Golling to Pongau

Today we rode 27 miles from Golling an der Salzach to Eben im Pongau. Whereas yesterday the riding was idyllic, today was pretty darn challenging.

I absolutely loved last night's campground. The evening light was beautiful and once the sun set we were happy to crawl into our sleeping bags. 

We managed to set out this morning a little after 9 am after a breakfast of muesli, nectarines, and water (sorry, no milk).

The elevation profile says only 40 percent of today's ride was uphill, but it seriously felt like 75 percent. We did have a small chunk that was steep (14 percent grade), but most was pretty gradual. Much of the route was on highways, which is so much less fun than cycle paths. Dozens of motorcyclists screamed past us, thrilled to be pushing the limits of their bikes and leaning into curves so that their knees almost scraped the ground. 

Some of the highway stretches involved little to no shoulder, but other than those daredevil motorcyclists, I really didn't feel threatened by the traffic. Most drivers here are very courteous so far.

We seemed to ride in formation most of the day -- Dave and I poking along and the kids at least a quarter mile ahead, occasionally pausing to wait and cheer us on.

We stopped in Werfen for lunch, home to Eisriesenwelt, the world's largest ice cave. Fun to read about -- maybe next time!! We couldn't imagine bundling up in every piece of clothing we have (and taking the time) to explore a sub-freezing cave.

We found a lovely lady in the Werfen grocery store who was willing to make us sandwiches, which were cheap and fresh and amazing. Cherry tomatoes and yogurt and plenty of fluids and off we went, stopping once to cool off.

Tonight's campground is on a lake/ski resort, so we took an afternoon plunge to cool off. 

Pesto pasta, more cherry tomatoes, and some canned chili for supper, plus peanut butter spread on chocolate cookies. We are pushing the protein. 

A few random thoughts. Austria is sometimes called the "ashtray of Europe," and a quarter of the population smokes cigarettes. They have smoke-free policies as of 2019, but enforcement seems a little lacking. People sometimes light up in restaurants -- yuck! We sure are spoiled by smoke-free spaces at home! Other than the smoking, Austria feels incredibly clean, healthy, and wealthy.

Heidi asked me what it's like to be outside the US right now, and I've been thinking about it all day. There has been zero hostility toward us as Americans, that's one thing.  It's good to be surrounded by people speaking a different language and probably (I hope) thinking about things other than our Idiocracy. The farther we get from Salzburg, the less English folks are speaking to us. Almost no one has asked us our nationality, yay. And Dave is rocking the German.

-- Liv