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Yes it does Tom
Back in Switzerland - I love it here
- Thread starter Moto-Charlie
- Start date
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Moto-Charlie
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Day 7 - My plans to try to go up the Skyway Monte Bianco were once again thwarted by bad weather. The webcams showed holes in the clouds, but the forecast was for clouds, rain and snow showers at the top within 2 hours, so I had to leave the Skyway for another day. I was also planning to get back into Switzerland via the Grand St Bernard Pass and wanted to do that in the dry weather, even if cloudy - so I headed off to the pass.
This was the first time in many years that I hve ridden the main Aosta Vally road going from the direction of Courmayeur to Aosta. Usually it's in the opposite direction when the tours are going further south into France for the really high passes. I was pleasantly surprised. Although there was still some traffic the views were quite nice as the direction towards Aosta is mostly downhill, so there are frequently views with the whole wide valley laid out before you. There were some pretty views you don't get going in the opposite direction.
Once into the edge of Aosta central I found the road heading north to the GS Bernard - seems to be much better marked going north than when coming south through Aosta. The weather was clouding up but still dry. I took a couple of photos on the way up and stopped at the top at the Albergo Italia for coffee and a snack. The hotel sits right at the border with Switzerland. Another couple of hundred feet and you're in Switzerland. Once over the top the weather closed in almost immediately. The ride down the Swiss side was in the rain and clouds so no pics of that.
Once down the pass I decided to check out the Mauvoisin Dam not far from Verbier, which is a major ski area in the French region of Switzerland. The ride up to the dam was nice even in the rain. However, I was not as thorough in my research on this dam as I should have been because when I arrived at the dam parking lot I realized the final way to the top was a narrow hard packed dirt road approx 1/2 and 2/3 of mile long. The dam maintnence crew working in the garage at the parking lot thought the chances of me making it up on the F900XR were nil - the path was mostly for walking and their special 4-wheel vehicles, so I decided a picture was as close as I would get.
I then decide to ride the 8 miles or so up to Verbier to check it out before continuing on to Nendaz (which is still in the French speaking part of Switzerland) where I had booked a room at a ski hotel right at the base of one of the lifts. Verbier was a pleasant town but held no special attaction to me.
It took about 1 1/2 hours to get to Nendaz, arriving around 7:30PM. The ride up to Nendaz took about 20 minutes from the main valley road that connects Brig and Martigny. The hotel sits at approx 1,400 meters. The rain had let up by the time I arrived at Nendaz so I had some nice views.
Interesting fact - the hotel owner told me that the Nendaz ski area (which connects via ski trails to Verbier) has a reciprocal agreement with Vail Colorado where season ticket holders in Vail can come ski Nendaz (and hence Verbier too) for free and the Nendaz ticket holders can ski for free in Vail - who knew.
As for pics the first three are a twisted rock formation I saw on the way up the GSB, the view from the top looking down the Italian side about 100 feet from the Albergo Italia, a photo of the Albergo where I have stopped many time over the years and a common photo taken from the Swiss side looking over the little lake towards the Italian side.
A couple of photos of the dam, one pic of the valley below the Verbier road and the last one is a picture from my hotel window in Nendaz looking out over the town and the valley below.
This was the first time in many years that I hve ridden the main Aosta Vally road going from the direction of Courmayeur to Aosta. Usually it's in the opposite direction when the tours are going further south into France for the really high passes. I was pleasantly surprised. Although there was still some traffic the views were quite nice as the direction towards Aosta is mostly downhill, so there are frequently views with the whole wide valley laid out before you. There were some pretty views you don't get going in the opposite direction.
Once into the edge of Aosta central I found the road heading north to the GS Bernard - seems to be much better marked going north than when coming south through Aosta. The weather was clouding up but still dry. I took a couple of photos on the way up and stopped at the top at the Albergo Italia for coffee and a snack. The hotel sits right at the border with Switzerland. Another couple of hundred feet and you're in Switzerland. Once over the top the weather closed in almost immediately. The ride down the Swiss side was in the rain and clouds so no pics of that.
Once down the pass I decided to check out the Mauvoisin Dam not far from Verbier, which is a major ski area in the French region of Switzerland. The ride up to the dam was nice even in the rain. However, I was not as thorough in my research on this dam as I should have been because when I arrived at the dam parking lot I realized the final way to the top was a narrow hard packed dirt road approx 1/2 and 2/3 of mile long. The dam maintnence crew working in the garage at the parking lot thought the chances of me making it up on the F900XR were nil - the path was mostly for walking and their special 4-wheel vehicles, so I decided a picture was as close as I would get.
