Six Second Showers

40 miles, 9.7 mph, 1370' elevation gain
(Furth im Wald, Germany to Nittenau)


View 2008-06-12 Furth Im Wald, Germany to Nittenau in a larger map

Highlights: cloudy & cooler, mostly flat, only one steep climb, early finish, swimming pool

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Journal: Every campground shower seems to have its own identity. Some require tokens (which can cost about $1.50 per 5 minutes) while others are free but shut off after a set amount of time. This morning's shower set the record for the shortest elapsed time of only 6 seconds! In other words, every six seconds the water would shut off and I would have to press the button to start the water again. I can understand 30 or 60 second increments, but six seconds seems rather ridiculous.

After showering, I packed up & discovered I couldn't find my Camelback (water backpack), one of the can't-live-without items on my long-distance bike tours. Normally I would notice not having it immediately, but yesterday I was wearing my heavier rain jacket (instead of my lighter weight wind breaker) so I did not notice. The last place I recalled having it was the restaurant in Furth last night at dinner, so we headed that way to see if I was right. Fortunately, as soon as I walked into the restaurant the same waitress from last night saw me and immediately put up a finger to let me know she had something of mine.

After being happily reunited with my Camelback, we were on our way heading down along the Regan River. The morning ride was essentially flat as we followed the river & railway line, mostly on pleasant farm roads. We took a lunch break in the town of Cham (in another nice town square) before continuing downriver. After crossing the river at Roding, the trail left the river & steepened on a gravel road for several miles before returning to the river. The rest of the afternoon was uneventful as we keep to the river. When we reached Nittenau, Joe had enough riding for the day so we set up camp at the local campground. Since it was early I took a dip in the local pool, but not for too long since it was not heated & a bit cool for my liking.