Day 141 & 142 - Omiš

1 - 2 May 2022

Omiš deserves its own post. I had every intention of making the usual daily post. I got caught up in a book. Could not put it down. By the time I finished, it was too late to post.

Requiem for a Dream is excellent. Hubert Selby Jr writes in similar prose to Kerouac, though not in the first person. Minimal punctuation. One of the best books on addiction I have read.

“Eventually we all have to accept full and total responsibility for our actions, everything we have done, and have not done. ” ― Hubert Selby Jr.

1 May 2022

We camped a little close to a street light. It didn't really keep me awake but the tent did have a daylight feel. What kept me awake was the dog barking. We were up early. Breakfast, break camp, and hit the road.

A good ride today, mostly downhill and on very quiet roads. We pass through village after village. More vegetable gardens. It is a fun ride, though Shell has a knot in her shoulder which is giving her some grief.

We cut through two cliff faces. Two mountains. It opens onto an incredible view. The Cetina river winds out into the ocean. Omiš sitting at the mouth and the river where it opens into the ocean. It defies logic that there is another mountain range in the ocean. It is Brać island.

The coast down into Omiš was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. One long downhill. 300 m to sea level. Trying to watch the road, the river, the ocean, and the soaring mountains. It was amazing. The pictures could never do it justice.

“The little flowers grew everywhere around the rocks, and no one had asked them to grow, or me to grow.” ― Jack Kerouac

We cruise into Omiš and grab some lunch. It is Labor Day and Sunday. People are everywhere. We ride another few kilometers out of town and find our place. It is right across the road from the water.

Shower and lay around for a few hours. Read. We went for a walk along the foreshore. Grab some noodles for dinner and a bottle of wine to drink on our balcony. Shell is unhappy with the bikes being outside. We bring them up to the balcony. We chat and the temperature drops. The sun sets and we head inside.

I can take or leave Omiš. It is beautiful, but the entire coast of Croatia is beautiful. The ride into Omiš is something I will never forget.

Today’s ride -

2 May 2022

Breakfast provided. I am feeling fat. I had the notion in my head that if you ride for five hours a day you can eat and drink what you feel like. Obviously, this is not true. Three bowls of oats, three courses for lunch, sometimes dinner and large amounts of wine. I was prepared to drop all my gym mass. I was not prepared to get fat.

It will take me a week to turn it around. My liver will thank me.

‘Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’ - Kate Moss

We are bypassing Split. The accommodation is expensive and I am not keen on larger cities. The bypass takes us to some ruins that I was not expecting. Shell can pick ruins like she can age vineyards. That is a sarcophagus she declares. I don't think so. I read the information. It is indeed a sarcophagus.

“Follow your inner moonlight, don’t hide the madness.” ― Allen Ginsberg

Shell takes us to the water and we finish the last 10 km on the water. Five minutes before we arrive, our place cancels. Inconvenient. We find another and make some lunch. The weather has turned. Dark clouds. There is not much rain forecast.

We lay about. I will find a new book. I am thinking of Hunter S. Thompson. Shell just mentioned him. I have not read his stuff for years. I enjoy his work.

Today’s ride -