Rain, Rain, Go Away...

So, that's the song we have been singing on the trip the last couple of days. Our last two days of riding -- leaving Montenegro and heading into Sarajevo, Bosnia, where we are now -- have been marked by rainy, cold weather, up and down mountains. But it hasn't been all bad.

First, a catch up, as it has been quite some time since i have had time to update this thing. We had a great time in Dubrovnik, and actually ran into some girls from Colorado, one of which i knew from as far back as high school. They were all visiting from Sarajevo, where they were each doing a different internship through DU. Unfortunately, their internships are now all finished, and they all left before we got into town.

It was hard to leave Dubrovnik, not only because we had a good time, but also because it was impossible to find a bike shop with an intertube for our bikes. We left later in the morning, planning to only have to ride about 35-40km to cross the border into Montenegro and get into the next town. The plan was to find a bike shop on the way out, get some tubes, and hit the road.

Well, we found the tubes at a bike/auto shop, but the connection didn't fit either of our pumps very well. We thought it was good enough, and headed on. Perhaps fortunately, Greg got a flat in town, and needed to replace the tube. We soon discovered that we couldn't inflate the new tube fully, and returned to the bike shop to try to get different tubes, which they didn't have.

Six hours, 12 km, and four bike shops later, we ended up with the same tubes, a new pump, and most of the day done. We left Dubrovnik at about 5pm. We camped just on the Croatian side of the border in a vineyard, and finally made it into Montenegro the next day.

After riding most of the day along the coast, we made it to the town of Kotar, which is along the coast of the largest fjord in southern Europe. It was certainly impressive, and we got a view from much higher up as we climbed out of town, and into the mountains behind the town. That night, we camped out in a spot that overlooked a harbor on the other side of the fjord. It was to be one of the many beautiful sights we would see in Montenegro.

The next couple of days consisted of more hills. We made it to a town called Nekšič, where Montenegro's best beer is brewed. We didn't stay long there, just long enough to buy some food and get some directions. The market we visited was just outside of town, and upon our arrival, some neighborhood kids stopped by to chat. They didn't speak much English, but they were very friendly and enjoyed checking out our bikes and gear. They rode their own bikes with us down the road towards town aways, almost sending us off. We left town, and when we finally stopped to camp, we had ridden our first 100 km day.

The goal the next day was a town called Zabjlik, which is a ski town near a national park. The park is home to the second largest canyon in the world, the Tara Canyon. Not as sheer as the Grand Canyon (at least from the outlook we hiked to), it is nonetheless quite impressive. It is 1.3km deep, just a shade under a mile. We spent two nights in Zabjlik, and then headed north towards Bosnia. The road we had planned consisted of crossing a pass 1907 m above sea level (the town we started in was around 1450 m or so), and then going through the hills to a campsite near the border. We crossed the pass and ran into dense fog and wind, and upon arriving into a small town for lunch, we decided to take a different route, one that followed a river, hoping it would be both warmer and less hilly. We were more than happy with what we found.

About a half an hour after leaving the town, the sun finally appeared for the first time all day, drying out our clothes and our spirits. As we continued on the road down towards the river, we discovered that the river had actually been dammed, and that we were riding towards a reservoir. The road was littered with tunnels. Never in my life had i gone through so many tunnels on the same road. There was even one tunnel with an intersection inside!

We reached the reservoir, and continued on towards the dam. We were now riding in the valley, and the views of sheer cliffs, the beautiful blue-green water, and the many more tunnels all lit by the warm sun made this the most beautiful road i have ever been on. We stopped several times to take pictures and videos along the way.

Rejuvenated, we continued on all the way across the Bosnian border, to a town called Foče. Upon arrival, we had little to no clue where to find any accomodation. We stopped at a cafe/bar and asked some young guys, none of whom really spoke any English. They understood our gestures, and one of them hopped into his car and led us to the hotel in town.

After an omlette for breakfast (included in the price of the stay, we found out), we set out on the road to Sarajevo. The rain had already started to fall, but it wasn't falling hard, so we decided just to do it. It was a slow, cold day. We stopped for lunch under a tree, finding at least some temporary relief from the rain. Tired and soaked, we continued on, finally arriving into a dry but cold Sarajevo.

We have three nights left here, and are anxious to explore this exciting city full of modern history and conflict. The apartment we are in is cozy, but nice, and the son of the family has already shown us around the town some, pointing us to good places to eat and drink.

Almost 900km in, i am certainly getting more used to the bike. The problems that arose from the big pothole seem to have been corrected, perhaps by hitting smaller subsequent potholes. All the bikes are holding fast, though the ride through the rain certainly gave them some extra designs. It's hard to believe we are almost a week into August already, and only about three and a half weeks remaining for the tour.

Sorry this was long, hope it wasn't boring. Hello, and good-bye, to all who still are reading...

JC