GREAT PLACES & NEW FRIENDS

The beauty of Montenegro is captivating thanks to mountain vistas and river canyons. I found a great camping spot on Lake Krupac. The weather has been hot, so jumping into this cold lake is pure pleasure, especially after a 12 mile bike ride into town to pick up groceries! The camp host is an inviting and upbeat woman named Debi. She had been traveling with her dog for three years in her RV (behind her) and found her"settle spot" when she landed at @Camp Krupac near Niksic.

The next leg of my journey takes me through Podgorica. From there the road is next to the Moraca River which runs through the mountainous steep walled Moraca Canyon. I land at Camp Vesko, where the Moraca River joins the Mrtvica River. This camp was recommended to me by Matevz with the Trans Dinarica Cyling Route.

Camp Vesko is a magical place! There is art and a garden, along with a chance to take a dip in the cold river and enjoy a campfire in the evening. Every morning Vesko, the owner and host, shows up with a tray of crepes filled with his homemade quince jam. Each guest gets three of these treats! I enjoy a hike around the river and connecting with other campers. Lisa and Martin are digital nomads from Germany, and Patrick is a Permaculturist from Switzerland. We meet up for dinner as Vesko is preparing his specialty - local trout accompanied with homemade wine and ratki.

A couple from Germany in an antique VW bus don’t make it up the camp’s steep driveway. We help unload the storage unit on the back of their VW, and cheer them on as they gun the bus and make a second successful attempt. Lisa, Martin and Patrick do the same cheers for me as I head on my way. I’m grateful that my 'Beast' of a Ford has the power to handle steep grades. I’m sad to leave this special place

Next up... a circuitous route to Tara Canyon, as there is a road closure on the direct route. I arrive in the evening with a view of an almost full moon over the canyon. Since this is now a dead end road, it is a very quiet night in a secluded pull off. Heading out the next day, I fill my water bottles in the mountain stream.

Google maps has an interesting tendency to send me on what starts out as normal paved roads, which become dirt roads, and then turns out to be impassable or dead end roads. The Google push for the “shortest route” is often an occasion for a huge amount of backtracking! Today my route dead ends at a farm. I hop out to ask if there is a way through - and no surprise... I have to backtrack once again.

The farmers invite me to sit at their outdoor table and offer me coffee. We chat via Google Translate and they invite me to have lunch with them. They share a warm cheese Burek and homemade cheese from their cows. I learn they are planning on building an overnight facility for agri-tourism. I suggest starting their business now by offering meals at the farm - meals just like the tasty one they’ve served me. They also make their own jam and ratki from their fruit trees. I suggest they could make up extra for guests to buy.

Who would think on a dead end road in Montenegro, I would get to have a coaching session with a family of farmers! I need to rethink the term 'dead ends'...

Biogradska Gora National Park

I arrive in Biogradska Gora National Park in the evening after driving up a wooded road, and find a flat camping spot for the night. The next morning I’m up early for a walk around the lake, and then I head up the mountain to the trailhead for the famous Bendovac Viewpoint. After a lot of switchbacks, the forest road opens to a mountain valley where there is camping with little sleeping huts, and the restaurant uses mountain water as a cooler for their drinks.

The narrow trail that leads up to the Bendovac Viewpoint is surrounded with wildflowers. It is slow going as I have to photograph them all! The viewpoint stretches over endless mountains in the distance. Instead of taking the forest road back down the mountain, I elect the steeper more direct trail with areas that are covered in Bearlauch (a type of Ramp).

Back at the campground, I meet Carolyn and Mathias from Germany who are walking a section of the Via Dinarica trail and have covered over 500 kilometers so far!

In the evening I go for a dip in the lake and get a good night’s sleep. The next day, I pass through the town of Plav where there is a water source with a view looking over the lake. I notice church and mosque towers, and there is a tree that stands out also as a tower of spirituality.