Ultra athleticism on sabbatical...

Ultra-athlete, Diabetic, Pregnant, and 39...feeling like the odds are stacked right now

So I thought I might share some insight on what my past 13 weeks has been like now that the cat is kind of out of the bag. It has been a roller coaster ride like no other I have ever experienced. Moments of sheer elation that we might be able to have a kid, but more extended periods of extreme stress and anxiety living with the notion that if I screw up this tiny little peanut growing inside me will pay the price - nothing like having the weight of the world on your shoulders...

I have said for the past 5-6 years I wanted to have a child but needed to get my A1C down so I would not have a repeat of any eye damage like I suffered in 2003-2004, and of course so I could have a healthy baby. If I got my eyes in a stable state and my A1C in the target zone of 6.5 then it would be somewhat less risky. Needless to say I never reached the ideal 6.5 and although I kept trying things did not seem to be working in my favour, at least not at the pace they should have been. I was working at my own pace while fitting in the Ultra-Endurance lifestyle, managing things to suit my exercise schedule and not much else. Then the news came, we were both in denial for several days but this was real, now getting my A1C down was not going to be on my own time, it had to be NOW! and in a big hurry.

I changed my mind on whether I should go through with this every 10 minutes for about 2 weeks, until I had visited the Barbara Davis Center and got some more educated information on whether this would be a good or bad choice. As always my Doctors and the nurses at BDC were incredibly supportive and encouraging and more or less said if you want this we can make it happen, now is as good as any time, you are 39...
In fact I am at a point in life where the possible implications of having a baby at an advanced age are about equal with the the implications of having a baby when you are a diabetic. So of course we decided to put them both together and make life super challenging - mature age and almost 30 years with Diabetes what more could I ask for!

For starters I had to immediately stop taking Symlin the 'blessing' drug that has helped me manage post meal blood sugar spikes. Blood sugars now are back to spiking immediately after meals as the insulin does not seem to work for about 1-2 hours after I have injected, especially in the mornings.

Second I gave up Caffeine - after a week of trecherous headaches and feeling pretty crappy I am not just in a permanent "Grumpy" state as Stephen puts it. I pretty much have lived the past 10-15 years fueled by caffeine so this is a big change for me and one that I dont regret but the transition has been rough to say the least.
And third but not least important Diet soda - I have not given it up but I have cut back and definitely have not been consuming any of my favourite Diet Mountain Dew when energy is going south. So it has been a big adjustment, probably for the better but probably one I will not stick with once this is all done.

Everyone says the sacrifices are worth it so I am banking on that being the case.

So am I excited... well deep down yes but on the surface there is so much stress and anxiety that it is hard for me to express excitement at this early stage. There are so many risks you ask yourself many times a day - is this the right thing? should we
go through with it? And after 5 hypos requiring assistance from Stephen in the past 6weeks each time the questions re-arise. We hope all will go well and maybe things will get easier as I learn the ropes but I am not counting on it as I know this process is not easy for the non-diabetic. I hope I can be smart, and tough - we know for sure the kid is going to be tough since it has already made it this far.

WEEK 7
At 7 weeks we had an ultrasound - I cannot say much else except that it was like a lima bean with this fast pounding heartbeat. It made us melt to think there is something that little inside with a beating heart already. I was poked and proded and had copious amounts of blood drawn for all the tests that can be done at that early stage to get some baseline results. Lucky me, they also found I had low thyroid T4 levels and an enlarged thyroid so off for an ultrasound of my Thyroid gland and they started me on some thyroid medication - indicating it might just be for while I am pregnant but the likelyhood of diabetics also suffering from thyroid disorders could mean it might be medication I will be taking for life. Either way life just got a little more complicated, one more tablet to add to the injection regimen.

So what have I been doing - testing my blood sugar obcessively; exercising as much as my body can handle - and some (the and some days unfortunately have caused 4 night time hypos usually the night after I have overdone it); using the Navigator CGM as much as possible to see what my patterns are and trying to manage everything to get my A1C down.

