It's been awfully quiet here, and that's because I have poured most of my creative energy into video editing. With tons of footage from an eleven-day trip through the Alps, I'm slowly creating one episode after the other. So far I have a teaser and full episodes for days one and two. I hope you'll enjoy them! And if you'd rather read a written account of our trip, head over to Ben's blog. He has a great day-by-day account with lots of beautiful photos.
Ride or pie -- the eternal question. Bike tech, ride reports, and other stuff few people care about.
Showing posts with label Germany. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Germany. Show all posts
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Saturday, July 18, 2020
To the Alps! - Day 2
Day 2: Füramoos to Kleinwalsertal
It took me forever to write and publish this post. The reason: Sometime during day 1, I accidentally had changed the ISO settings on my camera – you may have noticed the graininess in some of the photos in the previous post. Having mediocre photos in a travelogue was really demoralizing, and so I couldn’t get myself to finish the post for a long time. But here we are! Day 2 of my trip to the Alps.
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| No Allgäu without brown cows and cowbells... |
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| ...and crucifixes along the way |
Breakfast was served at 6:30. I had gotten a lot of sun the previous day, and today was forecast to be a little warmer still. So despite only having to go about 110 km today, I got an early start. Within the first hour of my departure, I got the first glimpse of the Alps in the hazy distance. Too far to capture by camera, but elating nonetheless.
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| The Alps are in this shot. I swear! |
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| I'm a sucker for taking pics of these signs (even if the grades on there often seem exaggerated) |
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| The meh moor |
At some point I passed the ill-defined boundary of the Allgäu region, a region renowned for its cow, cheese, alpine foothills—and best known to tourists from around the world: Neuschwanstein castle. After a minor construction detour, I reached Leutkirch im Allgäu. Two hours into the ride I was ready for a second breakfast. On the picturesque church square Bäckerei Schwarz provided me with coffee and pretzels. I quickly sent a Whatsapp message to my parents whom I was supposed to meet at the end of the day. They were somewhere on the Autobahn, and I still had a bit of a lead on them.
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| Pretzel time! |
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| The view for my second breakfast |
Past Leutkirch I encountered another detour. One of the small roads on my route was closed somewhere ahead. It wasn’t entirely clear where and the signed detour would have taken me on a road too busy for my liking. The map showed an alternative route that looked about right, and so I ignored Komoot’s constant audio reminders that I was of course. The detour turned out to be excellent choice. A beautiful tree-lined road, ending at a little palace, Schloss Rimpach.
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| On the way to Schloss Rimpach |
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| .... - manor house - kitchen |
The hills around me kept growing, and my route was definitely climbing, but at very gentle grades. It was another hot day and I started to feel a little dehydrated and bonky. The tiny villages along the way (among them: Kleinholzleute and Großholzleute – Little Wood People and Big Wood People) didn’t have much to offer and so I was glad to eventually get to a gas station. It didn’t just provide me with water and a Pepsi. Next door was a wood carving business; except that it wasn’t exactly “carving” but two people with chain saws creating oversized wood sculptures! Noisy but fun to watch. Another gas station attraction: A fully airbrushed tanker truck, theme: “The History of the Diesel Engine, from Rudolf Diesel to Euro 6 Emission Standards.” Or something like that.
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| The process... |
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| ...and the results |
The hills around me became taller and I climbed the first “pass.” Not tall enough to warrant a name, but the first sustained, steeper climb today. And on the other side, a wonderful descent with a view of the Alpsee Lake. I restocked my pretzel stash in downtown Immenstadt but kept pushing on. Just outside of Immenstadt my route reached the bike path along the river Iller. Whereas I hadn’t seen a ton of people on bikes until now, the Iller-Radweg, connecting Ulm and Oberstdorf, was heavily trafficked. I sat down on a bench along the trail and enjoyed the view of people of all ages and on all types of bikes passing me by.
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| On the Iller bike trail |
River bike paths have a reputation for being boring, but this stretch was very nice. The Iller is an alpine river, with a wide, rock filled bed, framed by beautiful mountains. The trail led me to the outskirts of Oberstdorf, with its iconic ski jumps. I have some distinctive childhood memories of visiting the top of the jump and being terrified by the view down the slope...
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| Oberstdorf panorama, with the ski jumps on the left |
My final destination was near but up. My parents had texted me that they were awaiting me at their hotel, and all that stood in between was the final climb into the Kleinwalsertal. The trail and subsequent road were steep and the sun burned down on me. I passed the border into Austria and eventually arrived at my parents’ hotel. I probably looked pretty beat and sweat-encrusted, but I was almost there! Our own hotel was further up the valley, but with some rest, water, and coffee, this wasn’t a big deal any more.
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| Entering Austria |
This had been a great trip, with pretty much everything going according to plan, no mechanical problems, and my not-quite-fit-for-purpose bike working well enough. Navigation by voice with Komoot worked really well overall, even though it would have been nice to have a GPS device on the handlebars to see a map.
