We take a wild bus ride to Lago Di Braes and see a beautiful lake and then start climbing... Dolomite adventure, Sept 11, 2026

Summer Rain in the Dolomite mountians in summer is just like rain the rain we have been having in Oregon. There were downpours at night but light drizzle during the day.

September 11, we had the usual great breakfast at Hotel Villa Trieste, we packed our extra bags into their storage room, and we were off.

Took the bus from San Vito town bus stop to Cortina, then began a series of bus switches to get to Lago di Braies which was the starting point of our AltaVia one misadventure.

The bus ride is of course terrifying if you are sitting where you can see the road. At one point the bus driver actually pulled to the side and deftly maneuvered his right side mirror into the window of a building close to the road to miss a concrete ledge sticking out of the building.

We soon discovered that we were hiking on the last week of the season. Regular bus service had stopped that very day and there was a complicated online system for getting tickets.  

Of course I was completely mixed up. I soon discovered that I can't remember words I can't pronounce. I usually try to compensate by "taking a picture," in my head but that also failed me.

I fell back to my usual coping strategy of just being an idiot and sticking with someone who knew something.

This worked surprisingly well as the trip was made up of generally enthusiastic problem solvers who loved to help anyone who would say "thanks."

We found the bus which was packed to the gills. I was standing holding the rail when a younger fellow motioned me to set with him. We both had backpacks but he wedged his to the inside.

My one great regret is I didn't get his instagram. He was from Portugal and was going to backpack AltaVista One same as us. But, he couldn't afford Rifugio's and was going to camp out. There is a 250 Euro fine for doing so but he was pretty confident.

We started talking farming and motorcycles and WW2. Apparently WW2 is not forgotten between Portugal and Italy. It sounded like his grandfather was involved and did not like Italians and Germans and the feeling that came to be mutual at border crossings.

Then we started sharing phone photos of motorcycles and cars. Had a great conversation. His Grandfather grows carob trees. Carob is used in gum and as a sweetener, and I think also grows Esparto, which is used for rope.

After another bus switch, and a fair amount of  confusion, we reached Lago Di Braies. This was a nice hotel and is generally the starting point for the AltaVista One part of the Dolomite hiking trail.

I could ramble on but Jose' just pulled up to the shop for coffee and if I don't go out he will make endless jokes about me staying in the house and practicing self abuse....

 

I was admiring Lake Braies. It is a beautiful blue-green lake surrounded by mountains. I kept looking for a path through those aforementioned mountains... Yeah, you are looking at it...

 

There were a lot of tourists taking selfies. The selfie phenomenon has made tourism much more entertaining. Again, you have to realize, our path was over those mountains.That low spot may look like a pass but it actually turns and runs along the second lowest peak in the middle of the picture.

 

Off to Italy! This is going to be the best adventure of my life and I will be inspired for at least the next decade!

 I leave for New York City tomorrow morning.

Apparently, if you visit people in New York they don't pick you up a the airport because of traffic. So I am taking the AirTrain to Jamaica Station, then transferring to the E line towards Manhattan then the G line to Brooklyn. 

Me, being a regular city traveler, am absolutely not intimidated by wandering around NYC by subway. It will be fun! I was going to ask if it was the Last Exit To Brooklyn but wasn't feeling that chipper... 

My luck I will take Last Exit to Babylon and will be stuck in parallel timeline, which could be better or worse than my current one... This is what I am actually hoping for... 

For the past four months my friend has been telling me to relax, taking a month off won't make any difference, the work will still be there. You just need a reset. I have heard that from several people who are trying to be supportive.

Yes, the work will still be there. 

And Of course, when I plan something, things go sideways.

I had planned to have the last cutting of Alfalfa finished today. But, we got rain... We just found out our shed loan went through and the builder is coming mid September...It rained and I didn't finish planting Timothy, or get the annual ryegrass ground ready, other than 2x with disk.

So what I have left for my nephew has to do by himself when I am gone. 

20 acres of Alfalfa and 20 acres of Teff/Alfalfa hay, 200 acres of annual ryegrass ground to finish (one pass with vibrashank and probably 3 trips with harrow and roller-(fighting constant plug ups from residue.) Managing cleanup to build shed extension, building side racks for his truck to haul silage, plant 10 acres of timothy, deliver hay, haul silage...

