su viaggiu - episode 2: Bosa - Is Arutas
Il viaggio si e' snodato lungo la costa ovest e sud-ovest della Sardegna giu' fino a Chia nel profondo sud dell'isola, sotto Cagliari. Siamo partiti da Bosa cercando di evitare le arterie principali per essere sicuri di rimanere lungo la linea di costa, godersi il giro ed ammirare paesaggi incredibili; abbiamo lasciato Bosa al mattino diretti a sud verso una spiaggia chiamata Is Arutas, costituita da piccoli granelli arrotondati di quarzo. Attraversando un territorio cosi' selvaggio si comprende l'importanza dell'acqua e la difficolta' nel trovare delle fonti; tuttavia ne abbiamo incontrata una con la classica forma rettangolare allungata fatta per permettere al bestiame di abbeverarsi e la nostra prima bottiglia di Ichnusa, la birra locale, era gia' in fresco. Qualche chilometro piu' in la' verso Putzu Idu, si incontra, asciutto, lo stagno salato di Sale Porcu, una superficie bianca incredibilmente ampia ricoperta di sale e circondata da erba alta e secca. Dev'essere un posto completamente diverso a fine inverno, quando l'acqua riempie il bacino e numerosi uccelli popolano lo stagno.
Is Arutas e' una spiaggia bellissima, non riesce neanche ad asciugare perfettamente, tanto e' granulosa, e il mare, a causa della spiaggia, diventa turchese.
Una tenda e due materassini sul portapacchi anteriore, un grosso zaino tra le gambe e un piccolo zainetto sul portapacchi posteriore. C'e' un trucchetto interessante per assicurare un grosso zaino ad una sella a due posti come quella della LXV per aiutarci a tenerlo in posizione, e cosi' ho deciso di iniziare una serie di post stile "Tips and Tricks" per illustrare qualche idea.
Nel prossimo episodio da Is Arutas verso lo stagno di Cabras e dintorni.
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The trip involved the western and south-western coast of Sardinia down to the deep south to Chia, under Cagliari. We started from Bosa and tried not to ride any major road to be sure to stay on the coastal line, enjoy the ride and see some astonishing landscapes; we left Bosa in the morning heading south to reach a beach named Is Arutas, made of tiny rounded quartz pebbles. We passed through a wild landscape where water is an important resource and springs are not so easy to be found; though, we managed to find one, with it's classical stretched rectangular shape made to let cattle drink, and we could cool our first bottle of Ichnusa, the local beer. A few km ahead we were approaching Putzu Idu passing along the dry salty pond of Sale Porcu, an amazingly wide white surface covered with salt and surrounded by tall dry weed. It must be a totally different place in late winter, when water fills the basin and many birds populate the pond.
Is Arutas is a very beautiful beach, it can't even dry perfectly as it's way too grainy and the sea gets a turquoise color from it.
The LXV performs very well on these minor Sardinian roads, as the asphalt is good enough - not as I recalled from a journey of twenty years ago - and even if the load is heavy it grips the road without any effort. I remembered to check the rear suspension spring pre-charge and set it to the maximum, i.e. 2 passengers and baggage, and I think you all Vespa riders should remember about that, as it grants a comfortable ride much more than any kind of gear.
We put a tent and two mats on the front holder, a big backpack between my legs and a small backpack on the back holder. There is a nice trick to tie a big backpack to a two-seated saddle as the LXV has, and help you keep it in place, so I'm gonna start a series of "Tips and Tricks" posts to show some nice ideas. In the next episode the route from Is Arutas to Cabras Pond and its surroundings.
Sounds like a fantastic trip. You don't often see a Vespa in the sand of on the beach.
RispondiEliminaI like how you have packed the scooter for the trip. I had not considered keeping a big bag on the floor board.
I'll have to show this post to my wife later today. Her family is from Italy and she has always wanted to visit. She'll love the quartz pebble beach.
Steve Williams
Scooter in the Sticks
and it was; though, that's not sand but dried salt mud made hard and white by the salt itself!
RispondiEliminaa big backpack on the floor is ok as long as you keep it narrow enough to rest your legs easily, otherwise it will be a pain.
what part of Italy are your wife's parents from? I'm just curious!
Good reading, and excellent photography. One thing that makes digital photgraphy more dramatic is to crop the photos to a 2x3 aspect ratio, rather than the ratio that fits computer screens, as is the default. Just a thought!
RispondiEliminaIn America, scooters are generally toys, and we hardly ever load them down so much. With gas prices coming up to European levels, these viewpoints are slowly changing. When I did my rush hour commute the other day, I was the only one not in a car, and I think I planted some ideas. It was nice to be able to get up and stretch easily while waiting in queues.