I then decide to ride the 8 miles or so up to Verbier to check it out before continuing on to Nendaz (which is still in the French speaking part of Switzerland) where I had booked a room at a ski hotel right at the base of one of the lifts. Verbier was a pleasant town but held no special attaction to me.
It took about 1 1/2 hours to get to Nendaz, arriving around 7:30PM. The ride up to Nendaz took about 20 minutes from the main valley road that connects Brig and Martigny. The hotel sits at approx 1,400 meters. The rain had let up by the time I arrived at Nendaz so I had some nice views.
Interesting fact - the hotel owner told me that the Nendaz ski area (which connects via ski trails to Verbier) has a reciprocal agreement with Vail Colorado where season ticket holders in Vail can come ski Nendaz (and hence Verbier too) for free and the Nendaz ticket holders can ski for free in Vail - who knew.
As for pics the first three are a twisted rock formation I saw on the way up the GSB, the view from the top looking down the Italian side about 100 feet from the Albergo Italia, a photo of the Albergo where I have stopped many time over the years and a common photo taken from the Swiss side looking over the little lake towards the Italian side.
A couple of photos of the dam, one pic of the valley below the Verbier road and the last one is a picture from my hotel window in Nendaz looking out over the town and the valley below.
You on English Forum by the way?
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Moto-Charlie
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I am not. Do you recommend joining? I did join the German forum about a year ago using Google Translate but at the time there did not seem to be much activity.
Thanks for posting Charlie.
Stunning, just blummin lovely.
Upt'North.
Stunning, just blummin lovely.
Upt'North.
Been on it a few years, lived in CH for a while. It has its ups and downs, at the moment the "I´ll squeem and squeem until you change your mind" crowd is making discussion hard. But there is a great community and you can get a lot of information. I don´t post as much as I once did but I´ll stick around.
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Moto-Charlie
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Day 8 - The weather forecast the previous evening called for intermittent rain and clouds today, but as sometimes happens there was fog in the valleys, sun above and the forecast had changed to sunny all day. Time to get back to the dam tour.
Nendaz sits across the valley from Sion, one of the bigger cities in this long French speaking valley. I've driven by it dozens of times going somewhere else and never gave it much thought. The hills and mountains in this area are filled with vineyards and orchards of different kinds. Sion is one of the warmest driest areas in Switzerland. I had to drive through it to get to my first destination in the moutains above it. I have to say I liked the vibe. Felt a little bit like Italy and French countryside combined, a nice relaxed vibe, lots of trees and shaded areas and outdoor cafes and restaurants everywhere.
The first stop today was Sanetsch Pass, which starts from the small village of Sanetsch a short ride above Sion. To get to Sanetsch I picked a route through some of the vineyards and orchards - small narrow roads that made me feel like I was on somebody's long driveway, but they were public roads nonetheless.
Sanetsch Pass is another one of these passes that goes up, over, down to a dam/lake and then ends there to vehicular traffic. Even though the end looked to be in the middle of nowhere I saw a fair number of mountain bikers and hikers emerging from the other side, so who knows where it goes. The pass itself sits at 2,253 meters (7,425 feet). I've never been up it before because of it's dead end nature, but the ride up was very pretty and the views were nice. On the way up (and down) I had to go through a fairly rough hewn tunnel for approx 1/2 mile. Two cars would have been hard pressed to get by each other. I took some photos at the top and continued down the other side to the lake, dam and restuarant at the end.
The dam itself is a small one and it creates a pretty lake. All told it took about 1 hour, 20 minutes to get to the lake from Nendaz. The restaurant is approx. a 500 foot walk up a loose gravel road from a general parking area. At first blush coming from the parking area there doesn't seem to be much there but once at the restaurant it becomes clear that there's more to it than you can see from the dam or parking area. There is also a series of huts or cottages behind it where perhaps the owners/workers stay during season. It was a very pleasant place to have a coffee and piece of apple cake.
Next up was the Grand Dixence dam, back across the valley again on the Nendaz side but closer to Tasch at the foot of Zermatt where I planned to spend the night. The ride over to Dixence would take approx 90 minutes.
The GD dam is a beast of a dam. It sits at 2,365 meters, here again higher than many Alps passes and holds the largest lake in the Alps above 2,000 meters. It's the tallest gravity dam in the world (which I gather is a form of construction), the tallest dam in Europe and the 5th tallest dam in the world. You can hike up from the parking area or for 10 Swiss Francs take the small cable car 5 minute ride up, as I did. It gets it's water from more than 75 different mountain sources, generates enough hydro power for 400,000 households and holds 1/5 of Switzerland's stored energy. In addition to the dam there is a large hostel style hotel for visitors and mountain hikers and even a zip line that goes from the top of one side of the dam to the bottom of the other side. I'm glad I came to see it.
