Brake check Osservatorio Astronomico

Last month I canned the front brake from my Merckx to fix my old Trek1220 so I could donate the bike to a teacher at school.  I looked for a replacement online and the best value I could find was a Campy Veloce front caliper for €17.   It arrived and today I installed it, probably the simplest thing to put on a bike.  I needed to function check it so I headed for the nearest climb, the Grizzo to Osservatorio Astronomico road, starting a mere 5 km from our house.   It's fun to climb and frankly I was a bit psyched from watching Purito rocket up Mur de Huy in the Tour de France 3rd stage.

At the end of pavement (679 meters) I turned around and headed down.  It was a blast and the brakes worked great, at least as well as the 2006 Chorus brakes the used Merckx originally came with.  The only shortcoming I noticed was squealing once the pads were roasted, so I'll try toe-in or changing to Chorus pads I have on hand.  

Fun ride- I should do this everyday!

It's a good climb, and only 3 miles from home

Pala d'Altei Hike

I parked at Montereale's Osservatorio Astronomico (682 meters), let Honey and Teddi out of the hatch and started hiking.  A gravel and concrete road winds around the hillside to about 1000 meters, where you turn left on a trail through a wooded section  Later you exit the woods and follow a grassy/rocky path up to Casera Rupeit (1275 meters).  The pups and I continued ascending, as the trail skirts around the cliffs of Pala d'Altei's western end and finally crests a small pass (1411 meters) dividing Zuccul Forador from the forest descending steeply down to Valcellina and Lago di Barcis.  You can climb up to the top of Pala d'Altei (1528 meters) if you wish but the girls and I were beat so we headed down.  Honey did a great job retracing our path, even finding some smooth bypasses around places where I had gone directly over rock piles. Nothing like being outsmarted by a 12 pound pooch.  

Great hike with glorious clear, calm weather and wonderful hiking companions.

Lago di Ravedis from trail around 900 meters.

Beautiful Zuccul Forador about 1400 meters

Pala dAltei (on left) from the southwest 

Monte di Mezzo (1425 meters)

Close up of Pala d'Altei's cliff face from the west

Monte Fortel (1436 meters)

Monte I Cameroni (1470 meters)

From the pass looking northeast across Valcellina gorge at
Monte Ressetum in the distance

The trail junction by the little pass

Pala d'Altei from the north: no cliffs on this side

Teddi resting from her ascent

Honey rearing to go, as always

Pala d'Altei from Casera Rupeit to the south (cliffs in the distance)

View from Casera Rupeit of Monte Raut, Jouf, Fara,
with Julian Alps on the horizon

Casera Rupeit MTB, Hike

Casera Rupeit is a pastoral area on the mountain above Montereale Valcellina.  It's easy to access via the paved road climbing past Monte Spia to the Osservatorio Astronomico, then hiking or mountain biking up the gravel road to CAI 988 trailhead at 1015 meters.   From here on it's a steep, twisty hiking trail up to Casera Rupeit at 1276 meters (I parked my bike and hiked up) .

Great views from here of the surrounding peaks, Lago di Ravedis, and the plain.  About 2 hours round trip by MTB/foot from our house.

Lago di Ravedis from 900 meters

Looking down at Zuccul Supigna (1058m)

Pala d'Altei (1528m) with chrome cross on top

Monte Raut, Monte Fara and Lago di Ravedis

Lago Di Ravedis hidden behind the hills above Monterale Valcellina

Ricovero di Casera Rupeit with Casera Valfredda in left background

Our village, Giais

Beautiful cliffs

Osservatorio Astronomico Montereale

Weather forecast called for rain so I resolved to stay indoors all weekend.  But a strange brightness appeared through the north window and I looked out the front door to find a patch of blue sky stretching to the southern horizon.  I pulled on my bike clothes and hurried away, down through Ponte Giulio to Vajont, Ravedis and Grizzo.  Here I headed up the steep road to Monte Spia and onward to Casera Val de la Roja.   A crowd had amassed here, with hikers heading up roads and trails in all directions.   I think it's a festival, maybe Festa della Mont?  I kept going on to end of pavement at the telescope dome (682 meters) and on a whim continued up the dirt/rocky road.  They've cemented the switchback ends, which is nice because those usually get badly rutted from tractor tires, heavy rain.  I made it up to 750 meters but the 12% gradient rocky road was too tough for me on skinny tires.  I may bring the pups here when the weather clears for a hike- very nice trail to Pala d'Altei at 1500 meters.  

