Benelux 2011 on Velodromedary

Glad Rooster and Wild Rooster, translated

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:17:00 +0000

I looked up the amusing “glad rooster” and “wild rooster” warning signs I’d seen on the trip, and Google Translate says they mean “smooth grid” and “cattle grid”.

Aha! That seems believable, I think I generally saw them near cattle grids, those open-bar grates that cows won’t cross but humans can (as well as bikes, if they’re careful to stay perpendicular to the slots– the slots are certainly wide enough to eat a wheel).

Three weeks of solo bike touring and camping, across 600+ miles of The Netherlands and Belgium. Riding over massive man-made...

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 02:47:00 +0000

Three weeks of solo bike touring and camping, across 600+ miles of The Netherlands and Belgium. Riding over massive man-made dikes, on paved bike paths cutting through dark forests and rural farm fields (where I might not see another person for hours), to Trappist breweries and old towns, along canals, on muddy back roads and unsigned border crossings, and to a bonfire with a band playing under a rusted crane.

Favorite warning sign of the trip (I'm sure it has a translation, but I like to think it's warning of a giant, overly-amorous...

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 09:57:02 +0000

Favorite warning sign of the trip (I’m sure it has a translation, but I like to think it’s warning of a giant, overly-amorous rooster roaming the countryside)

Biking through former industrial yards (now shipping container artists' studios, I think?) across the water from central...

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 00:22:06 +0000

Biking through former industrial yards (now shipping container artists’ studios, I think?) across the water from central Amsterdam

Guy biking with daughter in bakfiets, each holding a cone of frites.

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:52:03 +0000

Guy biking with daughter in bakfiets, each holding a cone of frites.

In ANWB 'directional mushrooms' I Trust. And, acres of greenhouses.

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:38:05 +0000

In ANWB ‘directional mushrooms’ I Trust. And, acres of greenhouses.

More industry

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:50:04 +0000

More industry

To my surprise, deep in the industrial port, came across an info center (with coffee and pastries!) for Maasvlatke 2, a project...

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:44:04 +0000

To my surprise, deep in the industrial port, came across an info center (with coffee and pastries!) for Maasvlatke 2, a project to build a new port here by creating new land from dredged sand.

Even more wind turbines, though bike path's blocked

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:42:02 +0000

Even more wind turbines, though bike path’s blocked

Detoured to an industrial peninsula on the map (still has bike paths, so should be allowed)

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:39:04 +0000

Detoured to an industrial peninsula on the map (still has bike paths, so should be allowed)

Biked across one of the civil engineering wonders of the 20th century, the Delta Project (many kilometers of barriers that can...

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:35:02 +0000

Biked across one of the civil engineering wonders of the 20th century, the Delta Project (many kilometers of barriers that can be moved up and down to allow normal tides or block rising ocean levels from flooding the countryside)

I may be becoming addicted to cycling

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:43:04 +0000

Yesterday I biked for about 13 hours (with breaks), maybe 200km (120 miles), twice as far as I’d planned. The weather was perfect, I had a tailwind, navigating was easy, and I was in a euphoric cycling state of mind. So when I reached my planned campground around 4, I kept going… and only when it started to get dark after 10 (solstice, moderately high latitude) did I think about stopping. I even found myself idly thinking about biking all night because I was in such a good mood– but fortunately common sense took over before I did something that crazy (I was out of food and water, only had a small light, canal ferries wouldn’t have been running). It’s a sickness, I tell you!

Through drifting sand (varied terrain

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:47:02 +0000

Through drifting sand (varied terrain

Towards wind turbines (varied terrain

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:45:04 +0000

Towards wind turbines (varied terrain

Along the North Sea (varied terrain

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:41:04 +0000

Along the North Sea (varied terrain

Miniature pony obstacle course on the bike path

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:39:03 +0000

Miniature pony obstacle course on the bike path

Bikepath cafe by the ocean serving local mussels (I'd been postponing eating lunch for hours, hoping to find a place like this)

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:20:02 +0000

Bikepath cafe by the ocean serving local mussels (I’d been postponing eating lunch for hours, hoping to find a place like this)

Bike path between two canals (near Sluis), very pleasant.