By now it was a little after 3:30PM and I still had 2 1/2 hours of saddle time to Tasch based on my desired route, so I headed for my next stop - Moosalp Pass. It took about 35 minutes to get back down the valley and another 20 minutes or so of highway and valley roads to get to the start of the Moosalp.
The road and pass basically follow the main highway down in the valley but do so way up in the mountains looking down into the valley below before cutting inland more to hook up to the Tasch valley road. These kinds of roads are often called "balcony" roads. This one turned to be one of the better ones I have been on. The ride up twisiting and turning was lots of fun, the views were always great and it kept you in the mountains. As you climb the road gets more narrow, the villages further apart and then you're into the high woods for 3 or 4 miles on a really narrow bumpy road where you wonder if you made a mistake or not. I kept seeing bus stop signs, even on the remote section of road, so I figured it must go through. At the top, in the middle of nowhere is a small restaurant - Restaurant Panorama, which lived up to its name. The road was a little wider here and just as I stopped to take a photo the local bus emerged from the woods - a full sized bus. I don't know how we would have gotten by each other if we'd met on the narrow section in the woods. All in all a really great road. I absolutely love these little roads.
After that it was all downhill into the valley for Tasch and Zematt. I've been to Zermatt several times but wanted to check out some hotels in Tasch, which is where the train station is for the 20 minute ride up to car-free Zermatt. Hotel prices in Tasch are 1/2 of what they are in Zermatt, which makes it a good base for my tours. If the weather is good it's a quick train up to Zermatt. If not then we move on the next day having saved some money.
As for pictures I have attached a couple of the vineyards/orchards above Sion, the tunnel up to Sanetsch Pass, the biked parked at the pass (my pic doesn't do the view justice), and then a view from the restaurant at the end of the road.
I've attached 3 from the Grand Dixence dam and the final photo is the the top of the Moosalp looking at the Restaurant Panorama and view beyond.
All in all I felt that this route was a great day of riding. Sometimes scouting pays off. I intend to incorporate this day's ride into my tours.
Nendaz sits across the valley from Sion, one of the bigger cities in this long French speaking valley. I've driven by it dozens of times going somewhere else and never gave it much thought. The hills and mountains in this area are filled with vineyards and orchards of different kinds. Sion is one of the warmest driest areas in Switzerland. I had to drive through it to get to my first destination in the moutains above it. I have to say I liked the vibe. Felt a little bit like Italy and French countryside combined, a nice relaxed vibe, lots of trees and shaded areas and outdoor cafes and restaurants everywhere.
The first stop today was Sanetsch Pass, which starts from the small village of Sanetsch a short ride above Sion. To get to Sanetsch I picked a route through some of the vineyards and orchards - small narrow roads that made me feel like I was on somebody's long driveway, but they were public roads nonetheless.
Sanetsch Pass is another one of these passes that goes up, over, down to a dam/lake and then ends there to vehicular traffic. Even though the end looked to be in the middle of nowhere I saw a fair number of mountain bikers and hikers emerging from the other side, so who knows where it goes. The pass itself sits at 2,253 meters (7,425 feet). I've never been up it before because of it's dead end nature, but the ride up was very pretty and the views were nice. On the way up (and down) I had to go through a fairly rough hewn tunnel for approx 1/2 mile. Two cars would have been hard pressed to get by each other. I took some photos at the top and continued down the other side to the lake, dam and restuarant at the end.
The dam itself is a small one and it creates a pretty lake. All told it took about 1 hour, 20 minutes to get to the lake from Nendaz. The restaurant is approx. a 500 foot walk up a loose gravel road from a general parking area. At first blush coming from the parking area there doesn't seem to be much there but once at the restaurant it becomes clear that there's more to it than you can see from the dam or parking area. There is also a series of huts or cottages behind it where perhaps the owners/workers stay during season. It was a very pleasant place to have a coffee and piece of apple cake.
Next up was the Grand Dixence dam, back across the valley again on the Nendaz side but closer to Tasch at the foot of Zermatt where I planned to spend the night. The ride over to Dixence would take approx 90 minutes.
