2008-09-26 51 11

First time for me to attempt a Geohash without rewarding ribbons within reach, but anyway: the stupidity of the attempt of going 70 km by bike to a village named "Niederreißen" (engl.: to break down) after an eight-hour-workday will be reward enough. See you there about 6 o'clock, folks.

Report

Ok, the report comes two days late, but right after the trip I was too tired and then I left the Internet ;). Anyway, I have been there, and I have seen nobody else, even though I had specified a time and actually planned so damn well that I was there at that precise time myself! I started the trip at my working place in Jena, was honked off the road to Isserstedt, then had a peaceful ride to Apolda where I first got lost, but a nice granny saved me from going more than two miles in the wrong direction. The rest of the way was easy to find, only villages, only one street, and an astonishing amount of ups and downs for this area (which I actually thought to be flat up to now). Beyond the mountains, I finally reached Niederreißen and Buttstädt, where I got lost once again - instead of using the official road or the way I had spotted on the satellite picture, I went down the road to Mannstedt, which turned out to be the absolutely best way I could have chosen. The road was officially blocked for construction, but it was all finished so far and I had the finest new road one could think of and reached Guthmannshausen, the destination of the day, very relaxed. Then I had a little mountain biking adventure directing, pushing and carrying my bike through one field of forage beets to my left and a fallow field smelling of liquid manures to my right. Anyway, I reached the hashpoint (luckily, that was between the beets!), took some photos for proof and tried to leave the field again, getting even more dirty. I like dirt. As there were no rewarding ribbons this time, I rewarded myself with an apple and even found some chestnuts - obviously Guthmannshausen has no children to collect them as soon as they hit the ground... on my way back, I tried the way near the railroad which I had seen on the satellite picture and which, by the way, looked a lot nicer on the picture than it actually was. It saved me one or two km but neither time nor energy. Rest of the trip was okay again, didn't get lost this time, even though it was already dark when I reached Apolda again. At Krippendorf, just when I was resolved never to do something that stupid again, I happened to look up to the beautiful starlit sky. Well. Every stupid action turns out nice in the end. There's just no lesson to be learned from this...

---Paintedhell

Photo Gallery
Break down this village. Hey, it wasn't THAT ugly!
Juja, her bike, the beets and a somewhat wonky Guthmannshausen in the background.
Use your fantasy: it isn't too easy to write on beet's leaves.
Chestnuts in the setting sun.