Slow and Easy to Solothurn

To Solothurn, Switzerland -- 41.3 miles, 12.4 mph, 625 ft

We awoke to cloudy skies this morning, the rumble of thunder having lulled us to sleep the night before. The prospect of a wet day was not terribly motivating. Still, we were packed and ready to go by 9:45.  Meg invested $28 in eleven of the incredibly tasty ham and cheese croissants from the on-site bakery. Given the price of restaurant food, we figured that was a bargain.

Today's route paralleled the Jura mountains to the north and a couple large lakes (Neuchatel and Bielersee) to the south.  With no hills or major route disruptions, the miles quickly passed behind us. By noon we were over halfway and found a nice grassy park at the end of Bielersee Lake. We even scored a table outside a closed restaurant. Dex and Kylie had a serious discussion regarding their next Minecraft creations and later tried out the fancy inclined lazy Susan at the playground.

The rest of the day flew by under cloudy but dry skies with light pedaling and smooth roads. The hundreds of well-marked bike paths in Switzerland has made it absolutely spectacular for biking.

A few days ago, we had arranged another WarmShowers stay for the evening. Since our host, Michael, would not be home from work until 5:00, we were in the unusual situation of having two and a half hours to fritter away. We pulled to a stop near some open-air restaurants in town deciding what to do when we were approached by a woman inquiring whether we were staying in town for the night. Turns out, she was Michael’s wife and surmised we were the evening’s guests. Guess there aren't too many English speaking families of four biking through town. 

We offered to pick up food for dinner and agreed to meet her (Ruth) and Michael after 5:00. Google helped us find the nearest Coop supermarket, our new favorite food store, though first, we needed some gelato to boost our energy reserves. 

We met Ruth and Michael as planned. They seemed genuinely pleased to have Dex and Kylie around, who are similar in age to a couple of their five grandchildren (a sixth on the way). Ruth shared pictures with Meg of their eminently practical wedding six years ago -- they combined the wedding ceremony with their move across the road to their new home together. Meanwhile, Michael showed me the route he had just completed on his beloved recumbent bike from Switzerland to the Baltic Sea. A software engineer for the railway system, Michael also explained the details of Open Street Map -- an open source, on-line map editable by anyone (similar to Wikipedia). Most importantly, he showed me how to use it to find all the recognized bike routes in Europe! Totally awesome (cycling.waymarkedtrails.org).

Ruth and Michael were absolutely fantastic. It was a real treat for us to be in their beautiful flat while enjoying a home cooked meal and their wonderful company for the evening as the kids played with the games and puzzles normally reserved for their grandchildren. Thank you, Ruth and Michael.

The Best Day Ever

Neuchatel, Switzerland -- Rest Day

Hi, this is Dex again. When I woke up today in the tent, I was drowsy but well rested; and then I remembered -- IT'S A REST DAY!!!!!!"  Kylie and I got dressed, then set out for the chess board.

The pieces were huge, and we loved smashing our pieces into each other.  When everyone from the almost useless pawns to the brave Queens were fighting, it was super exciting.

After breakfast, we all went kayaking.  I was with Dad, and Kylie was with Mom.  It was a beautiful day, and we had one hour out on the lake.  It was amazing how smooth it was.  Dad and I were much faster after we quit hitting each others paddles.

Right after lunch -- and some great games of ping pong -- Mom and Dad decided to go into town (Neuchatel).  They left Kylie and me at the tent, entrusting us with 20 francs and a phone.  The first thing we did was go to the pool, which was shallow and cold, but fun because there were lots of swim noodles.  Then, we got some ice cream cones.  Kylie had white chocolate and strawberry and I got lemon and coconut.  They were delicious. Next, we went to the beach.  We tried to dig the deepest hole in the sand, but the sand was pretty rocky, so we had some trouble. When we were done, we walked back to the campground just in time to see Mom and Dad coming back.  They had a good time in town shopping for groceries.

Then, we talked Mom and Dad into going paddle boarding.  I was with Mom this time.  It was fun putting my feet in the cool water.  Later I started paddling and even beat Dad back to shore.  The rest of the day, we played more chess and climbed on the jungle gym.  It was the best day ever.

Komoot Redeems Itself

To Neuchatel, Switzerland -- 44.9 miles, 11.0 mph, 2525 ft

Somehow, we can't seem to get going early. Our late departures beget late arrivals, which seem to discourage the next day's early departure. Also, today was tire-inflation, chain-lube, and screw-replacement time -- the second missing screw for my front rack. We were rolling at 11:00.

Julien snuck out before we were out of our sleeping bags.

As seems to be the case with WarmShowers, you tend to implicitly trust the members of the “community”. Last night, he handed us the keys, showed us how to make coffee, offered us food in his mini fridge, and explained where to leave the keys when we left. Julien is the consummate outdoorsman (swimming, biking, rock climbing) and bachelor. The only dishes were those in the dry rack.

