Fun ride to the North and East

Tomorrow the forecast is for rain for a couple of days, so I wanted to get out today.  It is my 7th day in a row, and 14 out of 15, so it is probably reasonable that when I was getting ready my motivation vanished.  I just was feeling like a lump and inertia was setting in.  I got going and as usual, after an hour on the bike, magically, I was feeling great and had a wonderful ride.  Very pretty day and I am getting used to riding my old bike, the light speed, again.  Up through Fiesole to Olmo, then over through Santa Brigida, Fornello, Doccia, and by the windmill to Rufina.  I have two bars I go to there, and it being Monday, only one was open, but great cafe machiato and a super, light, cream filled pastry.  I was thinking only cafe, but looked at the pastry case and this pastry was screaming at me to eat it.  Obviously, I loved it and was happy to have the fuel.  There is a really beautiful climb of around 400 vertical meters after Rufina, so I blew out the calories and the fuel was appreciated.

I love the beautiful little water source between Rufina and Diacetto, as you can see from the pictures below.  I didn't take a picture of the water spigot itself, but the views from there.  It is different from most of the water fountains here, in that it is simply a pipe coming out of an old stone wall with a basin below with the date 1830 cut into the stone basin.  Anyway, tasty water, cool, and refreshing.  Great ride and happy to have found the motivation to get out.  71.1 kilometers in 3:32 to average a slow 20.2 kph with 1294 meters climbed, almost all that climbing in the first 40 k.  Ciao!

Vineyards, olive groves, and a fire burning the slash from lots

of olive tree trimming that is going on right now in the countryside.

Looking at the beautiful road ahead in Fornello.

The view back toward the windmill from the fountain between Rufina

and Diacetto.  One of my favorites, it is not actually a fountain but a 

spout coming out of an old stone wall from a spring somewhere above.

The little house and garden next to the super cool fountain on 

the way to Diacetto.