There was no rain this time. I rode from Sliven towards Ichera, in the Sliven area, with a climb that made itself felt. By the end of the outing, I had spent about four hours on the bike, covering fifty-two kilometres and around eleven hundred metres of elevation gain.
Along the way were old Bulgarian houses and springs I had not expected to find. Those small things made the road interesting. I kept coming across reasons to look around rather than think only about the climb.
There were two waterfalls beside each other too, tucked away along the route. Finds like that are part of what I enjoy about riding through these places. I can leave with a route in mind and still come home surprised by what was beside it.
This ride had been planned, but it kept some of the feeling of a day that happens by chance. The pass took plenty of effort, and gave me plenty to remember on the way.