Everywhere Virtually

The time had come to depart Linz. It was a return to the excitement of travelling into the unknown. I had a plan and was determined to stick to it after the deviations I had made on the way down. My Austrian hosts thought it strange that I should formulate a plan and then not stick to it. Knowing my family background though would have given them insight. The adventure of having a plan and then deviating off piste was part of the fun. That said it could also be frustrating, annoying and chaotic.

So I set about loading the bike up. As I don’t have a pannier system I use a waterproof Ortlieb holdall. It’s great in it’s own way but I can never pack it the same way twice. So of course this ate up precious time. Eventually I was ready for the off and I said my goodbyes. I waved as I rode down the street and then it occurred to me that it would be prudent if I filled up on petrol and checked my tire pressures.

In the ever increasing heat I faffed around with an immobile and unfamiliar garage tyre inflater. Eventually I was ready to roll when I noticed I had many missed calls and text messages. Apparently I had left my sleeping bag behind. As I was at the Shell station at the end of the road it was no big deal. Had I discovered this mishap later in the day it would have been a big problem.

I was not in the mood to unload the bike and pack the sleeping bag away so I strapped it to the bike. As it was hot, rain was unlikely at this stage. I said my goodbyes once again and I set off. I rode west out of Linz and followed signs towards Salzburg.

I didn’t specify a route. I knew I wanted to get to Frieberg im Breisgau and go via Innsbruck but that was essentially it. I used the autobahn for large sections of the way and knew that Salzburg was close to the German border having skied near there many times before.

I headed into Germany and then saw signs for Munich. I knew I was heading north. After a while I wasn’t happy with this direct route and routed the sat nav on a more westerly track. I rode past lake Chiemsee and then approached the Alps.

I saw rain to the north but thankfully my route to Innsbruck was taking me away from it. It was an amazing experience. There I was riding through the Alps on a motorbike in the sunshine. You can’t recreate that feeling. Even when you look back on photos or video. It’s just too grand and magnificant to capture.

I approached Innsbruck and the sun to the west was now a very mellow yellow. I checked the time and began to realise that getting to Frieberg for a sensible time was not going to happen. The sat nav gave me an ETA of 11pm. I had booked a campsite but even so, pitching a tent in the dark is no fun. I also had a feeling it would be raining in the Black Forest. Also on my mind was the cost of a Swiss Vignette. Unlike Austria the Swiss want you to buy a Vignette for the year even if you are just transiting their country for a day. I got caught out by this when I was a resort manager for a ski company in 2000 I was travelling from Meribel to Geneva airport and needed to go to the Swiss side of the airport from the French side and got stiffed for one of these vignettes even though I was only using the autobahn for a few Km’s.

So when I saw signs for “CH” ie “sCHweiz” I took the exit and followed signs to Germany. It wasn’t long before I had a smile on my face. The road narrowed and climbed dramatically up into the mountains. The air cooled and the F800GS ate up the road. Even fully loaded it took the sharp hairpin bends of the Zirlerbergstrasse in it’s stride. Firmly planted on the tarmac I left a procession of camper vans and heavy touring bikes behind. The mountain was all mine to enjoy in total solitude.

I rode on through some magnificent scenery and winding roads. From a long way off I spotted a large mountain with a glacier and was blissfully unaware of it’s name and whether it was in Germany or Austria. The mountain loomed large and got ever closer. I continued on and dropped into a very nice ski town called Garmisch-Patenkirchen. Again my knowledge of this area was scant but I could tell it was an Olympic ski town from it’s large ski ramp and the also that the fact that the town looked wealthy. A number of people were wearing traditional Bavarian dress and the ambience was very nice. I couldn’t really stop aside from a photo stop.

The clouds continued to roll in, the sun was fading fast and it was getting cold. I pushed on out of town towards a village called Grainau. I passed out of Grainau onto a forested road than ran alongside a glacial river and railway line. Fog was forming and the temperature was now down to 12c. These were UK temperatures and I wasn’t wearing the right gear at this point. It was raining on the mountains ahead and I stopped by the railway line and made a very decisive judgement call. I would not ride for another 4 hours into the unknown. Into rain, darkness and the prospect of getting thoroughly miserable. I figured that if I got cold my concentration would deteriorate and that’s when accidents happen.

I turned around and headed back into Grainau. I had spotted an Aldi supermarket and a campsite opposite earlier and this was to be my home for the night.

I paid my money to a very Brusque German woman. I thought my broken German might have annoyed her but alas she was just as blunt to the two German lads that wanted camping Gaz.

I pitched my tent on some rocky ground and by 9pm was done. A guy wandered over and I wasn’t immediately sociable but I knew the main point of conversation would be the bike. This bike is like a magnet for middle aged men. If you are a young woman with a penchant for middle aged men or you’re gay you need a bike like this! It’s like honey to bees.

We got chatting about bikes and he and his Dutch wife were touring on a CBR I think. He kindly offered me a couple of beers and I sat in their tent chatting about life, bikes and travel. By 10pm a thunderstorm was in full swing and I knew then I had made the right choice to stop.

I returned to my tent at 11pm to find that it was sitting on a rocky island surrounded by a moat of muddy water. This was the second best choice of the evening. I read a little and then drifted off to sleep. It was a relatively short ride today but the scenery was amazing.

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