Day 16.

 Day 16.  Wednesday August 27.

Goniadz to Ostroleka ( Poland).

127km

Weather: Lovely all day once the sun rose in the sky. No wind till a slight breeze blew up near the end. 

Road conditions: 18km of friendly gravel . Other surfaces very smooth.

Made an early start, up at 5:20 and off at a very chilly 6:15am although the sun was casting shadows. No heat for the first 2 hours. Goniadz is small but still a cyclepath available for the 5km out of town.

I was then directed onto a 35km stretch on a perfect surface through noble woodland looking resplendent in the slanting sunshine.

 I was on the watchout for wildlife especially where there was a break in the woodland . No luck. Plenty of roadsigns warning motorists of  their presence. Later on in an agricultural area a fawn leaped across the road just in front of me and into a field of tall maize.

A fair share of dogs reacted to my passing but not too seriously. Two brutes in particular snapped hungrily at me but thankfully there was a stout security railing between us. At my break (45km) an Alsatian ambled my way from a farmyard nearby but once he had a gawk he wandered back again.

Countryside is daily becoming more and more like at home (except no ditches/hedgerows between fields). Maize is widespread and generally planted in long narrow strips. Harvesting had started in some places. The monotony of maize was broken by an odd patch of colourful rapeseed or rows of cabbage.

A town sign caught my eye as I sped by. 'Oh, this is Robyn's town' says I. I had to do a second take. Generally place names are difficult to even attempt to pronounce.....too many consonants together.

Busy farmyards along the route and I spotted where they have been hiding the cows!  I drafted behind a tractor as he made his way out to spread fertilizer. All very helpful till we came to a hill (the only serious rise of the day). He put his foot down, a blast of exhaust and off he flies up the hill.

Took my main break at 92km (10:50am) at a bus shelter. The only one I've come across with no seat. Unwilling to push on further I made do with sitting on the ground. The one at 112km was properly furnished.

At 120km I entered busy Ostroleka and soon gladly checked into my accommodation (a 1950's type motel) at a sunny 2:20pm.

Later I walked downtown for dinner in a restaurant that was actually Chinese. Liked it.

Another long one tomorrow (my final day) as I approach journey's end in Warsaw.