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February 8 Wednesday Bicycle touring Italy Sardinia from Portixeddu Sardegna to Costa Verde Sardinia More off-road cruising on our Sardinian bicycle tour. As we were climbing we came upon a group of seven men standing by the side of the road. They intently watched us approach on our touring bicycles. Reaching them, we pulled to a stop to chat and rest. They told us about a gravel road going to Costa Verde that is not marked on our map. You should go that way, they say. I think they just want to send us over more mountains. "Our mountains are old," one fella said. "But they're still steep," I replied. After joking with them, we set off on our fully loaded touring bicycles for more grunting uphill. We found the unmarked turnoff to Bau by asking a passing vehicle and confirming that a bicycle could pass on the gravel road. Assuring us (although he had never done it) that it was possible, we continued up some more hills. Coming to Bau we encountered a controlled barricade manned by armed officers. This is a prison area and they won't let us pass. We have to turn our touring bicycles around and go back to take another route. We ask another car if this is the correct road to get to Costa Verde and get affirmation once again. At the last town before Costa Verde we pull our touring bikes into a yard and ask a partially toothless and rotting remainder teeth of an old woman for water. Water bottles filled, we cycled out of town on a gravel stretch of roadway that turned into a seven kilometre bike ride, following along a stream that looks white from passing through mining quarry slag. The road turns to sand for a final kilometre amid huge sand dunes. We foray off on our fully loaded touring bicycles at a wrong branch and arrive at a dead end resort. Turning our touring bicycles around once more, we go back and push our bikes across a creek while balancing on rocks. Eventually, after lots of worry, we hit pavement. I get off my fully loaded touring bicycle to do a John Paul imitation to kiss the paved road. My arms, legs, back, and knees took a pounding on this part of our Sardinia bicycle tour. |
