This morning we had to have our suitcases outside our room door at 7:15 as we will be staying at a different hotel tonight. We left the Parkhotel Laurin at 8:15 and carried some cooler weather gear with us; we have a two-hour shuttle transfer before we start riding at a higher altitude.

We started cycling in Cogolo in the Pejo Valley. Most of the ride this morning was downhill or flat so we made good time. This beautiful section was about two miles into the ride.

Next, we crossed a bridge over the Noce River which we followed along most of the day.

Marylou, Debby, and Jerry coming along the path. This was in a more forested area of spruce woods and we saw places where cut logs were piled along the path.

Some of the typical style houses we saw in this area.

Another downhill section of the bike path. It was considerably less crowded where we rode today.

Our GPS directions were mostly on target. We frequently had to cross streets and roads that cut through the bike path.

Another look at the river. Seems like it’s moving faster. And it has that color of glacier snow melt.

Some sections of the bike path had potholes so we had to keep our eyes on the road and one time we both hit something that caused me to completely lose my grip on one handlebar and I was holding on pretty tight. Just above this section of the bike path was a small bulldozer on the hillside and logs were being cut there too. You could smell the freshly cut trees. I thought something might have fallen on the bike path from there but whatever it was, I never saw it. There were also several small hills in a row, like a roller coaster, and going over those felt like we were flying off the bike seat.

Heading towards one of several bridges criss-crossing the river.

We were warned to watch out for the striped poles.

Talking to Tom on one of the bridges. No, we did not coordinate our outfits.

Once again we traveled past numerous apple orchards. This valley was lush with apple orchards and vineyards. Not a scrap of hillside that can have something planted on it goes unused. The apples also do well here because there is a fair amount of rainfall just not on this bike trip, thank goodness.

We also stopped to talk to this charming little donkey and his mom. He was napping though and not much interested in us.

We finished our ride in Caldes for a total of 17 miles. We really would have liked a longer ride but our only option was to turn around and ride back up the last five miles we had just ridden down and the hip replacement wasn’t happy about that. Tina didn’t want to do it either. So…a short ride but strenuous when you are watching for potholes, listening for directions from the GPS, and on the brakes and cornering a lot. But Ross thought riding along the Noce River surrounded by the Alps and the Dolomites was one of the most beautiful rides ever. Just imagine what it would be to have a bike path like this to ride everyday.

At the end of our ride, we saw several whitewater rafts go by. This is a very popular area for rafting. During those last five miles, the rocks got bigger and the river got louder.

Stefano loaded our bikes on the trailer to take them and us back up the road to lunch.

After lunch, Jerry and Marylou and a few others rode an extra four miles that was mostly uphill. Here they are almost at the top.

The shuttle and the van and bike trailer were waiting beside a pile of recently cut logs.

We had about a 20-minute shuttle ride to the ski resort area of Madonna di Campiglio which is considered one of the “toniest” of European destinations. Celebrities apparently come here mainly for the skiing. With a population of 1,000, the village regularly hosts World Cup alpine skiing and has an inordinate number of hotels given its size. During the summer, outdoor enthusiasts enjoy the hiking, rock climbing, and bicycling the area offers.

Our entire bicycle trip is in the Italian region of Trentino Alto Adige, one of 20 regions in Italy.

And Trentino Alto Adige is made up of two independently-governed provinces:Trento, also commonly known as Trentino which we were now in, and the Province of Bolzano, also known as the South Tyrol. The map below shows Bolzano where we started, the Sole Valley area where we bicycled today, Madonna del Campiglio where we stayed tonight, and Riva del Garda, our final location for bicycling the last two days of our trip. A primary difference between the provinces is that German is more likely to be spoken in the Bolzano Province (South Tyrol) while the majority of people speak Italian in Trentino.

Our shuttle ride started at the bottom of the valley and took us through several hairpin turns climbing up towards the Rendena Valley where Madonna di Campiglio is located. Madonna di Campiglio is at an elevation of about 5,000 feet, similar to Denver. Along the way we stopped for a photo op with a nice view of the Dolomites.

We checked in to the Chalet del Sogno for the next two nights.

I think we all had somewhat differently configured rooms and this is what part of ours looked like before we unpacked.

And, we don’t really unpack. It’s more a matter of getting the bike gear – shirt, shorts, gloves, socks – ready for the next day as well as lining up the suntan lotion, the topical pain relief for the knees, the chamois cream, etc, etc., for use in the morning. The final bit is assembling my little zip lock bag I carry on the bike – passport, vax card, lipstick/chapstick, credit card, a few Euros, a snack, facial tissue, a small packet of bug repellant, and a small packet for topical pain relief for whatever aches.

There was lots of wood in the Chalet and its rooms and it was pointed out to us that the wood was from local spruce trees. A photo of our bathroom below before we “trashed” it too.

Alberto, the owner and snowboard participant in two recent Olympics for Italy, greeted us at dinner at the Chalet. Several of his skiing trophies are on display in an unobtrusive cabinet at the Chalet. Claudio came by while I was looking at them and told me they belonged to the owner, Alberto. I had not met him yet so asked if he was Alberto Tomba. That’s a no.

For dinner, we had multiple choices for an appetizer, main course, and dessert. Even with options though, this was not our favorite meal. Several of our companions enjoyed it though so perhaps our issues could be attributed to a different way of cooking in this part of Italy. But the family-owned Chalet was small, and quiet, and no doubt a popular destination for skiers.