Lake Geneva

July 2nd

This morning we had a very unique wakeup call… a Swiss cattle drive right next to our tent including the famous Swiss cow bells! After eating breakfast while watching the cattle drives (there were probably about a dozen different drives consisting of 20-40 head of cattle) we started the riding with a fun descent from our campsite at the top of Jaun pass to the valley floor far below. After exceeding the speed limit for the B.O.B trailer we pull behind our bike (they recommend not going faster than 25mph with it) several times we found ourselves on the flattest section of road we have seen so far. This section was full of 200ft rollers mixed in a few short climbs and then another fun and fast decent down to Lake Geneva (or Lac Leman as the Europeans call it). When we first got to the lake we pulled into Vevey on the East end. Unfortunately for us there was a beautiful camping area with free WiFi right on the shore but we didn’t have a reservation there so we had to continue onto the next campground. On our way to this campground we passed a large festival (internationally renowned) and realized why we needed the reservation for the first campground. A few kilometers past this festival we came across another campground they was also full but thankfully a family let us stay in front of their camper anyways and that is where we are now. So, after getting our tent set up here we took a bike ride to the nearest grocery store and a nearby castle. Upon our return back to the campground we cooked up a pizza using our camping stove (it’s somewhat of an art to cook items on a stove that would be better suited in an oven) and went for a swim in the lake to cool down from the highest temperatures (35 degrees C) we have seen yet. Now it is time for bed and a bit of relaxation as we determine where we are headed tomorrow. O the hard choices we face, do we go to the Verbier or head straight to Chamonix France???

70km
Nate

Jaun Pass-French speaking Switzerland

July 1, 2010

After some debate, we have decided to set our sights on Lake Geneva and France. We have absolutely no goal destination for today especially after three rest days. We will just ride and see how far we would like to go. There is one pass on the way to Lake Geneva, but it doesn’t look too bad. After that, we should have smooth sailing. We took a while to pack up since we had been at our campsite so long which required re-organizing things and saying goodbye to new friends, and also using all the free internet we could get. We headed back into the direction of Spiez where we were able to see one of the lakes one more time. Then we decided to take the cycle path in the direction we were headed which turned out to be a big mistake. It is very nice that the European’s have a system worked out for bikes to get around, but we constantly end up in dead ends, gravel roads, and turned around. Today, we even had to ride through a sawmill with a very precarious piece of machinery swinging overhead. As soon as we could, we made our way to a main road and were able to start riding at a much faster pace. We came to the town right before a pass and decided to have lunch. Neither one of us were done riding for the day (thanks to our numerous rest days) so we continued on up the pass. We found a cute little camping spot and we even had our first campfire because the wood was free. Nothing tastes better than meat cooked right over the fire!

~50k
Mo

Glacier City

June 30 Grindelwald/Kleine Scheidegg

All I knew about Interlaken was that many people had told me to go to Grindelwald. This is what we decided on for the second day of adventures in Interlaken. When we got there we walked their small main street and then looked for things to do. From Grindelwald (the glacier town) we could see three peaks famous to Interlaken-Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. There are many hiking trails in this area, but most of them would take at least 4 hours one way to get to a good panoramic point. Plus, Nate only has chacos on this trip (which are very useful in all situations but not the best hiking shoes). We went to check out the alpine slide that we had gotten a tip about, but decided that instead we would take the train to Kleine Scheidegg at the base of the Eiger and a great view of the other two mountains as well. When we arrived at our destination, the view was breathtaking. They call Jungfraujoch the top of Europe because it is the highest place that people can go without climbing gear. The train to the top is ridiculously expensive so we decided to admire from afar. (Though on Independence day they are offering American citizens a special deal to go to the top if you happen to be in the area). We set off on a path that went across a portion called the Eiger gletzcher. We saw some waterfalls, beautiful views, and other tourists. We saw several markers for the Jungfrau marathon which we decided would be a very brutal trudge. We also saw a sign about the glacier. It turns out that where the sign was, people used to actually step onto the glacier, but now that is not even imaginable. They also had flags marking where the glacier used to be in past years and it seems to be speeding up. Nonetheless, the glacier is still captivating, but it would be cool if it was still as big as it used to be. Toward the end of our trip, the clouds started building and rain began to fall. It was the perfect time to head home. On the train home we met several people including two self-proclaimed one-time hippies who were happy to have visited Trinidad, Colorado the transgender capital of the world (we were talking about CO and that was the one place they remember), two Australian grandparents who are hiking Switzerland and who could definitely kick my butt in a death match, and a Swiss woman who gave some great insight to the surrounding area. The day ended nicely. We were able to buy stir fry stuff, catch the right train home, and cook our dinner before heading to bed without any World Cup games. (It was almost like withdrawal from soccer.) We still haven’t decided yet whether we will stay in Interlaken or head to Lake Geneva.
Mo

