Blue Highways

Let me preface this post a bit. 1) Dad you might want to get out your atlas. 2)Witty I wish you could have been behind the wheel for this portion of the trip, you would have loved it. 3) Kasia, I love you but I'm really glad you weren't behind the wheel...fifty fifty shot we would have died. Now that that is out of the way, I will begin.
I was able to rent a car this morning and drove south from Ljubljana to the Postojna cave system. I missed the 10AM tour and had to wait until 11AM, thus setting my packed day back an hour. The cave system was awe inspiring-the little trains carting you through most of the way not so much. Felt like I was riding the kids train at Creekmore Park. Despite that "they were beautiful caves" (the English speaking guide kept talking about the "beautiful caves" and "this is the most beautiful part of the beautiful caves").
Unlike the rest of my group, the majority of whom were German and Italian, I bypassed the tacky souvenir shops and headed down the road to the Predajma Castle. It was a veteran move. I beat the shopping crowd and was able to take in the castle with ease. I know I overuse the superlative "amazing" here a lot but this castle was amazing. Built into the side of a mountain it was virtually impenetrable.
As I was leaving the castle I, like Mr. Frost, came to a fork in the road. I could back track the way I came in or take the cliched road less traveled. I opted for the latter (thank the lord) and it made my day/trip--for the time being. I was immediately engulfed by trees on all sides and a nice vertical drop to my left. I maneuvered through the mountain road which quickly became a gravel path. Soldering on, I passed dozens of cut trees on the road side and rock slide warnings. Just at the moment I was beginning to worry, God gave me pavement.
I made it back to civilization--Slovene remnants of it at least--and then onto a normal two lane highway. After heading north by northeast to get back to a "normal" road, i.e. one on my map, I set back towards the northwest along the Idrija River Valley and up into the Soca River Valley. I continued along the same bearing towards the Italian/Austrian border and then hooked back to the northeast through Triglav National Park. Along the way I found several answers for those who claim you cant find heaven on earth. Tackling Ole Three Heads (Triglav) was a task. There are 50 combined switchback turns coming up and down the mountain. The turns themselves weren't so bad, it was the scads of bikers--Bikers of both sort, cyclists and Harley lovers. There are about 2 mil people in Slovenia and I would put money on them having the highest per capita motorcycle ridership/ownership of any nation. I probably saw upwards of 500 in my 6 or 7 hours on the road. Its rare, for me at least, to see natural water the color of aqua. These rivers in Slovenia are exactly thus, the very definition of aqua.
In many ways this area of the Julian Alps reminded me of Montana--by far my favorite state for scenery--rapids, fly fishing, kayakers. The level of proximity with the mountains around you (and their majesty) almost makes my memory of Montana pale in comparison (I would place the drive today at #2 on the trip thus far, behind the 1st view from Montemarte/night in Paris). The land was perfect for driving--mountain passes, straightaways along the river--everything a gear head could want. If I was excited about it, I cant imagine the level for someone like Witty or Hottie--and definitely explains the high amount of motorbiking.
After descending the mountain I headed east towards Bled. Standing on the shore of Bled looking out over the lake is one of the more picturesque sights available. Looking back the other way is not so lovely. That is the crux of my problem with Bled. It has a gorgeous view-a church on an island in the middle of a lake, a castle on a mountain overlooking the lake, traditional boats called Pluenta for transporting people to the island. All of which brings it to as close to picture perfect as possible. The town itself however is overgrown with tired, word communist era "resort" buildings and tacky shops.
I went for the church and its lore. It has 99 steps leading up the hill where the church sits. The tradition holds that a husband must carry his bride up the steps if he is to be thought fit to marry (I was lucky to catch the tail end of a wedding today while there). I'm told that few actually succeed (or attempt) the feat these days. There is a free standing bell in the middle of the church before the altar that, upon making a wish, you ring the bell and your wish will come true. Ive made mine, it doesn't involve the Cubs winning the world series but Ill let you know how it turns out.
So, Bled was a bit of a let down but I made it back in one piece, saw what I wanted to and all with time to spare for a small dinner and a cold Union. Ive finished with Slovenia and will head out tomorrow. Where depends on the trains.