Austria - Präauhochalm - a Gastein Ride

Präauhochalm 1830m

Präauhochalm

It's a long hard ride up to Präauhochalm. Unfortunately, I chose to do it in late season and there was no food at the Alm. The Farmer and his wife were packing up the Alm for the winter and stacking wood ready for next year.

The Farmer told me to help myself to a cold beer from the cattle trough. Very refreshing it was too.

The dog gave me a barking good welcome and happily joined me as I supped my ale.

The ride up starts on the road from Dorfgastein to Unterberg. There is a turning off to the left signposted to the Strohlehenalm. I did not go there, I had loftier ambitions. It's a long climb, over 1000m signposted all the way.

My new friend

I told the Farmer I found the ride hard. 

He told me I was right - only the best make it up here!

Anyway its a lovely rustic hut and another one ticked off on my biking to do list.

View from the Alm

Strohlehenalm - on the way up

Austria - Graukogel - On the Zirben Trail

A walk on the Graukogel

On the shelf - Zirben Schnapps is getting ready

Zirben Schnapps is an ancient home remedy claimed to be sure sure-fire cure for anything from melancholy to upset stomachs.

Zirben Pine Cones

It's made by adding sliced up pine cones to sugar and alcohol. Not any old pine cone of course. They have to come from the Zirben Pine, a conifer that grows high in the Alps above 1500m. The Graukogel is home to a number of the trees and the Cafe at the top has a sideline making this extremely tasty and, erhmmm, healthy liquor.
Of course we were up there just for a walk. It is a 40 minute bus ride from home. The bus rattles its way up the valley, through Bad Gastein and then takes a left along a winding road to the bottom of a two stage chair lift. The lift operator at the bottom was in a jolly mood and wished us a great day as the chair whisked us away.  It's a slow lift so there was plenty of time to enjoy the scenery. Not much wildlife today, just one Nutcracker. It looks like a Jay and also is nuts about Zirben. At the top we turned right and passed the cafe for a walk to the Palfner See. We took a bit of a detour by going down to an abandoned hut, the Palfner Alm, and then climbing up to the Lake. We did not have a paddle sadly, we were getting hungry and needed to get back to the Cafe for Lunch. It took about an hour to get back making a total walking time of about 3 hours in the warm Autumn sunshine.

TW on the Graukogel

After a good, simple, lunch of Wurst mit Pommes (sausage and chips) followed by Apple strudel it was a quick march to the chair lift and a ride home.
Did we have a Zirben Schnapps? Our secret!

Palfner Alm view

Walking on Graukogel

Up or down?

By the Palfner See

Heading for the cafe

Austria - Schmaranz Alm - A Bio Beer Bike Ride in Gastein

Taking the High Road

The Schmaranz Alm - Scotty on Tour

I like to ride my bicycle. And, just like the old Queen song, I like to ride it where I like!

On this occasion my extremely likeable target destination was the Schmaranz Hutte high above Bad Hofgastein at nearly 1800m. It is the Summer Alm for a valley farm in the Wieden area of Bad Hofgastein. The Schmaranz Farm's main claim to fame, in my eyes anyway, is its Bio Brewery. They brew the most delicious beer and the reward for a near 1000 metre climb on my Scotty comes cold and wet in a half litre glass.
The route starts behind the Railway station and, today, the time on the Station clock was 11:15 as I passed by. The narrow road winds up through a small community of farms and dwellings before reaching the typical Alpine pastures peppered with a few fruit trees. They were laden with Apples but no scrumping today.  The big lumbering Austrian cows did not take any any notice as I pedalled slowly past. They were more interested in eating the lush green grass and ringing their bells than greeting a skinny man on his bike . It's a hard climb in the warm weather and the helmet was soon strapped to the bars and the shirt consigned to the saddlebag. The road is tarmac until a gate just below the St Hubertus Chapel where the road gets a little bit rougher. It felt a little cooler as I entered the forested area. Tall pines line the road but there are gaps at intervals to view the valley and the town gradually shrinking below. There are only about two or three houses on the route up through the forest. A walking track crisscrosses my route but no walkers to be seen today. The peak season has passed and I had the whole area to myself. At about 1700m I had to make a choice, head straight for the Schmaranz Alm or right for Biber Alm, another favourite.

 I stayed on the straight and a wide vista opened up as I topped the tree line. Getting weary now but my Bio beer incentive kept the wheels a turning. Ahead I saw the Hut and it was occupied. I was pretty sure it would be open but they do have their Ruhetags (rest days) over here. On with the shirt, and through the gate. The Farmers Wife saw me coming and was quick to offer me a beer. I sat outside along with three Austrians. Two were on the Kur (a three week paid holiday that is supposed to cure ailments - real or imagined). The other was their walking guide. We had a some good banter about football etc. and the time passed quickly. I ordered cold Pork which was lovely. It was a simple meal, with bread and Kren ( shredded horse-radish), but perfect. The Austrians complimented me on my German which was very polite. When they left, the Farmers wife sat with me. She was from Bavaria originally and spoke good English. She told me she was living the dream. She always wanted to live on a Farm, ever since she was a child and used to visit her Grandmother on a Farm in Germany. They bring the animals up from the valley in June and stay until the end of September when it starts to get cold. Two wonderful Border Collies played around at my feet, Mother and Son.

