Day 27, September 19

 Day 27, September 19, 2012, Venlo to Nijmegen, 46.5 miles, total mileage: 828.7

We were so lucky that Wendy was able to lead us out of town and send  us on our through some beautiful country.

We traveled along the Maas River.  Like all the rivers in the Netherlands, it is necessary to continue keeping them ship worthy.  That hill in the background is a dike of dirt taken from the river.

So here's one of Paul's goofy pictures of what is happening behind him.  Wendy and I are pedaling along and as the scenery and sunshine abounds.

At last we reached our left off the main road.  The bike and passenger only ferry does not even show on the GPS.  It was down a country/dirt lane.

 This little ferry crosses back and forth across the Maas River.  It only carries bikes and walkers.  For 1 euro, it certainly beat swimming!

 Once we crossed the river, tante Jet's was right there.  We went in for some warmth. coffee and vlaai which is a tart served in Limborg region of the Netherlands.  It was outstanding.

 We continue to be surprised and fascinated by all the things we see. This is a machine design specifically to harvest potatoes.  One man drove and the man watched the potatoes come into the back.  Occassionly he would throw out a stone.  Not something we see everyday.

The day did not remain sunny. There was a 20% chance of rain and it caught up with us twice during the day.  Each time we were able to wait out the worst of the downpour.  The first time was under the canopy provided for drivers to pump their gas.  The second time was under a bridge.
After the rain, the temperature dropped dramatically.  11 celcius is only about 52 farenheit.  Chillier temperatures than we have experiences.   

This sky is the storm that was behind us.  You can only imagine how hard it rained and it certainly explains the temperature drop.

 And again we crossed the Maas River.  This ferry in Licten Doven also carries cars.  We do not cross the river again and do not see a river again until we reach Nijmegen and see the Waal River.

We took a break to remove some of our rain gear since the sun was shining again.  Paul spied this steam engine in DeHeij.

 This brick windmill was a beautiful example and it has been a long time since we have seen one.  Enjoy.....we did!  So after our various rain delays and crossing the first hills (small mountains? - which arrived in the second ice age) we made it to Nijmegen. It is a university town with some history.  We did not see much but we enjoyed dinner overlooking the Waal River.