Summing up

10 July 2007 in Netherlands, ronde ijsselmeer

It was a fantastic ride and a fun adventure. Here is a rough approximation of our route and an alarmingly accurate map of where we slept.

Day 1. Getting to the route from Oud Ade.

We got our bike legs on, and rode from Oude-Ade to Gasperplas (and through a herd of sheep!). The stormy weather that night made us reconsider our plans for camping most of the way around.

Day 2: Gaasperdam-Volendam

The trailer thingie broke, but we fixed it in Amsterdam. We then made our way to the touristy town of Volendam, where we watched the Dutch under-21 team win the European championship.

Day 3 – Volendam to Medemblik – 70km

Made our way along the coast to beautiful Medemblik, stopping along the way at the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen to learn all about the Zuiderzee and the building of the giant dike to close it off.

Day 4 – Medemblik to Makkum – 63km

Across the Afsluidijk (the giant dike previously mentioned). Tracy is filled with Dutch pride, and we make record time with the wind at our backs. We eat a wonderful dinner in a fancy restaurant. The best day of the trip, and that is saying a lot.

Day 5 — Makkum to Ossenzijl, in the wind and rain.

40 mph winds and driving rain and a flat. This was a rough day. We did it, and the cabin was great.

Day 6 — Holy crap! — I mean, Ossenzijl to Elburg.

We make workmanlike progress towards our goal, and eat tasty fish and eel in Kampen. Our progress is interrupted when the trailer fix from Amsterdam fails, and we end up falling upon the mercy of Mevrouw Greveling. Everything works out, and we end up asleep that night in a warm bed feeling very lucky. Elburg seems to be our Coutances for this trip.

Day 7 — Elburg to Huizen

We get the trailer fixed and head out. We make speedy progress and end up in Huizen, a disconcertingly modern city.

Day 8 – Huizen to Oude Ade, via the Amstel-Rhine Canal to close the loop!

Final day, where we go through the fortified city of Naarden, close the loop, and then head back to Oud Ade triumphant!