September, 2009 Ghost Towns G Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 Apparently tourist season is over! Just yesterday, each town we passed was bustling with people. Crowds of tourists spent their sunny afternoons eating gelato and milling about little surf shops, p... Oceanside Free Camp G Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 Tyler: This morning while we ate breakfast a pack of stray kittens wandered tentatively into our picnic area. They all seemed to be in pretty rough shape so I tossed a piece of bread their way to se... Back to the Mainland G Monday, September 28th, 2009 Since yesterday was our day off, Tyler put off fixing his flat tire (which he acquired riding into Aquaviva Campground) until this morning. In no time at all, he had the tube patched and we were rea... Doing Nothing G Sunday, September 27th, 2009 After yesterday's intense ups and downs (literally—we climbed over 1,000 meters!), we decided it was time for a break. Now we're settled in to a nice campground on the north shore of Elba Isla... Climbing Elba G Saturday, September 26th, 2009 Elba Island is one part collapsed mountain, one part volcanic remains. The resulting landscape, while stunning, is quite a workout on a fully loaded touring bicycle. Elba Island Coast Road Elba Is... Exploring Elba G Friday, September 25th, 2009 Packing up our free-camp early this morning, a man ambled into the woods just as we were heading out. He didn't smile or wave, he just adjusted his floppy hat and tightened his grips on the stick he... Easy Road to Elba G Thursday, September 24th, 2009 Often when we don't have a specific idea of where we are headed next, we choose a city located somewhere in the general direction we're traveling and use it as a waypoint in our GPS. Once the route ... Volterra and the Sea G Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 A brilliant golden light filtered through the trees this morning but I was far too comfy in our tent to get up and take a picture. I will just have to commit the morning splendor to memory. Quickly... A Hero's Welcome G Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 Tara and I were a little overwhelmed last night as we looked at our maps, trying to decide where to go next. Until today we've had a fairly clear plan that defined where we were going, when we would... Changing Seasons G Monday, September 21st, 2009 My family packed up and left today, leaving a quiet hole in their wake. It was wonderful to have them here, and now that they are gone, Tyler and I are suddenly alone for our last night in a now sil... This is Mark G Sunday, September 20th, 2009 I woke up early expecting to tour the farm, meet Lidia's parents, and participate in making sheep's milk ricotta, the creamy cheese Tara had used to make our tasty ravioli filling. As it turned out,... This is Lian G Saturday, September 19th, 2009 Hi all, This is Lian, Tara's brother. I have been enjoying my week with the "Going Slowly Crew" here in Italy. We are having a wonderful time here in the countryside with short trips to the towns. ... This is Lisa G Friday, September 18th, 2009 This is Lisa. Im Tara's mom, and I'm filling in today to allow Tara and Tyler a bit of a break from their usual discipline of daily journaling. Their dedication to daily journaling is impressive.... Ravioli Making G Friday, September 18th, 2009 Tara Kneading Pasta Dough The Men Making Ravioli Spinach & Ricotta Filling Ravioli Tara & Dad Cooking Tara & Dad Boiling Pasta ... Florence with Family G Thursday, September 17th, 2009 The morning began with some harried navigation on busy Italian roads leading into Florence. Traveling by bicycle is definitely easier than by car! After several wrong turns and subsequent complicat... Food All Day G Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 Being the only one in our apartment that a) isn't jet-lagged, and b) hasn't been awake all night long fixing and setting up our new HP Mini 5101 laptop, I bound out of bed this morning refreshed, ful... Homecoming G Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 As usual when free-camping, we awoke early and began packing while it was still dark out. Though everything was wet, we didn't mind too much since we had only 20 kilometers to cover before we would ... Tuscan Thunder PG Monday, September 14th, 2009 The morning began with a series of short but brutal hills; a not-so-gentle reminder that the Po River Valley is well behind us. The moment we reached the top of our first 200 meter climb the Tuscan ... Florence G Sunday, September 13th, 2009 We spent our rest day wandering around the beautiful, bustling city of Florence. Here are some photos and quick thoughts from the excursion: Thanks for the tip about Gelateria Neri, Oanh! We foun... Trains: A Learning Experience G Saturday, September 12th, 2009 The morning started with a paradise-like sunrise which we excitedly photographed before promptly going directly back to sleep. A few hours later we awoke to lazily pack our camp and prepare for anot... Re del Po G Friday, September 11th, 2009 Tyler often reminds me that we always find a place to sleep. No matter what circumstances present themselves during our day, we have and always will find a place to camp. I held that comforting tho... Working in Cremona G Thursday, September 10th, 2009 After sneaking out of our trusty canopy-tree-free-camp this morning we headed to Chocolat Café so I could get some work done. Stealth Camp Tent View Stealth Camp Tent View With nearly a week off ... Cremona Museums G Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 Packing up this morning, we both decided it would be nice to take a rest day and see the sights of Cremona. Crawling out of our fantastically shady and well hidden free-camp, Tyler announced that he... More Free Camping G Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 With each passing day we fall in love with Italy a little more. Maybe it is the cheap, delicious food clouding our judgment but we're almost certain that we'll pass through again on our way to Mosco... Po River Valley G Monday, September 7th, 2009 With our late finish yesterday evening, a sleepless worrisome night of listening furtively for possible angry farmers, and a 6:00 AM departure from our not-so-hidden free-camp this morning, I was mor... Amaretto Gelato G Sunday, September 6th, 2009 True to his promise, our security guard friend was on patrol this morning. When we rolled out of the tent around 7AM he strolled over to talk with us. We did our best to communicate and this time w... Lago di Como G Saturday, September 5th, 2009 Our taste buds are not ready for Italy. Yesterday we had grapes that were so flavorful (and cheap!) they were hardly recognizable as the fruit I've known my entire life. They had so much flavor it... Life is Good G Friday, September 4th, 2009 Huge misty clouds obscure entire mountains from view; the world is swathed in shades of grey. It is pouring down rain, and water falls from the bridge's underside drain pipes like someone left two s... Directions G Thursday, September 3rd, 2009 It was a bleak and drizzly morning and I hadn't affixed the rain fly properly last night. Consequently, one end of the tent was completely soaked. Where normally I would have been fuming and frustr... Italy at Last G Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 Before leaving town officially, we had one very important task to attend to. Velocity sent us complete wheelsets for both bikes and we were left with two perfectly good front wheels in need of a hom... Velocity Chukkers Arrive G Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 We spent most of the morning tearing camp apart and re-assembling it into 'travel' mode. I was expecting our wheels to arrive the following day and I wanted to be packed and ready to go when they di...