I descended and the crowd was all down in the little park area to the north, maybe having lunch.  Great little climb and very close to home (5 km).

First snow

I saw the snow on the mountains behind our house when I woke up,  and later went outside to check the temperature.  My neighbor Nerina asked if I was going riding up there (pointing toward the mountains)-  after 16 years she can read me like a book.  I warmed up via Ponte Giulia (by Vajont) and Ponte Ravedis near Montereale, then began my first steep climb in 2 months.  Despite the 20 km warmup I felt a twang in my right shoulder ligament pulling up on the bars while climbing the 12% above Motel Spia.  After that everything felt fine.  Sunny and cool, autumn colors looked great and the only snow I saw was on Pala d'Altei high above.  At the astronomical observatory (685m) I turned around and coasted back down.  Nice ride!

Pala Fontana from my bedroom window early this morning

Valfredda (left), Pala d'Altei (right) 

Alpi Giuliani to northeast from observatory

Montereale Valcellina, Ponte Giulia far right background

Epifania ad Osservatorio Astronomico Montereale Valcellina

On the eve of Epifania, every village hereabout has a big bonfire or falò.  Villagers gather round the inferno and have pan e vin or bread and hot wine.  The wood is mostly fir, so lots of pops and flare ups, and the whole pile is laced with firecrackers to add to the fun.  Little children run round and round in a pyromaniacal trance.  At the top a witch, Brutta Befana is burnt in effigy, in nostalgia for the good old days of the Inquisition.

The next morning all the surrounding cars and homes are blanketed in ash like a volcanic eruption.  Normally the collective smoke from all the villages hangs in a blue pall over the region, but luckily a cold front rolled in overnight and blew all the smoke away.   So it was quite clear this morning, though windy with gusts above 40 kph.  I decided to take a short ride,  and there is none shorter than Osservatorio Astronomico Montereale, which is only a 5 km warm up to start of climb, 5 km of climbing from 300 to 687 meters, and back home.


It was chilly so overheating wasn't a problem.  The climb felt great and the view was beautiful.  A little snow on the road above 650 meters but not bad.  When I returned to our cortile my neighbors' visiting granddaughter called out "Buona Epifania, Bill!" Very sweet.

The osservatorio with mountains in background

Mountains along the Slovenian border 

Close up Monte Canin (2587m)

Beautiful snow-capped range to the northeast

Windblown snow-plume atop Pala d'Altei (1528m)

The falò at Grizzo still burning 14 hours later- the stump is all
that remains of the center pole, a fir tree maybe 15 meters high

Osservatorio Astronomico Montereale Valcellina - Col Alto

Rainy weather this wek, but today a brief respite in the morning.  I decided to try to fit in two climbs close to home.  The first starts only 5 km from home, at Grizzo in Montereale Valcellina (311m).  From here a steepish climb up past Monte Spia to Val de la Roja, and then onward to end of pavement at the observatory (663m).  Didn't bring camera today, but there are pics here.

Rolled back down to Grizzo, and then cruised down to Pedemontane (155m) at Aviano.  There were thunderheads gathering around Piancavallo, but I decided to try the climb to Col Alto.  It was sunny and warm up to Rifugio Bornass (767m) but grew quite dark and nebulous by the time I reached Caldastia (1090m).  Still it wasn't raining so I turned off and took the alpine road toward Col Alto (1374m).  Almost made it all the way, but the mist kept getting thicker and eventually turned to a drizzling rain.  At 1240m about a kilometer and a half from the top I conceded and turned around.  The rain itself wasn't bad, but I knew I had a fast 15km descent and soaking wet clothes would not be good.

