We are getting very lax about leaving free-camps bright and early. I used to set the alarm for the crack of dawn, wake up the instant the phone started buzzing, and hurredly wake Tyler so we could be up and going and packed up before any potential angry farmers would learn of our presence.
Since then I've loosened up a lot, my confidence bolstered by a year of mostly awesome free-camping spots and mostly nice encounters with people. This morning, while our tent was pitched in front of a public outbuilding, things went more like this:
BZZZZZZZRRRRRTTTT Beep Beep Beep!
BZZZZZZZRRRRRTTTT Beep Beep Beep!
BZZZZZZZRRRRRTTTT Beep Beep Beep!
BZZZZZZZRRRRRTTTT Beep Beep Beep!
Fumble around sleepily until I can locate the phone and press the SNOOZE button.
Fall fast asleep.
10 minutes later…
BZZZZZZZRRRRRTTTT Beep Beep Beep!
BZZZZZZZRRRRRTTTT Beep Beep Beep!
BZZZZZZZRRRRRTTTT Beep Beep Beep!
BZZZZZZZRRRRRTTTT Beep Beep Beep!
Fumble around sleepily until I can locate the phone and press the SNOOZE button.
Fall fast asleep.
Continuing like this for a good hour, we enjoyed some quality snuggling and cozy drifting in and out of consciousness, blithely at home on a random slab of concrete in the middle of the Greek countryside. We finally got up at the late hour of 9AM to open our vestibule door, revealing a truly beautiful day.
As we packed under a sunny, cloudless sky, a sheperd in a truck drove by slowly, herding a jangling flock of sheep towards their pasture. The sheepdog was friendly and stayed behind to hang out with us for awhile before sprinting ahead to catch up with the others.
Camp packed, we wheeled our bikes into the sun and I made breakfast. Yesterday's ride, a string of industrial factories set in pleasant country meadows, was wholly devoid of towns and stores; we were a little low on breakfast food.
One half wanting to get rid of a weighty bag of powdered sugar I had from baking at Miwa and Sergei's, and one half unwilling to simply eat partly stale bread and nothing else for breakfast (we were out of jam, honey, and butter), I made a simple glaze for dunking. A little almond extract dripped onto a mound of snowy white powdered sugar, a few squirts from a water bottle and a bit of mixing later and our breakfast was transformed!
If we closed our eyes, it was almost like eating almondy glazed doughnuts! If we ever have kids and they revolt because their mother won't let them eat sugary cereal for breakfast, they can dig up this fine example of good nutrition and rub it in my face.
Hopped up on two cups of powdered sugar we pedaled away into the crisp, perfect blue day, saying in unison, "I am thankful for good health, and good weather!". We followed a single secondary road for most of the day, while the highway ran right alongside us and conveniently took most of the traffic with it.
In a small town, the first we'd seen in awhile, we refueled our supplies of food and water, and stopped for a leisurely picnic lunch in a grassy, sunny spot off the road. After we were sufficiently full of yummy sandwiches, Tyler set off to take his first photos involving FLOWERS!
These remarkable shots of bees carrying pollen were the result of his efforts as he fiddled around with continuous focus and shutter priority. Here are the results of his efforts, cropped significantly to "zoom in" on the bee:
It was a wonderful day—easy, clear, and devoid of the many possible trials and tribulations that sometimes happen on cycle tours. Best of all, the roads were actually somewhat flat! For awhile there I had a theory that every road in Greece was uphill and fraught with headwinds, but we really lucked out today. It felt terrific riding at a good clip without trying. It was the kind of biking that is fun, the kind that makes you feel free and happy and like a kid!
We kept riding into the golden hour—that time before sunset when the world is bathed in photo-friendly light…
…and finally found an idyllic freecamp in a small grove of trees right by the sea.
Tyler set up camp and made a small fire on the beach, while I made his favorite cheesy garlic pasta for dinner.
We warmed ourselves and stared into the flames until they turned to embers. When we'd had enough, Tyler threw sand over what remained. Then, we quietly retreated to our tent for the night, feeling truly grateful for another easy day.
