Thunderbird Tour With Colin

A fellow biking friend asked for directions around Tirol at the start of the year.
I said I'd join him.

And so the adventure began....

Planning routes in Google Maps

Maps were bought...

And then I got a text message on the evening before he should have boarded the ferry!

Hi Lee,
Sorry mate, bad news I'm afraid. I won't be coming over in the ferry any time soon. Some stupid **** ran up my arse as I was waiting at a junction. Sorry for putting you out and not bringing over the beer I promised you.

Bugger!
So the real adventure began...

It ended up that I would ride up to Baden-Bade to meet him and then ride back down to Bad Zurzach the next day through the Black Forest together.


Here at Schonach at the World's biggest Kuckucksuhr / Cuckoo Clock.


We stayed at the Hotel Etol.
A FANTASTIC place in the middle of Baden-Baden.

Baden-Baden is a wonderful place.

The ride through the Black Forest was great.

The next day I took Colin over the Bruenig Pass...

Then onto the Aareschlucht - which he really liked.

From there we rode over the Sustenpass...

And finally back home.

Alpine Tour - Thunderbird

Well I'm back....
And I'm buggered....

A days tour of around 385 km / 240 miles.
I know it doesn't sound all that much but I did accumulate a height difference of well over 6'300 meters / 20'670 feet.
And the 'Bird loved EVERY minute of it :-)

It all started when they - the weather experts - claimed that today was going to be one of the last 'good' days! So I seized the opportunity and took the day off work to ride over some of our passes before they get snow covered.

I did 5 passes, one of them I rode over twice, to enable me to get back home more directly and before the sun went down :Smiley:

So the passes were
(in order of travel)
1) Brünigpass 1'008 m
2) Sustenpass 2'224m
3) Furkapass 2'431m
4) Grimselpass 2'165m
5) Brünigpass 1'008 m







And here you go - some of my Mobile Phone Pics with help from the Vignette software.
hope you like

Now then...
That there stone - The Teufelsstein (Devils Stone) - behind my 'Bird was actually thrown down from the Gotthard pass by the Devil! He must be strong 'cos that thing weighs 220 tons!!!

The story goes:
Wikidepia says:
According to a local myth, building the first bridge was very hard and so the Devil himself agreed to build it. The condition attached to the construction was that the Devil would get the soul of the first to pass over the bridge. So, when the bridge was finished, people chased a goat over the bridge.
Angered by the trick, the Devil went to pick up a large stone (called Teufelsstein, the Devil's Stone) in order to smash the bridge to pieces. On his way to the bridge however, he encountered an old believing woman with a cross. Scared of the cross, he left the stone and fled.
The devil's stone weighs 220 tons and stands near Goeschenen.


So now you know!

Here's the Bridge:

And here's the modern bridge build above it a little:

Here's a painting on the side of the house by the bridge:

You can see the devil and a goat on the bridge - behind the goat is then a stage-coach.

And to top it all off - while riding the last pass I had a fellow T'Bird rider following me!
At the next junction he pulled up aside me and asked if I'd pull over - he had some questions!

He loved the TT-Bars, Chrome wheels, and Back Bag!

So that was it!
Hope you liked.

Now it's time for a shower and bed!