Touring Center Alps - Hazzlefree Alpine Motorcycling
Chantal & Alain from Canada - they where already one time in tour with Edelweiss- , Raphael from Detroit and Guillermo from Panama, decided to prepare their riding skills a bit for the tour! So we said Hello at the Edelweiss Riding School, where you learn to deal with the different challenges on riding a motorcycle on alpine roads. They all did great during the day and in the evening we learned to know all the others: Diane & Michael - also from Canada and Kent from the States.
For today we ordered very good weather. The roads lead us to Bavarias/Germany Lake Walchen, then along the old hillclimb race course Kesselberg to Lake Kochel and further on King Ludwigs Palace Linderhof. An amazing jewel box of a palace - full of gold and simply overwhelming. After lunch besides the shores of LakePlan we rode nice and winding roads through Nameless Valley and took then our 1st Alpine Pass - the Hahntennjoch - before we returned to our Hotel in Seefeld.
Today we leave off to higher grounds: Timmelsjoch and Jaufenpass Mountain Passes lead us up to 2.500 metres - amazing. And the old smugglers - route has besides the impressive curves two certain highlights: The Timmelsjoch - Motorcycle Museum on passes summit in over 2.000 metres and the birthplace of the tyrolean heroe of napoleonic wartimes Andreas Hofer in St. Leonhard in Passeier. We had quite dry, sometimes foggy weather conditions until Brenner Pass, where it started to pour down catsndogs!
Upcoming humidity today - doesn't matter anyway cause everybody is in a good mood. Also some small repairs in the rain - no problem. On Ziller Valley Mountain Road we decided to turn back it got simply too wet. So we rode to Lake Achen and afterwards via Isar Valley and Vorderriß back to Seefeld where we took a nice boot-bear to balance wetness levels in and outside our bodies - Cheeeeers!
Looking out of the window: Oups --- SNOW just some metres above. But the weather - quite cold - developed very okay, a mix of clouds and blue skies, together with the snow covered mountains just mindblowing. First Stop the Sunken Church at Reschensee, then to Italys smallest Town Glurns/Glorenza - a complete wall surrounded midevial town and from ther just a few kilometres to Switzerlands Müstär, with its Unesco World Heritage Abbey Son Jon di Müstär. Founded in 775 a.c. it hoards marvellous freskos of that time. Full with impression we headed back to Seefeld via Kaunerberg an Gacher Blick in front of the Kaunertal-Glaciers.
From Seefeld a short ride to Innsbruck and up to the Hungerburg - Fog & Rain up there - so we decided for a walk through the old town of Innsbruck, to the Goldenes Dachl and a short visit at the Hofkirche and Palace. Via Bergisel we headed to the Kühtai summit - it was drizzling there - nearly snowfall:-) - exactly the right time to warm up in Dorfstadl Restaurant behind the warm oven and enjoying some mmmmmhm!! Kaiserschmarrn. Time flew by and after a short visit at Edelweiss-Headquarters, we met for our Farewell Dinner at the Hotel in Seefeld to exchange all tour memories and adresses! Good bye Chantal, Diane, Alain, Raphael, Mike, Kent and last but not least Guillermo! We had a very pleasent time - Thank you, Cheers! Felix