The basic synopsis of my blood sugar patterns is, I have insulin resistance, especially in the morning. Exercise is the only thing that seems to make the insulin work (but even in the morning insulin does not work). I have to overbolus with shortacting insulin at meals to keep my bloodsugars in the normal zone, to then exercise and hit rock bottom each time I go out. Bloodsugars rise when I ride my trainer in the mornings because this preganacy - dawn phenomenon thing that seems to last from about 6am - 10:30am. Then things seem to start working a little better, I can run before lunch and get my blood sugar nice and low, then nordic ski or do some activity after work and watch it plummet so low that on occasion I have reached the low point so quickly that I dont know where I am (i.e. my ski up Vail mountain one evening, which was my usual Tuesday night expedition). Fortunately on that particular night Stephen decided he would also skate ski up, I was classic skiing and had left before him. He found me at the dragon's breath mine, disoriented, freezing cold and no idea where I was. Needless to say I have now been banned from going out at night alone anywhere except the nordic center. Blood sugars are down but safety risks for me when exercising have been extremely elevated.

WEEK 10
At 10 weeks we visited the Perinatologist, the Retinal specialist for a check of my eyes and another visit to the Barbara Davis Center.

Perniatologist was an awesome guy, gave us tonnes of extremely valuable information, but laid down the negatives in one nice neat pile - I would compare the pile to that of an elephant.

Phew... and people still want to proceed after hearing all that...

Well yes when you see that little thing squirming in my uterus, its arms and legs now waving around, all the negatives get put aside. Oh and by the way it still had a heartbeat. That was a relief after a few days of my boobs not hurting, when they had hurt non stop for about 9 weeks, I freaked out that something had gone wrong. Not to mention the 12 hour AT race I did with Wendy on the weekend, I did not push hard but it was a long effort with a peanut growing inside, I had to be worried. Yes I am now banned from any further racing too...

A1C went from 8.0 to 7.3 in 4 weeks the biggest drop I have had since visiting the Barbara Davis Center for the past 12 years, so that was good news, but still a long way to go. The literature says ideally you want your A1C to be between 5.0-6.0 during pregancy YIKES! I am not even close and dont know if I will ever get close to that but the tried and true TeamType1 challenge of "Strive for 6.5" definitely seems like it might be possible now. That is my goal. If I can get to 6.5 then I will re-evaluate the target.

My eyes are stable, fingers crossed I can keep it that way and have to have checks each trimester to re-evaluate things. This was yet another check mark in the book of positives and whether to proceed so things are looking up. Now if only the Gods could make my blood sugars right things might be almost good...but that would be too easy.

INSULIN RESISTANCE
So what does it mean to be insulin resistant. Here is a good example for you. One morning since blood sugars simply did not seem to be coming down when I had insulin and breakfast I decided to try and see how long it would take for it to come down with my breakfast bolus but no breakfast.

Hmmm.. well I had the insulin expecting in about 30 minutes to see it start dropping so I could then eat. It was also an experiment to see how long should I really wait after injecting before eating. Well 2+ hours passed blood sugar only dropped from 170 to 140. So I guess my breakfast bolus is not really for breakfast it is just an extra bolus I need to cover something other than food. Disconcerting yes, what can I do about it - NOTHING (except of course treat with the appropriate amount of insulin). Results and Conclusion - double the breakfast dose as something is wreaking havoc on my body and it is not breakfast.

Week 12

So I have just passed the week 12 mark waiting for the first trimester screening to make sure nothing is abnormal. Once I have this screening we can then determine if I should go for the somewhat risky CVS test to guarantee that the child may or may not have Downs Syndrome or a variety of other issues, or if the screening comes back with fairly normal results then I will wait and have an amniosyntesis at 15 weeks. Oh the joys of waiting for good or bad news, it is enough to cause a heart attack at this point, or at the least days of self induced depression wondering what the outcome will be.