Interlaken vacation

June 29 Lauterbrunnen/Trummelbach falls

When we woke up this morning, we had absolutely no idea what we wanted to do or see. We were in no rush because our breakfast was our first priority. Over breakfast, we discussed the possibilities of going to Grindelwald or three other towns Nate wanted to see. There were plenty of tourist attractions such as scenic trains, waterfalls, castles, ice palaces, the two lakes (thus the “Interlaken”), etc. We decided on taking a train to Lauterbrunnen which we had heard was beautiful. When we finally got there, after taking two hours to figure out the Swiss train system and walking through the market of Interlaken. We stopped to have a lunch and didn’t even get going until 3:30. We decided to walk towards the Trummelbach falls. These are waterfalls that drain directly from the glaciers above and are the only glacier falls inside a mountain that are still accessible in Europe. We walked the trail leading there and then I found out that they cost money. (Other waterfalls that we had passed on the way were accessible right from the road and I was under the impression that was the case all the way around.) Regretfully, we paid the money since we had ventured that far and ended up being very surprised by the sight. There were ten falls inside and outside the mountain to see. We got to ride in a lift that pulled us upward at an angle. The falls were quite impressive and we tried to take as many pictures as the water and the dark inside of the mountain would allow. When we got out of the mountain we were surprised that it was daylight and that it was still warm. After that excursion it was 5:00-not enough time to make a hike to the other two towns in the area. We decided to head back to camp and save some sights for tomorrow. When we got back however, we were very sad to find out that the supermarket closed at 7 and that the stir fry we had in mind had to turn into a kebab, burger, and gelato. We also hopped the wrong train which meant that we needed to go right back to where we were and walk home since the buses also stopped running at about 7. These are good things to know, we are just learning them a little bit slowly. Tonight, we retire to World Cup viewing with our new European friends and updating our blog with this wonderful free internet.
Mo

sad day

June 28 Realp-Interlaken by train

Well it turns out that my poison ivy was improving, but suddenly took a turn for the worst. Nate suggested that today we take the train to Interlaken so that we could find a doctor and get me some prednisone. I was not excited by this news because today was supposed to take us over two gorgeous passes overlooking some glaciers. After some convincing, we decided to get on a series of trains to get to Interlaken. (They don’t even have a train over the second pass that we were going to ride) Our first train was a train to Olberwald. We actually had to walk on the tracks to get onto the train with our bike. Behind us was a procession of people in their cars who were just driving onto the train to get to the next station. After that train, we needed to get on a train to Brig, but this train station made us buy two tickets for our bike and then we had to put our gear in a storage car without seats that also ended up being where we would stay for the train ride. Nate had to hold the bike the entire time so it didn’t fall over and we both ended up sitting on the floor. In Brig we got on a train to Spiez. This was after some confusion about bus platform numbers and such. We can’t quite figure out the train system in Switzerland yet. It doesn’t always seem that their trains are going where they say or at the time they say. Maybe we just don’t know how to read Swiss. Anyways, we ended up where we needed to be and rode our bikes the final 20k into our campground in Interlaken. The first order of business was finding me a doctor. While Nate was talking to the owner of the campgroung about where we could find help, our front tire just decided to go flat giving us our first flat of the trip. Once we got the information we needed about grocery stores, doctors, and camp sites, we set up camp and hightailed it into town. After about 5 circles of town to try to find the pharmacist, we finally found him. The next step was convincing him that I needed Prednisone tablets. Thankfully, most of these people speak English and even know the terms in English. He probably thought I was just another American after any drug to fix any ailment that might cause discomfort. However, I tried to let my body heal itself, but after nine days and a trial of cortisone cream, I need some serious help. The pharmacist was very hesitant to give me the tablets even after seeing my blistered arm. He was probably a little dumbfounded too that my rash was caused by a plant since I don’t think they have poison ivy in Switzerland. Since my arm wasn’t enough to convince him that Prednisone tablets were really necessary I showed him my back and stomach as well. This made quite the impression and with much regret, he gave me a box of tablets with some very meager dosage instructions. We thank God that we were able to find medicine for me without a doctor and without very much trouble. Even though my condition has not gotten much better, my mood has improved tremendously. It’s amazing what a little bit of hope in your life can do for you…
Once we got me figured out, we went grocery shopping because we discovered that our campground has a kitchen! This is the first kitchen we’ve even seen in a month. For our first real meal we made burritos. Nate had five and I had three. It was great. We also have big plans for a hearty breakfast including potatoes and eggs. (No more of this European bread and cheese thing). After dinner, we’re going to watch some World Cup action with a bunch of Europeans. So much fun.
Besides the wonderful kitchen, chance for healing, and camaraderie, Nate and I think we may spend a few days here to see all that we want to of Interlaken. We have spent quite a bit more money on camping than we had hoped, but there is something about a nice shower and bathroom that just seems necessary when you have poison ivy. Anyways, today has been a long day and we are looking forward to the next few days.
~20k
Mo

