Sunday, September 10, 2023
At 6:00 AM, the alarm clock wakes us up. Our plan is to leave the camp as soon as possible today, as we have a long journey ahead to the ferry in Porozina.
Nevertheless, we decide to make the most of being here and go to the rocky part of the coast before seven o’clock, where we can jump into the sea. The best part of the rocks is already taken, an early fisherman is there catching his breakfast, so we are forced to jump from the second best (and highest) rock. We have a GoPro camera with us for some shots. We also catch the sunrise.
Back at the camp, we shower, eat, pack up our camp, and check out at the reception. Before actually departing, we plan to visit the bridge that connects Cres and Mali Lošinj. We travel along the coast to get there, part of the journey also takes us through the town of Osor, where the roughly paved streets shake us like a washing machine on spin cycle. This rough road leads us to a small bay with crystal clear water and a movable bridge to Mali Lošinj, which only opens twice a day. Fortunately, it is closed during our crossing, allowing us to drive to the other side of the bridge and thus onto another island in the Croatian sea.
After swimming, sightseeing, and crossing the bridge, we really had no excuses not to set off on our journey. We knew the elevation profile from yesterday and could only hope that it would be more forgiving in the opposite direction. Soon above Osor, we stopped by a roadside fountain with cold water and refilled our bottles in the company of many bees. We were surprised by how many cyclists with electric bikes we encountered and realized that they were probably the reason why all the fig trees along the road were picked clean.
The first 20 km did not spare us with its steep inclines, and the heat did not help matters. After many breaks and snacks, we finally reached the top where a long, well-deserved descent awaited us. We had no idea what was coming next…
The descent to Cres was pleasant, but then we faced a steep slope that seemed relentless for the next 12 km. We walked parts of the path, pushing our bikes alongside, riding slowly, and stopping frequently. There was not much shade, but when we found some, we often took a short break.
Towards the end of the hill, we were rewarded with a beautiful view and what we named the “hawk’s curve.” We counted at least 10 large hawks in the air below us, accompanied by smaller, completely black birds (crows/magpies?). Indeed, the road at that curve was littered with droppings, indicating that these birds often linger there, and on the other side of the fence, just a meter below us, we saw some carcass, probably dropped by a hawk during flight, hanging on a tree. It was something furry and elongated, maybe a rabbit or a weasel. It smelled terrible, so we tried to pass by as quickly as possible.
Almost at the highest point of our trip was the viewpoint Predoščica. Of course, we had to take pictures there, and then we had a descent (with occasional short climbs) towards the ferry port in Porozina. Part of the road was under construction, and right there we encountered an oncoming line of vehicles that dusted us. A few cars passed us too closely and then drove onto an embankment by the road, thinking it was the correct path. We followed them until we reached a bulldozer on that embankment; the cars had to reverse back to the road, but we could walk past and continue our journey. We managed to buy ferry tickets (4.25€ per person and 4.25€ per bike) 3 minutes before the ferry’s departure (16:30) and boarded one of the last to get on. We planned to refill our water on the ferry, but the taps in the sinks only had very hot water, presumably so that passengers would buy drinks from the ferry bar instead. The crossing lasted about 20 minutes.
Of course, we hadn’t thought that far ahead, but from the ferry port onward, a steep climb of about 250 meters in elevation awaited us. We had felt like we were at our limits for most of the day, so at that moment, our standard for accommodation drastically dropped. We even considered sleeping on the beach at the ferry port. We asked for tap water at the bar, then began our slow ascent on the road, pushing our bikes beside us.
The few brain cells we still had functioning decided that we would sleep by the road. We found an abandoned wooden shack and stopped there. We heated up our dinner (a vegetable pot) and ate it, then sat there like two heaps of misery, waiting for it to get dark.
From 6 to 8 PM, we couldn’t muster enough energy even to stretch. A few minutes after 8, as it began to darken, we chose a spot to sleep and hid our bikes. We didn’t set up a tent but spread a tent pad on the ground and inflated our sleeping pads. We used the passing vehicle column to quietly crawl into our sleeping bags. In the last few hours, no cars had turned off the road near us, but just a few minutes after we lay down, two cars did so with a few minutes’ interval. We hid as much as possible in the shade and tried not to move, then slowly fell asleep. I can’t count how many times one of us woke up during the night, but I know we both couldn’t wait for morning to move on.