Like clockwork - as the folks at the BDC had predicted blood sugars tend to go low from around weeks 10-13 - I have had perfect control for almost a week now, starting to wonder if I am dreaming until last night when I had my 5th hypo since beginning this journey. Thank goodness for my husband and his amazing ability to stay calm conditions of utmost adversity. I woke in a semi-comatosed state as he tried to make me eat a gu, which has definitely not ever been a voluntary food choice for me. Even with what feels like less than half my brain working I still know that I hate gu and it is like pulling teeth for him to get me to swallow the stuff. Apparently diguised on toast still does not work :)

Things seem to be getting risker by the day, Stephen seems to run through states of not knowing if he really wants me to go through with this. Having to watch me in these most unglamorous states I am sure is super worriesome and not to be taken lightly however, at this time I am committed provided the tests come through ok. The hypos need to stop, however they are inevitable when trying to get your A1C down in a hurry these are bumps in the road that I hope will soon pass.

I have tried my hardest not to back off and stay as active as always. Some days it is easy, other days I feel like a beached whale plugging along thinking - maybe it would be easier to become a couch potatoe, but that is not in my nature. I am committed to ride my bike as long as possible and still be an athlete at least until my belly is too big to balance on the bike, then I guess I will resort to swimming and walking. Oh I am already yearning for the summer days of long rides that I know I am going to miss but it is just a short snippet in my life so I am going to learn to cope... even if it does make me grumpy.

Week 13

Well I am screened and waiting for blood test results but the neck skin measurement was positive so fingers crossed all will be good. At his time the Doctor encouraged me to just wait for an amnio at 15weeks, he seemed confident that thing were looking good so I will go with that.



So until the next post hopefully I have given everyone lots of gossip and good humor.

Rando Renegade Rally Classic

The fourth running of the Triple R Classic course will be this Tuesday, March 9 at 5 p.m. Start: Bottom of Vista Bahn A Course: Skiers choice ascend to bottom of Chair 4, Chair 4 Liftline to in run of Whoopee Jump, Boot pack to top of Chair 4 cliffs, ascend to PHQ Vail Mt. summit, Descend Forever to bottom of Chair 5, touch maze,
ascend Forever to PHQ, Descend Swingsville ridge to Prima Cornice top gate, follow markings skiers right to narrow bony chute, descend remainder of Prima Cornice to Chair 11. Descend North Face Catwalk and Lower Riva to Vista Bahn
B Course: Same ascent to PHQ, descend Riva

Required gear: Helmet (Bike OK), powerful headlamp w/sufficient batteries, SAFETY STRAPS or ski brakes!, Attachment system or pack for the boot pack, cell phone Smart things to bring: Extra clothes, energy drink, extra headlamp, goggles
Post race get together at Vendetta's

Rando Renegade Rally Tues. Night Crit

It is happening again. The first of five planned RRR events is Tues. Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m. The first event is perfect for the low snow conditions that prevail so far this year. Format will be a one hour, as many laps as you can do crit format. The start will be at the bottom of the Vista Bahn at Vail Mt.. The skin track will Z up through the woods climbers right of Pepi's face, crossing two catwalks to gain the catwalk that comes over from Bear Tree. Rip and descend International to base. Last face is icy but no rocks. Repeat. Last year, fast people did six laps. Start a lap before one hour you get to finish it. Required equipment:Helmet, straps or brakes for skis, bright headlamp, event must be done on one pair of skis, extra skins OK. This RRR is good for skiers of all levels and Summit County folks. No knowledge of local terrain required, no one left up high in the dark.

Vail Nordic Team 28th Annual Ski Swap

We will sell your Nordic, Snowshoe, Telemark, AT & Backcountry Gear

Where: Vail Nordic Center (Vail Golf Course Clubhouse basement)
When: Saturday, November 21st 9:00-4:00

Equipment Check In:

Where: Vail Nordic Center Basement
When: 4 - 8 p.m. Friday, November 20^th
Or by arrangement - call Dawes Wilson 970-476-1914 or Stephen White 970-376-1033.

