(Wolfratshausen, Germany to Wallgau)
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Highlights: heavy morning rain, two-hour delayed start, forests & glacial river water in afternoon, pleasing mountain roads, tired & wet/cold by evening
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Journal: When I checked the weather two days ago, the rain was supposed to end yesterday. So I was a bit surprised when it started up at 5:30 this morning for a bit. Then again at 7:30 and 8:00. In between spurts I showered & packed up. Then, just before departure, it really started raining cats & dogs. Thankfully I was able to wait out the heavy rainstorm in an outdoor covered restaurant while reading a few chapters of "Appointment With Death." By the time the rain was finally over, I was two hours behind schedule, and after checking out Wolfratshausen & buying some food supplies, it wasn't until noon that I actually left town. Within an hour or so, it was drizzling again as I was riding along gravelly forest roads. Then I met a German couple who are walking from Munich to Venice, Italy and they told me the gloomy weather is supposed to continue through tomorrow. So when I got to the resort town of Bad Tolz at the edge of the mountains I contemplated calling it a day (after only 20 miles of riding) since I was somewhat cold & wet and not in the mood to stay that way all day long. However, when I checked the weather forecast it called for warmer temps & drier conditions beginning in the afternoon. Still unconvinced I walked around town and stopped inside a bakery for some goodies. When I walked out a few moments later the sun had reappeared & the temperature had suddenly changed from cold to hot. So, at 4 o'clock I decided to press on and see how far I could get.
The rest of the afternoon & evening went quite well. The sun stayed out and I had pleasant mountain scenery to enjoy. The farmland was replaced by forest land, and the river was now a cloudy green glacial melt. I had been dreading a 22 km stretch of road with "heavy" & "moderate" traffic, but it was not bad at all (light traffic, wide lanes & no trucks on the busy road). Still the ride was not stress free as I was slightly worried about getting someplace to stay by nightfall. I was not going to make it to Innsbruck (my original plan) due to the delayed morning start and did not want to camp again in the chilly weather (since I don't have any clean dry clothes left). By the time I reached the Wallgau valley at 8 pm I was tired, wet & cold. Fortunately this is a vacation area and there were TONS of accommodations to choose from. I selected a small guesthouse at a reasonable price (28 Euros, including breakfast) and promptly headed for a long warm shower.
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