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:46:02 +0000

Bike path between two canals (near Sluis), very pleasant.

Ferry ticket vending machine (pedestrians, bikes, and motorcycles only)

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:46:02 +0000

Ferry ticket vending machine (pedestrians, bikes, and motorcycles only)

Planning out the next few days of biking (after a week mostly off the bike, hanging out with friends). Gold = past destinations,...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:20:02 +0000

Planning out the next few days of biking (after a week mostly off the bike, hanging out with friends). Gold = past destinations, copper = planned route.

Waiting for a train, circle tangent to line (Brussels)

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 17:46:04 +0000

Waiting for a train, circle tangent to line (Brussels)

Biking to De Haan on the North Sea, with FD

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:53:04 +0000

Biking to De Haan on the North Sea, with FD

View from the tower in Damme. Then biked back to Brugge, and done.

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 22:11:06 +0000

View from the tower in Damme. Then biked back to Brugge, and done.

In Damme: climbing a few hundred tightly spiralling stone steps up a tower (in clicking, slick bike shoes-- fun...)

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 22:09:04 +0000

In Damme: climbing a few hundred tightly spiralling stone steps up a tower (in clicking, slick bike shoes– fun…)

Friend convinced me to add one final 10km loop to Damme to go inside an old windmill

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 22:06:02 +0000

Friend convinced me to add one final 10km loop to Damme to go inside an old windmill

And I'm done. Netherlands and Belgium crossed by bike. Now meeting three friends I've known for 14 years, in Brugge. Bike...

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 21:49:03 +0000

And I’m done. Netherlands and Belgium crossed by bike. Now meeting three friends I’ve known for 14 years, in Brugge. Bike adventures may resume next weekend.

50km left to Brugge, straight shot along a canal in beautiful weather. Let's do it.

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 21:41:04 +0000

50km left to Brugge, straight shot along a canal in beautiful weather. Let’s do it.

Just a quick on-the-bike-path bakery stop...

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 21:41:04 +0000

Just a quick on-the-bike-path bakery stop…

I was going to roll through Gent but it drew me in.

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 22:39:02 +0000

I was going to roll through Gent but it drew me in.

This almost feels like a video game: bike through the mud directly under a large metal tank marked "flammable" suspended by an...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 17:47:05 +0000

This almost feels like a video game: bike through the mud directly under a large metal tank marked “flammable” suspended by an unmanned crane.

First waffle in Belgium (this is shaping up to be one of those stop-in-every-small-town-for-a-snack days, a la RAGBRAI)

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:36:04 +0000

First waffle in Belgium (this is shaping up to be one of those stop-in-every-small-town-for-a-snack days, a la RAGBRAI)

a little mud

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:34:02 +0000

a little mud

My every-6-months Coke. And of course bars that have special glassware for every beer on the menu also have a special glass for...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:23:02 +0000

My every-6-months Coke. And of course bars that have special glassware for every beer on the menu also have a special glass for this.

Met and rode for a while with a friendly group of 10 folks from Limburg (in their 50s/60s, taking a 3-day ride and staying at...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:30:04 +0000

Met and rode for a while with a friendly group of 10 folks from Limburg (in their 50s/60s, taking a 3-day ride and staying at hostels)

Derny Crit

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:01:04 +0000

Cutting through the countryside between Brussels and Antwerp yesterday (I decided a few days into the trip after Delft that I wasn’t as in the mood for museums and cities), I arrived in Bornem (in heavy rain) and found a hotel. The manager saw me arrive by bike and was very supportive– he let me stow my bike in a shed, didn’t make me sign in (“just pay tomorrow when you leave”) and said “a cyclist? I’ll give you the front room.” I wasn’t sure why the front room was special until an hour later, when they blocked off the main road it overlooked and a several hour long Derny Criterium started. (See attempt to post a cell phone video of it in the previous post– not sure if that went through). Basically, it’s a race between pairs of competitors, one on a Derny moped and one on a bike– the cyclists draft their motorized partner for more speed, around and around on a course. With the cobblestones, the rain, and the very close follow distances, it was pretty exciting, even if I had no idea what the announcer was saying.