An 10% Commission of the price of the sold gear goes to the Nordic Programs of Ski Club Vail and Vail Nordic Club
Entry into the Swap is FREE

No Alpine Downhill gear please!

Presented by:
The Vail Nordic Center,
Ski Club Vail and Vail Nordic Ski Team

24 hr National Mountain Bike Championships

Last weekend Kerry and I drove about 5 hours to the west to compete in The 24hrs of Moab mountain bike race just outside of Moab, Ut. We have both competed in 24hrs of Moab numerous times, but this year it is was selected as USA Cycling's National 24 hr championships. Kerry competed in the womens solo division, I organized a 4 person team consisting of Mark Roebke, Mike Gibbs and Ed Oliver. We signed up for the Vet 35+ division.

We had the power and consistency to take the national title. Kerry finished a very strong 4th.

Kerry finishing up 25 hrs of racing. Yes it is a 24 hour race, but finish a lap before noon, you have the option of going out on another lap and Kerry would never pass up an oportunity to ride her mountain bike.

One of the many sand traps on course. The course consisted of a 15 mile loop. The 1st half is technical and sandy. The 2nd half is more wide open and not nearly as sandy as years past.

A dusty Le Monds style start. Riders run about a 1/4 mile before hopping on their bikes. This spreads the field out before hitting the technical sections.

A dust mask is a good call.

Late afternoon, top of the 1st climb. The La Sal mountains are in the background.

Everyone camps at the venue during the 24 hr race. This adds a lot of flavor to the race and I believe it is why 24 hr mountain bike racince is so popular especially among people who would otherwise never show up for a mountain bike race.

Kerry charging down the 1st sandy descent early in the race.

My team mates before the start of the race. Ed, Mike and Mark. We all rode consistent and strong especially during the night.

The result of solid strong error free riding, top step of the podium.
2009 24hr National Champions.

Kerry finished a very impressive 4th overall in an extremely competive women's pro solo division.

Chaos during the Le Monds style start. We were all glad Ed was off the front of this mess.

Nose Dive. Years past I used to ride this section. Now, I do not even consider it.

Sunset

2009 24 hour National Champions

This is Ed's 2nd national championship in 2 weeks. Ed also won an Xterra Triathlon National Championship in Ogden Ut.

24 hours of Moab legend, never looks to be suffering, Mike Gibbs.

24 hr races require a bright set of lights. Riders making their way down the final descent to the finish.

Mark even with a very bad cold was killing it every lap. Very impressive!

Weeks 3 & 4 - Slovenia - Austria - Czech Republic - Austria - Germany

Here is our route in case you did not read the earlier blogs this shows our entire 4 week route. This section begins after the large toop on the map where we took a turn southward toward Slovenia

http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=hyrqsmgbzpayeiza

Day 15 Rest Day Lienz - Amlach (25km)

Yes our rest day we still managed to ride just far enough to find a good cheap campground to do some laundry at - we washed and dried everything for 1.50 Euro - bargain. Found a nice guest house where they spoke no English and had more stuffed animals on the walls than anything we have ever seen before.


Day 16 Amlach - Kranjska Gora

This day started with a nice gentle climb 5-6% right out the front door. Then down into Kotschach. and onto another spectacular Austrian bike path. As Stephen says "catwalks to the next set of mountain passes for us to climb"

The next pass was not quite so easy - we climbed to 1530 meters to find that Nassfeldpass was closed on the other side. Being on Bicycles does have its advantages as we were able to get through the closure area and proceed down the other side.

There were several motorbikes who had come from the same side as us who were also uninformed of the closure. They were allowed to pass through the closure area also and proceed down. This was a relief since we had hoped to reach Kranjska Gora that day and a pass closure would definitely have put a dent in our travels.

We passed through the town of Tarvisio and onto some very nice bike path through the hilly woods that characterised Slovenia (despite the fact that we were still in Italy) and finally across the boarder.