The GD dam is a beast of a dam. It sits at 2,365 meters, here again higher than many Alps passes and holds the largest lake in the Alps above 2,000 meters. It's the tallest gravity dam in the world (which I gather is a form of construction), the tallest dam in Europe and the 5th tallest dam in the world. You can hike up from the parking area or for 10 Swiss Francs take the small cable car 5 minute ride up, as I did. It gets it's water from more than 75 different mountain sources, generates enough hydro power for 400,000 households and holds 1/5 of Switzerland's stored energy. In addition to the dam there is a large hostel style hotel for visitors and mountain hikers and even a zip line that goes from the top of one side of the dam to the bottom of the other side. I'm glad I came to see it.
By now it was a little after 3:30PM and I still had 2 1/2 hours of saddle time to Tasch based on my desired route, so I headed for my next stop - Moosalp Pass. It took about 35 minutes to get back down the valley and another 20 minutes or so of highway and valley roads to get to the start of the Moosalp.
The road and pass basically follow the main highway down in the valley but do so way up in the mountains looking down into the valley below before cutting inland more to hook up to the Tasch valley road. These kinds of roads are often called "balcony" roads. This one turned to be one of the better ones I have been on. The ride up twisiting and turning was lots of fun, the views were always great and it kept you in the mountains. As you climb the road gets more narrow, the villages further apart and then you're into the high woods for 3 or 4 miles on a really narrow bumpy road where you wonder if you made a mistake or not. I kept seeing bus stop signs, even on the remote section of road, so I figured it must go through. At the top, in the middle of nowhere is a small restaurant - Restaurant Panorama, which lived up to its name. The road was a little wider here and just as I stopped to take a photo the local bus emerged from the woods - a full sized bus. I don't know how we would have gotten by each other if we'd met on the narrow section in the woods. All in all a really great road. I absolutely love these little roads.
After that it was all downhill into the valley for Tasch and Zematt. I've been to Zermatt several times but wanted to check out some hotels in Tasch, which is where the train station is for the 20 minute ride up to car-free Zermatt. Hotel prices in Tasch are 1/2 of what they are in Zermatt, which makes it a good base for my tours. If the weather is good it's a quick train up to Zermatt. If not then we move on the next day having saved some money.
As for pictures I have attached a couple of the vineyards/orchards above Sion, the tunnel up to Sanetsch Pass, the biked parked at the pass (my pic doesn't do the view justice), and then a view from the restaurant at the end of the road.
I've attached 3 from the Grand Dixence dam and the final photo is the the top of the Moosalp looking at the Restaurant Panorama and view beyond.
All in all I felt that this route was a great day of riding. Sometimes scouting pays off. I intend to incorporate this day's ride into my tours.
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Moto-Charlie
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Day 9 - Another sunny day today. Forecasts calls for it to start clouding up around 6 - 7PM with all-day rain tomorrow everywhere in the region I was. I had hoped to go up several cable cars during my 11 days here, but I have generally been rained out. Today presented the last day to go up a really high one. I have been up to Zermatt before, so this time I thought I would try it's lesser known sibling - Saas Fe.
If you start down the valley road from Visp at the main highway you will come to the town of Stalden in about 10 minutes. Here the road basically forks. Take the right fork to Tasch/Zermatt or the left one to Saas Fe, another 25 minutes down the road. Saas Fe is supposedly where the Swiss go to avoid the heavily touristed Zermatt. Saas Fe is a fair bit smaller than Zermatt and is also a car-free town. In the case of SF you are greeted with big parking garages on the edge of town. From there you either walk in, take an electric taxi (like in Zermatt) or an electric hotel shuttle specific to your place of lodging. I parked in what I believe was a free motorcycle parking area (many Euro places have motorcycle specific parking places) and walked in.
My goal was what Saas Fe refers to as the Alpine Express, basically two cable cars and a funicular to the top. The lure here is that the second cable car brings you to 2,980 meters (9,777 feet) where you then catch the Metro Alpin, the highest funicular in the world. It then takes you up another 476 meters (1,562 feet) while covering over 5,700 feet in length. It's also underground to preserve the scenic beauty of the mountains, which makes it the world's highest subway. The Metro Alpin brings you to the Mittelallalin summit at 3,456 meters (11,339 feet) - pretty high. There is year round skiing up here. There is also the world's highest fully revolving restaurant up here too.
I lingered for about a 1/2 hour enjoying the view, taking pictures and just soaking in the awesomeness of the high Alps. I contemplated a snack in the restaurant but it was loaded with skiers taking their lunch break, so I skipped it.
Back in Saas Fe I had one more dam to check out - the Mattmark dam approx 20 minutes further down the end of the valley. The dam sits at 2,197 meters and was a pleasant ride to get to. I enjoyed my snack here at the restaurant, took a few pictures and plotted my route back to my home base in Thun. I had an appointment in Thun for my COVID test so I could board the plane home on Tuesday. The USA won't allow Americans to come back in, fully vaccinated or not, without a negative COVID test less than 3 days old.