When I get back, I can plant the annual, but I also need to make about ten ton of pellets, and do 150 acres of custom planting in November, plus another 100 acres of our own. And I promised my wife I would put new skirting around the house at least a year ago.

Then there are the dead tractors... 2-135 has no hydraulics again, plus a head gasket failing, three speed slipping in direct, oil leak from steering, 2-105 has no transmission lube pressure and I think it fried the PTO during startup because I forgot to put grease on the thrust bearing which became a serious problem with no transmission oil pressure. 1355 needs brakes, Stacker needs brakes, Both 2-155s are leaking oil around the head gaskets, as all three have about the same hours on remanufactured Hercules engines.

That is just a list off things to do right off the top of my head... 

Maybe I just need to start smoking Chronic...

I bet I will comeback from Italy completely happy and refreshed. I will be super enthusiastic and full of great stories and be really encouraged and inspired by the Yale graduates I will get to hang out with. This will be a new and better version of me. No longer will it be the Lazy Farmer, I will be the Inspired Farmer! This blog will rival Zig Zigler in inspirational material! I will be THE motivational blogger!

 

This is a representative image of my past summer and past life. After this trip things like this won't happen because I will have had an emotional reset and all will be right due to sheer positive energy!

I tried a dress rehearsal. I did 1000 feet up and 1000 feet down in 3 miles in the rain. It was sort of like groundskeeping only with no leaf blower and weird synthetic fabrics. I haven't tried the hiking poles yet. Feet still hurt. Mostly the foot I ran through the stacker cross conveyor chain 30 years ago.

Not sure about the man purse. Sort of uncomfortable.

I worry that the attractive ladies who post videos of hiking the Dolomites will lust after me due to my amazing middle aged physique. I wonder if there will be lots of Italian ladies splitting firewood while wearing improper safety equipment. I will take picture if I see them.  Also, attractive Italian ladies making hay on steep hillsides! I am pretty sure that will be my view on this trip. Also, cows. Cows are nice.

Wife says I can't wear my favorite hat...

 

Dolomites itinerary and what i should have done

I am leaving for an epic adventure Monday. 

Yesterday I got another detailed group email from my friend filled with helpful instructions on bus routes and antifungal cream suggestions. Ironically, I was about to reply to a previous group message by noting I had been successful in his request for Amish anti-hemorrhoid cream as a joke, but now I think it would be considered helpful advice. I may just have to bring a small pot. (In a TSA safe amount, of course)

In reality I should have agreed to the trip a year ago and spent the winter researching fun options instead of ignoring it until the last minute and then becoming beset with self-doubt and thinking how Rick Steves would be so disappointed in me and agreeing to go at the last minute...

This is not my thing.

Then... In a moment of frustration I asked CoPilot AI if there were scooter rentals to I wouldn't have to walk the whole freaking way to Venice. 

So I am going to one of the TOP motorcycle riding spots in the world and guess what? I am ducking walking.

I swear this is the story of my life. I almost win the lottery but through some sideways luck I don't quite pull it off.

My wife says it would be incredibly rude to ditch my fellow hikers and join a motorcycle tour. I could actually test drive a new BMW dual sport in the Mountains! It also would cost me quite a bit of money that I do not have at this point in the year. (and won't have if I don't make about ten ton of feed in the next two days, in the rain, which I can't do, so no I can't afford to drop four grand on a motorcycle tour) 

If I could think clearly I may be able to do it still. However my lack of thought clarity makes it hard. I don't have time to enlist daughter or nephew, and wife won't help me think on this issue. Maybe I could make a list. I never thought the final stages of turning into a bug would be this difficult.

Now I must go move stuff around in the rain and clean up messes made this summer.

My Weed and Feed customer whose name I thought was Radiant Pony until she Venmoed me yesterday, and who used to be head of grounds at Linfield College, has been telling me to put my tools away. I told her I would gift her the rest of the pallet if she would organize my shop and put my tools away. She took one look and left, laughing... I feel this might be a meaningful of my near total organizational collapse...

See my discussion with CoPilot below...