Autumn 2005

Autumn has been stunning. We had another beautiful weekend and this meant getting outside for a hike and a bike ride. Daylight saving time ended on Sunday and left me depressed. The reduced daylight hours marks the end of the warm months and the start of the coming winter. I'm looking forward to winter, but not finishing work when it's pitch dark outside.

On Saturday I joined Rahel, Karin, and Bryan for a hike around Wattwil (google earth). I found the hike information on the Kantonal St. Gallische Wanderwege website that proposes a hundred different hikes in the kanton of St. Gallen. I'm surprised that I hadn't found this site earlier.

On Sunday I went cycling through St. Gallen, Stein, Appenzell, Gais, Teufen, Speicher, and back to St. Gallen (google earth). I saw many cows and kept marveling at how gorgeous Appenzellerland is. What I didn't see were chickens. I believe the Swiss government has passed law requiring chickens to remain indoors in fear of the bird flu. Most of the ride was on designated bike routes that were shared with the main roads. I dislike riding on roads but fortunately the traffic was light. All-in-all it was a perfect weekend.

Maceo and Appenzellerland

What a great weekend. On Friday night I joined six friends for a Maceo Parker concert at the Herisau Casino. It was a small and intimite venue. I'm not a big fan of funk music but I know what I like. Parker was a key member of the J.B.'s band (the backing band of James Brown) and was apparently a favourite of James Brown. The show ran nonstop for three hours and included older tunes from the J.B.'s and tunes that I've never heard before. All-in-all it was a fantastic show.

On Saturday and Sunday I joined Rahel, Nicole, and Erwan for a hike from Wildhaus to Brulisau (photos | google earth) that included an overnight in an SAC (Swiss Alpine Club) berghuette. The hike was strenuous but had the most beautiful views over Appenzellerland. I don't think I fully appreciate how gorgeous this area is. I picked up a few maps and plan to return with snowshoes this winter. The overnight in the mountain hut was pleasant and included a barbeque and a game of cards. We had long spoken of doing this hike and it was fun to finally do it.

Seen-Route #9

This weekend I cycled two days and a 160km (110km + 50km) on national route #9, the "Seen-Route" that extends from Rorschach to Montreux (google earth). I went alone since my girlfriend was having a girls-only weekend somewhere on the other side of the country. The trip was uneventful except for the exceptional beauty of Switzerland that was augmented by the autumn colours. The weather was chilly which probably was why the route was void of other cyclists. No complaints. I spent the night at the Seehof Hotel in Walenstadt where I had a delicious dinner and beer while watching the sunset over the lake. I'm nursing some pains in my right foot, but that should be better in a day. This was probably the last ride of the season.

Technorati Tags: switzerland cycling biking

Rittern and Ebenalp

We're having a second summer. On Saturday I loaded my GPS with the coordinates of the Rittern bike tour and took the train to the starting point in Ebnat-Kappel. The scenery and weather was absolutely stunning. I wore bike shorts and daydreamed of living in such a beautiful area. The climb was killer but lead to a fun and steep downhill.

On Sunday Rahel and I went hiking on Ebenalp in Appenzellerland. There were an overwhelming number of people and this contradicted half our reason for going hiking. What I didn't know was that Ebenalp is a very popular paragliding spot. The sky was a kaleidoscope of colour as gliders zipped back and forth. It was a sore hike but well worth it. The scenery consisted of a mountain range, a valley below, and sprouts of fall colours. We missed our train but got a ride to Appenzell after hitchhiking for 30 seconds. In Appenzell There we had a delicious cheese fondue. It was the perfect end to the day.

I finally got over a cold and a mild case of shingles. If you're wondering what shingles is, this website states:

Shingles (herpes zoster) are an outbreak of rash or blisters on the skin that is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox - the varicella-zoster virus....When the varicella-zoster virus reactivates, the virus moves back down the long nerve fibers that extend from the sensory cell bodies to the skin and cause the characteristic blisters of shingles.

A misconception is that shingles is contagious. It's not. I understand that the virus is reactivated when your immune system is compromised. This may have been a side effect of my cold, but perhaps it was due to my bike accident. The outbreak was exactly where I bruised myself.

The entire thing was an annoyance that was just compounded by the cold. I spent a week at home and happily came back to work on Tuesday. It was a needed cure for my cabin fever. This weekend I'm planning some overdue time outdoors either hiking, biking, or hopefully both.