Just when you think life could not get any better, you are slammed back to reality and off you go into those dog day afternoons where everything goes wrong. 

It is RAINING!!   No, it is POURING!  And it is COLD!

We took a detour off the River Maas and ended up on the River Waal.  It is a huge river that runs west toward Rotterdam so it is full of huge working barges.

   It all started when the end of my handle bar broke completely off.  Steve says it is because I carry too much STUFF in my handle bar bag so when parked it often falls off balance.  But a lady has to have her STUFF, right?

 

 

Fortunately there are hundreds of bike shops around even in the smallest towns.  We found a great one, formally a house and barn and it was full of bikes.  They called around, and got us an appointment for the next day at another farm turned industry, where there was welder.

   

 

Half an hour later I had a much stronger handlebar and for only 20 Euros ($25US)

 

Now I am just riding along minding my own business smelling the flowers along side the corn fields when suddenly I hear a loud BANG followed by a hissing sound.
My trailer tire had a BLOWOUT! 
Now, must I endure the wrath of carrying too much STUFF in my trailer?  

    
No, actually the tires have thousands of miles on them so Steve is feeling a bit frustrated he did not just get new ones before we left.  GRUMP!!!   He sends me off yonder, I am banished to the corn field.   He corrects the problem and his ego and the day are saved. 

 

Now I am lying in the ‘golden pagoda’ tent enjoying the view across the green lawn grateful we found a place with a picnic table, such luxury.  And admiring all those Dutch campers in their big tents with front porches when suddenly
BANG…HISS
My air mattress has a blow out!
Eating too much? Heavy dreams? What have I done now?

This sign is one we never could figure out.    I say it is a warning that if it is a cloudy day one should just stay in the tent, rest and take the day off.

Good advise.   We should have taken it this day.  We are in a wonderful campground with great facilities, the lady and gents toilets connected by a clear canopy roof.  Turns out  we spent an entire morning waiting for the rain to let up, drying out the tent and connecting to Internet.      

But the day is not lost and we ride on finding shelters along the way, something for both of us waiting just ahead.  For Steve the Apple computer store for me a place to relieve myself…..but wait…..they charge 25c to use the toilet in McDonalds! 
What is that all about?  I almost caused a McFlurry!

 

Now in the larger city of Nijmegen we find that in three days 40,000 walkers are about to descend on the city for a huge four day, 200km walk out onto the dykes, hiking routes and bike trails.  This is an International event that has taken place for over 50 years.   One man has not missed a year yet and is 82 years old.

Time stands still for no one and the event is drawing near so he head out of town on the special rail/bike bridge for a campground on the outskirts of town.

Fortunately this campground has a small Yert
with warm comfortable chairs, TV and place to cook and eat. But, we can only stay a couple days as the event will be passing by, the Yert a place of rest for weary walkers.
We pitch the tent nearby but take refuge inside the Yert.
Then it begins to RAIN and RAIN!  The temperature drops to 50F.
We are held hostage by the weather for 2 days but we are at least comfortable. It gives us time to search the internet for more boats to inspect.

Okay, now we are back to those Chicken Little days.  Even the chickens stay in the barn we are told, when they know it will rain all day.  But the sun teases us out for just a short time, they begin mowing the grass in the campground. It is now 1 PM.
I say we make a break for it.

 

Oh no, where is our weather guru, Clark?   What storms are ahead?  Do we batten down the hatches and prepare for a storm? 

This is just too much like sailing.  The weather is so unpredictable.  It is not fit for man or beast.

Even the sheep are running across our path to take refuge under the bridges and the ducks in the fields are laying low.

We duck in with the sheep under a bridge.  What a miserable day.  But like sailing we must keep moving.  It is not a good anchorage.
We are bashing straight into a head wind.  Up ahead is a big black cloud and what looked like a white mist coming toward us, the White Squall.   In sailing you just hold your course so that is what we did.

Steve checks the GPS and sees a safe haven up ahead.  We race down the dyke just as the sky opens up and we follow the chicken right into the barn.  It is raining cats and dogs.  I think I am getting water logged, too much nature.  

Saved by an angel.
We have come to a place called De Engle.  It translates to The Angle.   It is a 5 star restaurant built in 1591 and we are the star guests.  That is until 7 biking women find our anchorage and head in behind us. 

They are all friends, leaving the husbands behind and head out on an adventure from Harlam to Massbracht doing 70km a day.  They range in age for 56 to 76.  What a hoot they were.  Everyone is safe at anchor and celebrating a safe journey….just like sailing!

And of course we will never forget our guardian angle. 
www.de-engel.nl

Back on the bike trail  we pass a farmer in his wooden shoes out in the garden.  They seem to take no notice of the weather, don the right gear and continue on.

We don our wet weather gear and pushed on into the wind and rain crossing the Waal on a ferry.

We meet up with a lady on a bike walking her Norwegian horse, Carl, as we get another break in the weather.

And what a time to find a barge, just moored right there in the rain with a Te Koop (For Sale)  sign on the bow.  We call the number but find it is 17m. Too big. 
Off we go another few kilometers, the sky opens up and we crawl in under a mushroom for a hot chocolate. We are totally soaked once again.

Finally we reach the campground along a spillway with cows across the way and more sheep and ducks.  Of course then the rain lets up.  But we pitch our tent under a big white tent and spread out all our wet gear. 

It turned out a great night, wonderful long hot shower and it rained all night but we were nice and dry inside our double tent.

Only one problem.

  The next morning I found that a slug had slimmed my bike shorts!

Life can turn around in a second.  We take the good with the bad.  If we did not have the bad, we would not appreciate the good?     We never know what will happen next or where we will end up.  That is what makes it a great adventure.

So just when we thought we would have to trade our bike shoes in for some of those wooden ones, used in the wet marshy ground, we have found a safe haven among the chickens, rabbits, miniature horses and meeting some fascinating people.

 

 

 

We are safe now, taking shelter for three days in ‘t Boerenbontje, a
GYPSY CIRCUS CARAVAN
somewhere out in De Biesbosch.

See you in the next blog ‘BIKING DE BIESBOSCH’

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