To Stein-am-Rhein.

August 1, 2024

If yesterday's ride was the pits, today's ride more than made up for it.

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The fan worked like a charm last night, and we got a decent night's sleep. Just as we turned off the lights for the night, the thunderstorm hit and the skies opened up and the lightening show was something that we couldn't miss. So, we both got out of bed, opened the window and watched the storm like two little kids, with "Ooos and Ahhhs", as each flash lit up the sky.

We woke up pretty early today, and since there was no morning breakfast to slow us down we were on the road before 7:30am. Last night, I had planned out a route on RideWithGPS to take us to Stein-am-Rhein. I downloaded it onto my Garmin this morning, and pressed start. We followed the route which seemed to bring us back to the Switzerland side, and once again onto the horrid busy roads of the Eurovelo 6 on the Swiss side of the border. It didn't take long for us to scrap those plans, with yesterday's images still fresh in our minds. We made a u-turn back to Germany, and followed the route towards Shaufhausen; a mid-way stop on our way to Stein-am-Rhein. This turned out to be the better choice, because today's ride was stellar.

There was always a chance of rain today, so we kept our eyes on the skies as we headed off; always aware to be on the lookout for a covered shelter when needed. The sky and clouds this morning were spectacular, and a low hanging fog hovered over the Rhine. Our route today primarily followed separated cycle paths which meandered through farmlands, open pastures, and every now and then onto generally quiet roads with a good shoulder. The light this morning was just magical.

On our way from Waldshut under really nice light this morning.

Leaving Waldshut. The low morning fog draped across the landscape.

What an incredible morning for a bike ride.

The beginning of today's route took us through pastoral scenes, croplands, and through quiet small villages and every now and then we were riding right along the Rhine, as the route meandered up and over the increasingly rolling terrain. This part of the Rhine is truly beautiful.

Wonderful quiet cycling this morning under variable skies.

Since we had not had our usual hotel breakfast and our morning dose of coffee, we rode with the hope that we would happen upon a town with a cafe open. But, this being a Swiss national holiday, many places were closed. When we reached Hohentengen am Hochrhein, we spotted a cafe and hunkered down there, had a couple of coffees, and looked at the ever darkening sky followed by the impending rain.

When a break in the weather came, that was our cue to get some miles behind us until the next storm cell crossed the sky, forcing us into another retreat. As we rode along, we were in pretty exposed territory and the sky continued to darken. There were no buildings, trees or any covering to speak of when the sky opened up and the rain began to fall in sheets. There was no choice but to ride on. With stroke of luck from the cycling gods an underpass appeared, so we camped out under it for about half an hour and waited for the rain to pass.

As the sky began to lighten and the rain began to ease, we were on our way again. Today was a day of many stops spent hiding from the rain, and it felt like we were not getting anywhere fast.

On our way through Jestetten, I spotted a bike shop that was open, went in and inquired about the possibility that the shop might have time to take a look at my rear wheel, and perhaps have a spoke. The owner immediately brought my bike in, put it up onto the stand and began fishing through the various size spokes that he had in stock. As he pulled out one spoke after another trying to find the correct size, I became increasingly doubtful that this problem would be remedied today. But, success! We waited for about 45 minutes for the mechanic to do the job while another downpour erupted from the skies. A good place to hide out, we thought. It was a relief to get that problem solved and we were on our way again. Kudos to Bike Stuff and Tours Bike Shop!

Back on the road, we headed towards Rheinfall where the Rhein river makes a good tumble and it's an amazing and unexpected sight to see that volume of water moving over the falls.

At the falls, we contemplated getting on the train to Stein-am-Rhein, but I'm glad we didn't. The weather improved and this last section of today's ride was spectacular. We spotted a riverside cafe, about 18 kms from our destination and decided to grab a couple of cold beers and sit by the river in the sun which finally appeared. A memorable spot.

The perfect place to sit in the warmth of the sun and take a break.

Having a cold one with the town of Shaffhausen behind.

Wonderful gravel riding into Stein-am-Rhein.

So another great day. It's time to put today's journal to rest and get myself to bed. Tomorrow is a very short 30km ride into Kontanz, where we'll likely have some time for an unloaded dayride out to Reichenau, a pseudo island in the Untersee. Night, night.

Incredible frescoed buildings in Stein-am-Rhein.

Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 911 km (566 miles)

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