Our dream cabin just next to the boarder of Slovenia

The Austrian bike path system is simply awesome

Yet another castle ruin along the way

Day 17 Kransjka Gora - Vrsiic Pass - Passo de Predil - Tarvisio - Kransjka Gora

The View of Triglav National Park from the town of Kranjska Gora

Entering Triglav National park and the climb up to Vrsiic Pass

We climbed Vrsiic Pass through the Triglav National park with cobbled switchbacks up to a glorious summit. The park is named after the mountain Triglav (three heads), the symbol of Slovenia. The summit of Vrsiic was not inhabited by quite as many motor cycles as the passes we had visited in Austria and Italy, it had a spectacular view of the craggy Dolomites and a guy riding around at the top on his bicycle collecting fees from the motorbikes and cars as they stopped at the top to view the scenery. If you did not stop you were lucky and did not have to pay the National Park fee.

The cobbled switchbacks up to the top of Vrsiic Pass

There were goats hanging out at the top licking the walls of rock underpasses for salt.

Vrsiic Pass
The pass plummeted downvalley and followed the Soca River for several miles. The Soca River is world renouned for canoeing and kayak trips - the upper part of the valley, where the Soca is still untamed by dams, has wild, milky blue - green waters. We admired the beautiful scenery as we followed the river downstream.

The Milky Blue Soca River

This was the view from the small town Log Pod Mangartom (definitely a view that would be awesome to wake up to every day), just before we climbed to Passo de Predil and past a fort from the Napoleonic era.

We then headed back up Passo del Predil into Italy. The climb was flavored with Italian steepness, steep rocky walls and then an old abandoned passport checkpoint at the top that in its time must have been a bustling boarder checkpoint.

\

The Deserted Boarder Checkpoint at Passo del Predil

Instead it is now deserted - we sat an ate cookies in the shade of the checkpoint station and then headed down to Lago de Predil for our last cup of Italian coffee before we would head back to Slovenia and then Austria, Czech Republic and Germany. We savored the incredible view and the distinct aromas of Italian prepared coffee that only they know how to prepare.

Coffee at Lago del Predil - the final taste of Italian Coffee

Day 18 Kranjska Gora - Dravograd

We were sorry to leave Kranjska Gora - a beautifel place with a spectacular view of the Dolomites in the Triglav National park right outside the door and some of the nicest sunny days we had the entire trip.

Solvenia has beautiful rolling hills, deeply forested and friendly people, our stay was short but definitely left us with nostalgia to return. Probably next time with better planned accommodation stops.

This was the first of two 100 mile days. We had a hard time finding accommodations once we decided it was time to stop. After checking in at the Tourist office in Dravograd we found that once you leave the tourist areas, accommodations are minimal. We paid 78 Euro for what would be classified as a two star hotel at best in the US - it was considered a 3 star hotel in Slovenia. The people were all super nice and helpful and we were thankful for a place to sleep and safely store our bikes. Tourism is expanding in this beautiful country but definitely not a primary industry yet.

Day 19 Dravograd - Maribor - Graz/Freisach

Our second 100 mile day.

From Dravograd we followed the Drava River thorugh Maribor the city center was somewhat beside the River and a very nice facade to follow however, on the city outskirts it showed signs of depression and hard times.

One of the more interesting sights amongst the vineyards and fruit trees was a little remote control car action we came across just before crossing the border back into Austria. And some interesting bike route signage!

This was our view as we ate lunch and crossed back into Austria.

We continued North along the Mur River Radweg through Graz. Riding through the city center on a Sunday afternoon and it was absolutely hopping. Somewhat of a hippy 'Boulder' city feel with thousands of people out enjoying the sunshine, bike paths and parks. If more people did this in America we would probably reduce the escalating obesity and Type 2 diabetes epidemics.

We had hoped to find a place to stay on the North side of Graz but again pickings were slim. Still riding at 7:15pm we were getting stressed. After stopping at a B&B in Fresiach which was full, they referred us to another guesthouse in town which was partially closed. We had a very comfortable room and super awesome breakfast and were ready to forge on.