I had had great plans of bike touring again in Germany or the Alps this year. Given the COVID situation, that's just not going to happen. I have no complaints about the biking here in Wisconsin, but I long for mountains, the pretzels, the bike trails. Hopefully next year...
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
To the Alps! Day 1
The Alps are one of our favorite places to vacation. And so after enjoying a hiking vacation in England last year, the SO and I were going to return to the Alps again this year. Our vacation logistics are always complicated, and this trip was no exception. But fortunately those complications also meant that I had a window for a short bike tour: From my parents’ house in southwest Germany I would bike to the Kleinwalsertal, a valley in the Allgäu Alps.
The most direct route would have been about 230 kilometers (140 mil) – a little too far for riding it in one day, especially when riding the MTB that I have stashed in Germany. Instead I used Komoot to come up with a longer, more scenic route and did it over two days.
The ride started a little after 7 am. Despite it being July, it was
still chilly and pockets of fog were hovering in the morning light. For the
first half hour I was on roads and paths familiar from having grown up
around here.
I descended into Lorch with its beautiful former monastery on a
steep gravel path, part of the Limes bike route,
which follows the route of the old Roman fortification wall. Up the
other side of the Rems valley my route took me through the Beutental.
This one-lane road is closed to motorized traffic on the weekends
because it’s a popular hiking destination, but on a Monday morning there
was hardly any traffic either. After the long-but-not-too-steep climb I
connected up with a rail trail that connects Schwäbisch Gmünd in the
Rems valley with Göppingen in the Fils valley.
One barrier on the way from my parents’ to the Alps is the Swabian Jura. Its German name is Schwäbische Alb, sometimes leading to confusion between Alps and Alb. This mountain range is much lower than the Alps, but its northern edge forms a steep escarpment, which is a barrier for all kinds of traffic. Of course, the most gentle grades up the escarpment are occupied by motor vehicle and train traffic, while the quieter climbs are also the steeper ones. A good reminder of this was a chance encounter with a rail construction project: In an effort to reduce travel times between Stuttgart and Munich, a new high speed rail corridor is being built. At the portal to one of the tunnels up the Jura, I had the opportunity to take some nice pictures from an observation deck.
I wasn’t afforded the luxury of a shallow-grade tunnel and continued farther west along the foot of the Jura to Neidlingen. This was where Komoot had suggested climbing the escarpment on an unpaved path. To get to the path, however, I was routed first on an incredibly steep paved path and then on an even steeper single-track trail---even walking my bike up there was a challenge. Presumably the routing algorithm was trying to avoid roads, which in this case wasn’t ideal. Once I got to the Neidliner Steige trail I was greeted by a fence: Because of the risk of rock fall, the trail was closed. Clearly there was a goat trail around the barrier, though, and so I continued on. It was a scenic climb, and I’m happy to report that I wasn’t hit by any rocks.
Once you’ve climbed the Swabian Jura, the landscape turns into a sparse, undulating high plateau. This has always been a poor region, with rocky soils and low population density. That’s probably also what led to the creation of the Münsingen military training area, the remains of which I would bike through. Abandoned by the French military in the 1990s, the area is now a nature preserve. Because there is undetonated ordinance and other contamination, cyclists and hikers are only allowed on a few roads. The rest of the area is left to nature and grazing sheep – watching a traditional shepherd with pole and sheep dogs was fun! The area also features an abandoned village, Gruorn. Most of the village was razed when the Nazis expanded the military training area in the 1930s, and all that remains now is a church, graveyard, and the old school house.
From Gruorn, it wasn’t far to the next highlight of the tour, the Great Lauter valley. The bike path follows the small stream of the Lauter on its curvy 42-kilometer run toward the Danube. Flanking the valley are castles (or ruins thereof) and pointy rocks of corallian limestone. The bike path appeared very popular, with people of all ages on regular or electric assist bikes.
At the end of the Lauter valley I reach the Danube long distance bike path. This is part of the EuroVelo 6 route, which connects the Atlantic with the Black Sea and is one of the most popular bike touring routes in Europe. For some reason I didn’t encounter many other cyclists here, but I also didn't follow the route for very long. As the Danube ran southeast, I continued straight south toward today’s destination. One could feel that I was getting closer to the Allgäu region: Catholic churches with their characteristic “onion” domes, crucifixes along the road, and rolling hills.
Finally, I saw a sign for Füramoos. Unfortunately it was accompanied by a sign warning of a 12 % grade for x km. But the climbing wasn’t all that bad and soon I arrived at my inn. There was a brief moment of panic when my name didn’t appear in the reservation book (yes, an actual, handwritten book), but in the end all was well. After a shower and washing out my kit, I enjoyed a vegan meal and a couple of wheat beers in the Rössle‘s beautiful beer garden.
The most direct route would have been about 230 kilometers (140 mil) – a little too far for riding it in one day, especially when riding the MTB that I have stashed in Germany. Instead I used Komoot to come up with a longer, more scenic route and did it over two days.
