The Show Must Go On

It was breezy when we’d arrived in Kućište, but this morning we woke up to a cold wind, a gloomy sky, and being threatened with rain.  

Mike had been checking the weather for Split and the islands before we left home, so we knew we should bring some warmer biking clothes, but I didn’t think I’d need everything I’d brought today!  When the group gathered in the dining salon, we all looked like we’d gotten ready to go snowmobiling or cross country skiing!  

We went out to the dock, found our bikes, installed the batteries, and got ready to ride. 

I took a couple of quick pictures to the right and left of the pier just before we rolled out.  That’s pretty much the town.

While we were waiting for the group to start riding, I saw a van come down the road.  It sort of looked like it could be a taxi.  I said, “Oh! My taxi is here…gotta go!”  A couple of people that heard me say that laughed and said… “Can we share?” I don’t think any of us was looking forward to riding in cold, possibly rainy, weather today.  It was gloomy and definitely trying to rain, but the best it could do was sprinkle on us while the wind whipped around -always seeming like it was in our faces.

We rode toward Orebić, a nearby town.  The roads were the busiest I’ve seen so far.  

I joked previously that sometimes my pictures look like I’d handed my camera to a monkey.  Today with all the layers, I didn’t have my camera in an easy-to-get-to pocket and, wearing full-fingered gloves, when I could get it out the different buttons were difficult to work.  There were some interesting buildings as we rode into Orebić, so I managed to dig my camera out and turn it on…yay… but by then we’d passed whatever it was.  There was no time to fumble the camera back into a pocket before I needed both hands on the handlebars for a while -while holding the camera too.  That situation resulted in this absolutely stunning picture.  It might be my favorite from the whole trip!

There is a ferry service to this town and our route took us through the ferry landing area.  Miranda had seen that a ferry was getting ready to land, but felt like we would be well away from the high traffic area before it landed and got unloaded.  

Except, a short distance beyond the landing, we had to make a left turn onto a busier road that slowed us down enough that I could stop for a photo – or two.

Lucija pointed out an island and said there was a lighthouse on it.  This was what I could see standing there.

Thank goodness for the ability to zoom on our cameras!

While at that corner, one of our group had an issue there that created a longer stop.  It was just long enough that we ended up sharing the narrow road with all the cars from the ferry for about a mile.

Thankfully, before long we turned off onto a quieter road and were headed back in the direction of Kućište.  The route looked a bit like a figure-8, with the ship being in the center.  Never wanting to miss a chance to go uphill, we turned onto a road with a short hill that took us up above the shoreline -nice views.  After a few miles, we took a turn that curved back down the hill and to the left, putting us on the road along the shore for the home stretch.  

Because of the weather, I’d been making an effort to not hold up the group by stopping for photos.  I knew we were all looking forward to getting back to the Colombo and warming up.  But I did stop to take this picture right before we went down the hill. 

There was one point along the shore, just around a curve, where we had to pass 4 people with a dog on the road -which looked more like a bike path.  They split to either side, which caused everyone to slow down to almost stopping and proceeded carefully.  What was good safety-wise, except the wind was especially gusty in that spot. Without the momentum we’d had going into the curve, several of us thought we’d be starring in a new version of The Wizard of Oz as the wind sent us and our bikes flying chaotically over the edge of the road and into the water!

I think Miranda took pity on us -because we only rode about 12.5 miles.  

Because of the weather, the captain had decided to retreat to Milna on Brač island today because the harbor there is very protected.  As soon as everyone and the bikes were loaded onto the Columbo, we were on our way.

Lunch was served and then Mike and I retreated to our cabin to read (him) and to work on this blog (me).  It was rocking and rolling most of the way to Milna.  I ended up taking a nap to forestall possible sea sickness.

At one point along the way, I looked out of the window in our cabin door and saw that we were passing a small island with a lighthouse on it.

It was actually sunny and pleasant in Milna.  The Colombo wasn’t the only ship taking cover there.  The town was hopping.  We went out to wander and decide where to eat for dinner.  I was determined to find some new things to take pictures of.

We hadn’t walked all the way to the church the last time.

It wasn’t open, but I grabbed this photo through the window in the door.

This fixer-upper was adjacent to the church.

Near the church, there was a building being renovated.  This cool sailing yacht was on the porch. This was the only angle I could get a picture of it from.

Here’s some real sailing yachts!  We think there was some sort of sailing event or regatta going on and that they took shelter here too.

We randomly picked a restaurant and enjoyed a nice dinner.  After dinner there was a gelato stand conveniently located nearby -which might explain the “random” restaurant choice… hah.

The first time we’d been in Milna, the few gift shops there were all closed.  (It is a bit early in their season).  We’d passed this one more than once -but this time I noticed it was open.  Of course I had to peek inside.

The man minding the shop said he’d made everything.  I enjoyed seeing it all.  I like to look for shops that have glass art just to see what people are making, but I also like ceramics too.  I couldn’t resist buying this little magnet for our magnet board.

And then it was back to the Colombo for the evening.

Even though the route was changed, we didn’t mind seeing Milna again.  Tomorrow, we’ll take our last ride of the trip.

Miles:  12.48.    Ascent/Descent:  728.    Average Speed: 9.9

Categories: Part 6: Kućište