Nufenen, Furka, and Grimsel - The Final Passes
Sorry my posting to this blog have been delayed. After we were done with the tour, the next day I traveled to India for work and have been busy. It is now Saturday morning in India and I am getting caught up on my blogging.
July 4 was the final day of riding. The Andermatt area (where we stayed last night) has some great passes to ride. The Nufenen Pass is the second highest pass in Switzerland at 2,478 meters (8,129 feet). Below are a couple of the views from the top.
We got to spend a little more time at the top of the pass than we expected. As we were about to leave, Joe was unable to find the keys for his bike. He thought he left them in the ignition but they were not there. He searched all his pockets and still no keys. Other people searched his pockets and still no keys. We retraced his steps thinking maybe he dropped them somewhere and found nothing. Joe went into the two stores at the top of the pass to see if anyone turned them in and nothing. We search the bike and the luggage on the bike and found nothing. After about 20 minutes, Joe was going through his pockets again, and found an inside pocket that he never uses and found the keys! He felt a little embarrassed at that point, but it was just another part of the journey of this great trip.
View from Nufenen Pass.
This photo is from the top of Grimsel pass. The road on the right side of the photo is Furka pass. The road on the left side of the photo is Grimsel pass.
We stopped and had lunch at the top of Grimsel pass, our final mountain top experience! This bus/hotel was at the top of the pass as well. Very interesting, Charlie said he had never seen one like this. Someone suggested this could be Charlie's second touring career when he and his past participants are no longer able to ride motorcycle, they could tour in the bus/hotel!
After Grimsel Pass, it was all downhill, literally! We drove back to Thun where we had started the tour. We stopped at the hotel (same hotel we stayed in at the beginning of the tour) to drop our luggage and then it was time to return the bikes. The bike return process went smoothly and I got my full deposit back. Charlie had to spend some time talking with the owner about the bike that was totaled but everything seemed to be in order.
Below is a photo of the odometer on the bike, 2,594 kilometers. There was 11 km on the bike when I picked it up so we road 2,583 kilometer or 1,605 miles in 11 days!
We had our farewell dinner at a local restaurant. It was the last time everyone would be together before we go our separate ways. One last meal of Italian food!
After dinner, Joe shared that prior to this trip, he was afraid of heights. We had no idea. To prepare himself for this trip, he worked hard to overcome this fear. He spent time on the roof of his house to become more comfortable with heights. At first, he would just sit there; later he was able to walk around on the roof. He had warned his neighbor that if they saw him sitting on the roof that he had not lost his mind! It obviously worked for him because no one on the trip had any idea he had this fear the entire trip. Nice work Joe and thanks for sharing!
After dinner, we all said our final goodbyes and "thank you" to Charlie. We walked back to towards the hotel and had a short stop for 1 last gelato! Once back at the hotel, it was time to pack for the next leg of my journey.
July 4 was the final day of riding. The Andermatt area (where we stayed last night) has some great passes to ride. The Nufenen Pass is the second highest pass in Switzerland at 2,478 meters (8,129 feet). Below are a couple of the views from the top.
We got to spend a little more time at the top of the pass than we expected. As we were about to leave, Joe was unable to find the keys for his bike. He thought he left them in the ignition but they were not there. He searched all his pockets and still no keys. Other people searched his pockets and still no keys. We retraced his steps thinking maybe he dropped them somewhere and found nothing. Joe went into the two stores at the top of the pass to see if anyone turned them in and nothing. We search the bike and the luggage on the bike and found nothing. After about 20 minutes, Joe was going through his pockets again, and found an inside pocket that he never uses and found the keys! He felt a little embarrassed at that point, but it was just another part of the journey of this great trip.
View from Nufenen Pass.
The final 2 passes of the trip where Furka and Grimsel. These 2 passes are connected. First, we road up the Furka pass which has a glacier at the top. This glacier is one that is studied heavily due to the excessive melting that has happened. Charlie said when he started to come to this area about 20 years ago, you could touch the glacier from the road. Now you can't even see it from the road and this is all that remains.
Here is the view from the top of Furka pass.
This photo is from the top of Grimsel pass. The road on the right side of the photo is Furka pass. The road on the left side of the photo is Grimsel pass.
After Grimsel Pass, it was all downhill, literally! We drove back to Thun where we had started the tour. We stopped at the hotel (same hotel we stayed in at the beginning of the tour) to drop our luggage and then it was time to return the bikes. The bike return process went smoothly and I got my full deposit back. Charlie had to spend some time talking with the owner about the bike that was totaled but everything seemed to be in order.
Below is a photo of the odometer on the bike, 2,594 kilometers. There was 11 km on the bike when I picked it up so we road 2,583 kilometer or 1,605 miles in 11 days!
We had our farewell dinner at a local restaurant. It was the last time everyone would be together before we go our separate ways. One last meal of Italian food!
After dinner, Joe shared that prior to this trip, he was afraid of heights. We had no idea. To prepare himself for this trip, he worked hard to overcome this fear. He spent time on the roof of his house to become more comfortable with heights. At first, he would just sit there; later he was able to walk around on the roof. He had warned his neighbor that if they saw him sitting on the roof that he had not lost his mind! It obviously worked for him because no one on the trip had any idea he had this fear the entire trip. Nice work Joe and thanks for sharing!
After dinner, we all said our final goodbyes and "thank you" to Charlie. We walked back to towards the hotel and had a short stop for 1 last gelato! Once back at the hotel, it was time to pack for the next leg of my journey.
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