Day 1: Welzheim to Füramoos (155 km/95 mi)
The destination for the first day was Füramoos in Upper Swabia. Why Füramoos? When browsing for vegan-friendly places along my route on HappyCow, to my surprise I had found a traditional inn in this 600-people village. They offered a couple vegan and vegetarian items on their menu and also had rooms.
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| Leineck Lake |
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| Lorch Monastery |
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| Restaurant in the Beutenal -- a very popular hiking destination |
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| Much of my ride was on paths and roads like this |
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| Rest stop on the rail trail. With bike parking, a self-repair station, water, and even an e-bike charging station! |
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| Church in Rechberghausen |
One barrier on the way from my parents’ to the Alps is the Swabian Jura. Its German name is Schwäbische Alb, sometimes leading to confusion between Alps and Alb. This mountain range is much lower than the Alps, but its northern edge forms a steep escarpment, which is a barrier for all kinds of traffic. Of course, the most gentle grades up the escarpment are occupied by motor vehicle and train traffic, while the quieter climbs are also the steeper ones. A good reminder of this was a chance encounter with a rail construction project: In an effort to reduce travel times between Stuttgart and Munich, a new high speed rail corridor is being built. At the portal to one of the tunnels up the Jura, I had the opportunity to take some nice pictures from an observation deck.
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| Near the Swabian Jura |
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| Kurhaus Bad Boll |
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| North portal of the Bossler tunnel |
I wasn’t afforded the luxury of a shallow-grade tunnel and continued farther west along the foot of the Jura to Neidlingen. This was where Komoot had suggested climbing the escarpment on an unpaved path. To get to the path, however, I was routed first on an incredibly steep paved path and then on an even steeper single-track trail---even walking my bike up there was a challenge. Presumably the routing algorithm was trying to avoid roads, which in this case wasn’t ideal. Once I got to the Neidliner Steige trail I was greeted by a fence: Because of the risk of rock fall, the trail was closed. Clearly there was a goat trail around the barrier, though, and so I continued on. It was a scenic climb, and I’m happy to report that I wasn’t hit by any rocks.
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| Filling up my Madison Public Library bottle before the big climb |
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| Public weigh station, where you weigh your cider apples and pears before dropping them off at the press |
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| Neidlinger Steige |
Once you’ve climbed the Swabian Jura, the landscape turns into a sparse, undulating high plateau. This has always been a poor region, with rocky soils and low population density. That’s probably also what led to the creation of the Münsingen military training area, the remains of which I would bike through. Abandoned by the French military in the 1990s, the area is now a nature preserve. Because there is undetonated ordinance and other contamination, cyclists and hikers are only allowed on a few roads. The rest of the area is left to nature and grazing sheep – watching a traditional shepherd with pole and sheep dogs was fun! The area also features an abandoned village, Gruorn. Most of the village was razed when the Nazis expanded the military training area in the 1930s, and all that remains now is a church, graveyard, and the old school house.
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| Up on the Swabian Jura's high plateau |
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| Warning signs at the former military training area |
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| Former tank ring road, now being used as a test track by Mercedes and Liebherr |
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| Shepherd |
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| Former Gruorn school house |
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| Gruorn church |
From Gruorn, it wasn’t far to the next highlight of the tour, the Great Lauter valley. The bike path follows the small stream of the Lauter on its curvy 42-kilometer run toward the Danube. Flanking the valley are castles (or ruins thereof) and pointy rocks of corallian limestone. The bike path appeared very popular, with people of all ages on regular or electric assist bikes.
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| Inspired by the lovely children's book Friends |
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| Rest area at the Lauter River |
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| Lauter valley |
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| "What you sow you will reap" |
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| Farm-made ice cream self-serve station! |
At the end of the Lauter valley I reach the Danube long distance bike path. This is part of the EuroVelo 6 route, which connects the Atlantic with the Black Sea and is one of the most popular bike touring routes in Europe. For some reason I didn’t encounter many other cyclists here, but I also didn't follow the route for very long. As the Danube ran southeast, I continued straight south toward today’s destination. One could feel that I was getting closer to the Allgäu region: Catholic churches with their characteristic “onion” domes, crucifixes along the road, and rolling hills.
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| Onion dome |
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| Weir on the Danube |
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| The SO is easily amused by German town names such as Assmannshardt... |
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| Market square in Biberach |
Finally, I saw a sign for Füramoos. Unfortunately it was accompanied by a sign warning of a 12 % grade for x km. But the climbing wasn’t all that bad and soon I arrived at my inn. There was a brief moment of panic when my name didn’t appear in the reservation book (yes, an actual, handwritten book), but in the end all was well. After a shower and washing out my kit, I enjoyed a vegan meal and a couple of wheat beers in the Rössle‘s beautiful beer garden.
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| The view from my room |
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| Tired and happy |
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