September is almost here, and thus the start of our favorite time of year for volksmarching, when the weather is cooler and walks are plentiful.
September also means the start of wine festival season. The Ramstein Roadrunners club is planning a bus trip that includes a volksmarch and a visit to a wine festival. On Sept. 21, the Roadrunners will volksmarch in Horn, Germany, then drive to St. Goar for the wine festival and the Rhine in Flames fireworks show. This is a great combination! Contact Gene Behrends at parrotdad@hotmail.com to sign up. The cost for this fun-filled day is $40 for club members and $50 for non-members. But if you sign up and pay before Sept. 10, you’ll get the 20-percent “speedy bird” discount of $10 off. Don’t wait; this bus will fill up quickly.
While we’re on the topic of bus trips, the Stuttgart German-American Wandering Club is planning a Sept. 15 bus trip to the volksmarch in Steinhöring, Germany, with a follow-on visit to Augsburg for sightseeing. Yesterday was the technical cut-off date for registering, but it’s still possible that you can find an empty seat on the bus. Contact the club at tours@sgawc.org.
Tomorrow there will be an interesting guided walk in Dasburg, Germany. The Luxembourg walking club Ourdall Nessknacker Vianden is hosting this event, which starts at the bridge over the Our River. This is a very hilly area, and the 18-kilometer route is projected to take 5.5 hours. Plan to get out of bed early, because the walk starts at 8 a.m.
The historical wine city of Dettelbach am Main, Germany, hosts its 33rd annual volksmarch this weekend. There will be plenty of places in town to try the wonderful Franconian wines after you work up a thirst on the trails. The start is at the Frankenhalle, Adolf Oesterheld Strasse 1a. You can start walking Saturday at 11 a.m., while doors open Sunday at 7 a.m.
At this weekend’s walk in Höheinödtart, Germany, start the five- and 10-kilometer trails between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Sportplatz Sägmühle. Start the 17-km route before 1 p.m. Trails close at 5 p.m. This event is for IVV credit only.
This weekend’s walk in Höheinöd should be convenient for walkers in the Kaiserslautern Military Community. The routes start both days at 7 a.m. at the Sportplatz Sägmühle. You can start the five- and 10-kilometer trails until 2 p.m. You have to start the 17-km route before 1 p.m. All trails close at 5 p.m. This event is for IVV credit only.
Also close to the Kaiserslautern and Baumholder areas is the event in Asweiler. You can hit the five-, 10- or 20- kilometer trails both Saturday and Sunday mornings at 7 a.m. Cut off time to start walking is 2 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday. The prize is a B-medal, a decorative porcelain plate.
Walking buddy Tim Lynch sent us an email detailing several permanent walks he has done this summer. In addition to several permanent walks in Germany and France, Tim told us about three permanent trails in the San Francisco area he completed on a trip back to the Bay area. The first walk was in the Land’s End area and included walking through Golden Gate Park. The second began at the Presidio and took him out and back across the Golden Gate Bridge. The final walk began at Fisherman’s Wharf and included walking along the Marina Green, through Fort Mason and Aquatic Park. Tim said all of the walks were pleasant and that he would do them again the next time he visits the area.
When Bob visited the Bay area a couple of years ago, he did a permanent walk in a small town just across the Golden Gate Bridge, so there are plenty of IVV opportunities in this very picturesque area. We tip our hats to Tim for his lengthy report and look forward to trying a couple of his recommended walks.
Bob recalls the heavy traffic and parking challenges while driving in San Francisco, so if you head to this area, allow a little extra time to get to your walks. Bob also recalls the great time he had on a guided walking tour of the Height-Ashbury district. It was not an IVV walk, but it was a wonderful trip around the area that was the center of the San Francisco music scene of the late 1960s.
One of our long-term goals is to retire in the Tampa, Fla., area. Of course we will continue to volksmarch when we return to the states, so we are looking into volksmarch clubs in the Tampa region. We just joined the Suncoast Sandpipers in an effort to get a feel for volksmarching in Florida. The club’s Web page looks nice (http://suncoastsandpipers.org), and we look forward to getting their newsletter so we can see where they go and what they do.
If you are interested in more information on volksmarching in the U.S., go to the American Volkssport Association (AVA) Web page at www2.AVA.org. There is a ton of information available and it will help you find walks, clubs and much more.
Email volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09752.
