The road weaves through the countryside and it is a less taxing ride then up or down the St. Bernard Pass while being equally as enjoyable. As we weave through the villages, we are greeted by Saturday afternoon relaxation with lots of bicycling, walkers and families playing. In most communities stores are closed by 13.00 except those catering to tourists and the tour buses of which there are plenty. Some villages have streets blocked off for a festival or local event. As we ride through the Black Forest, we entered small forests which are cooler and the trees are very dense - regardless the roads are in great condition which makes for fun riding. We entered the Alsace region and trade in vineyards and fruit farms for corn fields and the occasional sunflower field - not much else changes though.
At times, the road is lined with trees creating the feel of a tunnel while at other times it is wide open. The ever popular round-about returns. We learn later that if there was not a round-about, a stop light or four-way stop would be required which would slow trafic and lead to more accidents - I learned to like the round-about plus it gave me the opportunity to practice my turns.
We continued north, re-entered Germany passed several Gasthauses filled with folks relaxing on a Saturday afternoon having cake and coffee. As the afternoon rolls on we opt to take the autobahn to speed our travel time - this will be fun. We enter the autobahn heading to Koblenz and soon find ourself on a stretch of no speed limit. Riding at an average of 150 km (93 mph) takes a new level of concentration and a realization, the margin for error just got smaller. Our Harley's were not designed for this speed and at 160 km started bouncing and were being strected - our riding parts touring bikes were just getting warmed up. While some cars flew by us, we managed to pass plenty ourselves. As we buzzed along, we entered the Mosel Valley, which was beautiful and had tons of vineyards stretch up into the countryside from the Mosel. While I had been practicing taking pictures from the bike - taking pictures at 140 km was a new challenge and it was a good thing the camera was around my neck for otherwise I would be needing a new camera.
We left the autobahn and headed for Althena and the Hotel am Tunnel - a motorcycle hotel and our destination for the night. We rode through the countryside encounering many performance cars and lots of motorcycles. The reason was that we were nearing the Nuremberg Ring which was a 28 km racetrack with a 173 turns - Formula One racing was held there along with many other types of racing including motorcycles. Several of the towns we rode through had castles on mountain tops overlooking the towns below.
Our evening accomodations were great with food waiting for us and we grilled our meal to our desired tastes. There was secure parking for our bikes something I had come to appreciate on the trip - not having to think about the bikes at night knowing they were locked up. Our accomodations were rustic and we shared a room with two bunk beds - Stuart got the top and did not fall off.
The food was fabulous and I had my fill of weisswurst and pork - the menu was self designed and we could eat to our heart's content. The meal was ended with several cups of coffee and sharing of videos from crazy bike stunts. It was hard to believe this was our last night of the trip - we had seen so much an it felt like just yesterday we started. New friendships had been formed and exisitng ones strengthened - I am very appreciative of all Robbert and JJ did to make this trip a memorable exprience - they are incredible!
Tomorrow will be a short day back to Amsterdam and as I drift to sleep I am grateful for an incredible trip and that all are safe.
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