2002 European Motorcycle Tour
June 11, 2002 Forcella Lavardet, Italy.
Forcella Lavardet (1542 m asl) lies on route 465 between the towns of Santo Stefano di Cadore and Comeglians. Just prior to approaching Forcella Lavardet from the east, you are left with no choice but to turn south taking you over Sella di Razzo and Valico di Cima Ciampigotto, unless you plan to drive down a narrow poorly maintained gravel road that is washed out in sections which is where the above photo was taken. I drove down as far as the washed out bridge that crosses the river. There, three German riders on serious enduros were a bit surprised to see a street bike coming up behind them. They pushed their bikes under power across the river which is where I drew the line and quit. The bridge pictured above was a few hundred meters up from the end of the road where I turned around.
June 11, 2002 Sella di Razzo, Italy.
After my run down the gravel road to Forcella Lavardet and back to the intersection in the road, another four kilometers south and you'll come across Sella di Razzo (1760 m asl). Another few kilometers from Sella di Razzo and you'll come across Valico di Cima Ciampigotto (1797 m asl) on route 619 while heading towards the town of Lozzo di Cadore.
June 11, 2002 Lago di Barcis, Italy.
Heading east on route 251 from Longarone over Passo di San Osvaldo (842 m asl), takes you past the town of Barcis lying on Lago di Barcis. Yes, the water is that colour.
June 13, 2002 Jaufenpass, Italy.
The Jaufenpass (2094 m asl) lies between the towns of Sterzing and St. Leonhard i. Passeier. I would have to say that the best part of this pass lies between the pass itself and the town of St. Leonhard i. Passeier. This is where I came across a group of riders participating in an Edelweiss tour. I later met two of them at the 2002 BMW MOA Rally in Trenton, Ontario.
June 13, 2002 Ofenpass, Switzerland.
Just as I was pulling into the parking lot of the Ofenpass (2149 m asl), another rider came up from behind asking me who I was. I never forget a face and I think John Hermann may have been a bit surprised that I recognized him. John is pictured standing next to me and was joined by three other riders from the US. John is the author of "Motorcycle Journeys Through the Alps and Corsica", one of the few books on this subject in the English language.
June 13, 2002 Passo Torri di Fraele, Italy.
A few kilometers west of the town of Bormio, a road leads up from Premadio up to Passo Torri di Fraele (1941 m asl). After a few kilometers, the road turns to gravel taking you up countless hairpins to the location pictured. Before reaching the pass, the road takes you through two short tunnels carved into the edge of the mountain behind me. From there a drive takes you around Lago di Cancano and Lago di San Giacomo. The two lakes are separated by a massive dam that can be driven across.
June 13, 2002 Lago di Cancano, Italy.
It may be a lake, but it is a dry one at that. Directly behind me, a steep drop off runs along the length of this road. Keep your eyes on the road as they say. Lago di San Giacomo is behind the dam pictured. The complete run up from Premadio around Lago di San Giacomo and back was approximately 40 kilometers of dusty gravel road. I met up with numerous large dump trucks coming from the quarry at the edge of Lago di San Giacomo. Needless to say, their tires rutted the hairpin corners.
June 14, 2002 Albula Pass, Switzerland.
I had been up on the Albula Pass (2315 m asl) during my 2000 tour, but didn't get the view I was blessed with under these crystal clear skies. The last time I was up on this pass, it was cold and damp due to the pass being within cloud cover.
June 14, 2002 Albula Pass, Switzerland.
Portions of the north ramp of this pass road hugs the edge of the mountain high above the gorge below. The road behind me is the norm as far as the width goes. There is the odd area where one can park to take in the views. Not a stretch that you'd want to make a mistake on.
June 14, 2002 Julierpass, Switzerland.
The view from the Julierpass (2284 m asl).
June 14, 2002 Passo del Bernina, Switzerland.
Passo del Bernina (2330 m asl) lies between the towns of Pontresina and Poschiavo in Switzerland. Just east of the pass, a road tees off to the north and leads over Forcella di Livigno (2315 m asl) into the town of Livigno. Livigno is where I've made my home base twice so far simply because of its location and also because it is a tax free zone. Gas prices are roughly half of what they are anywhere else. From Livigno, the Malojapass, Julierpass, Albulapass, Fluelapass, Ofenpass, Passo d'Eira, Passo di Foscagno, Pass Umbrail, the Stilfser Joch and Passo di Gavia are easily reached during day rides.
June 15, 2002 Passo Mortirolo, Italy.
Just above the town of Tirano, Italy are a series of roads that lead up to Passo Mortirolo (1851 m asl). All the roads leading up to the pass and down to the various towns are simply incredible. They are narrow and twisty. The road running from the town of Trivigno to Passo Mortirolo offers exceptional views into the valleys below.
June 15, 2002 East of Passo Mortirolo, Italy.
Heading down from Passo Mortirolo to the east, the road forks. The road to the right heads down into the town of Monno, Italy. Although the road to the left ends up in a dead end, it offers some spectacular scenery and is worth taking. The only traffic I came across were parked cars, those of hikers.
June 17, 2002 Klausenpass, Switzerland.
The Klausenpass (1952 m asl) lies between the towns of Altdorf and Glarus in Switzerland. The road from Altdorf is the typical road you'd find in the Alps until you get to a very nice section that hugs the edge of the mountain and twists back and forth while climbing up to the pass itself. The last part of this section of road can just be seen ending in the center of the photograph.
June 17, 2002 Klöntaler See on the Pragelpass, Switzerland.
