Monday, April 1, 2013

Caorle

Easter Monday is Lunedi dell'Angelo or Pasquetta for short.  This year it falls on April Fools, which seems appropriate for this ride.  I left early and the roads were deserted, but it turned out drivers were just sleeping late after yesterday's big Easter dinner and by mid-morning they hit the roads en masse.  Most of my ride was on back roads though, so no problem.

Below Pordenone I rode on SR 251, a beautiful wide, smooth 2-lane road devoid of traffic because everyone uses the autostrada.  At Portogruaro I switched to SP68, with beautiful views of Fiume Lemene through Concordia Sagittaria and further south.  Nice seeing ducks, swans, cormorants swimming along the stands of reeds, under the weeping willow trees.  I turned off SP68 and continued along the river on Via Fratuzza, which dead ended after a few km (damn Michelin maps!)    Back on SP68, the road was narrower with lots of potholes filled with loose tar and more traffic.  Same for SP42, the busy main road from Venezia to Trieste.  Luckily I soon turned onto the peaceful farm road down through Marango and San Gaetano.  Eventually this runs into SP59, the wide main road to Caorle.  Here things went a little haywire, with so many visitors headed for the beaches at Caorle there was a traffic jam several km long.   I rode along the road edge into the little tourist town which was packed with cars and people.  Not sure why because temps were around 10-12℃ with a brisk east wind.  People walked around in their coats, enjoying the sun on their face.

The ride home is flat to slightly upslope, and the angle  of the wind provided a welcome assist.  After Pordenone I got tired and took it easy the rest of the way home.  Fun ride!           
Weeping willows along Fiume Lemene south of Concordia Sagittaria

Pretty church along the water's edge at Caorle

Close up of church


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