2009-07-04 49 8

Location

A meadow on a hill in Bensheim.

Participants

Expedition

Expedition total: 4.3 hours, cycled 73 km

Things learned: When cycling for four hours in the sun, (a) any amount of water taken along will be too little and (b) SPF 20 isn't enough to prevent a cyclist's tan.

My last scruples about going on this expedition were swept away in the morning, when the weather promised to be perfect for a cycling trip. Judging from the satellite pictures, it wasn't clear whether the meadow with the hashpoint on it would be fenced. Also, a 70+ km roundtrip seemed a bit long. But the way to the coordinates would only lead through flat terrain (except for the last 500 m to the hashpoint), so I decided to risk a Coordinates not reached and packed my things - most importantly two bottles of water, one liter of grape juice and sunscreen.

The route lead along the Bergstraße with many beautiful sights and well-maintained cycling paths. It was an enjoyable, but rather uneventful ride.

The Odenwald hills to my right and the all-too-evident position of the sun made it easy to navigate, so I didn't have to look at my map until I arrived in Bensheim. I found the trail leading uphill to the hash and cycled along the track. A small water runnel followed it almost all the way - that must be the reason the trail is called Am Brunnenweg ("at the fountain's way").

The hashmeadow was easy to find; before it a ruinous fence no longer serving to protect it from anything.

(more later)