Biking all day = no guilt about eating pork topped with speck in butter sauce (not shown: potato croquettes)

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 22:19:05 +0000

Biking all day = no guilt about eating pork topped with speck in butter sauce (not shown: potato croquettes)

A few hours of cold wind and driving rain = calling it a day at the next town with a hotel. Ferry operator (my 6th! ahoy!) drew...

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 21:13:02 +0000

A few hours of cold wind and driving rain = calling it a day at the next town with a hotel. Ferry operator (my 6th! ahoy!) drew me a map.

Strange bike path through industrial yard-- sort of looks like that sky-claw is waiting to pick me up.

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:05:03 +0000

Strange bike path through industrial yard– sort of looks like that sky-claw is waiting to pick me up.

Crossing canals by biking across a set of locks (I've never seen locks in action before). This board shows which locks are...

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:38:59 +0000

Crossing canals by biking across a set of locks (I’ve never seen locks in action before). This board shows which locks are lowered and crossable

Friday: New country = new map (the 50,000:1 Vlaanderen Fietsroute, light on detail so mostly useful for navigating by pattern,...

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:25:02 +0000

Friday: New country = new map (the 50,000:1 Vlaanderen Fietsroute, light on detail so mostly useful for navigating by pattern, e.g. “I should hit an angled T intersection and cross a canal in about 8km”)

Laying on my back somewhere in The Netherlands, surrounded by vocal evening birds. Not a bad end to a Thursday.

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:24:00 +0000

Laying on my back somewhere in The Netherlands, surrounded by vocal evening birds. Not a bad end to a Thursday.

Roadside hot sandwich vending machine

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:23:05 +0000

Roadside hot sandwich vending machine

Dirt bike path beats no bike path (just west of Turnhout, on the Flanders Cycle Route LF5)

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:21:02 +0000

Dirt bike path beats no bike path (just west of Turnhout, on the Flanders Cycle Route LF5)

Bike path along the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal. Riders in full spandex kits zoom by. Definitely in Flanders now.

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:19:04 +0000

Bike path along the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal. Riders in full spandex kits zoom by. Definitely in Flanders now.

In the woods, surrounded by chirping birds, I heard a strange noise and came across this: a guy laying bricks, with the...

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:17:02 +0000

In the woods, surrounded by chirping birds, I heard a strange noise and came across this: a guy laying bricks, with the tink-tink-tink sound of a metal tool on brick in sync with techno playing from a portable stereo.

Realized yesterday I was only 40 miles from Bierbrouwerij Koningshoeven (the only Trappist beer brewing abbey not in Belgium,...

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:40:02 +0000

Realized yesterday I was only 40 miles from Bierbrouwerij Koningshoeven (the only Trappist beer brewing abbey not in Belgium, a.k.a. “La Trappe”)– sounded worth a route change.

Biking past modern wind turbines

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:59:04 +0000

Biking past modern wind turbines

If I hadn't taken out-of-the-way roads, I never would have seen this prop (in memory of a set of crashed Brit/Canadian Halifax...

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:35:02 +0000

If I hadn’t taken out-of-the-way roads, I never would have seen this prop (in memory of a set of crashed Brit/Canadian Halifax pilots, it appears)

Supermarket cheese area (mostly Gouda, of course)

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:17:07 +0000

Supermarket cheese area (mostly Gouda, of course)

This where-am-I-going? path through the woods led to a €10 hostel (Stayokay Dordrecht) w/ showers, wifi, bar with 7 interesting...

