Tessin Weekend

Last weekend a few friends and I visited Tessin for some camping and hiking. We arrived on Friday night, lit a fire, grilled, and had a couple of beer. We would have had more beer had our supply not been washed away by the river. I was responsible for cooling the beer, and did a terrible job of securing the bag in the river. I'm still beating myself up for this, but my friends were forgiving, and perhaps even thankful for saving them from a hangover the next morning. Yeah, right.

The next morning we drove an hour north to Lago di Luzzone where we parked the car and started our hike. The weather was perfect, and the scenery was, as always, absolutely spectacular. Although it was warm out, the strong winds forced me to wear a jacket and remove my hat. Unfortunately, I had forgot to put sunscreen on my forehead, which is now burnt and shiny red. Ouch!

We got back to the campsite just as it started to rain. We ditched the campfire idea and setup our tents instead. Magnus had this huge circus tent, which was perfect for lounging around and having a few beer while watching the lightning in the distance. The tent would have been nice to sleep in, but it didn't have a floor and water started to creep in from the sides. In a panic I had to repack my stuff and switch to another tent.

On Sunday morning we were lethargic and took our time leaving. We headed home and went for a short walk on the Lukmanier Pass. It was a fun weekend and my legs are still sore from the hike. This seems to be a pattern when hiking with Magnus!

Tour de Appenzell

Summer returned in time for the weekend. On Thursday I picked up my bike from the shop, and was giddy with anticipation. This weekend we were finally expecting sun, and it was too long ago since I last went mountain biking!

On Saturday morning I put on my gear and slapped on a layer of sunscreen. Deja vu. I thought back to the tours in June, but reminded myself that today wasn't going to be that easy. I wanted to push myself hard, really hard. This was to be hardest yet.

Tanja joined me for a part of the ride. She also loves to bike. I was very impressed that she worked until 2am the night before, and still had the energy to join me at 7:30 in the morning. For those who know Appenzell, our route went from St. Gallen - Speicher - Gäbris - Gais - Biseren (near Hoher Hirchberg) - Weisbad - Chamhalden (near Schwägalp) - Blattendürren - Jakobsbad - Gonten - Chuterenegg - Hundwilerhoehi - Hundwil - Stein - St. Gallen. Here's a Google Map (with photos) for the rest of you.

Wow! What a ride! The altitude profile is below, although I did cheat and walk the last 100m of the Hundwilerhoehi. I took a wrong turn somewhere that I had to correct by walking up a 40% grade (not to mention that it went through cow poop and I couldn't feel my legs). It was tough, but I'd do it again. I'd just skip the Hundwilerhoehi next time due to the steep descent and loose stones on the path. I think I got tendinitis from braking!

Next weekend camping and hiking in Tessin!

[ Some photos from the ride ]

Cold & Züri Fäscht

I never expected to find relief in a cold, but this time I did. The symptoms started on Friday, but I was worn out the entire week. I thought it was a reaction to returning to work after my holiday, but others suggested the drab weather. I don't blame the weather for my mood, so at least the cold gave me a scapegoat. Fortunately, it was a mild one.

On Friday night and Saturday I went to Züri Fäscht 2007 in Zürich. It was big city festival in the old town with bars, bands, food, midway rides, and people everywhere. Entertainment included air shows over the Zürisee, trapeze artists, motorcycle races, and diving expositions. The highlight for me was the incredible fireworks on Friday night. They were launched from four boats anchored in the lake, and were synchronized to a live orchestra playing The Moldau by Smetena, Pomp and Circumstance by Elgar, and two other orchestral pieces. It was beautifully choreographed: A crescendo in the music had a matching intensity of fireworks, with a massive explosion of light synchronized to the climax in the piece. It was spectacular!

Tour de Schwiiz 2007

On Wednesday a group of us completed our fourth annual Tour de Schwiiz bike tour through Switzerland. This year we cycled the national route #3 known as the "Nord-Sued" or "North-South" route. It's exactly that. It starts in the northern Swiss town of Basel and goes south over the St. Gotthard Pass into Tessin. Erik already wrote a good summary of the trip on his blog, so I won't bother reiterating his eloquent words. Enjoy!

Photos | Google Map (with photos) | Google Earth KML (with pictures)


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