My plan was to see how feasible it was to take the bike on a car train. There are several car trains in Switzerland that cut through the mountains saving 2 - 3 hours of driving time. The train I had in mind went from Goppenstein to Kandersteg. I went back down the valley from the dam to Visp on the main road, approx a 55 minute ride and the back up into the mountains on the opposite side of the valley to Goppenstein, approx 25 minutes from Visp.
I have taken this train once 3 years ago with my family while in a car. It was a cool experience. You basically drive on the end off the train and keep driving foward over numerous open air train cars until they are all full. You sit in your car for the 15-minute ride through the mountain and then drive off in Kandersteg. It's approx a 1/2 hour ride from there to my hotel in Thun. The whole trip from when I left the Mattmark dam to when I reached Thun took about 2 hours and 30 minutes. I could have done it all highway about 45 minutes longer, but I avoid highways as much as possible in the Alps.
I found that if you plan to take the car train it pays to have a smaller bike. The F900XR was probably as big as was feasible. They put the bikes in an enclosed car, which looks similar to a passenger train car, but without the seats and a basic interior intended for cargo.
The two challenges for bikes were the door leading into the car was barely wide enough to fit through. The second bigger challenge is that they require you drive into the train car and then turn your bike around inside the car, so that you are aiming out when it comes time to unload. Turning a long big bike like a RT or K1600 would have been difficult, a Goldwing would have likely been impossible. Now I know.
The attached pics show the Metro Alpin funicular, 3 pics at the top (you probably can't see the tow rope lifts in my photos carrying the skiers up into the snowfield) and 1 pic of the town of Saas Fe. There are then 3 pics of the Mattmark dam and 2 of the car train, which I shared with two young men on their KTM thumpers.
If you start down the valley road from Visp at the main highway you will come to the town of Stalden in about 10 minutes. Here the road basically forks. Take the right fork to Tasch/Zermatt or the left one to Saas Fe, another 25 minutes down the road. Saas Fe is supposedly where the Swiss go to avoid the heavily touristed Zermatt. Saas Fe is a fair bit smaller than Zermatt and is also a car-free town. In the case of SF you are greeted with big parking garages on the edge of town. From there you either walk in, take an electric taxi (like in Zermatt) or an electric hotel shuttle specific to your place of lodging. I parked in what I believe was a free motorcycle parking area (many Euro places have motorcycle specific parking places) and walked in.
My goal was what Saas Fe refers to as the Alpine Express, basically two cable cars and a funicular to the top. The lure here is that the second cable car brings you to 2,980 meters (9,777 feet) where you then catch the Metro Alpin, the highest funicular in the world. It then takes you up another 476 meters (1,562 feet) while covering over 5,700 feet in length. It's also underground to preserve the scenic beauty of the mountains, which makes it the world's highest subway. The Metro Alpin brings you to the Mittelallalin summit at 3,456 meters (11,339 feet) - pretty high. There is year round skiing up here. There is also the world's highest fully revolving restaurant up here too.
I lingered for about a 1/2 hour enjoying the view, taking pictures and just soaking in the awesomeness of the high Alps. I contemplated a snack in the restaurant but it was loaded with skiers taking their lunch break, so I skipped it.
Back in Saas Fe I had one more dam to check out - the Mattmark dam approx 20 minutes further down the end of the valley. The dam sits at 2,197 meters and was a pleasant ride to get to. I enjoyed my snack here at the restaurant, took a few pictures and plotted my route back to my home base in Thun. I had an appointment in Thun for my COVID test so I could board the plane home on Tuesday. The USA won't allow Americans to come back in, fully vaccinated or not, without a negative COVID test less than 3 days old.
My plan was to see how feasible it was to take the bike on a car train. There are several car trains in Switzerland that cut through the mountains saving 2 - 3 hours of driving time. The train I had in mind went from Goppenstein to Kandersteg. I went back down the valley from the dam to Visp on the main road, approx a 55 minute ride and the back up into the mountains on the opposite side of the valley to Goppenstein, approx 25 minutes from Visp.
I have taken this train once 3 years ago with my family while in a car. It was a cool experience. You basically drive on the end off the train and keep driving foward over numerous open air train cars until they are all full. You sit in your car for the 15-minute ride through the mountain and then drive off in Kandersteg. It's approx a 1/2 hour ride from there to my hotel in Thun. The whole trip from when I left the Mattmark dam to when I reached Thun took about 2 hours and 30 minutes. I could have done it all highway about 45 minutes longer, but I avoid highways as much as possible in the Alps.
