Day 4/5 Apple harvest time in Tyrolea

We started our bike tour today.  Actually, only the four of us on this adventure.  Off-season is nice.  Good bikes, nice seats (!), and great traveling companions.

Scot is our leader with map and GPS as needed,  EuroBike provides good map support for our travels.  They pick up our luggage in the AM from our hotel and the suitcases are waiting for us at our day's destination when we finish our ride.

Day 4's highlight was the apple harvesting season here in Tyrolea.  Think Napa Valley but apples, not grapes.  Miles and miles of apple orchards.  First, all orchards have skinny trees planted only 2 feet apart in long, narrow, tight rows.  But, each tree is loaded with fruit.  Say, 50-plus per tree.  And with them packed in so tight, the yield is through the roof.  See the pictures below.

Janet and Gloria in one of the many small-town squares.

Nothing in English,  Scot keeps an eagle-eye for directions.

We are on bike trails most all the time, but as these trails wind through the orchards we share them with the harvesters and innumerable narrow tractors that are picking up and delivering this year's crop.  We got to see the 'system' up close.  We are impressed.  We rode 53km today, (33 miles).

One of the tractor drivers. I learned immediately after I took this picture, don't take
pictures while riding your bike.  He helped me get up after I did a faceplant.

The only hiccup on our journey.  Gloria with a map, Janet with a phone and
Scot on his laptop.  Success, we got to our hotel.

Day 5 was more of the same.  Incredible views of the valley and the agriculture.  Again, great riding.  A few detours that either Scot recommends or Eurobike suggests as alternative routes.  43km today.  (27 miles).  A highlight today, (but not really) is the castle of Reinhold Messner an extraordinarily famous man that I have never heard of.

Typical apple trees.  Basically three varieties.  We have samples of all
and will so a taste test tomorrow.

Janet clued us in as to his importance.  In 1978, he was the first human to summit Mr. Everest without oxygen.  He continued and continues to do amazing things in the world to this day.  He is 74 and above us is his summer home/castle and one of five museums that he has conceived and maintains.  'Not really a highlight' only because his home/museum is at the top of a mountain, inaccessible to us on bikes and it is a 5-hour block of time to see and do everything.  A good excuse to return!!

Incredible views as we continue our adventure.  It makes us feel very small........