The first part did not get recorded. See https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44554974 Sat Sep 23 – Cycle Day 2 - Ratstatt to Germersheim - 64.7 kms – App=248 meters (RWGPS=427 Meters) <<< Ignored Detour, Challenging Time to Find Lunch, Fishing Shacks, Italian Restaurant >>> Not too long after we left the town, we were presented with a detour. We decided to ignore it because it would have brought us through several towns. Some time later, we came across some construction because they were up-grading the road. With hand signals we asked if we could ride on the new hard-packed earth. The man in the big heavy equipment vehicle agreed. It was easy and we were happy to not have taken the detour. Then around Neuburgweier, we took the ferry across the Rhine to the left bank. There were 9 women who were cycling and we talked to them. They are part of a dance club and today they were cycling to a picnic spot. After we got off the ferry, we followed them for a while and because they were going slower than what we wanted, we passed them. Later, we took a wrong turn, and quickly returned to the path, but not before they saw us and teased us. We skedaddled in front of them and we all had a good laugh about it. As lunch time was approaching, we stopped at the town, Maximilansau, that our documentation recommended. However, the restaurant closed. So, we rode into town and saw a few more closed restaurants. Cam turned on his Google Maps and led us to a restaurant. Finally, when we got there, there was no restaurant at all. We were in a residential neighborhood. A woman came out and said that most restaurants in that town are closed on the weekends. However, she directed us to another restaurant. It was closed. Finally, an older man (our age) was cycling and asked if he could help us because we had stopped to discuss what to do. He said he knew of one and offered to lead us because he was going there. It turned out that he was joining a group of people that were playing pétanque near the restaurant which was close to the end of town. He spoke in German to the staff who said they were not feeding anyone for lunch because they were preparing for a large event for supper. However, after learning of our plight, they gave us two lunch options: schnitzel or some prepared meat that was shredded along with a salad. It wasn’t too clear what we’d be getting with the latter. Karen and Cam played it safe and chose the schnitzel. Because we had all eaten it a couple of times since we had arrived in Germany, John and I decided to go for the unknown. Well, when it came, it looked like baloney that had been put through sieve, thus had the appearance of a bunch of worms sitting on top of a salad. We all laughed, but we were hungry, and with not too many alternatives, and with the help of a beer, we dove in. We didn’t finish it, but we ate enough to regain our energy and set off to get back on the path. Later as we cycled along a river, we saw many very small fishing shacks of various sizes over the river. I had never seen anything like that. I thought them charming and took a few pics. We noticed many corn fields as we cycled by them. One of them by Leimersheim, had been turned into a maze (http://www.maislabyrinth-leimersheim.de/Maislabyrinth_Leimersheim/Willkommen.html). The word in German is "mais labyrinth". Given that we had many kms to cover today, we did not allow ourselves to consider going in. Who knows how long it would have taken to get out. How do you say “help” in German??? Later we saw a corn harvester and were very impressed by its size. Between km 37.7 and 42, we rode through a Palatinate primeval forest, an old floodplain landscape that has become rare on the Upper Rhine. We loved the beautiful trails and trees. Later, when we were riding along the Rhine, we saw many barges. After we had checked into our hotel, we decided to buy sandwiches at the nearby grocery store for tomorrow, on the assumption that more restaurants might be closed on Sundays in the small towns that we’d be riding through. After we returned to the hotel to store our sandwiches in the little fridge, we taxied to an Italian restaurant. It was well run and our meal was delicious. Cam observed what he thought was an older father sitting at the bar and directing his son who was running the restaurant. The father was clearing tables from time to time. Sure enough, after Cam talked to the father, with me joining them, we complimented the son and father, regarding our good experience. It turned out the restaurant had been opened a week. We returned to our hotel and had a little bit of brandy that I had purchased in the store.