Dikes and Life 15 Feet Below Sea Level

Enkhuizen to Almere-Haven

Day 82 - Friday - September 2
Could that really be sunshine? Can the rainfly really be this dry? Yes to both questions.

Now we needed to test out the wind before we decided on our route for the day.

The castle of Enkhuizen

A people drawbridge leading to the castle.

The harbor grocery store was a our breakfast stop.

Since it was sunny with not very much wind we decided to take the dike between the two lakes which would take us to Flevoland.

What is this bridge doing here?

Yes, those are 4 sailboat masts attached to boats going OVER the highway.

Feeling a little lonely out here.

It is a strange feeling not being able to see the next shore......

......and miles of dike stretching before you

There wasn't a coffee cup symbol on our map so we were quite pleased to come across Checkpoint Charlie halfway across the 20 mile long dike.

Land is finally in sight.

We had seen this ship in the distance at Checkpoint Charlie. We caught up to it as it waited to enter the locks between the lakes.

We got across the drawbridge just before the guard arms came down.

Watching that huge section of bridge become vertical was just as impressive as the ships going through it.

This ship is an exhibit at the Batavia Wooden Boat Museum in Lelystad.

The picture shows how this island looked just after the lake water was pumped out starting in the 1950's.  The first people came to live here in 1965. The whole island is 15 feet below sea level.

Makka, our lunch host, not only told us this history but told us what to look for as we rode through the area. He said "It is always the Dutch and the water."

Sixty years later there is a forest and cities and a well-developed transportation system.

It is hard to fully grasp that this ecosystem is so young.

Amsterdam, the place that we have been heading towards all summer. 

Looks like elderberries but we didn't try them.

Not really houseboats but houses with water as their foundation. 

It has been an interesting day riding between the lakes and then through land and towns that didn't exist when we were born. It is so different from the mix of old and new in the rest of Europe. It is also about 15F degrees warmer than it was last night. Maybe summer is making another appearance.