The road heading west from Glarus, Switzerland leads over the Pragelpass (1550 m asl). Shortly after departing Glarus, the road follows along the north shore of the Klöntaler See before slowly climbing up to the pass. This road is extremely narrow and since most of it lies below the tree line, it offers very picturesque scenery. Note that this road is closed to motorcycles on Saturdays and Sundays. As luck would have it, this was a Monday.
June 17, 2002 Pragelpass, Switzerland.
This is the view 1 kilometer east of the Pragelpass looking towards the east. The road descending into the town of Muotathal twists amongst rich green vegetation that nips at your mirrors on this narrow road.
June 17, 2002 Hotel Restaurant 3 Könige & Post, Andermatt, Switzerland.
From left to right: Johann, Laura, myself and Karl. After departing my B&B in Andermatt that morning for a ride over the Klausenpass, the Pragelpass, the Ibereregg Pass and the Sattelegg Pass, I stopped at the post office in Andermatt to buy a Swiss phone card. As I'm parking, Johann, a rider whom I'd met and spent a day riding with in the Riva del Garda area during my 2000 Tour comes running up to me. "What are you doing here, he asks in a surprised voice. "The same thing you are, and that is riding some of the best roads in the world" I responded in German. After a short chat, we arranged to meet for dinner that evening. After a very tiring 320 kilometer day in the twisties, I rolled into Andermatt to fill up at the Shell station and who comes rolling up but a rider on a BMW R100 GS. Alright, my kind of girl, I'm thinking. She smiles a lot and waves to a tired and confused rider. It took fifteen or so seconds for it to click. It was Laura from Texas, the girl I had responded to on one of the motorcycle touring forums after she posted some questions about touring the Alps. In a nutshell she actually went through with her plans. She rented a motorcycle from Knopf Motorradreisen upon my recommendation and decided to take me up on my day or two offer as a tour guide which turned into five days. After I showed her to my B&B, we walked into town to meet with Johann and Karl (Johann's friend that joined him on this tour) for a much enjoyed get together over dinner and beer. A riding day doesn't get much better than this.
June 18, 2002 St. Gotthard Pass, Switzerland.
There are three ways over the St. Gotthard Pass; the tunnel (boring), the newer road over the pass, and the original cobble stoned road pictured here with a rider enjoying its character. I drove over this pass back in 1996, but unfortunately at the time, this old cobble stoned road was closed and all I could do was look down upon it from the newer more direct road above. This section of road is about 1 kilometer south of the pass itself.
June 18, 2002 Between the Grimsel Pass and Furka Pass, Switzerland.
The view up towards the Rhone Gletscher and Hotel Belvedere, both on the Furka Pass.
June 19, 2002 Hotel Belvedere on the Furka Pass, Switzerland.
Just down from the Furka Pass itself, at the Rhone Gletscher, Hotel Belvedere is pinned within the hairpin turn leading down into the valley towards the town of Gletsch. Ahead of me lies ample parking next to a souvenir shop and the starting point for a walking tour of the ice caves within the Rhone Gletscher (glacier).
June 19, 2002 Falls at the Rhone Gletscher parking lot on the Furka Pass, Switzerland.
It was very warm and the mist coming off this small waterfall at the edge of the parking lot was soothing. A day earlier, there was a wall of snow with an archway carved out so as to provide a view of these falls. The snow was melting fast.
June 21, 2002 Col du Galibier, France.
There are two ways across the Col du Galibier (2645 m asl). Just below the pass itself, the Tunnel du Galibier (2556 m asl) takes one through a few hundred meters of mountain. Since the tunnel is a single lane, traffic alternates, signaled by a traffic light. The actual route to the pass branches off from the tunnel road and twists itself up and down the mountain to meet up on the other side of the tunnel. This photo was taken 400 meters up the north ramp of the pass road from the tunnel.
June 21, 2002 Col du Galibier, France.
Looking down at the road that approaches the Col du Galibier from the north. Taken from the location in the photo above.
June 21, 2002 Col d'Izoard, France.
This section of road lies south of the Col d'Izoard (2360 m asl). Laura, my touring partner from Texas, mentioned how much the landscape in this particular area reminded her of the American southwest.
June 22, 2002 Combe du Queyras, France.
This photo was taken 4.5 kilometers northeast of the town of Guillestre on route D 902. This view is looking to the northeast after passing the first tunnel from that direction. This part of France has countless other sections where the road hugs the hillside high above the gorge below.
June 22, 2002 Col de la Bonette, France.
One of the bunkers I came across while approaching the Col de la Bonette from the north. Curiosity had me check out the inside which was flooded with water, but I did manage to make it to the window in the center of the structure. The steel door was quite solid.
June 22, 2002 4 kilometers southwest of Pierlas, France.
This out of the way road is what dreams are made of. Just as I was heading down the D 2205 into Nice, France, curiosity had me turn off at the town of la Bollinette and take the D 59 and D 428 across to the D 28 or the Gorges du Cians. I'm glad I took the time to take an on-bike video of this road because it was well worth it. This road is very narrow and neglected, but it was paved all the way. What stone guardrails remained had collapsed due to age or an unlucky driver. This road wound its way through villages high above the valley below offering spectacular views in any direction.
June 26, 2002 Heidelberg, Germany.
As much fun as these road trips are, they can be tiring, enough so that I picked up a very bad summer flu and had to cut my riding tour short by a few days. I wasn't fit enough to ride, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the local breweries. After all, a cold beer was the best way I knew of to reduce my temperature. I'm sure I read that somewhere. I had been in Heidelberg back in 1996, but only for a few hours or long enough to pick up a beer mug to add to my collection. I could easily live there.