I found that if you plan to take the car train it pays to have a smaller bike. The F900XR was probably as big as was feasible. They put the bikes in an enclosed car, which looks similar to a passenger train car, but without the seats and a basic interior intended for cargo.
The two challenges for bikes were the door leading into the car was barely wide enough to fit through. The second bigger challenge is that they require you drive into the train car and then turn your bike around inside the car, so that you are aiming out when it comes time to unload. Turning a long big bike like a RT or K1600 would have been difficult, a Goldwing would have likely been impossible. Now I know.
The attached pics show the Metro Alpin funicular, 3 pics at the top (you probably can't see the tow rope lifts in my photos carrying the skiers up into the snowfield) and 1 pic of the town of Saas Fe. There are then 3 pics of the Mattmark dam and 2 of the car train, which I shared with two young men on their KTM thumpers.
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Moto-Charlie
Vendor
Thanks for the feedback. I'll take a look at it.
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Moto-Charlie
Vendor
Thank you for the write.
Where have you rented the bike? I always rent in Milano as for the proximity to the mountains.
I rent the f750 for the price but although it's a hoot when riding solo (especially empty), riding 2up/luggage is a bit underpowered. Especially on the uphill. And the long fork doesn't help in a sharp right-hand uphill switchbacks.
I've mapped a 9 day trip around the French Alps but due to covid keep postponing it. Hope 2022 will look better.
Thanks again for the valuable time spent on writing this for us.
Keep on traveling
I rent my bikes in Thun Switzerland. Being Switzerland it's probably not as cheap to rent in as Italy. However, I have priced out Ducatis and some other brands for my tour members out of Milan and it's not excessively more expensive.
My rental requirements as a tour guide are likely a little different than if I were a solo renter (I've rented from approx a 1/2 dozen different shops over the years)
Thun works well for me because it's in a great location. The French Alps are directly south - I can be there in 3 hours. Italy and Austria are easy to reach to the east, here again 2 - 3 hours and Switzerland itself is a rider's paradise.
For tourists coming to Europe Thun is a pretty town to base out of. It's on a beautiful lake. It's got a cute old town and its own castle. Interlaken, the Lauterbrunnen Valley with Grindelwald, the Jungfrau, Schilthorn, etc are all within an hour's ride by bike or a little longer by train, etc.
As for the bikes, they are always current year models and have proven to be trouble free. I've developed a good relationship with the rental shop owners who speak excellent English and go out of their way to take care of my tour members. The shop is less than a mile and a half from our base hotel and the shop usually shuttles us back and forth. It works very well for my needs.
I hear you on the F750GS. I like it quite a bit as a solo rider and it is usually my preferred rental bike lately. I know my wife would not like it for a multi-day ride through the Alps (maybe a day or two would be OK) which is why I usually pay extra for the RTs when she comes along.
I hope you get to go in 2022. At the moment the world of international travel is looking more and more like a world where vaccinations will be a foregone requirement. I hope we all get to go hassle free. I'm looking forward to it.
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Moto-Charlie
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Day 10 - Today turned out to be a wash out for riding as it was windy, cool,raw and rained all day. I normally don't hesitate to go out riding here on rainy days but today everything was socked in and I would have just been going out to ride for the sake of riding - no destination, nothing visible to see and most places closed as usual on a Sunday. So I stayed at the hotel, caught up on my Internet things and postings, watched the Misano MotoGP and other stuff.
The only riding I did do totday was to get my PCR COVID test done for the flight home. The local pharmacy was fully booked until near the end of September, so I signed up for the Thun Hospital drive through test center, about 2 miles from the hotel. I checked where it was located on my way back from Tasch yesterday so I knew where to go.
There is a first time for everything and so it was for me, sitting on the bike in line in the pouring rain waiting for my turn to be tested. Fortunately I have good gear so I stayed dry. The testing was done under a covered area and went without issue. They gave me time to stow my documents back into my waterproof gear and get my suit all sealed up again before heading back into the rain.
They said it was a light testing day and my results might be back sooner than the normal 24 - 48 hours. 7 hours later they came back negative as expected and I entered them into my Swiss Certificate app, which I had previously downloaded onto my phone. It should all go without a hitch comes Tuesday.
Hoping for some decent weather tomorrow on my final day with the bike.
The only riding I did do totday was to get my PCR COVID test done for the flight home. The local pharmacy was fully booked until near the end of September, so I signed up for the Thun Hospital drive through test center, about 2 miles from the hotel. I checked where it was located on my way back from Tasch yesterday so I knew where to go.
