ALL PACKED

I'm all packed and ready to go. I'm leaving tomorrow on the 10AM train. My fairy for Sardinia leaves the port of Genova tomorrow evening at 9:30. I'll be recording the trip with a journal and a camera, and will post everything when I return the 17th of August. Here is a list of supplies that I'm bringing:

PERSONAL
passport
credit cards
ferry tickets
watch
notebook
guidebook
map
2 books
2 pr reading glasses
sunglasses


GADGET
iPod
iPod charger
iPod cable
camera
extra camera battery
extra camera memory chip
alarm clock


CLOTHING
Black Jacket
Sandals
Converse
2 pr Shorts
3 pr socks
5 pr underwear
4 pr t shirts
swim suit


BIKE
helmet
gloves
kryptonite lock
cable lock
pump
crescent wrench
screwdriver
chain breaker
spoke wrench
leatherman
allan wrench
2 bike lights
2 waterbottles


CONTINGENCY
parachute cord
bungee cords
24" bailing wire
spare nuts and bolts (rack)
zip ties
duct tape
grease
2 spare tubes
2 patch kits
rags
disposable gloves
sewing kit


CAMPING
tent
tarp
hammock
4 lengths webbing
thermorest
sheet
flashlight
laundry line / soap
laundry clips


TOILETRY
toothbrush
toothpaste
razor
Q tips
deodorant
toilet paper
towel


MEDICAL
6 band aids
1 large band aid
12 aspirin
6 ambien
bug spray
sunscreen
cold medicine
pepto bismol

FELLOW CYCLISTS

There are a lot of cyclists here. The roads are full of them. Unlike in the United States, cyclists are treated well by motorists. Most of the serious cyclists with the colorful garb and the fancy gear are men, my age and older. Countless 60 year old men have passed me heading up a mountain. I have to give them credit. They're out there every day. It reminds me of how I pass the young hipsters on the Williamsburg bridge. On weekends there are huge trains of cyclists headed up into the mountains, but one finds cyclists of every sort everywhere.

MARCESINA

I went up to Marcesina today. Luisa's cousin Hermano told me about it. It's a huge beautiful open pasture with a wildlife refuge, an old hotel, and various dairies. There were cows and cow pies everywhere. The high alps can be seen in the distance. I chose a direct but very steep route to get up there. It was uphill for three and a half hours. I took an old single lane military road up out of Val Sugana. It was the steepest most curvy road I've ever been on. It was both ridiculous and breathtaking. Up on top it was like heaven. It's another world up there. It's so cool and peaceful. Sometime I'll have to stay up there and just keep going. It takes so much effort just to get up there! On the descent back down into Valsugano I strapped a camera to the front of my bike. It captures how crazy that road was. Once back in the valley, I had a head wind all the way back to Bassano. This ride killed me, as I knew it would.

TOOK THE DAY OFF

I took the day off yesterday and went to Venice. I was too exhausted to ride this morning, but will head east tomorrow morning along the range to the Piave river. I'm psyching myself up for a 100 Km trip back up into the mountains to a beautiful place called Mount Marcesina. I've created a map which shows where I've been so far.

ASIAGO

Today I went up the mountain to buy cheese. I went to Asiago, a 68 Km round trip from Bassano. I returned with 5 Kg of some really good cheese and mascarpone. Luisa's uncle Rodolfo recommended the place, Caseficio Pennar. He also taught me the word, "malga", which is a type of Altopiano cow stable. There are many cow pastures up in these mountains. It's so beautiful up there. And the descent is absolutely thrilling. I listened to Stevie Wonder on the way down today, becoming ever more confident.
Today I went up the mountain to buy cheese. I went to Asiago, a 68 Km round trip from Bassano. I returned with 5 Kg of some really good cheese and mascarpone. Luisa's uncle Rodolfo recommended the place, Caseficio Pennar. He also taught me the word, "malga", which is a type of Altopiano cow stable. There are many cow pastures up in these mountains. It's so beautiful up there. And the descent is absolutely thrilling. I listened to Stevie Wonder on the way down today, becoming ever more confident.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

There are many technical challenges I'm having to overcome. My first day in Bassano I peddled around the town with my laptop open scouting for wifi hotspots. The notion of doing a blog and the day to day necessities of communication depended on laptop usage and finding wifi. What takes no time in New York, took me an hour to locate here. But alas I found my hotspot, located at the base of a modern apartment/business complex where I now make my daily pilgrimage. Let me take a moment to thank that unknown person or business from whom I'm now hacking my Internet connection and hence creating this blog. My second issue was my voltage converter. It was continually overheating, probably due to the heat wave we've been experiencing here in Bassano. It's been a balmy 42º C in the afternoon. My converter finally burned out and I'm terrified of doing the same to my powerbook. Computer parts, especially for an old Apple are difficult to find here. But I was able to find specific cables which enable me to plug directly into the wall. And I got a new voltage converter to keep my camera batteries charged. Hopefully there won't be any more issues.

