Day 11 – 28 September 2012 – Oberndorf to Tubingen – 77k

We really enjoyed our first ‘Zimmer’ in the beautiful Neckar town of Oberndorf.  Just after we checked in yesterday afternoon, a strong storm hit. We were so glad we were still not out on the road.

Today, we planned to make Horb by late morning, which was actually our original target for yesterday, and then from Horb to do what was our planned leg for today to Tubingen, some 50k after Horb. We were praying that all would go smoothly for us, now that we were on the river.

 

It was a thick, cold foggy morning as we made our way around the corner to the café whose owners also own the ‘Zimmer’. Breakfast was in the price, and we were keen for an early start. It was quite cold as we rolled away, north along the Neckar River path toward Horb. We hadn’t gone very far before the path started to climb into the forest. It was very cold, and our fingers were freezing. The path was wet and covered with wet thick leaves and lots of small pine cones which are deadly if the front wheels of the bike roll on them. So for most of the day we were making sure we didn’t run over the thousands of pine cones that were all over the path in the long forest sections.

We came across a fascinating scene of a woodsman who was using old fashioned craft to trim by hand his large trees he had felled, from which he was making a good old fashioned log cabin. It was fabulous to watch.

The Neckar River valley is simply that – a narrow valley through which the narrow river cuts, with the thick forest covered mountainsides rising sharply from both sides of the river. This meant that if the bike path wandered from the rivers edge, it meant long steep climbs followed by long steep descents as it plummeted back to the river. Inside the forest it was dark, wet and cold, with the path mostly gravel but very slippery and occasionally muddy or covered in cattle dung.

We were so glad we didn’t have to face this leg to Horb the previous afternoon. The path was not always clear to follow, and much to our grief, we ended up about 5k up another river valley entirely before we realized that the signs to Horb were suddenly getting longer rather than shorter. We added some 10k to our trip, much to our disappointment if not disgust for the master map reader (KA) who has always been proud of his sense of direction.

We made it to Horb by late morning. What a beautiful place! The last several kilometers we gave up on the path and cruised the lovely, somewhat busy road into Horb. Just as we arrived on the outskirts, another touring cyclist came up alongside. He instantly recognized our accents, and then saw my Salvation Army cap. He was an Aussie of German descent who attends the Salvation Army at Ingle Farm in South Australia! His name is Dieter Fisher, and has been on the road for months now, including the USA. We enjoyed lunch with Dieter in this spectacularly beautiful town, before bidding farewell.

We then headed for Tubingen, just a further 35k for the day. The paths were better, mostly open farmlands and fields, but occasionally steep climbs in and out of forest. We were starting to get wonderful sights of castles on distant mountain tops, which were simply stunning! Also tempting were the wonderful, local farm stalls selling their produce along the bike path. Pity we could not carry the large pumpkins!

I stopped to talk with a lovely German couple who were doing several days of hiking from the home town down the river. We enjoyed wonderful conversation. I promised to put their photo on the blog, and hope they make it to Canberra sometime where we promise them warm Australian hospitality!

We came to yet another stunningly beautiful town called 'Rottenburg'. There was nothing rotten about this place. Rottenburg was again typical of the stunning beauty and glamour of the villages and towns along the Neckar.

Julie is riding really well now, but we feel that a 60k day is a good distance for a typical day, allowing for coffee/lunch stops and plenty of photo taking and sight- seeing. Today we pushed on to our goal of Tubingen, and were delighted to eventually see the ‘campingplatz’ just a few kilometers  before Tubingen on the Neckar River.

The Neckar is nothing of the proportions of the Rhine. It is a small river, but the beauty is in the many villages along the river. We have never seen an untidy house, and some scenes are simply breathtaking. Our tent for tonight is all set up. We have enjoyed massive meals for the least prices so far in Germany, at the camp kiosk. The meals were great if you liked pork, because only pork was on the menu. However, it was a superb end of day for two hungry touring cyclists.

We feel the divine hand upon us everyday. We commented today that we have always come across the right map when it was needed, the right place to stop, and so many things where we just feel that God’s invisible yet powerful hand has been guiding us along the way. As I was riding today, I was reflecting on the simple, well known verse “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. Today we go to bed within 50 metres of the beautiful Neckar River, in a small camping ground just south of Tubingen, but we rest tonight knowing “The Lord is my shepherd”. There is nothing else we need.

From the edge of the Black Forest, we send our love…..Kelvin & Julie