Day 69: Petroşani la Rânca

img_20180813_160853 — We are back! And big time!

After the spaghetti, we both started feeling queasy, and it was the beginning of a bad digestion day for me and two bad digestion days, including some shivers at night, for Liz. We were not sure where we could have picked up something, partly because we both eat the same. Some googling suggested that maybe the tap water should be avoided, so we got plenty of bottled water. On the other hand, the CDC seems to be overcautious with their tap water safety recommendations suggesting that ever since we entered the Balkans, we should have stopped drinking it (but the tap water so far seemed fine).

Anyway, instead of tackling the Transalpina, we spent three days in a hotel room, working on rehydration, watching some TV shows and movies, and I read about 60% of the Martian to Liz. A great book, also on the second read.

Relics of mission rehydration featuring a newly found fear of tap water

In any case, after three days of inactivity, it was very nice to start moving again today. The route today would not be an easy re-entry into cycling, as we had the scenic Transalpina to climb. We started from 640m elevation in Petroşani and eventually reached up to 2100m on the pass, which, including the dips along the way, resulted in a total climb of about 1800m / 6000ft. But we only had 50km / 31 miles of distance to cover at least to reach Rânca.

And we also took it really slow to not stress our bodies too much (Liz only started eating again yesterday). Our average speed was just 10km/h / 6mph. After leaving Petroşani, we followed the 7A road that would get us to the 67C which is the Transalpina. The 7A was not busy at all, because part of it is a dirt road / in rather bad condition, so drivers tend to avoid it. This was very much ok with us, and the road condition was actually not too bad, but our standards might have adjusted since riding the incredibly bad 66A.

img_20180813_103004 — The nice and quiet 7A road

To reach the Transalpina, we had to climb a tiny pass along the way, and in the steeper part towards the end of the climb, we listened to the very entertaining This American Life episode about the natural history museum heist of the century, where a flute player breaks into a British museum to steal exotic bird feathers to sell to salmon fly tiers (for fly fishing) so that he could fund the acquisition of a flute made of gold. Yes, true story.

We were happy to find reasonable pavement on the descent toward the Transalpina, and then even happier for the very scenic ride approaching the bigger climb of the day.

Reached the Transalpina. We would make it up before 20.00 when it closes (inchis means closed). On the left is probably a gypsy encampment, and the people were selling foraged blueberries and chanterelle mushrooms).

In the approach of the big climb. Good to be out and about again.

After reading a sign warning about snakes, we carefully chose our break spot for a bread and jam snack before the climb. No snakes were spotted, and we started on the big climb. The road got a bit busier as well, but not too bad. Along the way, there were donkeys on the road asking for snacks.

Not sure if the donkey got snacks from this driver.

img_20180813_145048 — Another donkey, using the sign to scratch its neck.

We also passed and got passed by a 60-year-old Citroen car that sported a tiny pirate flag and the French driver would always honk at us and we would wave back.

img_20180813_145658 — The Citroen passing us for the last time. Here, we could already see the top of the first summit.

There was a big souvenir area at the top of the first summit, and we got some coke and a nice polenta dish with sour cream and a kind of feta cheese topping (polenta is called mamaglia and it is a very traditional dish here).

From the first summit, we rolled down about 150m / 500ft of elevation that we then would have to climb again to the second summit. It is always a bittersweet feeling when on a downhill where you know that all you lose you will have to gain again.