Early wake up from the Bells in the church 50 yards away!
Here we go, trip start photos, this is from the garage looking down the road to the start of the Oberalppass which is on the right just after the P sign on the left.
It went up...
And up...
And up...
And up...
And that is the start of the Rhine (or some river that becomes it!)
We cannot see the valley now and the clouds are coming in, it is raining and it is damned cold.
Always look on the bright side...
More up...
Snow!
Lots of snow!
We did it this is the top of the pass and I need to take a faster photo hehe...
All morning to get up... now the down...
No photos on the way down but we did >34mph and the brakes got a tad warm at one point!
Oh yes and we were passed by a couple of super car things with Zurich plates.
Christine's hands were frozen as she had forgotten, didn't know we needed them, big gloves.
I'm not feeling much warmer either.
Anyway the 'we did it photo' taken by a couple that couldn't believe we had just cycled it!
Relaxing a bit further down the valley in a B&B
The floor is seriously wonky and the bed has a stack of wood under the legs.
Nothing is going to get Christine out of reading her book!
The trip for real starts.
Up sort of early, packed up the bikes and stopped off at petrol station at junction of the Oberalpass to get some petrol and either my German really bad or told to sod off! Note don't ask at the Esso garage for petrol for your stove!
Anyway we started up the Oberalpass at 9:30am
The pass went on and on and on and we went up and up and up above the snow line. It started to rain,then sleet then snow just as we reached the top.
Then it started to level out a bit, we cycled pass a huge lake through a tunnel.
There was still lots of snow about.
Then after a coffee and a hot chocolate in the cafe we then started the scariest descent ever! 2 hours to the top, 5 minutes to the bottom. I hit 39mph!!! The brakes got a bit hot.
That wee dot is me!
Christine's hands got so cold, the air temp was above freezing but with the 'wind chill' dropped below, anyway not nice... we should have had warm gloves.
But we did it the Oberalpass by bicycle!
Then a gentle cycle down the valley and after collecting two panniers from Disentis railway station with the tent and other heavy bits carried on until a nice B&B farm house. Weather isn't nice and I'm treating.
Today's mileage total just 25 miles but c600 meters of up in the first 5 miles and even after down from the pass it was not exactly flat after that.
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