Moena to Cortina de Ampezzo
The next morning we set out for Cortina
de Ampezzo on SS48. Traffic was heavy to Canzei, but the motorists
were accommodating. After Canzei the climb up the Paso Pordoi
started. This is scenic climb gaining about 2700 feet in over
4 to 5 miles.
Scott heading out of Moena
Heading up the Passo Pordoi
Climbing the Pordoi
Viva Pantani
We came across a number of encouragements painted
on the road. These were from the Giro de Italia in May. Exhortations
for Marco Pantani were most prevalent.
The restaurant atop Pordoi
The climb up the Passo Pordoi is one of most beautiful I have ridden.
A beautiful formation in the Dolomites
Looking back down as we climb Falzarego
Back down the mountain
The town's Duomo
From the Pordoi we dropped down to Arraba. Scott wanted a picture of the town's church.
Summiting Falzerago
Descending from Falzerago
Climbing up the Paso di Falzarego was tiring following the Pordoi.
The Pordoi was more forested,
while Falzerego had more open and panoramic views.
With the open views, you could see how far we had to go.
We had lunch at the top of Falzerego and
were disappointed with the cafeteria style and quality of
the food. This was one of the few meals on the trip that was not
truly enjoyable. On the descent to Cortina, we encountered the
first stretch of rough road on the trip. We had been spoiled up to
this point. The road wasn't bad, just some irregularities requiring
diligence.
Cortina is a beautiful resort city and former host of
a winter Olympic games. It has a very well to do aura as do many
beautiful resort towns.
Cortina de Ampezzo
Totals for today were 47.6 miles and 4501 feet of climbing.
A nice web site featuring
the Dolomites and Alps is
Francis and Shelia's virtual Dolomites. . Their pictures and descriptions are
a thing of beauty.
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