Day 20 Freisach - Mariazell

On this day we passed through Gossing and saw a spectacular iron water fountain - a guy riding his bike powered by pee power. And some other super bike route ornamentation.

We followed a route through Seeberg pass where Stephen promised me we were not climbing more than 800 feet, nedless to say at 1100 feet we were still climbing.

The town of Mariazell has a spectacular Basilica. This Basilica has seen visits from two Popes in 1983 and 2007; it sees many traditionally organized pilgrimages and pilgrims on their own, walking barfooted in the sourrounding hills, submitting their requests or just giving thanks—all of this makes Mariazell the epitome of what pilgrimage is in Austria. The Basilica of Mariazell has two focal points: the sacral shrine and the artistic high altar designed by Fischer von Erlach. The most significant part of the Basilica, outshining everything else, is the late-Romanesque Miraculous Statue of the Madonna, carrying the Holy Child on her right arm. We did not see these sights as it was closed by the time we arrived, the eterior of this Building is impressive and it indicates the presence of volumes of people. We had the pleasure of experiencing it in the sublime quiet of the evening with an almost empty town plaza.


Mariazell Basilica Views of the Valley from Mariazell

Mariazell sunset

Day 21 Mariazell - Ybbs to the Donau River (Danube) to Grein.

We left the pretty town of Mariazell and headed back to the Donauradweg - one of the most famous bike routes in Europe. Many people journey through one or all of the four segments of this route

Donaueschingen-Passau (559 km)
Passau-Vienna (340 km)
Vienna-Budapest (306 km)
Budapest-Black Sea (1670 km)

We rode only a small segment of this route however the cyclists on this path were numerous and it was great flat riding to help us recover from the numerous passes we had climbed in the prior weeks.

Crossing the Donau by ferry to Grein where we found an unusual guesthouse.

We spent the night with Peacock's screeching all night, on and off rainfall and awakening to the Roosters crowing at an unreasonable hour. Breakfast on the other hand was long after the rooster had crowed and we got a later than desired start to another day of threatening skies.

Day 22 Grein - Linz - Czech republic (Vyssi Brod) - Cesky Krumlov

We had originally planned on travelling into the Czech Republic and onto Prague but somewhere along the way in our travels we determined that possibly Prague was not the ideal location for us to finish and get back to Jodie and Berten's place in Duisburg. However we were determined to at least experience a taste of the Czech Republic. Upon crossing the again deserted boarder, we rode through Vyssi Brod which was inhabited by many immigrants trying to sell various goods at roadside stalls, it was a little disconcerting and we were concerned that it was not the most ideal town to spend the evening. We visited the grocery store to find that the Currency was indeed not the Euro and currency conversion was a little challenging. Once we determined the exchange rate we realised food was definitely a little cheaper in this part of the world, except we were not sure what we were eating since the labels were definitely a challenge to decypher.

The Czech's definitely indulge in Pork products and many tinned vegetable/oil based items, not quite as many fresh vegetable products were available as in Austria and Italy.

We arrived in Cesky Krumlov after 7pm, we passed hundreds of canoe trip campers along the route wondering if we were going to find a place to stay. Fortunately our first stop we found the best accommodations of our entired trip. A guest house with attached kitchen. Our breakfast was served while we were still in bed, a fridge stocked with Czech beer and drinks for about $1.00 each, an internet connection and a super nice host. We would have loved to have stayed longer but now the days were limited and we needed to make it to our destination in Bad Weisee.

Cesky Krumlov is a beautiful cultural town, alive with activities ranging from Canoe trips to outdoor opera performances. Definitely a place to be visited.

Day 23 Cesky Krumlov - Horny Plana - Nova Pec - Ulrichsberg

The route from Nova Pec to Ulrichsberg was some of the most scenic and awesome cycling road we could have asked for. Deserted roads, in the woods, beautiful wildflowers and no rain. We topped out and crossed the boarder from Czech Republic back into Austria via Scharding a small Nordic ski town that had a Nordic Fitness park and ropes course setup right along the side of the road. We got to watch a few people testing their skills in the ropes course.

