Day 8 in Sicily

Pleasant surprise-today's bike ride to Fontanasalsa not as difficult as expected. The morning presented a few rolling hills and one steep climb but by the afternoon we rode on a long ridge and enjoyed the beautiful valleys. We took time to have a leisurely lunch in a little hamlet where Hunter ate the "mother"of all cannolis!

I know there are those of you who wonder why would 60+ year olds with bad knees and other structural problems spend their vacation sitting five or more hours on a bike saddle sweating their way across a less than modern country? Two reasons pop to mind. The first reason is evident in the photo above-FOOD! When you expend the calories we do each day you can eat whatever you want and how much you want.

 The second reason is ADVENTURE! You never know what is around the next bend in the road. When we travel on these self-guided rides we are given a set of directions for each day with the night's lodging as the final destination. I compare it to a big "treasure" hunt each day, the "treasure" being where we are going to sleep each night. I have always loved treasure hunts, and often devised them for our children while they were growing up. In fact our daughter and her husband have started a yearly Christmas treasure hunt for our grandchildren. Like any true treasure hunt the clues, or in our case the directions, can be confusing, challenging, even a mystery which require determination and patient persistence to understand and follow. But unlike a normal treasure hunt we do not have the option of quitting because our luggage awaits our arrival at the "end" of the day-at the "treasure box"!

Well, our treasure tonight is Fontanasalsa Farm, an agriturismo. For the non-Italian in the group an agriturismo is a farm in the country which opens it's doors to guests for food and lodging and most of what they serve is grown on their farm.

Just returned from the 2 hour evening meal, waddling into our room and flopping on the bed, absolutely "stuffed to the gills" with the best Sicilian food to date!! Definitely looking forward to a repeat performance tomorrow night, since we are here for two days! Great place for a "layover"!!