The ride begins!

Set my alarm for 07:30 again and woke up at 06:30. No worries. I got some good sleep in a comfortable bed. 

Packed up all my gear and went for breakfast where I met up with Neal and Janet again. 

Got my bike, did a final check of my room, topped off my water and headed to the train station to catch the 09:28 to Olberalpspasse. 

The train ride, as short as it was, convinced me I had made the right decision to not bike the ascent. Photos out the window were enough for me! 

Andermatt lies below the train route

Olberalpspasse! I'm at the top of the Alps! 

2,046 meters or 6,712 ft above sea level. 

At this elevation you can still find a little bit of snow. Luckily, none of it was on the road. The road was dry and beautiful and held the promise of lots of fun after my hike to the source of the Rhine. 

This is home to the highest lighthouse in the world! Being near the source of the Rhine, it is a scaled down version of the Rotterdam lighthouse that used to be at the mouth of the Rhine. It's record of service is astonishing. No ships have run aground here since it was installed. 

Well,things don't always go the way you plan. Plan on that when you travel! 

I had planned to hike back to the source of the Rhine from Olberalpspasse. This would be a 3+ hour hike added on to my biking. Counting on that, I booked a room in Disentis just 21 kilometers down from the pass. 

When I inquired about the trail I was told there was still too much snow and a chance of avalanches. Well, that can kind of dissuade.a person. So there are 3+ hours taken out of my journey. With only 21 kilometers to Disentis, it has made for a pretty short day of riding. 

Bonus was that the ride to Disentis was exciting and beautiful! Let me share some pictures with you. 

This is not a straight road!  I used the brakes liberally to avoid any troubles. 

This is how Strava recorded the first part of my ride. The green dot was the start. 

The ride never really leveled out but I did pass through some picturesque areas. 

That will cramp up your tongue. 

Do you complain about the price of gas? This is how much a liter of gas is in Switzerland! That figures up to about $8 per gallon! 

BTW, this whole section has been downhill! Hardly had to pedal. 

Check-in at the hostel isn't until 16:00 so I have some time to kill. I'll spend part of that time looking for the Nangijala Hostel and the rest exploring the town. 

.....

Checked in to my room and stored the bike in the bike garage. 

I'll wander down to the COOP store soon and get something for dinner and maybe something for breakfast. They don't serve breakfast here. 

Since today didn't even complete Stage 1 in my book, I plan on riding to Ilanz (end of stage 1) then on to Chur (end of stage 2. About 60k. That will get me back on track. 

Andermatt at last!

Tomorrow I will take the train up to Olberalpspasse, the official start of my ride. 

After a full continental breakfast at the guesthouse I headed downhill to Göschenen. I have to tell you, downhill on a sunny day is much better than uphill in the rain. 

I am eating food that i never thought I would. Along with yak burgers I have now had quail eggs with breakfast. Surprisingly they just taste like very small chicken eggs. Hard boiled and difficult to peel. 

Here is a size comparison. 

I made a reservation at the hotel Bergidyll in Andermatt but, not knowing long it would take to get to the train station, I waited till I was at the station to book a ticket. 

Here is some of what I saw on my way to the Göschenen station. 

Farewell gausthaus! 

I wish I could include the magical sound of the cowbells 

Switchbacks. I'm glad I have good disc brakes

Road block! 

This one is for you Lyndon

I was able to get my train to Andermatt and load the bicycle on, and then a few minutes later a group came on and they all had bikes. It was a crowd! 

It was a short ride to Andermatt, but like every place else in Switzerland, it was all uphill. I'm glad I took the train! 

I had considered riding the bike up to Olberalpspasse, but after taking a look at this map and seeing that it was a 600 meter climb, i thought better of that. One more train ride! 

Check-in wasn't until 15:00 so I rode around town for some sight seeing. 

Alas Babylon...

Nice car! 

This is actually a human powered bicycle. Not sure but it may have 3 wheels. 

And now it is time to check into my hotel

Nice room

Had a nice call with Susan. Because of the 8 hour time difference she was just eating breakfast! 

After settling in I asked the manager how to get to The Devil's Bridge. I had read about this place and the ferocious battle between Russian and Napoleon's French forces there in 1799. Turned out it's was just a 30 minute walk from town and so I set off. I did remember Strava this time. 

You can read the history and legend of the bridge at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sch%C3%B6llenen_Gorge

This painting depicts the historic battle. BTW, Napoleon lost the fight

I spent quite a bit of time at the bridge area

The Devil's Bridge is the lowerer one. The higher one is the railroad bridge emerging from a tunnel. 

The villagers tricked the devil into building the bridge. Read the legend. 

The river rages through the gorge

Russian monument (carved out of stone) to commemorate the battle. It was carved 100 years after the event. See the people for scale. 

Who's that good looking guy? 

Climbers on a Via Ferrata next the monument

There he is again!  This time in a tunnel under the railroad bridge

Train from Göschenen exiting tunnel 

And then I headed back to town and dinner. At dinner I met Neal and Janet from Scotland who currently live in Switzerland. We had a wonderful chat about a number of topics ranging from food to the Royal family to politics on both sides of the pond. They are staying at the same hotel as me so I might see them at breakfast. 

BTW, Sean Connery, 007, and crew stayed here when they filmed part of Goldfinger nearby. My new friends are staying in the "Sean Connery" room. 

That's all for now. See you tomorrow.