View to Lake Geneva

The route leaving the lake turned right and started up in earnest. The earliest part wound its way along steep bricked walking streets crowded with shoppers. I heard a few, atypical groans from Kylie. After the five mile climb, we turned onto one of the many Swiss national bike routes, Route 22. The scenery was absolutely beautiful -- idyllic farms, forests, hills -- reminded me of a pristine version of the North Bay or parts of Western Oregon. It didn't hurt that the sun was shining and the temperature was in the mid 70’s.

We had lunch in a small town we came across around 1:00. Nothing was opened, so we settled down in a parking lot. Dex and Kylie’s primary interest was playing with the mini Volkswagen Beetle they got in another KinderEgg yesterday. Meg and I had been noticing how neat and tidy the roads, farms, and towns have been -- trimmed hedges, smooth roads, neat and bright flower boxes. It makes for easy miles and smooth sailing.

The rest of the day was uneventful. We abandoned the beautiful Swiss Route 22 for the last ten miles after an unwelcomed, heart-pounding hill that forced Meg and Dex onto their feet. Similar to Lake Geneva, the hillsides were lined with vineyards.

Our home for the next two days will be the Paradis Plage Campground at the edge of Lake Neuchatel -- market, jungle gym, kiddie pool, ping pong tables, bocci ball court, kayak rentals, small beach, market and way overpriced restaurant (as we found out this evening). When you order pasta for $9 and the sauce is an extra $5, you know you're in Switzerland. Bienvenue.

After six days of riding from Asti, Italy, I think we're all ready for a day off. The kids wasted no time tackling the jungle gym while Meg and I set up camp and took a walk near the lake. Before we left, I had imagined consistent family teamwork setting up and breaking down camp. Hmm, somehow it hasn't usually worked out that way. On the other hand, I'm guessing the extra sleep and play time Dex and Kylie get pay untold dividends along the way.

Slow Start to Lausanne

To Lausanne, Switzerland -- 45.4 miles, 12.3 mph, 850 ft

Today, we had a very slow start. It was beautiful, sunny, and slightly cool -- the first time I've dug out my fleece jacket firmly buried at the bottom of my pannier. The campground, though right in town, was nestled up against incredibly steep, tree-covered hills.  We've decided that, geologically speaking, the Alps must be pretty young given that they haven't seemed to have worn down too much -- steep and jagged.

At the summit yesterday, we had heard from an American couple about two main attractions in Martigny -- the Picasso Gallery and the St. Bernard Museum... with ten St. Bernard puppies. There was little doubt which of those two we'd be visiting. The puppies and big, old St. Bernard’s were the stars of the show.

Tired mama

As a result of the museum visit, we didn't finally get rolling until noon. That still seemed ok since we were headed to Lausanne today following the Rhone River, 45 miles away. Although Komoot showed a bunch of climbing at the end of the day near Lake Geneva, I was pretty sure I could override Ms. Cranky’s voice commands and stick closer to shore.

Despite the beautiful, single lane bike paths and gentle grades, our legs still felt like lead from the ride yesterday.

After 15 miles, I’d had enough and needed to eat. I am still dismayed at the fact that Dex and Kylie seem to have limitless energy and hardly eat when we stop. They jumped off the bikes and ran toward the river to play a game dropping sticks and leaves into the current, and were content with a couple pieces of cheese and a packet of broken biscotti wafers. I, on the other hand, was famished, still working on a deficit from yesterday. Between Meg and I, we finished the peanuts, cheese, and a package of sliced prosciutto. The only thing left was a container of honey, which I promptly started squirting into my mouth.

Ten miles up the road, we stopped at a shopping center to replenish our food supplies. I had been fantasizing about a soda for miles (not normally like me). Meg and I were lured to the McDonald's like zombies. We're starting to get the hang of the big, self-order touch screens. A cheeseburger, fries, two unadulterated 1/2 liter Cokes (no ice for me), and a large chocolate sundae, and I was feeling all kinds of better. Finally, what I'd been craving -- sugar!

Meg let our WarmShowers host know our 5:30 arrival would be closer to 6:30. He took advantage of our late arrival to take a swim in the lake on his way home. Sticking to the main road along the lake, the last 20 miles zipped by. We all seemed to be feeling good as we powered along the undulating road, orchards on the steep hills to the right, and beautiful Lake Geneva and the Alps to the left.

I was amazed to see a huge crowd on the street as we rode the last block to Julien's, conveniently located a stone's throw from the lake. He met us on the sidewalk as we pulled up -- 6:30 on the nose. The crowd was assembled at the giant, big screen TV set up for the Italy vs. Spain game, already in progress. A gigantic roar let us know that someone had scored. Julien, apparently not a huge soccer fan, explained that that would be Italy, as there were far more Italian fans in this area. After the big win, the horn honking and flag waving continued for what seemed like days.

Once math homework and showers were done, Dex accompanied Julien to the corner market for dinner fixings. Julien had already mentioned some of the cycle touring he had done. One incredible trip traversed most of South America -- Patagonia to Lima! Every time we asked about some part of the world, it seemed he had already cycled there. For dinner, Julien led us to a quieter spot along the shore (where he normally swims), and we had a delicious, peaceful meal of salad, bread, cheese, prosciutto, and cookies. Another good day.