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.