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Lovely sunny day for a 75k ride to Austria and back.
I’ve done this ride quite a few times – up the Danube to Deviň, across the Freedom Bridge, then across the March plain, the Donaubrücke, Hainburg with Eissalon Daniel where I’ve enjoyed Haselnuss gelato for three decades, and return.
A sunny ride to IAD, a brief lounge respite at the United Club and then off we go.
Plane spotting. Haven’t seen a lot of LH A-380s here before.
Some scenes from a drizzly weekend.
Took a ride to Virginia across two bridges this weekend.
It’s a bit of a cloudy start today from Vitznau, where I have been staying for either ten days or twenty years depending on how you look at it. However with the MeteoSwiss weather app predicting fairly clear skies and little rain today, it seems like a good day for a partial circumnavigation of the lake.
First up was a stroll along the lakeside for the five km or so from Vitznau to the Weggis Tourism office, where I picked up a “city bike” rental (no e-bike for me thanks) and hopped on the Uri, a paddle wheel steamer to Treib.
The trip to the base of the Treib-Seelisburg bahn (funicular) takes about an hour, plenty of time for a coffee and some mineralwasser mit gas.
After a brief stop back in Vitznau to disgorge the masses heading up the Rigi cog railway (Oldest in Europe!), we head across the lake to Beckenried.
Aside from being a short stop today, Beckenried is also where you can catch the cable car to Klewenalp, and thence to a huge variety of hikes from arduous peak and pass climbs to the delightful stroll to Stockhütte that we’ve done for more than ten years.
Tip: a lovely day trip takes you from Vitznau (or Luzern) via boat to Beckenried, cable car to Klewenalp, walk to Stockhütte, cable car or walk down to Emmeten, bus to the little lake (Seeli) for a swim, then bus, funicular, and boat back to Vitznau. A perfect itinerary for a hot summer day.
Back on board the Uri, we set out across the lake to Gersau, enjoying the view toward Brunnen to the east…
And the “back side” of Bürgenstock to the west.
After Gersau, the next and my final boat stop is Treib, below Seelisburg. As we cross back to the opposite shore, the clouds provide a dramatic view.
But that’s enough wordiness from me – let’s switch to gallery mode so the photos can tell the story.
I learned about skiing in Davos as a corporate spouse, tagging along in prior years during the World Economic Forum. In those relatively recent but bygone days, WEF took place in January, and its attendees and their entourages snapped up all the accomodations for miles around. That meant particularly empty ski slopes, and I enjoyed two trips there, skiing in blissful solitude.
After a couple of years off, WEF returned this year, but in May. Meanwhile, back in February, I was trying to plan a ski trip somewhere in the US, but the lodging and lift prices, as well as air fare (whether in dollars or miles) were a bit pricey (read: ridiculous) for my taste. “Hmm, what about Davos?” I decided on a bit of a whim to check for mileage award availability. IAD-ZRH nonstop for 60k miles and $12 in fees. Hmm. What about hotel? Six nights, single room in Davos by the station, $300, with breakfast. Not per night – six nights. Hmm. How about lift passes? Stowe or Killington, weekend day pass $175+. Davos, entire region, five days, $300.
That was, as we say, that.
Looked like rain this afternoon, but it cleared up by around five pm so I decided to go for my regular weekday ride, about 22 miles down Beach Drive and back via Ross Drive, Broadbranch, and through Chevy Chase Section Four and Bethesda back home.
Today I’m trying out posting from my phone, grabbing a few screenshots and a photo and writing a bit of text, all in preparation for a longer bike trip later this month.
To help prepare for the trip I’m shooting for about 100 miles a week. This week I got in an extra ride on the holiday weekend.
Lots of deer and rabbits out on these warm Summer days. Here’s a friend from today.
