Day Nineteen - Klaipėda to Liepāja (68mi)
As expected, it rained overnight. The ride started reasonably dry, but then it started raining consistently as I rode north out of Klaipėda. The bike lanes are plentiful in Klaipėda, and sometimes you need to descend down stairs to go under a major road. This happened this morning as I was leaving town. This is what it looks like. There are ramps for bikes and steps for people on foot. It was tempting to ride down these. Ending this trip with no injuries is more important to me.
On the far northern side of town there were these carefully placed crosses in the woods that appeared to be part of the park. These were so striking, I had to stop and shoot some photos. I love the way the grass flows around them, and the pine trees appear to be receiving light from them.
As I continued riding north before Palanga, there were these beautiful little homes with simple architecture that I love.
Beaches just north of Klaipėda are pristine, and full of character. It’s early in the summer season here, and still cool, so I got to see a very quiet beach situation on a week day.
After this point in the ride things got even more interesting. It had been raining all morning and I was soaked. I just needed a break, and there was a bike stop just off to my right. Velopeak is a cool little shop owned by Tomas Vaitkus, who rode the UCI tour with Discovery and Radio Shack back in the day. He generously offered me coffee and ice cream as we chatted. It was such a nice surprise to meet him this way!
Continuing north of Palanga, the ride was very nice. I spent so much time with Tomas at the shop that it stopped raining! Passing through the resort area to the north of Palanga was pure bliss. What an I craibke area, with bike paths weaving through pine forests, sand dunes, beaches, and resort homes. There are just no words.
Toward the end of this section, there was a new development in progress, with even more beautiful homes being built.
Soon I was back on the main road, headed for Latvia, where I stopped to take a photo at the border.
Borders are just constructs that officially establish distinction. You really see the difference when you go deeper, which is the point of a trip like this. The first section of highway was pretty basic, then some elements of visual interest started popping up, like this bus stop in Kalminski, that I just love.
I peeled off the highway and rode gravel for 4-5 miles until I discovered this boat and piles of wood. I dropped my camera on the pavement just before this and it didn’t turn on for a long time before I was able to get it working again to take these pictures. Līva is written on the boat, which is the name of the river near Liepaja, where the name for the city originates from.
Before long I was in Liepāja, and checking out town. The summer nights are long here. I’m looking forward to a rest day here tomorrow.
