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.