"Throw anotha shrimp on the barbie...!"

Welcome to Austria! And happy Easter to all you gentiles out there paying attention to my non-sense...

First off, I have taken the most excellent "pose pick" yet. But before you scroll down and have a look, take a second and read about my most recent adventures..

Yesterday's travels had me riding from Munich to Füssen, and then from Füssen to Innsbruck, capital of the western Austrian state of Tyrol...and I think it was one of the most amazing pieces of Earth I've ever crossed. The relatively flat land around Munich slowly started to roll into bigger and bigger hills, occupied mostly by green grass and grazing cows. Lakes lay between the farms and probably help account for the verdure of early early spring in Bavaria. Finally, as I crested one of the small hills, soaring mountains erupted into view, and I felt a warm welcome to the Bavarian Alps! From there, I spotted my first destination on the day's ride, though it was just a dot on the mountain from where I was... Neuschwanstein Castle, built by "Mad" King Ludwig II in the mid 1800s. RIDIC. Take a look at the photo. My words surely can't do it justice...

My first peek at the Alps...

 

Neuschwanstein Castle, from a bridge in the mountain pass behind it

From there I continued on into the mountains, passing soaring peaks and valley rivers that seemed to direct the autobahn along its way. If you were a fly on the wall of my helmet (and had somehow avoided meeting your maker on my visor instead) you'd have heard me flexing my golden pipes to the tune of John Denver's "The Eagle and the Hawk" in all my off-key glory. Youtube link to the classic, for those of you out of this relatively obscure loop....here. Youtube to my version...thankfully doesn't exist. As for the mountains, I have no words....enjoy the photos.

The steed waits patiently to cross into Österreich (Austria)!

 One of many small, roadside chapels...

 The range that I had just passed through...

The twisting/turning hairpin road that led me to Austria and then down into Innsbruck was, at moments, positively terrifying (like when the guardrail stopped, but the 900 foot drop behind it didn't). For the most part though, it was the kind of ride that this trip was hoping to find..."guten riding" at its best. I arrived late in Innsbruck at my first camping ground, where amateur camping experience had me a) unsure how to anchor my tent b) tip my bike over and c) make a flippin' racket in the meantime. I finally hunkered down in my suspect set-up and awoke to a view of the Austrian Alps (and my neighbors RV, but that's irrelevant).

I've since ridden to Bolzano where I've set up shop (much more efficiently this time) at my second camp site. The weather is 70 and sunny and I need to get out and enjoy this part of the world before writing any longer...

But wait. Before I do...the thing you've all been waiting for...POSE PIC!

At Neuschwanstein...an absolute classic!

I'll post again tonight (possibly just photos).


Schedule:
Leaving tomorrow to meet longtime friend Julia DeWahl for a 3-4 day adventure in Milan and the lakes region. Can't wait!