Unplanned Alps sept 09

[Ash]

Due to a rather nasty leak in the kitchen [picture 1].
i had to move out for a week to have the parquet flooring repaired,sanded then re oiled. so do i go to daughters,family or tour on the GS.
I did have a mind to attack the Picos, but the ferry charges put paid to that.
so i booked Portsmouth to He havre www.ldlines.co.uk £84 return.
and thought wherever i end up so be it.
by "unplanned" i mean unplanned, no a gender,no accommodation booked.
just the GS,i pod, Glovebox Atlas[2001] and the Garmin 660. [picture 2] .
packed and off we go 8.00pm 07/09/09 ready for the 11.0 clock night sailing,
no cabin booked just sleeping in a lounger chair.
the ferry arrives o time 08.00 local time Le Harve and then some English driver runs out of fuel on the way out of the port [picture 3].
while i am sat waiting to get out of the port i decide to head for the Alps as the weather is hot and i had it in mind to head that way weather depending.
Sat nav set to NO toll roads, NO motorways, i head out of Le Harve and end up in Colmar = 472 miles. that hurt my busted old body, but it had to be done.
www.hotelformule1.com 35 euro's .
i tend to use F1 hotels where possible as they are cheap,clean.food near by.
some may say different but i have used them through out the EU and always found them ok.

 

[ghost]

so far,so good............................................................

 

[Ash]

Tuesday 08/09/09

awake to another sunny day
i head out of Colmar heading for Andermatt Switzerland-
http://uk.wrs.yahoo.com/_ylt=A03uv8...53131439/**http://www.alpineroads.com/uri.php
A place that i hold dear to my heart and would love to live there.
on route i head for lunch in Germany sat on the bank of the Rhine.[picture 1]
watching the barges go by
The GS returns to her home .[picture 2]
picture 3,4,5 are just misc on route to Andermatt, you will see the blue skies above.

 

[Ash]

Tuesday 08/09/09 cont

Meet a couple of German guys and spend 15 mins chatting about " BMV's ".
[picture 1]Then continue on my merry way.
then the fun starts [picture 2] and before long i am greeted by a nice road sign
[picture 3].
for those that have never ventured to the alps these signs alert you to open or closed pass's.
i arrive at andermatt mid afternoon and book into - www.aurora-andermatt.ch
good clean hotel where they speak good English,good food,fuel [1.60 sf per ltr] beer and garage your bike/car at night . [picture 4]
which is always handy, not that most people would dream of touching things, it's just not in there nature.

 

[Deleted account W]

Ash, why don't you host the pics on a photo hosting site like Photobucket and then you could put text between each picture rather than having to number them?

Good tale so far by the way

 

[Ash]

Ash, why don't you host the pics on a photo hosting site like Photobucket and then you could put text between each picture rather than having to number them?

Good tale so far by the way

i dont know how to.
i tried once but with my hands and using a back scratcher to type i just got in a right mess.

 

[Ash]

Tuesday 08/09/09 cont

after resting for a while and having tea with an old friend who used to teach the SAS how to ski many years ago.he used to run a good B & B but sadly is too frail now.
i head for the - Gotthard Pass
http://uk.wrs.yahoo.com/_ylt=A1f4cf...ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Gotthard_Pass.
as dusk was approaching i had the pass mostly to myself, then a stupid thought entered my head,as i have a camera mounted to my bikes,[mainly so i don't drop camera's while trying to take pictures as expensive toys and u/s hands are not a good mix.] i will video myself and the GS on the pass
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5iszIB4A7aY&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5iszIB4A7aY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

it's not clever to do such things
i have been told since my return.

 

[tunnie]

very interesting, do you often tour on your own?

 

[Mandylicious]

Keep going there

 

[Ash]

very interesting, do you often tour on your own?

being a person with disability's i took the decision to travel alone this year.
mainly because that way i can please myself.
if i feel i need to stop,rest etc i don't feel as tough i am letting anybody down.
i do however like to have people the other end. IE UKGSer events should i get myself into trouble.
i spent many years truck driving so it does not faze me.
but riding with various body parts not working makes long distance travel a challenge

 

[tunnie]

being a person with disability's i took the decision to travel alone this year.
mainly because that way i can please myself.
if i feel i need to stop,rest etc i don't feel as tough i am letting anybody down.
i do however like to have people the other end. IE UKGSer events should i get myself into trouble.
i spent many years truck driving so it does not faze me.
but riding with various body parts not working makes long distance travel a challenge

I am looking forward to a UKGSer trip to France or the Alps

 

[Ash]

Tuesday 08/09/09 cont

a few misc pictures of an evening on the Gotthard Pass.
as darkness approach's
it was great fun with the pass being so dry and empty and in my opinion the Gotthard is a great pass due to it's modern surface for the most part.

 

[Ash]

Tuesday 08/09/09 cont

At the top of the pass there is a little road/pass that is the Airola pass which is cobbles,
yet again brain disengaged
on the way back to my hotel.
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GtZHlJg372c&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GtZHlJg372c&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

 

[Ash]

Wed 09/09/09

Another great sunny day
as Andermatt is surrounded by at least four great pass's-
Furka Pass.
Gotthard Pass.
Nufenen Pass.
Sustenpass.
and many more close by.
and my main reason for traveling so far, a great day awaits, if the sun is shinning then biking doesn't get much better.
but never let your guard down as it hurts when things go wrong .
i head onto the Furka Pass.

 

[MacFarlane]

Enjoying this!

Great photies

 

[Ash]

Wed 09/09/09 cont

after the Furka Pass comes the Grimselpass
as you arrive at the top and start your decent there are various pools/damned water masses that feed various hydro electricity plants that are hidden behind mountains. accessed via various cable cars.

 

[Ash]

Wed 09/09/09 cont

at the bottom of the Grimselpass i fuel up at an automatic fuel pump.
select English on the small display screen.
put in visa card.
put in put in pin number.
select 95 Ron. Swiss Franc 1.60 per ltr aprox £1.00 per ltr
and fill up "simples" .
10.55 AM and pass number three Sustenpass

 

[Ash]

Wed 09/09/09 cont

time for lunch.
bread and cheese at Andermatt station.
no high platforms or fences here.
sat in the shade it was a tad warm

 

[Ash]

Wed 09/09/09 cont

After lunch i head out on a favorite pass- Oberalppass
you head out of Andermatt very sharply and very highly very quickly
then through stunning open countryside through cracking little villages.
that my pictures can never do justice too the shear beauty.
[well i think it is]

 

[Ash]

TO BE CONTINUED