Sunday, July 19 - Stage 2 - 28 miles, Day 3 - Wow!

It's the details that make the difference, don't you think? For example, a house is four walls and a roof, with maybe a few doors and windows thrown in for access and light. But the trim, the siding, the paint, the fit of each part in relationship to its adjacent part, the architectural style, in short, all the fine points, the details, are what make the difference between a wooden box to live in and a house. 

Switzerland is obsessed with the details. Everything we see or touch is exquisitely crafted in every detail. The homes are crafted, not just built. There is nothing sitting outside the homes to clutter them. The wood in the woodpiles are artistically arranged, sometimes with geometric designs. There is no litter, no trash. No weeds grow between the curbs and asphalt of the roads. The restrooms at the campgrounds are tiled, spotless, with solid latches on the doors and meticulously maintained. Even the train right-of-ways are weed free and spotless. We ride our bikes through little villages about every 2-3 miles. Each has at least one fountain in the town square, flowing with water for drinking and artistically designed. What a beautiful country. 

Today we hoped to make it to Chur. Our guidebook says it is the toughest section of the whole ride to Rotterdam, with over 300m of vertical gain and lots of ups and downs. We are nearly four miles off our route, although it is mostly downhill to regain it. Last night, feeling tired at the end of the day, Sally contemplated taking the bus through this section to avoid the uphill. This morning, she decided to try it, and if it became too much, she would get on the bus to complete the day.  The forecast is for very hot weather again, another reason she is contemplating the bus. To avoid the heat, we rose at 5:15 am today and we're on our bikes by 6:30 am. Sometime between last night and this morning, I knocked my mirror off my helmet. I searched this morning, but in the tall grass, could not locate it. I'll ride without one from this point on. 

The ride down to Ilanz was a breeze. Last night's uphill is this morning's downhill. From Ilanz, we gently climb for the next couple hours, rising far above the Rhine as it flows through a gorge. In a few spots the road gets too steep for Sally and we push our bikes up the hills. 

It is still very early Sunday morning and there is no traffic, especially on this small country road. The temperature is still cool, but it is forecast to get into the low 90s for a high. 

Once we reach the top of the climb we rode a very steep descent through 6 switchback to the bottom of a tributary gorge to the Rhine, then another climb, this time through three tunnels. Finally, we have a long descent into the town of Bonaduz. We are thirsty, but it is Sunday and all of Switzerland is closed, including restaurants. We have a couple liters of water. We mix up a quart of flavored drink to quench our thirst. 

Just outside of Bonaduz the trail drops right next to the Rhine. Here we stop for lunch of hard boiled eggs, bread and cheese and a nectarine. It is amazing how many people pass by on the trail as we eat. Cycling is very popular in Switzerland. 

There are actually two forks to the Rhine this far up. We have been following the main fork, but at the town of Reichenau the two forks meet. The one we are following is laden with silt and grayish in color. The other fork is turquoise and clear. When they join the two waters are very distinct and take several hundred yards of distance to completely mix.  We observe this phenomenon from the bridge across "our" fork of the Rhine in Reichenau. 

It is now afternoon and it is hot!  To make matters worse, the route again goes uphill, this time steeply into the town of Tamin. It is not a long hill, but steep enough that Sally cannot ride it. I push our bikes up the hill while she follows behind. From this point on the route is gentle downhill to the town of Chur, our destination for the night. 

We roll into the campground at 3:00 pm, register and find a campsite in the "pitch" area. Sally lays down for a nap and I hop on my bike, in search of an open store to score some dinner and lunch food. It is about a mile to downtown Chur. Riding through the city I find nothing open. Finally, I find a gas station that sells the usual gas station foods and buy a few items for dinner. 

When I return Sally is awake and has tidied up the tent and campsite. The afternoon wind is roaring up valley. All our damp articles packed in the dewy morning, dry nearly instantaneously. After a dinner of chicken bullion, noodle and carrots soup with cookies and donuts for desert we visited with the Ari and Stanee,  

Ari and Stanee from Rotterdam. They are cycling from Rotterdam to St. Moritz to meet with their son, his wife and their grand baby. They invited us to share a bottle of wine and discuss what our route ahead looks like as they had just completed it. A thunderstorm let loose torrential rain just as we were about to sit down on the lawn of the campground. We moved to the entrance foyer of the men's room, found two chairs and discussed biking, Netherlands and US politics while campers filed past to shower or use the toilet. Obviously, they are very flexible. They gave us their address and phone number in Rotterdam and invited us to stay with them when we reach their home town. 

Tomorrow we will stay put, letting our bodies catch up to the labor they have been performing. The big picture is a bike trip through Europe. But, it is the details, suchnas meeting new people, that make the difference.