Day's report... it's coming... And here it is...
So, we've hatched a Plan A: we will take the same route as I did last night and depending on our feeling and road conditions when we get there, we will decide whether to cross the barrier on our side of the TFH. Or not. The ride there will still be entertaining and if we have to switch to Plan B and come back and ride to the other side of the TFH via the motorway, we'll still have time to do it. We estimate Plan B to be an eight hour day.
The other downside that this requires us to wake up early and leave at 7h30, so we have time to turn around if needed - and we know how much I love mornings...
We're on the road at 7h30 on the dot, Steve tapping his fingers impatiently in his mind waiting for us to get ready. I can't believe I even had time for a very short run; I have no idea what's come over me, it must be the adreneline.
Our schedule is tight if we are achieve our objective of riding as much of the TFH as we can, and so are riding 'at pace'. But after about 15 minutes we see a sign saying the Transfagarasan pass is open! I point and Steve and I both give a thumbs up. That means the time pressure is off and we can ride more leisurely and stop more often for pictures.
The first stop is the dam that forms an artificial lake of which the TFH skirts along the edges. It's a huge tall structure wedged between two sides of the valley and you could image bungee jumping from the top and not hitting the walls of the dam.
We ride on and Steve's day is made by the sight of a mother bear and her three cubs by the side of the road. Yes! The moment the guys have all been looking forward to. I, of course, saw it all last night, albeit at speed when I was on a mission, but now we stop and soak it up. At a safe distance of course.
We stop for coffee at a hotel, just where last night's barrier was. The anticipation rises. And we set off to enjoy the curves. The best things in life are curvy, and bikers love nice curves...
Before we reach the tree line we see trucks parked in clearings loaded with rows and rows of narrow, horizontal, multicoloured box openings. I also noticed these yesterday and thought that maybe they were racing pigeon start boxes. But no, apparently they are mobile bee hives. The bee keepers drive to an area to let the bees collect the mountain forest pollen for a day before moving to different areas the next day. Great idea.
We clear the tree line see snow and stop for more pictures periodically. It's definitely cooler now. Reaching the top we go through the tunnel; it's not busy at all.
But on the other side, unlike last night, it is a hive of activity (no bees). We stop briefly but bypass the bustle and seek the iconic view of the road curving down the mountain. We stop a few times but don't quite find it. Looking back up I see a few groups posing for pictures at a higher point than the tunnel exit, so we go back to top to find that spot and discover the hidden bonus of a still partly frozen lake shrouded in mist. It's to the right of the tunnel exit and up a short driveway.
Back down the road and more picture stops. Steve gets flashed by two laughing Romanian women posing with their boyfriends before they jump back in their car and drive off - another kind of bare on the Sans-bra-garasan Highway!
Later more bears, one raiding a refuse bin, and sheep blocking the road. As the flock and shaggy sheep dogs pass our stationary bikes, the young shepherds give the universal 'do a wheelie' sign, a right fist rotated around an imaginary throttle. Not on these bikes, and not with these geriatric riders. Note to self, I must learn how to do a wheelie!
At some point we lose Christopher, we ride on, but he's not to be found. I ride back, but still no sign. A few flurried messages are eventually answered - he's ridden to the village further on - not quite 'a Mark'*, but close (*see Tajikistan Day 4). We stop for lunch at a delightful Tirolean themed hut at the roadside and it's a surprisingly good cheesy sandwich and pickles.
By this point we've "done the Transfagarasan" and are starting to think about the logistics of returning the bikes. Because, we set out early and were able to do Plan A we have plenty of time to spare. There's one more castle on the list of places that was a back-up and so we head there. This turns out to be a bit of a letdown, more of a theme park, which is not our thing. In the heat of the day we gather under a tree to regroup and plan, and in the process somebody tries to charge us for parking - bloody parking ninjas, they're everywhere (including in our group... 🤪). Steve gets the hump because Claudia asked us to call her when we were two hours away, but now we're only about 30 minutes from Sibiu. 😱 We arrange for the bikes to be picked up and she's happy to oblige at our chosen time. Nose skin, fully intact, all round.
Arriving at the hotel, we are hot and bothered. Checking in I don't have a room and the rate had gone up since we left. As we have to wake up at 4am it doesn't seem worth it to pay that for only six hours. A quick search on Booking.com finds a lovely apartment just around the corner - ever the cheapskate, but it was much nicer than the hotel room.
Meanwhile the bikes have been loaded and I pay for a broken clutch lever - the price of TFH fun last night - a bargain!
Just a work call before dinner - international diplomacy never stops. Dinner at the steakhouse we were very happy with ten days ago, but tonight it didn't impress, especially Mr Angry's ribs without substance, which are duly sent back to the kitchen.
After dinner we meet up with Charlie and his new group of riders, David, Tommy and Rocco. Rocco is an unusual name, as is his mother's. He's a nice Guy. Steve teaches him the finer points of his experience testing inflatables. Lies, lies and damn statistics! A good evening.
Retiring for a few hours sleep before waking at 3am. We say our goodbyes and head back to the hotel. There we bid farewell to Danny as the lucky bugger gets a lie-in and a chance to eat his breakfast mushrooms in peace. The end of yet another great trip.
Deposits are down for the next one, next year. It's going to be a biggy if it works out. Watch this space.
Update: Danny took a trip to A&E when he got back to the UK. The X-ray shows he broke five ribs and a thumb when he hit that tree! The hard man rode the next eight days loaded with ibuprofen.... We're all going shopping for better armour for next year's trip, maybe even including some Kevlar....
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