After a rainy weekend the Indian Summer is coming - cold nights followed by glorious autumn sunshine during the day. Too cold for the high mountains, but ideal for a leisurely ride along some of the most famous (and some not-so-famous) river valleys of Europe.
It is 6° Celsius (42° F) when I wake up this morning. I don't mind that; cold temperatures are something a biker can protect against, at least to about near freezing. It is the scorching summer heat that is much more uncomfortable, at least until someone invents a full-body air conditioner for motorbikers.
By 10 am Tigger's wheels are rolling westwards towards Basel. That town is located on the Rhine river, but I'd say that simply crossing a river does not count for my quest to bike famous river valleys.
I am riding between the mountain ranges of the Jura on my left (south of me) and the Vosges on my right on the northern horizon.
At Médière I meet the first river whose valley I am following for many miles until it flows into the Saône near Chalon-sur-Saône; the Doubs river, here is a picture I made of that river near Baume-les-Dames:
In the afternoon the temperature climbs to 21 degrees - just perfect for biking (after I shed some of my extra layers of clothes that were very necessary in the cold air this morning). After 9 hours and over 500 km on the bike I reach my destination for today at 7 pm; the river Loire at Bourbon-Lancy where I stay overnight. This is an old Spa town and in spite of the late season the first two hotels I call are full. However, the popularity of this place with tourists also means that I have no problem finding a decent restaurant in town that is open on this Monday evening.
All in all this was a highly enjoyable ride today and I am looking forward to more of the same tomorrow.
The Loire valley outside the hotel is covered in thick fog this morning. The temperature is 8 degrees when I load the bike. Afterwards I have the usual French excuse for a breakfast - a small baguette with jam, a croissant and a cup of coffee. By 10 am I am under way, again pretty well stuffed with layers of clothes against the cold.
I follow the Loire river north-eastwards via Nevers to Bonny-sur-Loire for more than 100 km. I had expected rolling hills and fancy chateaus around every other corner, but out here the river looks much different from what I expected. Here is a picture I made of it near Fourchambault:
I also pass through the Sancerre region - the wine being made here is about as spectacular as the countryside of the Loire valley is uninspiring. But alas, the roads are great and empty and the weather is brilliant, so I shouldn't really complain about the countryside not being entirely up to expectations.
At Bonny-sur-Loire I turn north-eastwards towards Auxerre and Troyes. At Troyes I turn north and follow the Seine river for a while before heading East again along the Aube river.
At Saint-Dizier the road through the town is closed by the French Gendarmerie. Behind the cops I can see two Samu guys scraping the remnants of a scooter kid off the tarmac - I sure don't need a closer look at that, otherwise I won't enjoy my diner in the fine restaurant at Saint-Mihiel on the Meuse river where today's ride ends after another nine hours ride and 500 kilometres:
Another brilliant day. I am on the road by 9.30 am, heading northeast towards Thionville. I have plotted a stretch of about 2 km on the north shore of the Moselle river through Luxembourg - to fill my tank with the cheap petrol available there (though my US readers might find a price of just under 5 US dollars per Yankee gallon not entirely deserving of the "cheap" attribute).
I am now following the valley of the Mosel river (the German word for the same river called "Moselle" in French) towards Trier. The road initially is a bit crowded (or maybe I just think that after the wide, empty French country roads), but beyond that town the road is fairly empty and winds through the countryside. Here is a picture I made near Minheim:
People live in old-fashioned big stone mansions around here and the main income seems to be wine production. A very conservative area, though the kind of buildings under construction in some parts would be too conservative for most conservatives from other countries:
I leave the river valley after about 100 km and head over the Hunsrück mountains towards the Rhine valley which I reach at the town of St. Goar - on one of the nicest stretches of the river. I follow the river on the eastern shore all the way to Koblenz . From there on I continue north-eastwards for another 200 km until I reach my destination for today: Valme in the Sauerland region, the area being the source of the Ruhr river. By the time I arrive there it is 7.30 pm, just before sundown. The temperature is down to 10 degrees again, but after those ten hours and 500 km on the bike I'll sure sleep like a rock tonight whatever the temperature. When I enter my room I notice that both heaters are on at full blast...
The cars outside in the parking lot are frozen over this morning - luckily Tigger has spent the night tucked away in the garage of the guest house, otherwise I suppose the under-dimensioned bike battery might find it difficult to crank the engine into life.
After yesterdays long haul I take it easy today and have a late start at 10.30 am. Initially I am heading south-eastwards into Hesse towards the Eder reservoir - fellow Brits might know the place from the Dambusters...
150 km later I reach Bavaria and with it the river Main, which I follow for about 40 km. Here is a picture taken near Marktheidenfeld:
As you can see from the picture, it was already late in the afternoon when I reached the river. At Wertheim I leave the Main valley and head south-westwards into the Baden area and end the day at 7 pm after 420 km overlooking the Neckar river from the Neuburg castle at Obrigheim. The castle has been converted into a comfortable hotel, albeit one without a garage for motorbikes.
When I open the curtains of my hotel room this morning, this is the scenery that greets me:
I am off before 9.30 am - it is less than 400 km from here to my place in Switzerland. However, I encounter lots of road closures today. These closures used to annoy me quite a bit in years past, but these days I regard them more as a sporting challenge. The main rule of the challenge is simple; never follow the signposted diversion - those diversions usually sent the unsuspecting biker around the dark side of he moon, i. e. you end up driving endless miles through the sticks because those diversions must be designed with the heaviest vehicles in mind, meaning 40-tons articulated lorries.
It is usually possible to follow a local car or just consult the GPS map to find an alternative. Here is an example of bypassing a road closure at Bad Teinach on farm roads west of the town (the blue line is my route):
Aside from the road closures the ride through the Black Forest is sheer bliss. By 4 pm I am back home - and my 2015 autumn vacation is definitely over.
Here is the altitude profile of the journey:
Below is the usual map with my GPS tracklog.