Aren’t those clouds great though? I took several shots of this mountain, but these clouds were the best.

I'm gonna say the ripples in the clouds are because of the rippling peaks because I want it to be so.

In a word, yes.

Foop!

Thanks for the tip. I avoid routes that don’t earn a Rocky seal of approval. Bad things can happen.

And anyway, we’ve been to Passau twice now, and I’m not going back. Both times we stayed at the same hotel, purely by chance. And both times I brained myself on the same low-hanging beam on the way to our room. Twice is enough.

One added point, I would advise against riding the Tauern Radweg between Passau and Salzburg. It is largely unpaved and the year I rode it the surface was pretty poor. I don't think it would be Rocky approved unless it has been resurfaced since then. One local told me sections are owned by a private individual that is opposed to cyclists coming through the area and refuses to allow the trail to be maintained. Anecdotal, but would explain the terrible surface. The Roemer Radweg would be an alternative that would avoid that area of trail.

There are some interesting towns along the Main. I think my journal on that one is still on that other bike journal site. The Mosel is interesting if you like wine and Trier is interesting. The other towns along the Mosel aside from Cochem didn't get me that excited. I'm also not big on most river routes though.

The Romantische Strasse Radweg is a nice ride. Noerdlingen and Dinkelsbuhl are nearly as interesting as Rothenburg. The Lech and Via Claudia Augusta all share largely the same route down to Fussen. The Via Claudia would take you into Suedtyrol through the Reschen pass. At some point there is supposed to be a new cycle route up to Nauders and the Reschensee, but it's been delayed a bit. I never actually rode between Fussen and Donauwoerth. That was the year I went in June and it rained every day but one. I ended up taking the train. It's an ok ride, but there are more scenic routes. It's pretty flat though.

Coming in from the Drau Radweg and following the Alpe Adria from Salzburg would be very scenic. The route leading from the Tauern Radweg back to Bad Gastein has one longer tunnel with separate bike path that can be a bit loud and there is a steep climb in Bad Gastein, but the scenery makes up for it and the two of you don't share my aversion for hills. I've ridden the Tauern twice now and it is by far my favorite route, especially on the end between Salzburg and the turn-off for Bad Gastein and the Alpe Adria.

You also could detour to Berchtesgaden and use the Bodensee-Koenigsee Radweg to connect up to the Inn. That would be a little flatter option. The Jennerberg is Berchtesgaden is a really nice hike along with the hike at the end of the Koenigsee.

Basically all my cycling has been in Bayern or Salzburgerland (area around Salzburg.) The one exception was the year I rode the Mosel, Main, and Rhein between Koblenz and Mainz.

Yup. One reference I saw suggested visualizing the results of giving a tube of toothpaste a good squeeze.

Thanks for your thoughts, Ben. This is all still pie in the sky of course, but this is useful input. I wasn’t familiar with either the Main or Tauber routes, but they both look appealing. I’m not really committed to the Mosel either, as far as that goes. We might just follow the Rhine and poke up the Mosel as an out and back from Koblenz.

The route to Salzburg is a question too, of course. One option I’m looking at is forgetting the Altmuhl (how different can it look 25 years since we saw it last, anyway?) and following the Lech south from Rothenburg and cutting east south of Munich.

And, of course, the Dolomites are the other big question. Brenner’s an option, but the Adige or even following the EV7 to Lienz are there too. We’ll probably stay flexible and wait until Salzburg to commit ourselves, depending on how the calendar, the weather and the legs are doing.

What is laccolith?
Is it a metamorphic?
Oh, no .. Igneous!!

Not until you mentioned it, but now I wonder. This part of Utah is known historically as Dixie, and was colonized largely by southerners after the civil war, sent down here by Brigham Young to grow cotton. They’re still slowly working themselves away from that heritage.

I love it!!

Oh, I’m so sorry. That’s one of the often misunderstood side effects of being designated a poet laureate - once your work is in the public domain you lose control of its distribution.

We’d love an escort! Better yet, maybe you could show us the way south from Hastings since we’re likely to be staying our first night out in YOUR TOWN. And don’t you owe me an Arrogant Bastard for something? Or maybe it’s the other way around - I forget.

Minnesota, Vermont and Bavaria! It's almost as if you're planning a Cycle365 meet-up tour. I hope to see you here at the starting point of your epic trip. Perhaps I can escort you out of the Twin Cities again?