Filed under: Misc
Wednesday morning, July 17th, Jens and I both woke around 4 am. Or rather, I woke him around 4 am. In my defense, he’d told me to at least nudge him to see if he wanted to try some fishing, which would be best in the early hours. To my surprise, rather than rolling over for more sleep, he actually got moving.
Originally, I’d plotted a 14 mile loop which would have started and ended at the camp ground. Unfortunately, my legs still felt like pounded meat from the last 5 hell miles of the previous day. Even if they hadn’t felt so abused, I would have needed easy access to my small chainring, not the nightmare it was. Still, I was determined not to ruin Jens’ day. I encouraged him to find a fishing spot I could drop him off at while I drove around and walked with the dog around the cliffs I was desperate to see.
Loving the sunrises here!
He accepted and we packed the car in short order to leave the sleeping campground.
I love early mornings. Can you tell?
I drove since Jens was still fairly sleepy. It was a bit of an adventure, following the small winding roads between hills that were quite steep in places in search of specific places a man in a fishing shop had recommended. It was surprisingly difficult to find access to the water, but we managed. At both places, someone had parked their car to sleep in it though Denmark doesn’t have the same ‘Allman’s Right’ laws that exist in Sweden.
A Glorious Morning
One place we found, required walking about 300 yards or more. I chose to wait in the car, saving my legs to walk in the area around the cliffs. While I waited, I worked on my blog. Another car pulled into the parking lot and a man wearing waders got out. He quickly gathered up a huge net, several poles and a fishing basket before heading off in the same direction as Jens and Loke. I tried to call my hubby to tell him since Jens might not see the guy if he took a different route, but alas. The phone had no coverage.
Jens did see him which he found encouraging. After a few more minutes though, he decided not to fish after all. He just didn’t have the oomph to wrestle into his waders especially since he was worried about me being bored while he played. After I asked, ‘Are you sure?’ half a dozen times, he convinced me that we should just go to the cliffs and start puttering our way home.
Baltic Through the Trees
Look! White Cliffs!
We pulled into the Geocenter parking and got out to walk. The first stretch was along a board walk, nice and level where it ran high above the steep drop to the beach below. It provided gorgeous views of the the sea though not so many of the white cliffs I’d come to see.
My legs so hate me…
Back next to the Geocenter was a ‘path’ to the beach. I winced to see the series of unpleasantly steep stairs that zig-zagged down and down for what seemed forever before disappearing among the beech and conifer trees.
I gripped the railing to keep upright, my legs buckling. They turned to noodles because for every tread downward, I’d have to drag myself up. I had to turn away.
It was also the second time that Google Maps had lied. It had a cycle path down to the beach marked. I didn’t see it happening unless it was done by one of those people who can kangaroo hop a bike on a single wheel. Jens asked if we were going down and I said no.
To the north, a sign listed two view points at 300 meters and 500 meters. Just passed the signs we found yet more stairs. Maybe a bit less steep than those going to the beach, they still showed no mercy. My hubby waited until I decided to start climbing. I think it surprised him. The logic was very specific. Better to go up when I’m less tired than when I absolutely need to do so at a time when my muscles just have nothing left.
Huge Old Beech Tree
Part of what drove me was the same thing which had inspired me to crawl into the first low passage grave the day before. Two things had drawn me to Møn. The Neolithic archaeology and the cliffs. I’d seen the Stone Age monuments and I was going to see the cliffs even if I had to crawl back down the stairs when I was done.
Speaking of crawling, my knees and shins had quite a few bruises from my mound explorations. The right shin, already bright pink from sunburn had a big splotchy area of a deeper red, puffy and inflamed from the nettles.
At the top of the stairs was a good sized clearing. Dead center of it was a beautiful old beech tree. Stately and standing so tall that its crown reached higher than those trees up on the hill opposite, it surely has seen centuries of life and was now a lord of this forest. Impressive as it was, it would have been more so if two huge limbs laying on the ground had still been on the tree.
As I photographed the leafy ‘old man’, rapid thumping on the stairs behind us made me turn. A man, late 20’s to early 30’s came clattering up. He wore Lycra shorts with a cycle jersey, SPD shoes, a helmet and wrap around sunglasses. He gave a cheery ‘G’day’ in an obvious Aussie accent as he set down the mountain bike he’d carried on a shoulder. As he sped off toward the hill on the other side of the giant beech, I called out, ‘That’s going to be a wild ride down!’ He threw a grin over his shoulder, ‘Not here!’
I swear he went up that hill faster than I can go on most flats.
Stunning
Jens said maybe that was how one was supposed to do the cycle path to the beach. I replied that a cycle path should be something that a person rides their bike/’bent on… not have the bike ride them.
We pushed on upward again and found more glimpses of beauty. Jens stayed back from the railings along the drop offs and kept Loke away from them as well. It probably made him nervous the way I’d walk right up to the beams and lean over to see more. A couple times, he’d ask in a pained voice for me to not stretch out so far.
Day light shining UP through the ground
I think my darling hubby finally washed his hands of getting near railings at all when I spotted a hole among the roots of a tree. Beyond it, I could see the blue of the Baltic waters, bright in the morning sun. Stunned, I blurted, ‘How on earth is that thin bit of ground holding up the tree?’ before considering how nervous that would make Jens. He stayed firmly on the path after that.
Me? I just thought it was cool though I wouldn’t have wanted to stay there for too long. I’m just a little crazy. Not completely disconnected from reality of what will happen to that chunk of ground one day.
Around some of the cliffs hundreds of swallows swooped through the air, probably nesting in any little clefts in the chalk face they could find. I love swallows. They’re darling little birds and eat huge amounts of insects.
Just breathtaking
Against my better judgement, we walked down the path even along areas that sloped steeply downward. Completely worth it. On the way to the last beautiful view, Loke found a snake. Just a cute little ringneck rather than the poisonous one, but Jens’ dislike of snakes is stronger than heights.
My hubby brought Loke up short before he had a chance to hurt the pretty creature. About that time, we turned back around.
My legs were trembling by the time we reached the car. As we left the park, we saw the Aussie mountain biker again, loading up his car. He made good time though it must have been a brutal climb from where he’d parked to where he crossed our path.
The rest of the drive was uneventful. It felt so good to be home and well we came home when we did. Within a few minutes of walking through the door, I found the battery in my wireless mouse was swelling in spite of a lack of power to overcharge it. It was tightly wedged and rounded enough that the battery cover wouldn’t go on it. I’d hate to think what might have happened if it had burst while sitting on the computer desk!
So, that’s the whole trip. The ups and downs. Hopefully tomorrow, I’ll be getting the trike’s gears fixed and things can return to normal.
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Wow some awesome scenery! Thanks for sharing it!!
Comment by Rhonda July 22, 2013 @ 6:54 pmOf course! It’s for family and friends… and you’re both! 😉
Comment by Terii July 22, 2013 @ 9:35 pm