Day 2 - Vianen to Dordrecht

Today we rode from Vianen to Schoonhoven and finally ending up in Kinderdijk. The ride was 32.1 miles long and the scenery was beautiful. The houses are all very well kept. Picture taking possibilities are every few hundred yards. I have become very adept at taking a photo while riding the bike.

Many waterways along the ride

Along the way we saw nests of storks. These nests were quite large, like a flattened out donut made from sticks. The storks could be seen nurturing their young. At one point, there were 3 of these large nests in close proximity to each other.

Mother stork with some baby storks

The start of the bike path was used by cars, motorcycles and horses as well as us cyclists. We are getting pretty used to sharing the road in close quarters with cars. The cars are very respectful and take their time passing by us. Once we got to Schoonhoven, we stopped for lunch and looked around the town. At 1PM, we climbed aboard the ferry and got shuttled to the other side of the river. From there, the bike paths were fairly well isolated from the cars. Aila and I decided to go on ahead and take our time, stopping frequently to take photos. The group ride didn’t stop often enough for our tastes. Navigating from point to point along the trails took a little to get used to, but we got the hang of it and reached our destination without much difficultly.

Endless supply of windmills

Once eveyone was boarded, the ship headed down the river to Dordrecht where we spent the night. After dinner, we walked around the town and our guide Tom told us many tales from the city.

This is a nest made for ducks to use, so that other birds cannot get to the eggs or young ducks

Let’s see what tomorrow brings.