Oberalppass

June 27 Disentis (Oberalppass)Realp

Today is a big day as we have Oberalppass ahead. It is higher than our last pass, but we are hoping that we have gained enough elevation this time that it will not feel as tough. We started out about 11:00 today and set out on the road. One big lesson we have had to learn today is that no grocery stores and hardly any restaurants are open on Sundays. Silly us, we stocked up on food yesterday, but today we are going to have to eat out every meal. This wouldn’t be too bad except we’re in the pricey mountain towns of Switzerland. Our first meal was a Swiss hamburger (with a great bun, corn, and coleslaw looking stuff-it was amazing!) and chicken nuggets. When we stuffed down some food we were ready to go. We only had about 11k to ride until the climbing began. The riding seemed to fly by and in no time we were at the bottom of the pass staring up at the switchbacks. I was a little nervous because of the last pass, but we figured with 9k to go, the pass couldn’t be too bad. We started climbing and found ourselves in good company with other cyclists. When we made it to the top, we definitely stopped to take a picture of the sign. It turns out that the top of Oberalppass is the source of the Rhine River. Who knew? There were several restaurants and a tourist office at the top. We stopped in at the tourist office to look at some maps and then headed down the cold descent into a town called Andermatt. This meant that it was lunch time, and we stopped at a restaurant to split a meal of a ham and cheese sandwich and an absolutely delicious butter herb pork thing. After that, we headed to Realp as a base camp for our next two passes. Our campsite was right next to the river so we took full advantage of the ice bath recovery properties. Dinner time was filled with “snacks” from a nearby town where we also found out that they didn’t even have a grocery store. Breakfast tomorrow is not looking so promising.
~40k
Mo

"milemarkers" of death

June 26 Thusis-Disentis Munster

I suppose none of you would be surprised by now to hear that we got another late start. We found a washer and dryer that appeared to be free so we couldn’t pass up the offer. When we woke up, Nate went to put our laundry in, but found someone else’s inside (done). He waited for twenty minutes and decided to pull that stuff out and get ours done. It turns out that you actually had to pay for the laundry and the lady had pre-loaded the machine so that she could spend most of the day doing laundry. Woops. Oh well, we were able to get our laundry done and started heading for the base to our next pass-Olberalppass. Today entailed a lot of busy roads, construction, and diving off onto backroads as often as we could. Somehow, we kept ending up on roads with long tunnels, construction, and buses honking at us to get off. We’ll just chalk that up to the fact that we’re tourists without an actual cycling map. (They do sell maps with just the cycle paths of Europe, but we have yet to find the one or several that we need). It’s also a bit unnerving that the “mile markers” quite resemble headstones. The construction areas here can get a bit dicey at times. They generally turn the road into a one-lane road and stop traffic from either direction. When it is your turn to go, the lights are timed. Well, on a bike these timed lights turn into interval workouts and the prize is that you don’t have to ride into oncoming traffic if you make it. Just ask Nate and he’ll tell you that I am my most powerful when the thrill of oncoming traffic looms ahead  Although we were wearing down by midday, a nice lunch and the idea of having to ride less tomorrow pushed us ahead. We made it to a town called Disentis-Munster which was just a little ways off of Oberalppass base. We ended up going down a steep hill into a campground and then figured out that we would have to climb out of it tomorrow. We enjoyed two dinners tonight since the first course of grown up grilled cheese didn’t quite fill us. Tonight, we’re going to bed early in hopes to start a new habit of getting on the road before noon.

~50k
Mo