Taunus - Day 3 - Kelkheim - Villmar

Well folks, day 3 of our Taunus adventure took an unexpected turn. After some pasta and serious discussions last night in Kelkheim, we made the executive decision to head back to the car. Dad’s e-bike has been playing a temperamental game of “will I work today?” and as anyone who’s tried to push an electric mountain bike with luggage knows - it’s about as fun as carrying a small refrigerator uphill.

We explored all the sophisticated transport options: taxi, public transport, or just pedaling our way there. In true stubborn cyclist fashion, we chose option three - but plotted a route with minimal climbing on mostly asphalt. By 8:45 we were rolling, fresh bakery lunch packed and ready for adventure. We passed this old castle that looked like it had seen a few centuries of questionable German decisions before us.

Though we stuck mainly to paved roads, the scenery didn’t disappoint. One of the beauties of this region is that even the “boring” routes offer something worth seeing. We managed to avoid most major roads and even treated ourselves to some gravel sections through the woods. After crushing single trails the previous days, this was a tame finale, but still enjoyable. This gravel road cut through a forest that seemed to go on forever.

The first 17km were mostly uphill - a fact my non-electric legs were keenly aware of while my dad and brother zoomed ahead (when dad’s bike cooperated, that is). But the gradient was manageable, and we maintained a decent pace. Dad’s bike was in one of its more generous moods throughout most of the journey. After reaching the highest point, we were rewarded with a beautiful descent following the valley. Coasting downhill with this view almost made us forget our mechanical troubles.

Just when we thought we were home free, one final climb appeared - because no good bike trip ends without a last “surprise” hill. Of course, this is exactly when dad’s bike decided it had had enough adventure for one day. We tackled it step by step, with a few stops to restart the stubborn machine. Despite everything, the ride went surprisingly well. We’re definitely happy with our decision to shorten the trip, especially with tomorrow’s forecast showing enough rain to build an ark. Before the three-hour drive home, we rewarded ourselves with what turned out to be a “45cm large genuss pizza” - we’d only ordered it because we thought just certain pizzas would be that enormous. German portion sizes continue to amuse us.

Looking back, this Taunus trip wasn’t what we planned, but it was certainly memorable. The first day might not have had the most spectacular views, but from day 2 onwards, the landscapes were truly impressive. Even though we abandoned most of our original route, the region showed us its beauty anyway. That’s the thing about bikepacking - half the fun is in the unexpected adventures and problem-solving along the way. Sure, it’s a shame we had to cut things short, but we squeezed every drop of enjoyment from what we had.

See you all on the next adventure - hopefully with more reliable electronics!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​