I am ... lost and found

Today was the perfect day for a nice bike ride. Bicycle ride, that is. It was the first real spring day: 12°C, a blue sky and hardly any wind. So I planned a nice, 20 km, one hour-and-a-half route in Google Maps and after some trouble getting it transferred to my phone, I set out to get my doses of fresh air.

How was I supposed to know I was about to enter a forbidden military zone ... ?

A day of firsts

Taking a break

It was my first bicycle trip of the season. After checking my bike, putting some more air in the tires and oiling the chain, I hooked my iPhone up to the handle bar and left.

According to Maps, it was a trip that would take a little over an hour, so I drank some water beforehand, not wanting any other load than myself slowing me down.

Straight through the forest

Although the trees do not have any leaves yet, the route was a pretty one, straight through fields and forests. The road surface was mainly sand with a lot of pot holes, wet patches and a lot of tiny stones, but my bike managed just fine, as long as I was careful. Who cares about a little mud along the way?

Soon after leaving the village, I realized there were no people around. It was just me, the road and some bird sounds. How peaceful!

I stopped now and then to take a picture and well, also because I got tired. I've been working out on my cross trainer the past few weeks, just to get back in shape for summer.

Bike rides are a great way of getting rid of that fat butt of mine! (The only person who thinks it's fat is my Hubby, by the way.) But when the road is uphill and downhill, it sure tests your stamina.

Eerily quiet

Look, a hunting tower!

Okay, I'm not that much of an outdoorsy person and being all alone in the middle of nowhere was nice, until my mind started playing tricks with me.

"What if you get a flat tire?" or worse "What if you run into a bear!?"

Immediately I told myself it's not bear season yet and surely I wasn't out in the middle of nowhere *that much*, was I?

Okay, I did spot a few wooden towers hunters use for hunting game, but surely there wouldn't be any bears in this area ... right?

The soothing sound of a wild stream

(On a side note: I once went on a bike trip in Canada's Banff and sure enough, I ran into a black bear! I screamed and the bear took off, more frightened of me than I was of it, but this little wildlife encounter was not to be forgotten!)

My bout of fear eventually subsided and I started enjoying the adventure I had forced myself to go on. The sun was warming my face and it was truly lovely to be outside after being a couch potato all winter.

At one point I even heard water rustling and I wondered if there was perhaps a tiny waterfall around somewhere. It turned out to be a little wild stream.

Shot upon trespassing

What? MILITARY AREA?!

About an hour and a half into my trip (the whole trip was 1h20m, but I was cycling slow apparently), I started becoming really tired.

While checking my phone I realized I was already more than half way through the route and would soon reach the crossing from where I would go south towards home again.

The road surface turning into asphalt was a welcomed change but my relief only lasted briefly.

Cause as I turned right to continue on southwards, I was forced to pull over at the sight of a big yellow sign.

What? Military area? Forbidden to enter without special permission? Camera surveillance? Are you kidding me?! Nooooo!

Back the way I came

Yes. I was forced to turn my bike around again and return the way I came. By that time I was dead tired and the prospect of having to go back was just too much for me.

I was very pleased to see that sign again!

I was out of breath and thirsty. It was stupid not to bring a water bottle.

So, without many options (I checked the nearby exit, but it was a big road and I wasn't sure if I was allowed to bicycle there) I rode back the way I came ...

My legs were killing me and I was forced to walk some of the uphill parts. And what was I gonna do about my dry throat? Yes, I admit it, I ate some snow. What else was I supposed to do? Luckily there still was some.

More problems

The bike got a nice test drive! My jeans looked similar.

If going all the way back wasn't enough, my GPS suddenly stopped working. No more 3G network. What the heck, I had no problems on the way over and now you suddenly stop working, you stupid phone?!

It must be a test! Surely I can navigate my way back based on spotting familiar things I saw on the way over? I might be a woman with no sense of direction, but I'm not stupid. Getting lost is just no option.

After another hour and a half of overworking all my senses and frantically trying to reload Google Maps, I finally entered the "village limits" again. Boy, was I pleased to see that sign!

Five minutes from home I noticed the supermarket was open (yes, they're open here on sundays) and stopped for a well-deserved ice cream: my first of the season.

All in all it turned out to be a day of many firsts. I may have gotten slightly lost, luckily for me that first flat tire didn't occur. Just in case, next time I'll pick a more populated route! Oh, and carry a water bottle.