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:10:04 +0000

This where-am-I-going? path through the woods led to a €10 hostel (Stayokay Dordrecht) w/ showers, wifi, bar with 7 interesting dutch beers.

I think I need to go left here. Good thing I have wide tires.

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:01:05 +0000

I think I need to go left here. Good thing I have wide tires.

Waiting for yet another ferry, amusing warning sign (no idea if this already posted)

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:01:05 +0000

Waiting for yet another ferry, amusing warning sign (no idea if this already posted)

Cluster of windmill icons on the map? I should go there!

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 04:59:07 +0000

Cluster of windmill icons on the map? I should go there!

Free indoor (guarded) bike parking at train stations:

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 04:59:07 +0000

Free indoor (guarded) bike parking at train stations:

Ring bell for tiny €0.75 ferry boat. Cute! (somewhere in Brabant)

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 03:15:03 +0000

Ring bell for tiny €0.75 ferry boat. Cute! (somewhere in Brabant)

In this national park, bikes get a paved path, cars are blocked or have to drive in mud (De Loonse en Drunense Duinen)

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 03:03:02 +0000

In this national park, bikes get a paved path, cars are blocked or have to drive in mud (De Loonse en Drunense Duinen)

That's a lot of bikes (in Tilburg)

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 03:03:02 +0000

That’s a lot of bikes (in Tilburg)

Wildflowers along a bike path (I haven't seen anyone in an hour or two)

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 01:31:02 +0000

Wildflowers along a bike path (I haven’t seen anyone in an hour or two)

Old mills at Kinderdijk (I went inside one)

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 08:24:59 +0000

Old mills at Kinderdijk (I went inside one)

I thought this line on my map was a bridge. Close enough.

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:16:03 +0000

I thought this line on my map was a bridge. Close enough.

Not everything is scenic in the traditional sense (industrial park outside Dordrecht at night)

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:20:26 +0000

Not everything is scenic in the traditional sense (industrial park outside Dordrecht at night)

Another scenic rural cycle path

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:38:45 +0000

Another scenic rural cycle path

Well, this route won't work. At least it's only 7pm...

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:33:54 +0000

Well, this route won’t work. At least it’s only 7pm…

minimal drawbridge. not totally sure where I am.

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:25:02 +0000

minimal drawbridge. not totally sure where I am.

bleating baby goats, near Oude Leede

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:24:04 +0000

bleating baby goats, near Oude Leede

Coffee and Vermeer break in Delft

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:37:04 +0000

Coffee and Vermeer break in Delft

Rural canals, huge greenhouses, sheep.

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:36:02 +0000

This morning I spent an amazing few hours riding along rural bike paths, past canals, huge greenhouses filled with flowers, and small farms (a few sheep in a backyard here, a handful of llamas, chickens, or toy ponies there). I’m really happy right now. In Netherlands cycle route terms, I especially liked the segments joining knooppunten (numbered junctions where different bike paths intersect) 03, 20, 02, 07, 13, 59, 48.

Biking in Benelux

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:28:02 +0000

In case you didn’t guess from the past few posts, I’m off on a biking adventure in The Netherlands and Belgium, something I’ve always wanted to do. Fair warning– there may be a lot of (quick) posts here in the next few weeks– I’m sending photos to this blog by email from my phone (kept charged by a bike-mounted solar panel). Or at least sending some when taking a coffee break somewhere with free wifi.

Bivy tent camping near Kijkduin by the ocean

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:20:04 +0000

Bivy tent camping near Kijkduin by the ocean

waffle break after 5 hours of cycling

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 22:15:03 +0000

waffle break after 5 hours of cycling

riding in holland right now! long-distance bike path LF1, dunes, a few hundred feet from the North Sea

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 22:12:06 +0000

riding in holland right now! long-distance bike path LF1, dunes, a few hundred feet from the North Sea