THE FLOWERS OF MT CAINA

Today I went to the top of Mt Caina today, past Rubio. I am preparing for tomorrow's trip to Asiago. Mt Caina is over a 1000 meters high. I photographed flowers all the way up the mountain and was pleased to find poppy flowers up on top near the Madonna de la Fatima shrine. I can't believe I'm doing this. It's so cool to look up at these mountains in the evening and realize that I've been up there earlier. racing down the mountain reminds me of hang gliding. There's the same sense of vertigo, peacefulness, and speed as you trace the mountains and valleys.

VAL SUGANO

Val Sugano is an incredibly beautiful valley cut deep into the Dolomites by the Brenta river. It runs from Bassano to Trento where it joins the Brenner pass. I rode up the Brenta's left side the day after I went up Grappa. There I found a bike trail that went all the way to Trento, some 86 Km from Bassano. It looked beautiful and I was eager to try it. I returned the following day and would go the full distance. I would take the train back. The gorge and towering rock faces are extraordinary. I was particularly intrigued by a mediaeval fortress cut high into the side of a cliff. The narrow twisting towns were charming. The colorful wildflowers were everywhere and the endless fruit orchards made my mouth water. It was a long haul heading continuously upstream until the river no longer existed. I got lost in Caldolazzo where the bike trail vanished and I headed up the wrong pass. I began to ask people and was turned around. I ended up on a 4 lane highway heading down a mountain into Trento. Fun - Especially the 2Km tunnel. Terrifying. It took me 5 hours, which I reckon will be an average day in Sardinia. I brought some Trento cheese with me back to Bassano. My left shoulder was sunburned.

MOUNT GRAPPA

My first trek was up Mount Grappa. The wicked local drink is named after this mountain, as are many towns including Bassano. Grappa is 1775 meters high. The steep road from Bassano to the top is 38 Km. I remember years ago, the first time I was driven to the top of Grappa passing the many cyclists along the way. I thought they were absolutely crazy. Then 2 years ago I declared that I wanted to bike it. Luisa's family scoffed at the idea. The challenge was set. New York City may be flat, but we we've got those East river bridges that I've been hauling my kid over daily for 3 years now. I was prepared for Grappa. I did it in 3 hours. Of course, now they're telling me stories of people who did it in 2 hours, or someone who screamed up it in only an hour and 15 minutes. They just don't want to give me the credit due. It was a tall accomplishment. And it took only 30 minutes to descend, ripping at speeds of up to 50 MPH, completely freaking me out. I was afraid I'd lose control or my brakes would fail. I'm still reeling from a bad accident I had before I left on the Williamsburg bridge. I'm pretty sure I broke my left pinky or fibula or something. My entire left side was scraped raw. My foot is still so swollen I can't fit it into a shoe. So I'm doing all my biking here in Birkenstocks, which is a somewhat dangerous, especially on those insane descents.

PREPARING

I brought over my Trek 4500 series mountain bike. It cost me $44 to ship it over on the plane. It would have been great to have bought a new touring bike, but the airfare and poor exchange rate are already costing me a fortune. I'm trying to cut as many costs and corners as possible. My bike is 4 years old. I use it every day for transportation in New York. It's functional and dependable. What can I say? I love my bike. I gave it a complete tune-up before I left. The wheels were trued. I put on new gear cables and a new rear tire. I bought myself a new pump, and a few new tools for the trip. I had to completely break the bike down to get it into a shipping box. Fortunately Jonas and Michele rode me to the airport and I was able to rent carts and do the shuffle along the way to get everything here. My bike needed only a few adjustments on this end before it was up and running. How completely liberating to have my bike with me here in Italy! I'm spending the first 2 weeks with Luisa's family in Bassano del Grappa. Bassano is in the northern Veneto region of Italy, roughly 60 miles west of Venice and 60 miles north of Padua. It is located along the Brenta river right where the Dolomites rise out of the plains. It's a great place to have a bike and begin my training.

TO BEGIN

These are two firsts for me. I've never done a bike tour. And I've never published a blog. I've dreamed of traveling to Sardinia for many years. Why not do it by bike? The size of the island is manageable. And it's the only way I can really afford to go. With a little bit of luck and a whole lot of peddling, I expect to travel some 500 miles making a giant C. I'll be starting in Olbia on the north east coast and finishing in Cagliari on the bottom of the island. I'll have about 2 weeks to complete the journey. Sardinia is one of the few regions I've never been to in Italy. It's the second largest island in the Mediterranean. I understand it's quite different from Sicily. It's distinct. It has a long history. The beaches and water are supposed to be some of the world's finest. I can only hope that it's not too mountainous.