Alphen Southern Loop... 23 miles, 68 degrees

Saturday was a glorious day for cycling.  Sunny all day.  Warm, with a high of 20C / 68F.  After last few days, 68F is shirtsleeve cycling weather!  We made the most of it, did a 23 mile loop south of Alphen through the countryside and a couple of small towns.  Easy ride, with the exception that the area around knooppunt 5 was a bit confused -- signage being changed?  12 year olds messing with signage to goof with riders?  signage guys had just shared a fat one on the day they posted the signs?  Who knows.  It was unusual in the knooppunt network, you couldn't get lost but you could get confused for a bit.

So what was neat about the ride other than simply terrific cycling on great cycle paths through a beautiful countryside with small restaurants spaced just far enough apart?  (++ on the coffee with apple pie in Boskoop.)

Katie and this pony, bonding over a couple of carrots...

Coots paddling like crazy to bring food back to the just-hatched brood...









Project to drain the land, create more farmland from bog... they say you should buy real-estate because nobody is making more of it, but that's not completely true here...

Sleepy swan wakes up from Saturday afternoon nap, pops head up to have a look around...







"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." -- fom an ancient Greek work of Herodotus describing the Persian system of mounted postal carriers c. 500 B.C.E.  Still true, here's a Dutch post-woman on her bike...

A classic American style turkey strutting in full Mummer's Parade array...







And the historic mill in Alphen!  Old.  Moved here in late 1800s, now run as a volunteer operation by local people.  This is history at its finest... practical kinetic sculpture lovingly maintained. In operation on the weekends, and this was Saturday, our good luck.  Stopped in... thought they were closing up because there were basically no tourists around... then realized that this is simply an unknown gem in quiet Alphen.  A really nice guy showed us around, described the volunteer effort and the operation of the mill.  My best guess is he's retired from Philips, as he knew Silicon Valley and the 101 corridor pretty darn well!  We emerged not covered but generously splashed with flour.  Had a great piece of bread fresh from their oven, left a contribution, and rode the last stretch home.  About as nice a day of cycling as a person could ever ask for.