After a great lunch in a local Gostlinga we headed south, passing the noted Slap Boca waterfall, following the Soca river to Tolmin (200m) where the barracks, training areas, and rifle range were vacant and overgrown. This had always been a town with much military action. Now the military was gone and the town and its stores, like most that we visited, had lost the drab appearance, looking just like prosperous western Europe.
From Tolmin we headed east into the Skofjelosko mountains up the Boca river to Podbrdo (510m) where the RR tunnels through the mountain to Bohinjiska Bistrica (512m). We took the road over the top to the other side going over the Petrovo Brdo pass (804m) and on over a higher ridge at (1230m) at an unnamed pass. From here we rode down the Sav Bohinjka river valley to Bled (504m) on beautiful Blejsko lake in clear weather and on roads that are smooth and wide beyond expectations. Our hotel on the lake was old and comfortable, and served a great dinner.
We continued to Podkoren (816m) where the Wuerzen Pass (1073m) crosses the Karavanka mountains in true Austrian style, with 18% grades. Fortunately these sections were short on the south side, but on the north, one section is practically a km long ending in a hairpin turn. where a steep runaway ramp continues straight up into the forest. When the road straightened, I took advantage of the empty road to test my speedometer again.
We rolled into Villach (508m) where we sampled ice cream from various street vendors and decided that the standard scoop size didn't compare favorably with a chocolate covered Magnum (aka Haagen Dasz bar in the USA). We headed up the Drau river while OBB (Austrian RR) rail line climbed the north wall to Mallnitz (1183m) where it enters the Tauern tunnel. At Moellbruecke (557m) we turned up the Moelltal to Winklern (958m) where we joined the main road from Lienz to the Gross Glockner. The wind, if any was with us as we rode up the narrow end of the Moelltal toward Heiligenblut (1301m) at the base of the Glockner toll road. We stopped at the open-everyday-all-year grocery store at the junction of the main street and the highway to stock up on landjaeger and chocolates, our energy bar supplements. We found a nice 'pension' about a km below town.
It was a quick roll from the American Bisons in the park to Bruck (757m) on the Salzach river and over to Zell am See where we ate lunch with two designers from Porsche Design (the boss was out of town). We headed up the Pinzgau valley to Mittersill and Wald (867m) at the foot of the old Gerlos pass as clouds closed in behind us and threatened with rain. As we arrived in Wald, I recognized Jim Brug, a member of my department at HPL standing across from the grocery store with daughter on arm. I casually road up and said "Hi Jim" as if we do this every day. He was on a camping trip with wife and children. Being were eager to get up the hill to hotel Grubl before the impending rain, we discussed the state of the world briefly said hello to Sara and rushed off.
We rode up the old and steep one-lane Gerlos road arriving at Hotel Grubl just as the rain started, and it poured. The lady who was hotel sitting told us everyone was out bringing in the grass, because the sun was out today. Thus we were fairly sure that everyone would be in, soon, and sure enough, putt putt putt, they arrived on their tractor, soaked to the skin but enthusiastic on having gotten most of the grass for their goats into the barn. After Mrs Kaiser did a quick change into her hotel persona, she made us some crepes with "rote Gruetze" (raspberry sauce). As the rain tapered off, we said goodbye hoping to come again as overnight guests next year, as we pushed off up the 500m of 17% grade that starts right there.
As we got higher, we saw the end of the Pinzgau valley at Krimml, still lying in the shadow of the mountains, with its huge waterfall erupting from the cliffs above town. The top of the old Gerlos pass (1486m) is as unspectacular as the subsequent view, high over the new Gerlos lake is spectacular, reflecting the magnificent peaks to the south, (on a clear day). The sky was not clear and was trying hard to make us wet as we descended past the huge earth fill dam and on through Gerlos (1245m) a glitzy vacation town. It looked as though we would finish the day without getting doused, but alas, at Hainzenberg (905m), a few km above Zell on the Ziller (575m), the sky opened up and did not relent until late that night, long after we had found food and lodging, and were resting peacefully in Aschau (570m).
We passed the Oetztal (Timmelsjoch, Pso Rombo) over the high bridges that cross the Ache river at the mouth of the Oetztal and the Inn, from which there is a two kilometer climb before descending toward Imst. after the descent, we took the shortcut toward Landeck that avoids climbing again to Imst, a road that I discovered a few years ago, by taking the turnoff to the bahnhof and river rafting set-in. Here a bicycle path parallels the river on the most direct and level route toward Landeck (816m). In Landeck we headed west on Rt N1 toward the Arlberg pass, turning off at Pians (859m) to head up the Silveretta road to the Bielerhoehe (2021m).
This road, that has grown to a highway, Rt N188 was a seldom traveled unpaved road the first years I rode over it, but skiing has brought large volumes of traffic and expensive hotels to the region. This is an easy climb, all but the last two kilometers where 16% pitches rise to the top of the dam at the summit. The view of the Silveretta and Piz Buin (3312m) were in the clouds and the maid of the mist boat was docked in the mist. We rolled down to the "hole" where the road dives down the curved wall in a series of spectacular hairpins to Partenen (1027m) after which the Montafon valley slopes more gradually toward Bludenz (535m), 46km away. We stopped in Gortipol because we liked the look of the hotel and because it began raining.
