantasy to sip my cafe', eating a delicious apfel strudel and survey my lordly domain.

I left the Castle Road and picked up the Romantic Road at Rothenburg. Schloss Neuschwanstein further South may be the model for Disney's Fantasyland castle, Rothenburg has taken his business plan and run with it. The place is tourist central. You can buy a full suit of armor for 1200 Euros. When I walked into the main square, there was a band playing "America" from West Side Story. They
egued into Rock Around the Clock. Not exactly what one might expect, but it was a crowd pleaser.

Knopftours, Heidelberg, Germany

Hallelujah! I made it. The flight was great. Long, but great. I've flown entirely too many trips in coach and I think life is too short to be a sardine for any length of time. The business class seat was more like a couch. With an 18" screen and its own remote, yadda yadda. I unloaded my carry-on and the first thing the flight attendant asked was "Would you like some champagne?" Then came the hors d'oeuvres on a cloth table cloth with real china and silverware. I'm tellin' ya, life is good. I watched a strange German move (The White Ribbon) to put me in the Euro mood, followed by Men Who Stare at Goats.

I realized when the plane was coming in that I'd actually landed at Frankfurt once before - in May 1968 while I was in the army. That was a long time ago. Things just look newer now, not different. Immigration was a breeze and the instructions Stefan gave were easy to follow. Catch the fast train to Mannheim, then transfer to the commuter train to one stop past Heidelberg main. Get off, walk 4 minutes and you're there. OK, it was a little hassle carrying all the crap I brought with me through the light rain, and there was some serious jet lag to deal with, but so what - there was my bike, inside Stefan's gate.

After a 3 hour nap and finding no one home, I decided to take a walk. It was a light, steady rain on the 2 or 3 mile walk to the old city, and old images flooded back into view. The pattern of cobblestone roads laid out in arcs by guys who lay as many as possible within arm's reach before moving forward. All the doors that open with handles, not knobs. (As a GI, we called the US, the Land of Round Door Knobs.) The 2-note warbling of German police sirens. And the harmonious melding of old and new architecture. On the train platform in Mannheim, when jet lag was really starting to hit, I thought perhaps the trip was a mistake, and I just wanted to be home in my own bed. Walking down Hauptstrasse, (the pedestrian road,) past the medieval church  toward the Rathouse town hall and looking at the welcoming beer stubes, the shops, and the castle overlooking it all, it hit me how much fun I'm going to have.

Lindbergh Field SD

Well, It's happening. I made it through check-in and the security
gantlet. I got the extra pat-down and double x-ray. Not unexpected
because I'm wearing my riding suit with armor, and my carryon is a
metal box and my helmet. Everything is cool though, and they were real
friendly. One of the security ladies volunteered for the patdown, but
they made me wait for a guy, dammit.

I've got an hour to wait for the plane to lift off, but I'm already
flying high. See you again after a few more adventures.

Palomar ride

Did another training ride today. This time it was a loop up to Palomar Mtn with the GoPro camera. I'm learning more about the camera. Condensation appears to be a problem, but I think that's easily solved.

This is a short stretch of Highland Valley Road, which is the bottom part of the loop between Ramona and I15 in the map below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tCje9ZGmJg

About Palomar... it's May 2nd and there's STILL snow on top! Check the photo.

Getting ready

Departure day is coming soon and I've been incredibly busy getting ready. I've never gone through this much trouble getting ready for any other trip. But then, I've never had so much to get ready, either. The house is together, finally. Sorta. New deck, irrigation rebuilt, yadda yadda. Financial affairs are in order, or will be. And I've spent a ton of money on new toys for the trip. GoPro movie camera, new still camera, tent, all kinds of cool crap. For as much energy, money and time that this trip has cost me so far, I'd better damn well have a blast! I don't see how it won't be.

I fly on May 5th - Cinco de Mayo. Continental flight 6038, landing in Frankfurt, 9:45am Thursday.

10 days ago or so, I did a training ride in the county. I'd almost forgotten how much fun the roads are in SD County. Here's a link:

That's the BMW experience isn't it - spending money?

It's officially done. I registered the bike today at AAA. It cost me $1374 to get a tag that expires in August. $200 of that were penalties the previous owner incurred by letting the tag lapse. I really hope the bike is what it's supposed to be. We shall see.

Next step - buy a plane ticket, shop for accessories, research itineraries. Oh what fun.