The hot walking event this weekend is in Rodenbach, Germany, which happens to be very convenient for walkers in the Kaiserslautern Military Community. The Wanderfreunde Rodenbach is offering 6-, 11- and 21-kilometer routes, starting at 7 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. The start hall is at the Bürgerhaus in Rodenbach. You can opt for a B-medal, which last year was a beer mug, while quantities last. There should be plenty of Ramstein Roadrunners and Kaiserslautern Sunny Coyotes at this walk, so go out and wander through the local area with your friends.Another very nice walk will be in Consdorf, Luxembourg, on Sunday. It is one of the prettiest walks we have ever done, and with the budding and blossoming of the plants, it should be even more beautiful than usual. If you go, you can also find out why they refer to the area as Little Switzerland. It’s not just the hills but also the caves and rock formations that make this a unique walk. The doors of the start hall open at 6:30 a.m. If you want to go to the bike event in Rhaunen this weekend, the flier notes this is a 35-kilometer mountain bike trail. Your sleek-looking, speedy street bike might not do so well. Another word about bike trails.
With spring here, there are lots of bikes on both the streets and the volksmarch trails. At our most recent walk in Cadier en Keer, Netherlands, we had a couple of close calls where the trail was going downhill fairly steeply and a mountain biker came zipping by. If one is focusing on the downhill footing, it’s easy to tune out other things. Sometimes it helps to have eyes in the back of your head, but if you don’t, then keep your ears open and anticipate the possibility of a bike approaching from behind. By the way, in The Netherlands, the warning cry is not “Look out,” but “Let op!”We are slowly starting to see more fliers for guided volksmarches, like the one Wednesday in Bad Dürkheim, Germany. There is a single start time, rather than a window. This event has two distances, 5 and 11 kilometers, and starts in front of the Riesenfaß. We imagine the guide would offer some commentary on the local sights. If you go to this walk in Bad Dürkheim, please drop us an email and let us know how it compares to a regular volksmarch. Bad Dürkheim is having one of these guided walks on a weekday every month through December. We’ll make sure they are listed in the walks chart.Wednesday’s walk in Gulpen, Netherlands, is the next of their Midweekwandeltochten for this year. Now through November, they will host one Wednesday walk each month. We have been to a few of these, and they are well-organized. The routes will be 5-, 10-, and 15-kilometers and the start times are between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for the 5-kilometer trail, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. for the 10-km route, and 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. for the 15-km walk.If you live in the area, you need to do one of these popular walks. The dates are: April 18, May 16, June 20, July 18, August 15, September 19, October 17, and November 21.We have signed up for a “culinary volksmarch” next Sunday. It is being hosted by a local chapter of the Lion’s Club, and will not give IVV credit. We mention it here because there are likely to be more of these delicious events coming throughout the spring and summer. If you hear about, or see a flier for, one of these events, please let us know so we can spread the word. We went to Weert, The Netherlands, last year for one, and really enjoyed it. We also hope to make it to the Orscholz walk next Saturday to see the famous hairpin turn of the Saar River. Wow, the weekends are getting busy!With the Ramstein Roadrunners’ spring walk coming up May 5 and 6, the call has gone out for volunteers. Please contact Brad or Lynne Crandall at: crandalb@yahoo.com or check out the Roadrunners’ Web page at: http://www.ava.org/clubs/ramsteinroadrunners.This is always an outstanding volksmarch because the Roadrunners put 110 percent effort into it. As a result, lots of volunteer hands are needed. You can help them do it again this spring by donating a few hours of time. Please contact the Roadrunners and pitch in.There are only a couple more weeks until the Kiddie Volksmarch at Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg. April 28 is the big day. Have some healthy fun with your kids while passing the love of our sport to the next generation. Contact Rob Floyd if you can help or need more information. He’s at hiwc@yahoo.com. Also check out the web page at www.hiwc.de.
Email volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO AE 09752.
