We have had truly uncanny luck at times. In both Europe and
Scandinavia, we had virtually no rain when all our destinations were known for
providing all four seasons in a single day. Once, as we approached a very high
overlook over Geiringer Fjord our driver and guide said because it was totally
socked in by clouds (apparently the norm) they had decided to skip it and try
again on our way back out. At the last minute they talked to another bus driver
coming down on their cell phone, made the turn, and miraculously the clouds
completely broke over the view point as well as the town and the entire fjord.
We stumbled on several National Monuments and Historic Sites yesterday that we
didn’t know about. I ordered something on Amazon 5 days ago that Prime assured me
would be delivered in 2 days. When they shot me the confirming email, they said
it wouldn’t be delivered until the day we leaving Rock Springs. I told the KOA
office they would have to refuse the package when it arrived, but as we left
the Park, I saw a UPS truck pull into a business. The Woman pulled over and I
asked the UPS driver if she happened to have my package in her truck. She was
kind enough to check, and bingo! 
In Hoorn Netherlands, the Woman and I did tour of the Dutch
countryside on an Ebike. We had been talking about looking into an Ebike, but
had sort of decided we weren’t too jazzed about the idea. Well, we were wrong!
The Netherlands is home to twice as many bikes as people, and today, 7 out of
10 bikes sold are Ebikes. Rather than scary or complicated they were wonderful.
You are only provided some assistance in pedaling when you are in fact pedaling
– when you coast, no assist is provided so it is easy to stop. You can decide
how much assist you want, and if speed is what you are looking for, it has
plenty of it.
The Dutch countryside is magical, but you are never alone –
always other bikers passing biking from town to town. We started seeing random
windmills, they kinds you hold in your imagination. We actually biked through
several communities and then stopped at a typical home, where we were
entertained with tea and cookies by the owner. We learned about typical life in
smaller Dutch towns, a bit about provisions of their retirement, medical and
taxation systems, and some insight into why the Dutch may be the happiest
people on the planet.
We then visited an actual tulip farm, and learned about the
intense live flower industry. Most of the tulips are harvested and distributed
in April, but we still were provided with spectacular views of mature fields
ready for harvest. It was amazing how distinct the rows were, with most colors
of the rainbow being represented. We got to walk through the fields as well as
learn how they keep this industry alive through bulb management and proper planting.
We also learned about how the varieties of colors are created – it takes about
10 years to produce a new color that can be grown commercially.
It seemed like anywhere we went in the Netherlands, everybody
was happy. Maybe that is why they say the Dutch are the happiest people in the
world!
Talk to you soon.
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