June 23, 2012
Day 15: Swiss Miss
We headed over the Jura Mountains in the hopes of making it to Geneva tomorrow and headed from Poncin, up a long climb. Not the best way to start the day, but what the hell. And to compensate for the upwards motion, we stopped at a beautiful cafe/restaurant that overlooked the valley we just climbed out of, and had a coffee. What else could we do?
Today's route reminded me a lot of the stretch along interstate 70, between Grand Junction and Denver, in Colorado. There was the equivalent of intestate 70, and we rode on smaller roads that alternated between right and left of if.
Around noon we ended up in a beautiful little mountain town, on a lake, called Nantun Very pretty, and we stopped for lunch.
I didn't take pictures of the food this time, but it was interesting. We walked in, asked if they served lunch, and, when the owner said yes, we sat down. We didn't get a menu. He just started bring out food. In other words, they only had one thing for lunch. But no complaints. All the courses were delicious but I especially liked the main course of roast pork and some kind of potato dish that was like scalloped potatoes, only French, so WAY better.
Stuffed with food, we set off, and rode, up and down, all afternoon. The only glitch was near a little town were I stopped to take a picture. Leo and Steph rode ahead, I saw them turn left, and I followed the road around the little town and then descend, a long (and steep) way down.
Except they were no where in sight. Usually they kind of wait for me when I take a picture. Where were they? Did they stop for coffee and I not see them? I could continue on, but what if I get all the way down the humungous, miles long hill, only to find they are not there?
DAOOOOOH! I rode back to town to be sure. They were no where in sight. I went back to where I was, at the top of the long, miles long hill—did I already mention that?
DAOOOOOH! I had to decide, time was a wasting... I started down, expecting to see them, mile after mile on the decent. I didn't. Until finally, after about 10 minutes, down, there they were, waiting at a roundabout.
There was no good place for them to stop so they kept going, “we figured, you were okay,” they said, “if you had crashed a motorcyclist would have told us.” True.
Crisis averted, we stopped for a Coke. And it was there, about 45 kilometers from Geneva, that we decided just to push on and get there by nightfall, and then take 2 rest days, instead of stopping short tonight, packing up tomorrow, and taking one rest day after that.
It was the right choice. We got in late, tired and hungry, with not enough food for a great meal, but what did it matter?
Of course, then came the border crossing. We had to sneak in past the guards at one station, and were not sure we could, so we went to another, where we were questioned and told to go away. Well, okay. Actually, we just rolled over the border and barely knew we were over the border at all. What a gip! It was rather anti-climatic. Still, what does it matter. We made it to Switzerland. Heidi HO!
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Today's ride: 109 km (68 miles)
Total: 1,082 km (672 miles)
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