We Bid a Fond Farewell to the Dolomiti

Today was our last day in the Dolomites with Pete and Shirleen.  We have so enjoyed our time with them...they have proven the best of friends; housing us, feeding us, driving us, and entertaining us with great stories.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We left the Rifugio Fadaia in heavy clouds and fog.  It was drizzling and the forecast did not look good.  I felt sorry for the motorcyclists we saw and was oh so happy to be in a car and not on the bike.  We drove towards Canazei, past the Marmolada which is the largest glacier in the Dolomites, which was enshrouded in clouds.  I would have loved to have seen it against a blue sky, but here's my take on that. When you travel, you always need to leave something undone, something unseen, something for which to come again.  We saw so many hiking trails, some with Via Ferrata at the higher elevations, and I'd like to come back some day and spend a couple of weeks hiking here.

We continued on over Passo Sella at 2213m and the weather cleared just a bit so that we could see the Sella group.  Stunning.  All along we saw cyclists, grinding their way up to the passes, flying down to the valleys beneath.  We also stopped at the Val Gardena where Pete and Shirleen did something very special for us...they gave us each at small pin...a hiking pin with the pass and elevation on it.  Something to cherish.

We wound our way down and out of the Dolomites, but we were still in rolling green hills, the foothills of the Alps between Italy and Austria, really.  We saw fortresses that were built during World War I and picturesque villages that had churches with tall steeples that were roofed in red shingles.  So beautiful. We are in a small town called Vahrn, which is just north of Bressanone or Brixen.  Actually, villages or cities in this area are written in three languages, one in Italian, one in German, and one in Ladin.  

In the morning, we are hoping to drop off our panniers at our Warm Showers hosts in Brixen and then turn around and pedal up to Brenner Pass.  It is about 30 miles up and I'm not sure about the elevation gain, but we will give it our best try.  Right now, we are watching a little World Cup, France and Ecuador.

I am more than a little frustrated because I cannot seem to send pics from my phone to the iPad.  I am not sure what I am doing wrong and am hoping to have a little time tomorrow night to sort it out.  Lights out, dear readers.