Joe’s real expertise  is in health care information systems.

Joe is coming with his Dad, Mike.  Sharing a bike tour with another generation is something that few people have the pleasure of doing.  We are thrilled they are both coming.

It is great that Joe is going to join us. Joe is no stranger to International travel. This photo was taken in Europe somewhere.

Mike, in his spare time, likes to gaze at stars.  I hope it is clear in Kiu Kacham.  A clear night in KK can be pretty spectacular…although most people are conked out in bed (it is a big climb).

I think this is Mike at a star-gazing event.

What to wear?  A scarf blowing from your neck is good.  A waist length leather coat is good.  Sun glasses?, sure….big ones.  Cell phone?  Yes, of course, you need to be in touch.  Bike shoes, no.  Helmet,  no.  Spandex?, you can't be serious…..  only if you happen to be on your way to or from a bike race….that you are actually entered in.

On my last day I endeavored to capture the look on film.  Given that most people are in motion and my camera skills are not so great, it was kind of hit or miss.  But I gave it a shot, just the same.

First, the bike.   Not every bike is in motion, so this is a little easier to capture. 
 

The brakes are important. I loved these which are not uncommon.

No messing with brake cables when solid metal rods will do.

Chain guard is mandatory. It keeps everything neat. A chain tattoo on your white pants would be not good.

And a good brand name helps a lot. "Zanski" has some panache and I imagine it works well in any Slovenian sentence.

Basket and a rack maximize utility.

OK, now for some action shots.

If you have an instrument, it's an added plus. Big, but not too big. Cello size is about perfect.

Love the light under the basket and the wheel guard to keep your coattails out of the spokes. The derailleur not so really needed though. There are no hills in town.

I like the rack....and the coat...and the white pants and the swooping dual top tube.

A work truck of a bike.

Kids as passengers are common. So is the cell phone. Helmets are generally considered kid stuff, but I guess there isn't much car traffic so perhaps not so bad.

The sunglasses and scarf work. So does a non-moving chat on the mobile from the bridge near the main square. There is no better place to see or be seen.

There is a LOT to like about Ljubljana.

We went to a wine tasting in Maribor tonite.  it's been raining all day and we virtually had the place to ourselves.  We learned a lot…not necessarily about wines, but about the noises that we heard all along the bike ride the prior week.

Eric though there was something wrong with his bike…and then I did.  We heard noises that roughly corresponded to our speed.  It wasn't our bikes, It was wind rattles.  They are things that look like small windmills that put out different pitched noises.  Their purpose is to scare birds away from the vineyards.  The birds have grown accustomed to them so they are no longer effective, but the tradition of wind rattles continues.  They date back to the 1500's.  The place where they had the wine tasting has a small museum devoted to them.

Brian checking out the countryside from the Grad in Ptuj

At the wine tasting in Maribor, Slovenia

Early depiction of a wind rattle.

This vine was in front of the place they had the wine tasting. It is the oldest grapevine in the world! Over 400 years!!!!

A "wind rattler"

Brian's home away from home, Le Petite Cafe in Ljubljana, awaits him.  Brian is in for Croatia.

Brian and I plan to poke around the following week and perhaps scout some new territory.  Brian will need to go shopping for some panniers before then.

Over the years we have had riders from Canada, Italy, France, Taiwan, Great Britain, Columbia, Australia as well of the US.  I love it when there are people from other countries on a tour.  It keeps things interesting.  

From their pictures, I would guess all three like being "out and about".

It's great to have them.  I think they'll love the Lao adventure.

Kate flying in the thin stuff....

Pip, deep in some white stuff.

Rosie, enjoying the wind on some wet stuff.

Tour d'Indochine starts in Hanoi.  We head North to the border with China and then West.   We cross the border into Laos just outside Dien Bien Phu.  

Mike celebrated a birthday when we were in Vangvieng (a real party town) last time Laos and the group decided to decorate his bike for the occasion:

I am not sure what that blue thing is. Isn't Spider Man red? Help!.

Oh, yeah, I am showing my age.  Isn't that thing a Power Ranger??

We had a 10k climb before going over the Col de Vergio which is at 1467 meters.  The GR20 intersects the road at the top.  From there it is about a 30k downhill…part of which is through the Golo Gorge. 

Everyone made it through in great shape.

Rusty is off to Paris.  Greg is doing some more solo riding around Corsica and then taking the ferry to Italy.  John and Robin are renting a car to explore parts of the island that we did not reach and Chantal and I have another day (we'll go explore some new bike routes) before heading home. 

This has probably been the most perfect weather week we have ever had on any tour.

Thanks to this group for being so easy going and good natured! 

At the top

The Golo Gorge

Yeah, it's a long way down.