11th September 2015 (cont)
A great night's sleep - a look out of the window pretty much confirms what the met forecast said - there will be weather today...
I start breakfast with a stabbed croissant, before moving onto some cereal and a banana. I have a reasonably long day's riding planned - not that I ever needed an excuse to eat breakfast...
I pay my very reasonable bill and set off at just before 08:30...
It's a lovely morning - cool, with mist still hanging in the low ground...
Let's get the barn out of the way early today, eh?
I ride along quiet D roads towards the Swiss border...
I keep looking at the clouds up ahead - they look innocuous enough from here, but they are exactly where I am heading...
For now, the road has a lot of fun in it, so I press on quite quickly...
I wonder if the locals stop and look at the scenery around here - or is it so familiar that it no longer holds any wonder for them...
Some fairly scary roundabout art...
I'm trying to work out what happened at the top of the central hill. It seems to be bare rock, but it's hardly a normal place for a quarry. I wonder if there was a big rockslide or something...
I stop to refuel in the village of Abondance...
...and find this old girl hiding at the back of the shop...
Didn't that bloody frog have a helmet just like this?
Anybody want to take a stab at make/model/year?
Onward!
Ski villages appear every few kilometres...
This church had an odd looking framework holding 20 or so bells...
Must be time for some twisty roads...
We're in Switzerland now. Which is like the rest of Europe except much cleaner and better ordered. Much of the country's geography comprises ranges of mountains divided by deep glacial valleys. Most major roads and rail links tend to run along these valleys and the mountain passes tend to be used by essential users and tourists.
So Bettie decides the best way to route me is up one side of the valley, down again and then up the opposite side...
It's like tacking in a sailing boat - you gradually get closer to your destination, but in a series of dog-legs...
The view whilst doing this is pretty good...
...and the temperature in the floor of the valley is a comfortable 78 deg F...
Life is good
All the available land in the valleys and up the sides is cultivated...
Soft fruit and vines mostly, by what I saw today...
Three hours have passed as I wander up and down the sides of the valley - time for a coffee I feel...
...with a vanilla croissant...
Recaffeinated, I set off...
...noticing that Bettie seems to be taking the 'winding roads' thing a little literally...
I notice this old girl in the forecourt of a garage.
In a previous life I nicked the designer of the TR6 for speeding. He was going way too fast for a caution, but we had quite an interesting chat. When I stopped him, he was driving the yellow TR6 that his bosses presented to him as a retirement present. He was already on the second set of bodywork and had noticed corrosion coming through already.
He said that designing a car and living with one were two
very different things...
Although Bettie has recently been steering me down some fairly bland industrial estate feeder roads, the route turns up the odd unexpected gem, like this London Cab...
...and, just around the corner, whatever the hell this is - any ideas?
No prizes for identifying the Canon wrist strap in the bottom of the pic
OK - this one's much easier...
I do a bit of a double-take as I ride past a lumberyard. Parked at the back of it is this helicopter. No sign of why it's there, no support building or vehicle - just parked...
As I start the climb up the left side of the valley, the town is laid out like a map below me. The river is a strange duck-egg blue colour, which I remember seeing in melt-water rivers in British Columbia...
The weather back down the valley looks beautiful. Unfortunately, that's not the way I'm headed...
How about that for a pair of bridges?
I'm not sure how old this one is - but what a beautiful design...
Onward!
I cross the valley floor again, tacking towards my destination, when I realise I'm actually crossing a runway...
...complete with military installations.
The Swiss have guarded their neutrality with a variety of aircraft, most recently the F18 Hornet. Operating fast jet aircraft out of facilities like these, way down in the valley floor between mountain ranges is an impressive achievement...
This runway seems to be out of action, marked at each end by large white Xs...
The Swiss are very efficient - these mirrors...
...appear on most blind sections of the mountain passes, giving you early warning of approaching traffic.
More barns!
It's a beautiful day. The Adv's on song and I have the roads to myself...
My target for tonight is Andermatt. Asking Bettie to plan a winding route to Andermatt is like asking someone to spot a vacuous statement in a Donald Trump speech - hardly a challenge. Andermatt is only accessible by some of the most spectacular mountain passes in the Alps - I'm just curious which one Bettie is going to choose...
See all those clouds in the distance? That's Andermatt with its shields raised...
Suddenly -
VOLVOs!
There was a presentation of some sort going on - an owner's club outing I suppose...
Bettie makes up her mind - it's to be the Nufenan Pass first...
The clouds look pretty forbidding and I start to climb almost straight away...
...this isn't going to end well, is it?
...a last look down the valley...
...and I'm into cloud...
This picture was taken on the way back down when there was some visibility. I found myself unable to see far enough to ride at more than 10mph. I took my glasses off because they made vision impossible and crept over the top of the pass hoping to god no-one was speeding behind me. When I thought no-one was watching I switched the heated grips to high and turned the seat heater on...
That's 38 deg F cooler than it was on the valley floor. I'm bloody freezing. The best plan would be to stop, take my heated jacket out of the top box, put it on, plug it in and continue. A slight crimp is put in this plan by the item in question being at home, not in the top box...
Better get on with it, I suppose...
Eventually I get to the bottom of the valley and stop. I clean my glasses and put them back on, then realise I am going to have to get over the St Gottard Pass to get to Andermatt.
Hey-ho
At least the St Gotthard is a major road, with lots of traffic...
I briefly enter a tunnel - it feels warm...
I know from past experience that there's a great view to the right of this avalanche gallery - but not today...
I'm back in cloud at the summit, but it quickly starts to clear on the Andermatt side...
...and I have a good fast run on dry roads...
Helicopter stopped at the roadside...
I'm soon checking in at the Badus Hotel...
...where my simple, but warm and comfortable, room has exceptional Wi-Fi...
...and the Adv is garaged and guarded by a horse that should really consider cutting down on caffeine...
Good day
You sir are living the life i need... Fair play 
