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a bottle to take back to the burh with us to share with Dr. Boerner
since he helped us plan our trip and is anyway a generally great guy.

March 28th

Sunday we had a few more mile of the rugged Rhine to Rudesheim, then
mostly flat slightly rolling country on into Weisbaden and across to Mainz.
The most interesting incident was in passing Bingen where there is a
stretch of shallows and very dangerous water. Just about the time we rode
by a large barge had run aground and damaged its rudder, tying up traffic
behind it as effectively as a big accident on the Bay Bridge. We stopped
for about a half hour to watch as the damaged ship drifted carefully backward
through the line of companion vessels to find safe anchorage for
repairs. Then slowly the waiting boats moved single file cautiously thru [through]
the narrow safe water channel. While all this was going on we fired a
constant line of questions to an old man standing beside us, and in that
half hour we learned a lot of river lore. Once again, traveling by bike
and thus seeing so much more of what we pass, and speaking German, made
possible the sort of experience which is inaccessible to the average traveler.

In getting into Mainz, we went first to see the cathedral- a sort of
white elephant of several architectural styles- built of soft pink marble, and
yet to me pleasing in spite of its mixed style. Unfortunately the inside
is closed for restoration so we had to miss that part. After stopping
briefly to see a monument to Johannes of Guttenburg (who was born and
prited [printed] his famous book here in Mainz) we rode on out here to the hostel
which is situated on a hill above the Rhine near where the Mainz flows is.
It is large (300 beds) and modern ut there were only four of us here last
night so it was sort of family style.(

Today is again sunny and beautiful and we are leaving soon to bike on to
the city of Worms then on to Heidelberg and mail again!!!!!!!!! where we
stay all day Wednesday too. From there probably 3 days back to Beutelsbach.
I am glad we have cut our daily travel down to about 50 kilometers. It makes
about 6 hours leisurely biking and time to stop and see things. And at
night I am still plenty tired to sleep well and the muscles seem to remember
each morning that they worked the day before. We were really put to shame
last night to learn that one of the fellows staying here came yesterday by
bike, a distance by his route of 120 miles, and part of it pretty hilly
country too. The day before he had gone from Munich to Stuttgart- so by
German standards out [our] efforts are fairly small time as you can see. Of
course, we are each carrying about 30 pounds of baggage to weight us down.

March 30th

Another three full days have gone by since I wrote from Mainz and in 3 more
we will be back in Beutelsbach. It has been quite a trip- very interesting
and much fun but we will both be glad to get back to the burg and see
everyone again, and to return to hot showers, really clean clothes, three
hot meals a day though our cold ones have been terrific and fun too. We are
staying tonight at the hostel in Everbach, between Heidelberg and Heilbronn
on the Neckar river. The ride along the Neckar is the last leg of our
journey, taking us as far as Ludwigsburg (near Stuttgart) for Friday night.
From there we will ride to Beutelsbach Sat morning, probably stay with the