There is a first time for everything and so it was for me, sitting on the bike in line in the pouring rain waiting for my turn to be tested. Fortunately I have good gear so I stayed dry. The testing was done under a covered area and went without issue. They gave me time to stow my documents back into my waterproof gear and get my suit all sealed up again before heading back into the rain.
They said it was a light testing day and my results might be back sooner than the normal 24 - 48 hours. 7 hours later they came back negative as expected and I entered them into my Swiss Certificate app, which I had previously downloaded onto my phone. It should all go without a hitch comes Tuesday.
Hoping for some decent weather tomorrow on my final day with the bike.
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Moto-Charlie
Vendor
Fianl Day 11 - Yesterday's raw rainy day in the valleys ended up being snow in many of the mountain passes nearby. S-wiss T-om indicated that the Furka Pass, which I rode a few days ago didn't open until after noon today.
As for my local area today it was another day where rain was forecast but the roads would basically be dry until mid day or so with clouds covering most of the moutains above. I had hoped to ride to the Lauterbrunnen Valley so as to ride up the Schilthorn Cable car and then go to the other side of the valley to ride the Grindelwald First car up to the Cliff Walk. A quick check of the Schilthorn webcams showed iffy conditions but there appeared to be breaks in the clouds on the Grindelwald side - so I elected to ride over to Grindelwald.
I've never been up the Grindelwald First cable car so I wasn't exactly sure where it was even though it was supposedly right in the center of town. I found the parking area for "First" but did not initially notice any lift. I consulted my GPS, which said I was there and then drove 300 feet or so in either direction with my GPS constantly telling me to turn around and go back to the parking lot.
Sure enough the base station was there, but it was hidden about a block off the main road behind the ticket house, which looked like any other house or small B&B on the road. I was expecting something bigger and more clearly marked given all the promo the lift gets on the Jungfrau website. I got the last parking spot in the lot, figured out how to pay for my parking and stuck the paid parking ticket under the gas cap for any meter person to find. The cars all had their parking passes laid out on their windshield dashboards.
The cable cars themselves were smaller 4 - 6 person types. Due to the weather and day of the week roughly 1 in 5 cars actually had anybody in them. The ride was approx 25 minutes with two opportunities to disembark on the way until reaching the 3rd final stop at 2,167 meters (7,438 feet). The Lauterbrunnen Valley is considered one of the prettiest valleys in the world (it inspired the settings forJRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings). I suspect the ride up would have been fantastic on a sunny day, but today's visibility was limited and it was still stunning.
At the top it was easy to find the signs leading to the Cliff Walk. All told it's about 2 and 1/2 football fields long. You can find pictures and YT videos taken on sunny days. Today, even with the heavy cloud cover, the views were still worth the time and money spent to get up and confirmed that it is an attraction I will revisit next year.
After I got back down to Grindelwald I rode about 40 minutes over to Beatenberg, a small town strung out over the mountains that look down on Interlaken. There is a restaurant about 3/4 of the way up the road that sits on a cliff jutting out from the mountain that provides great views of Interlaken and the two lakes. I have eaten out on the terrace almost every year I've toured here and have taken may family to eat lunch/dinner here too. Today it was a pleasant lunch.
By the time lunch was over the rain was coming down pretty good. I did a little exploring up another road also overlooking Interlaken before deciding to call it a day. The rain was the heaviest of the tour so far and I wanted to get back in time to let my gear dry out before packing it for the trip home. It was about 4:30PM so I road 35 minutes or so along the shore of the Thun lake.
Once back in Thun I filled up the gas tank of the bike (we pick them up full, we return them full) then went to shop and turned it in. I had a pleasant catch-up conversation with shop owner and afterwards he drove me back to the hotel.
After my shower I checked a few things with the front desk regarding next year's reservations for my various groups and then headed out for my final dinner around 8PM at one of my favorite restaurants.
All in all I was able to hit almost all of the roads, passes and dams I had hoped to explore. I didn't get to ride as many cable cars as I had hoped, but they will still be there when I come back next year. It was great to be able to ride the Alps again. Looking forward to 2022.
As for pics, the first 7 are from the Grindelwald area and the Cliff walk. There's one of Interlaken from the terrace of the restaurant in Beatenberg and one of my final dinner looking out at the Thun Castle.
PS: The pictures don't always show up on my tablet. Please let me know if they appear in full or they look like little empty boxes, in which case I'll be glad to repost them.