Back at Caldastia the rain stopped and the pavement was dry, so I enjoyed a fun descent.  The little climb from Pedemontane to home provided a nice opportunity to thaw out.  Again no fotos today, but you can see previous pics of the climb here.

My neighbor Silvano,  plotting to undermine my fitness program, arrived with a plate stacked high with home made galani (crostoli), thin and light and dusted with powdered sugar.  Yum!

Elevation of the climbs

Osservatorio Astronomico Montereale Valcellina 2011

This is another very close climb to our house- less than 5 km away.  At Grizzo in Montereale you hang a left and then take a right onto a narrow lane marked Motel Spia.  After a bit of climbing the grade eases at Motel Spia (which has a restaurant and nice views of Montereale and Torrente Cellina).   Then it tilts to 14% for a couple of stretches, followed by several km of 8-10%.  Excellent workout.

At first you're riding in the woods encircling Monte Spia.  You can see the new dam on the Cellina at Ravedis and the steep river gorge to your right- more about this in a moment.  Then the road starts on long switchbacks along the side of Pala d'Altei, completely exposed to sun on the south.  I got  behind a slow tractor doing logging but he pulled over to let me pass when the road widened a bit- very kind of him.  Then a brief downhill, followed by a climb back into the  woods, through Val de la Roja, and finally end of pavement, after 5 km of climbing, at the astronomical observatory (670 meters).      

Beautiful descent- I tried to ride the dirt road which skirts around to the north to an overlook above the Cellina gorge, but after half a kilometer the road became too steep and rough for skinny road bike tires.  Maybe I will take the dogs for a walk up there tomorrow.  Should be a lovely view.

Frozen water trough

Catkins on hornbeam tree.  These are among the earliest flowers of Spring

Dirt road to overlook of Valcellina

Pala d'Altei, 1528 meters, from Montereale

Pala d'Altei from our house (further southwest) 

The climb from above

The grade, note 14% stretches 

Osservatorio Astronomico Montereale Valcellina 2

I warmed up for the climb with a ride through Montereale, down to Ponte Ravedis, up to Maniago Libero, then across the new bridge to Montereale.  I thought this might be a better warm up for the climb than the flat ride from Malnisio to SR251 to Grizzo.  Any exercise physiologists out there?  Is a flat ride in a big gear at the same power level just as good a warm up for a hard ascent as warming up by climbing?  It seems like it would be, yet I always feel better starting an ascent after some moderate climbing.  Could just be in my head.

The climb starts not too steeply up to Motel Spia, then the road steepens and encircles Monte Spia, then passes above the Cellina gorge.  It's a mix of nice shady stretches and sun-exposed sections.   It was nice and cool because I left before 0900 but by the time I reached end of pavement at 683 meters I was panting and drenched in sweat.

On the steepest bits I stood to climb, but managed to stay seated most of the time.  The descent was fun, though I almost ran over a guy with a butterfly-net.  Butterflies were everywhere (black or dark brown).  Also a very large circling eagle.

The grade from Grizzo to the osservatorio:

Osservatorio Astronomico Montereale Valcellina

Another short ride with a good climb, this one only 3 km from my house. After a short jaunt down on the plain to warm up, I headed to Grizzo, then started the climb up Monte Spia. The climb continues, hitting 12% at times. The road dips down to a saddle, where I stopped to take some pics of the Val Cellina. Then up again till Val della Roja, followed by more climbing up to the Osservatorio Astronomico at 670 meters. You can read more about the osservatorio here: http://www.apaweb.it/ Awesome panorama from the hillside by the osservatorio!

Montereale Valcellina from the road on Monte Spia

Looking up the Valcellina- snowy peaks with clouds in the distance

Monte Fara

Osservatorio Astronomico

Montereale with Maniago in background

Malnisio, frazione di Montereale Valecellina

Blooming erica with honey bees

Monument to Sanaa

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