We woke up Monday morning to a light steady rain, 56 degrees, 15-20 mph wind, and an all day forecast for the same.  Our itinerary called for a 7 mi. ride to the North Sea–that surliest of seas–and our group leader, Joppe, suggested we sit out the day in our hotel.  We weren’t having any of it—everyone had rain coats and chose to ride.

We saddled up and rode a bike trail through sand dunes and national forest to the shore where we planned to have lunch at the beachside cafe.  The cold, wind, rain and lonely outpost of a cafe recalled summits of Alpine passes from earlier bike trips.  To Joppe’s surprise, the cafe was closed on Mondays and we were preparing to turn around for a teeth-chattering ride back to our hotel when a young man on a scooter caught up to our huddled group at the locked cafe entrance.  After a short negotiation with Joppe, he agreed to open the cafe and serve us what he could find.  Our hero!  After an hour of warmth, hot chocolate and ham sandwiches, we were fortified and ready for the return trip.  Joppe found a shortcut back to the hotel, and we arrived a bit bedraggled but energized by our hardiness in the bad weather.