As for my local area today it was another day where rain was forecast but the roads would basically be dry until mid day or so with clouds covering most of the moutains above. I had hoped to ride to the Lauterbrunnen Valley so as to ride up the Schilthorn Cable car and then go to the other side of the valley to ride the Grindelwald First car up to the Cliff Walk. A quick check of the Schilthorn webcams showed iffy conditions but there appeared to be breaks in the clouds on the Grindelwald side - so I elected to ride over to Grindelwald.
I've never been up the Grindelwald First cable car so I wasn't exactly sure where it was even though it was supposedly right in the center of town. I found the parking area for "First" but did not initially notice any lift. I consulted my GPS, which said I was there and then drove 300 feet or so in either direction with my GPS constantly telling me to turn around and go back to the parking lot.
Sure enough the base station was there, but it was hidden about a block off the main road behind the ticket house, which looked like any other house or small B&B on the road. I was expecting something bigger and more clearly marked given all the promo the lift gets on the Jungfrau website. I got the last parking spot in the lot, figured out how to pay for my parking and stuck the paid parking ticket under the gas cap for any meter person to find. The cars all had their parking passes laid out on their windshield dashboards.
The cable cars themselves were smaller 4 - 6 person types. Due to the weather and day of the week roughly 1 in 5 cars actually had anybody in them. The ride was approx 25 minutes with two opportunities to disembark on the way until reaching the 3rd final stop at 2,167 meters (7,438 feet). The Lauterbrunnen Valley is considered one of the prettiest valleys in the world (it inspired the settings forJRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings). I suspect the ride up would have been fantastic on a sunny day, but today's visibility was limited and it was still stunning.
At the top it was easy to find the signs leading to the Cliff Walk. All told it's about 2 and 1/2 football fields long. You can find pictures and YT videos taken on sunny days. Today, even with the heavy cloud cover, the views were still worth the time and money spent to get up and confirmed that it is an attraction I will revisit next year.
After I got back down to Grindelwald I rode about 40 minutes over to Beatenberg, a small town strung out over the mountains that look down on Interlaken. There is a restaurant about 3/4 of the way up the road that sits on a cliff jutting out from the mountain that provides great views of Interlaken and the two lakes. I have eaten out on the terrace almost every year I've toured here and have taken may family to eat lunch/dinner here too. Today it was a pleasant lunch.
By the time lunch was over the rain was coming down pretty good. I did a little exploring up another road also overlooking Interlaken before deciding to call it a day. The rain was the heaviest of the tour so far and I wanted to get back in time to let my gear dry out before packing it for the trip home. It was about 4:30PM so I road 35 minutes or so along the shore of the Thun lake.
Once back in Thun I filled up the gas tank of the bike (we pick them up full, we return them full) then went to shop and turned it in. I had a pleasant catch-up conversation with shop owner and afterwards he drove me back to the hotel.
After my shower I checked a few things with the front desk regarding next year's reservations for my various groups and then headed out for my final dinner around 8PM at one of my favorite restaurants.
All in all I was able to hit almost all of the roads, passes and dams I had hoped to explore. I didn't get to ride as many cable cars as I had hoped, but they will still be there when I come back next year. It was great to be able to ride the Alps again. Looking forward to 2022.
As for pics, the first 7 are from the Grindelwald area and the Cliff walk. There's one of Interlaken from the terrace of the restaurant in Beatenberg and one of my final dinner looking out at the Thun Castle.
PS: The pictures don't always show up on my tablet. Please let me know if they appear in full or they look like little empty boxes, in which case I'll be glad to repost them.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Moto-Charlie
Vendor
I went back and reloaded 12 - 15 photos that were not displaying on my laptop or smartphone. For some reason they were all from the final days of posting covering Days 8 - 10. They included the Grand Dixence dam and the Grindelwald Cliff Walk.
Don't know if they were not showing on other members views but thought I would repost anyway. Thanks for looking.
Don't know if they were not showing on other members views but thought I would repost anyway. Thanks for looking.
CYYJ
Michael
The problem with Switzerland is the traffic jams. The road is always covered with cow doo-doo once the cows pass by.
I'm not sure what was going on here - maybe one of the cows was getting married.
Switzerland Yesterday
I'm not sure what was going on here - maybe one of the cows was getting married.
Switzerland Yesterday
Bringing the cows down from the high pastures. Have to be really careful riding at this time of the year if you don´t want to end up as a cow suppository.The problem with Switzerland is the traffic jams. The road is always covered with cow doo-doo once the cows pass by.
I'm not sure what was going on here - maybe one of the cows was getting married.
Switzerland Yesterday
Sorry for someone or something, but the pictures don't open on my PC. Sad thing.
OP
OP
Moto-Charlie
Vendor
Thanks Thomas for letting me know. They were working yesterday - but not today. I will try to fix it later today.