Sunshine greeted us the next morning for our journey into the Izei and Viseu Valleys. The road meanders pleasantly through the forests. As light streams through the trees, it makes for an almost magical ride.



We determined our day’s scenic loop and proceeded south to Sacel. Sacel boasts traditional Romanian pottery. Yet, after several rides through the village in search of a shop, we were about to give up in frustration—we could not locate a shop or a sign. On the second pass through town we finally see the sign—barely big enough to be visible and worn by time. After seeing the poor gravel road and tired of chasing pottery in the midday heat, our driver parks on the main road.

The real story begins with me deciding to walk the 300 meters through the village in search of the Sacel Pottery Shop! Only 300 meters - not bad. But as I walk the 300 meters, another sign with an arrow directs me to proceed another 400 meters. (There was a slight hesitation, but after all I had walked this far!) THEN…farther down the road, another sign and arrow indicate 200 meters up an incline road lined with livestock!



Furious and tired of the heat, I continue determined to locate the pottery. Sigh…I finally see the shop. BUT, upon arrival, it is closed for lunch! I peer inside and in the shop’s courtyard searching for someone. About to leave in utter frustration, I find the doorbell (and am relieved I don’t have to explain to my husband that the walk didn’t provide any treasure). The potter arrives and we have a short, pleasant exchange in Romanian. I browse through the merchandise on display, find a beautiful pot and trek back to the main road to share my adventure!




Meanwhile, our driver has entertained a young boy on a bicycle and a man who had walked through town. As I arrive, he shares part of his conversation, in which the man was marveling at the size of the motorcycle. In fact, he had compared it with his cow, saying it was about as large! A lot of laughter ensued, especially as my husband and the man were discussing the option of actually riding a cow on the main road. The man was clear about his hesitation to ride anything on two wheels, concluding with the remark—to each his own cow!!

Continuing south on 17C, we pause to admire the Rodna Mountains as well as the picturesque countryside and landscapes.



Arriving in dreary Nasaud, we photograph the interesting, if a bit bizarre, sculptures in the center's park.



We headed north on 17D to Sangeorz-Bai and see a sign indicating the road is closed in Valea Mare. Knowing Romanian roads, our driver decides to see how far we can go and believes that the sign has not been taken down since repairs from the extensive spring floods in this area. Enjoying the beautiful weather, we ride without a care through the countryside to Valea Mare where we finally witness several mudslides and forest debris roadside. But the asphalt is still good quality and passable for the motorcycle. However, it is only a few kilometers later and we arrive at a point where the road splits and turns to dirt (and mud from the previous day's rains). "Which way?"



Our driver inquires from the nearby logging workers if the dirt road is passable enroute to the Prislop Pass. They assure him that the next 20 kilometers or so might be a bit muddy but traffic had been going through all day! So we decide to proceed slowly and turn around if need be. Not a word was spoken as our driver navigated around more and more mud and water and potholes and forest debris. The higher the road went, the deeper the ruts became and the muddier the surface. With worn tires and a fully loaded bike, we decided it was wiser to turn around and leave the off-roading for another day. Yes, some off-road tires would have been fantastic.



Realizing we still had bread, vegetables and cheese in the trunk, we enjoyed a picnic past Valea Mare by the rolling Somesul Mare river.



We retraced the 73 kilometers on 17D then headed south on 17C to Bistrita. Bistrita is a bustling market town with several new residences in construction on its outskirts. It is home to the Coroana de Aur ("Golden Crown"), a hotel made famous by Bram Stoker's character, Jonathan Harker who supposedly stayed here. Oddly enough, there was no hotel at the time the book Dracula was published—it was built later. - HSR & BGR