Early in the day we managed to find ourselves in a military area for the Czech Army. The roads were deserted and super riding however we did get passed by several army vehicles the last on came to a virtual crawl as it passed as. Then as we approached the next town - where it seemed the headquarters were located we stopped to review our map. A gentleman came out and informed us which way we needed to go, there were not going to be any road choices at this intersection.

Views of some of the old communist era buildings plain and grey that served the working era purposes. Many of the buildings are still of course being used. The more modern buildings, built since this time have a little more color and character to them allowing the people to input some of their personal flair into their home.

Day 24 Ulrichsberg back to the Donau - Passau - Mullheim

This day saw rain for almost the entire day. We had about 30km of relief as we rode along the Donau through the beautiful town of Passau that sits on the confluence of three rivers - the Danube is joined in Passau by the Inn from the South, and the Ilz coming out of the Bavarian Forest to the North. From 1892 until 1894 Adolf Hitler and his family lived in Passau. The city archives mention Hitler being in Passau on 4 different occasions in the 1920s for speeches.
During World War II the town housed three sub-camps of the infamous Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp: Passau I (Oberilzmühle), Passau II (Waldwerke Passau-Ilzstadt) and Passau III (Jandelsbrunn). It was the site of a post World War II American sector displaced persons camp.


We were finally dry, after passing through Passau and changing routes from the Donauradweg to the Innradwegthe Inn river. Then, just as we thought we were safe and could continue a few more Kilomters the rain hit in bucketfulls and the bike path turned to dirt. We were a mess arriving in Mullheim a small town. We desperately saught a warm dry place, paid a small fortune for a room in a newly remodelled Guesthouse. They were so kind it was worth every penny. They washed our clothes, shoes and even our bikes for us while we left dirty muddy tracks everywhere.

The Donauradweg continues from Passau to Vienna (Part II-This is the most popular section) it continues for 340 kilometers to Vienna. On this section there are paved paths for all but 100 meters on either the north or south banks with bridges, ferries and some dams linking the two banks. The trail is typically traveled from west to east as it is down-hill and the winds are typically from west. All along the way there are delightful small towns, placid scenery, castles on the hills, monasteries, and excursions into woods and farm country, something we may have to return to on a future adventure.

The beautiful city of Passau

Day 25 Mullheim - Burghausen am Linn - Salzburg - Wals

From Mullheim we continued down the Linn river, riding in Austria but looking across the river into Germany. We stopped for lunch at a park that overlooked the Burghausen Castle.

The skies looked as though they would open up most of the day and finally did as we were grocery shopping (at the last possible minute as usual) in Salzburg. We sat out the rain and continued a few miles out of Salzburg to Wals. Salzburg has magnificent cultural heritage all along the river, which was getting close to flooding. Stephen snapped pictures as we tried to make our way out of the city.


Day 26 Walz - Steinpass - Wall - Bayrischzell - Bad Weisee

The weather continued to look pretty ominous as we set out for our last day of loaded riding (at least Stephen was loaded). We planned to spend a couple days in Bad Weisee and do some day trips to Garmisch and surrounding areas while staying with a long time family friend Jackie Petterson.

We had some climbing to do beginning with Steinpass then through Erpfendorf, Oberaudorf and up into the skies. The town outside of Oberaudorf had a most appropriate name 'Wall' as the 2-3 km stretch through the town was a wall. Probably the steepest grade we had climbed our entire journey. We topped out at a small ski hill and then dropped down into Bayrischzell as the rain started to fall. We drank coffee in Bayrischzell hoping it would stop but to no avail. It did eventually ease up but we were chilled. We dressed in mulitple layers to finish the last 30km to the Tegernsee and Bad Weisee. Yet again 3km from our destination the skies opened and we rode the final few kilometers in the rain.


It was a relief to arrive at Jackie's. We indulged in some Italian fare for dinner and slept in the next morning. The rain had been coming down steadily most of the night and continued that way for 2+ days.