To Fussen

October 11, 2021

I was nearing the end of what has been a fabulous tour, with only a little more than 100 miles to Munich. The glorious weather we’d been having (cold yes, but sunshine and blue skies!) looked to be ending tomorrow, with rain and cold predicted for the next few days. I was inclined to “make hay while the sun shines", but listened to my body and made plans for an short day and a night in Fussen.

It was 29°F when I woke! I stayed warm in bed until eight when my breakfast basket was delivered to my room – and what a basket it was! It even had a boiled egg. I ate almost everything, knowing I would need lots of energy to keep warm – the predicted high temperature of the day was the mid-40’s.

The ride started with a short drop down out of the ski village of Lermoos, followed by a 2.5 mile climb on gravel. The climb was not difficult, but it did get me warmed up enough to shed my beanie and booties. Soon enough, the beanie was back on, and remained atop my head for the remainder of the ride. The next miles were idyllic, on a paved bike path through a lush countryside flanked by treed hillsides and distant mountains. I stayed warm as long as I kept moving, enjoying the sunshine, the scenery, and the very crisp fall air.

My breakfast basket and a partial display of its tasty contents. I especially liked the little felt egg warmer

There was only one other guest in my chalet-like lodging, which I imagine gets quite busy during winter ski season

The first few miles out of Lermoos were on gravel, most of it nicely packed as shown here

A wonderful ride in the morning sunshine

Vivien George, Vincent and I take a look back at where we've been

Soon after I passed through the small town of Heiterwang, I came upon an odd looking enclave of buildings, weird statues and tourists. There was a nice bench in the sunshine, so I stopped for a snack and to check out what this place was. There were lots of children excitedly hopping about, along with all sorts of armored knight icons. It was obviously some sort of tourist attraction, but I couldn’t quite piece it all together. I later learned that I was at Ehrenberg Castle and the Highline 179 suspension bridge – the world’s longest Tibet-style footbridge. I moved on, having absolutely no interest reaching those kind of heights.

The EhrenbergLiner, an inclinded elevator taking you up to Highline 179 and the Ehrenberg Castle

A rather odd place for a bird bath, in my opion

I continued on toward Reutte, down a mile descent on gravel with a couple of steep sections that I found a bit unnerving. I took care and made it safely to the bottom and from there on it was fine cycling on paved roads almost all the way to Fussen. I successfully dodged all the tourist traffic on the shared paths leading into Fussen and arrived at my hotel about 1:30. Fortunately my room was ready and after a nice hot shower and a little rest I set out to explore the town.

I didn't stop too many times for pictures, but I had to stop for cows...

Located on the River Lech, Fussen has a number of natural and man-made attractions that draw visitors – including castles, museums, hiking and biking trails and several nearby lakes. Personally, I found the town a little too touristy, with storybook buildings and lots of men trying on Tyrolean hats. Perhaps as a counterpoint, I found a little Asian restaurant and had a nice bowl of Pho for an early dinner. A nice warm finish to a wonderful day in the cold and sunshine.

Image not found :( — Fountains in Fussen

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Today's ride: 27 miles (43 km)
Total: 889 miles (1,431 km)

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Suzanne GibsonLoved seeing all those roads and trails again that we rode a month earlier!
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