Romania, Retizat and the Transalpina (Take 2) Day 4

[clivehorridge]

Day 4 – Sunday 18 August 2013

Our “journey home” day.

We set off at about 10:00 after a good breakfast and settling the bill. 700 Lei for 3 nights Bed & Breakfast, that’s about £40 per night for us all, 2adults and a 5 yr old child, not bad at all IMO.

We left in the direction that we had come for the first 40 km or so, the DN66 (E79) to Pertrosani and then turned right onto the DN7a. As I said before, this is a fantastic road to drive, towards Vidra Lake.

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But instead of going straight on (the way we came), we took the right turn onto the DN67C, the“Transalpina” road.

This used to be a partially constructed road only open for 3 months of the year due to heavy snow in the Winter. There were extensive lengths of it that were not properly constructed and thus it was hard even for 4 x 4’s and enduro bikes. It got a name for being a real challenge, which it was and some on the forum will know what I mean.

Now (sadly in many ways) it’s all new asphalt, still under construction with lengths without guardrail and drainage, but new asphalt all the way. It heads almost due South, but it is 100% serpentine, steep inclines and descents, wonderful views and much of it runs along the mountain ridge at about 2,000m above Black Sea level.

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The donkeys had no intention of moving for anyone! It was busier traffic than I imagined, and quite a build up of traffic collected before the donkeys meandered to the side of the road and let cars pass by!

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We stopped at a village called Ranca for lunch, at a restaurant called Tara. The kids liked it there ‘cos they have swings and “stuff” that kids like!

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Ana took me across the terrace yard to another swing bench and while I was there taking a photo of the restaurant sign, I heard someone shout “Clive, get a photo of me while you’re at it!” I couldn’t believe it. It was a friend of mine, Razvan, from my 2002 downhill bike days. He was on a bit of a tour going in the opposite direction with his girlfriend, on his motorbike! Miles from anywhere, you can bump into the leastexpected!

[/SIZE][/FONT]Lunch over, we made our way down to Novaci and on to the DN67 to Ramnica Valcea, DN7(E81) to Pitesti and the A1 Motorway (E81), 130kph all the way back to Bucharest.

We covered just under 1,000 km in the 4 days and the old truck never missed a beat.

 

[Chas]

Lovely pics, you seem to have got it sorted now Clive.

 

[clivehorridge]

Lovely pics, you seem to have got it sorted now Clive.

Result at last Chas!

Charlie suggested me using photobucket, but I didn't see why I should have to upload them there and then again to the forum. Anyway, after some thought, I spent some time uploading to rustbucket and then tackled Day 4. It was easy in the end.

Cheers!

 

[SpinDrift]

Interesting pics Clive. The mountains are great.

Glad you sorted out the posting problem. But I agree, double posting is a pain.

 

[AndyCook]

Great photos - esp of the transalpina

yes a shame its tarred now, but looks like there is damage to it already in places due to winter storms.
looked surprisingly busy with traffic.
there look to be quite a few trails branching off it in the mountains though

thanks for sharing

 

[Gav Peter]

Thanks for persevering with the posts Clive - great read & photos

Its funny who you can bump into away from home

 

[clivehorridge]

Interesting pics Clive. The mountains are great.

Glad you sorted out the posting problem. But I agree, double posting is a pain.

Hi Reinhard, the mountains never seem as impressive in a photo compared with how they really look. I put that down to the viewer, when you're there you get that awe that they create.

Thanks for commenting.

 

[clivehorridge]

Great photos - esp of the transalpina

yes a shame its tarred now, but looks like there is damage to it already in places due to winter storms.
looked surprisingly busy with traffic.
there look to be quite a few trails branching off it in the mountains though

thanks for sharing

Hi Andy, there are some branches, some where the contractor has stored materials which will probably be closed off with guardrail, but there are some tracks that look like they will stay open. Food for another visit maybe!

 

[Romi]

Thanks for the amaizing pictures!!!!
Want ask you: this road i see is new. Was it builded this year? Before i saw old ground way.

 

[clivehorridge]

Thanks for the amaizing pictures!!!!
Want ask you: this road i see is new. Was it builded this year? Before i saw old ground way.

Yes Romi,

The Roads Administration have been constructing it for about 3 years now and it's almost complete. It's a short construction period, starting approximately mid June to around the beginning of October each year. Three and a half months of construction each year!

Quite a lot of it has no guardrail yet and some sections have already been damaged by frost and heavy rain. It's quite a hostile environment up there.

It will be covered in snow by mid November.

For me it was better as it was, quite a challenge to get from one end to the other.

 

[Romi]

I agree with you. In moment thiss way nice, but dont have expirience spirit. But anyhow theare weri nice and just turn left or right side, will start real experience!

 

[clivehorridge]

I agree with you. In moment thiss way nice, but dont have expirience spirit. But anyhow theare weri nice and just turn left or right side, will start real experience!

If I'm lucky Romi, they won't have any cash to repair it, so with winter at -30 C up there, in 5 years' time....

 

[clivehorridge]

Thanks for persevering with the posts Clive - great read & photos

Its funny who you can bump into away from home

Sorry Gav, missed replying to your post

It's quite amazing, I live my weekend life in Bucharest, thousands of people, never see a soul I know. Up there, miles from anywhere...

Did the same thing on our honeymoon. It wasn't a typical honeymoon, romantic white sands and palm trees holiday, but we stayed in a fairly grotty house on the edge of the reservoir near to the Transfagarasan. We took our mountain bikes and while riding one afternoon on some tracks we found through the forest, we got peckish and followed our noses and the smell of food to a small cabina with a terrace restaurant. Great! Just what we needed! There, we bumped into 7 (very attractive) girls that I knew (thankfully swimbo knew 3 of them!) otherwise it could have been a disaster! Lucky me, my wife is very practical and doesn't see the bad side in such situations! (BTW, Romania is full of attractive women!). This place was miles from anywhere, and certainly about 400 km from Bucharest!

 

[Pat]

Clive,I've been looking over some of your threads with my wife and what fabulous photos you have.thanks

 

[Gary820]

Great pics Clive.

 

[moggy1968]

that settles it, I have to go touring in Romania, preferably before it follows the Polish example and starts looking like Germany!

 

[clivehorridge]

Cheers Pat & Gary, I'd sort of forgotten posting them up, although it did take me forever IIRC

The Transalpina was more fun before they asphalted it though...

Moggy, tag along on the Romania 2015 (August) trip. I'm sure ratrace won't object.

 

[moggy1968]

Cheers Pat & Gary, I'd sort of forgotten posting them up, although it did take me forever IIRC

The Transalpina was more fun before they asphalted it though...

Moggy, tag along on the Romania 2015 (August) trip. I'm sure ratrace won't object.

I'm hoping to!!

might be a bit slower than some of you guys though, leaf springs and no turbo!

 

[Pat]

Clive as regards the road surfaces,I was a local councillor and got a lot of roads sealed but when it came to the road I lived ,I said no thanks because rough surfaces keep the burglars with their stolen cars away from you.

 

[clivehorridge]

Clive as regards the road surfaces,I was a local councillor and got a lot of roads sealed but when it came to the road I lived ,I said no thanks because rough surfaces keep the burglars with their stolen cars away from you.

Yep, there's a lot to be said in favour of inaccessibility, especially if ma-in-law doesn't drive a 4x4