Swiss money in hand, we rode off through Vaduz, Balsers and over the Rhine to Sargans (482m), where we ate lunch at a grocery store before cutting over to Mels, where a bike path along the Seez Kanal leads straight to Walenstadt (426m) on the Walensee. The lake, with its cliffs rising to the Kurfirsten, was as beautiful as ever, even with the thunderclouds that obscured part of the view. We rode along the lake where, just before Muehlehorn, a road cuts off over the Karenzerberg (743m), a small pass over the corner of the mountain to Mollis (448m) in canton Glarus.
From Mollis a small road and bicycle path heads up the valley to Glarus (475m), after which traffic on Rt N17 to Linthal (662m) at the end of the Linth valley is light. The Glarner Alps were their usual, as the peaks vanished in the high clouds, making them appear taller than they are. The highest peak, the Toedi (3614m), framed by the walls of the valley in a canton with almost no flatland, was barely visible in the clouds, high above the other mountains. The mix of thunder clouds and sunshine made this an exceptionally beautiful day.
In Linthal (645m), at the end of the valley, the Klausen pass starts its climb as it heads into the cliffs through a long well lit tunnel. John took the old tunnels that are still passable, although wet and unlit. Above, the road traverses the steep slope eight times as it climbs long traverses through a hardwood forest. The road breaks into the Urner Boden at 1300m, a long 500m wide valley with near vertical walls on three sides. The road follows a straight course up the valley to Spitelrueti (1400m) where the main climb to the top heads into the rocky walls at the end of the Urner Boden.
Here, the road passes free falling waterfalls and private dairy cableways, whose single span cables vanish from sight before they reach ledges several hundred meters above on the canyon walls. At the Klausen pass summit (1948m), the Toedi comes back into view high above as the Schaechental opens 700m below in Aesch (1234m), giving a vertical view of farm buildings. Here the free falling Steubi fall crashes to the valley floor after cascading form the Toedi glaciers.
The road, cut into the granite wall, was in excellent condition, but just the same we took it carefully because there is no functional guard rail between us and a huge free-fall. After we got off the "wall" we blasted down to Hotel Urigen (1300m) where various Harley Davidson riders, among other guests had stopped. Steffan Truschner, the owner, his wife Karin, and one year old daughter Joel greeted us. We took the usual room, with bath down the hall, in the beautiful annex with carved wooden beams that are colorfully decorated with painted verses. As last year, we savored a Coup Romanoff (ice cream sundae with fresh sugared strawberries topped with plenty whipped cream) after a hearty dinner.
After a small climb out of Unterschaechen, the rest was downhill to Altdorf (458m) where we headed up the Reuss valley to Erstfeld (472m). Here, at the end of the marshaling yard, the railway begins its climb to the 16km Gotthard tunnel with a 2.7% grade. A little farther up, we started our climb at Amsteg where the road abruptly begins climbing at the huge SBB (federal railway) power plant, whose size was tripled by new turbines and penstocks, entirely underground in the granite walls behind the old plant.
From here, in the narrow canyon, the rock walls are penetrated by railway, motorway and highway tunnels and bridges over the roaring Reuss below. Nearly all traffic uses the parallel motorway so we had a nearly private road to Wassen (916m) at the junction with the Susten road. As we passed Gurtnellen, the elegant Cisalpino tilting train came down the hill as it leaned into the curves to make walking down the aisle simple even in fast curves. In Wassen, Rt N20 the Susten road, heads north into bare rock tunnels right from the town center.
Today was exceptionally beautiful weather with a brilliantly clear sky, punctuated with white puffy clouds as we rode up the glacier highway of Switzerland with its many great ice flows and snowy peaks. This climb can also be a little defeating, because farther up, nearly the entire continuous grade up the long curved valley becomes visible. In spite of its good alignment, it is neither steep enough nor smooth enough to make great speed on the descent, but that's the story for most alpine passes. Just before entering the summit tunnel, an even steeper trace of the ancient road can be seen zig zagging its way up over the old summit that is higher than the tunnel of new road.
Passing through the Susten summit tunnel (2224m) exposes a panorama of the Sustenhorn (3503m) and its huge Steingletcher that spreads ice to the valley far below the road. The ride down the Gadmental is exciting and beautiful, with broad curved tunnels opening vistas to ice fields and waterfalls that go over some of the short tunnels. The peaks of the Berner Oberland became visible as we broke out into the Haslital and dropped to Inertkirchen (625m). We sprinted up the four legs of the Kirchet (700m) to the Gasthaus Lammi for a hearty outdoor lunch and cool refreshing beer under the shade of an umbrella.
We rolled on down through Meiringen (595m) and checked out the Sherlock Holmes bronze in the middle of the quiet Sunday afternoon. We ducked into the trees as we started the grunt up the 13% part of the Brunig pass (1008m). Near the top we got a last look back at the big mountains before descending toward Luzern under a gathering overcast. The first plateau is at the Lungernsee (752m), and the second after the lake down to Giswil (485m) on the Sarnersee. In Horw on the military parade ground and football field, Zirkus Knie, the national circus of Switzerland, was erecting its tents for a two week run the following week. We rode on through Luzern and "home" under pleasant skies.