Bessie

Mum does the majority of the herding and the 18 month old son helps out when the cows are difficult. She also has a blind 13 year old dog she brought with her from Germany that still follows her on the mountain. The hut is lovely. It is very traditional and was built in the Forties by the Husbands Grandfather. They generate their own electricity from the stream that runs in front of the hut. They sell homemade Marmelade (Jam) and Schnapps. Oh, and the most delicious Beer brewed in the Valley.
A good deal colder and faster riding down so long trousers and a warm fleece. It took 1 hr 45mins to cycle up but a good deal less to get down.

Space at the table

USA Road Trip - Heading Home - The Epilogue

How the West was done....
Oh what fun we had! We have brought back some good memories after our whizz around the West. We probably tried to see too much in the three weeks but it is a long, costly flight and we needed to make the most of our time on the ground.


Staying three nights in San Francisco was about right, plenty to see and do. The Peitite Auberge was a great place to shake off the jet lag. We should have flown direct rather than fly via LAX but flights to Los Angeles were cheaper. We also originally planned to drive South to North on Highway One.
Adding Yosemite to our itinerary was well worthwhile. It is a stunning place. Where we stayed, near the Park entrance at Yosemite Lodge, meant we could go into the Park early and then leave late to avoid the traffic queues. The Park must be very busy in High Season. Buying our National Park Pass before we left saved us both money and time at the various Entry Gates.
One the coast, travelling Highway One from North to South was the right decision. It was so much easier to swing on and off the road at viewpoints from the right-hand lane. We could happily have allocated more time in the Monterey/Carmel area.
The loveliest part of the coast around Big Sur etc. went by in a flash so we should have spent more time between Carmel and Cambria as well.
It was interesting to see Santa Barbara and our tandem ride was fun but the Peppertree Motel was a bit remote from the Town Centre. However, it was right next to Chucks Restaurant which was a some consolation.
Taking flights to and from Vegas saved driving but was a bit stressful. Getting to an Airport to return a car and navigate security is a time trial best kept to a minimum.  We probably should have driven from Grand Canyon to San Diego with an overnight stop on the way. Two separate nights in Las Vegas was a bit illogical but it meant we got to see the Hoover Dam. The trip around the Canyons to Zion, Bryce and Grand was superb and the places we stayed were all fine. We could have stayed further from the canyons if we had more time and saved on costs. San Diego was a good place to chill out but we would probably stay in La Jolla if we returned. According to the song 'it never rains in Southern California'. Well it does rain and the winds can be cold off the Ocean but worth a look anyway.

Back to LAX and on to LHR

Bahia Resort Hotel

We left the Bahia Resort Hotel with plenty of time, we thought anyway, for a pre-flight break at Santa Monica prior to returning the Honda to Alamo. The San Diego Freeway going North was a race track and it was not a relaxed drive. There is no hiding place on the inside lane as all carriageways rush along at the same pace. Respite came as we got close to LA where we slowed to a stop and then a crawl. We still tried to get to Santa Monica but, in the end decided to make a run for the Airport.
The new International Terminal is very nice indeed and there were no heavy security checks. We queried why there were no bins for luggage, no need to put toiletries in bags, my lap top could stay in my rucksack? Just for today the man said! We made our way to air-side feeling a bit guilty with our boots on and belts fastened. We are so conditioned to accept all the checks and controls that it was rather baffling. Must be like being on day release from prison. Oh well, we now had even more time to kill (no pun intended). Let's have a nice lunch. And, good lunch it was. At the next table were a couple of US Farmers from Bakersfield and time flew by as they gave us the low-down on what, and how, they grow in California. Almonds we knew about but Cotton Candy flavoured grapes? We did not miss the plane as it was slightly delayed but TW had to rush to get her goodies for the flight. Air New Zealand also have hierarchical boarding and we were again the nobodies tagged on the end. I think they should just board from the back. We were punished by having to walk past all the premium passengers settled in their comfy chairs as we headed for steerage. Anyway, it was an excellent flight and I found plenty to watch on the little telly as we headed East into the night. My neighbours were Chinese Americans who sat quietly. TW's neighbour was an outgoing Aussie with a fondness for alcohol and serious man spread. Seemed like a good chap nevertheless. He had a colourful career spray tanning models and he was off to the O2 in London to ply his trade. He had flown in from Brisbane in the morning and after a few bevvies at LAX he was back on a plane. Fortunately he fell asleep. Whilst he headed off to spray bikini models we were off to Southall to pick up our little car and to brave the Friday traffic on the M25.

USA Road trip - Las Vegas to San Diego

Life on the Ocean - Day's 17 to 21

Pelican on the rocks

Up bright and early for the flight to San Diego via Phoenix. We were warned that we needed to be at the Airport with time to spare because of the queues for security. Just as well as we had a bit of a wait, about an hour. We still had time for a good breakfast before boarding. Alamo car return really slick again and our Sonata was gone in no time. I thought it was a Honda but apparently it's a Hyundai, nice car anyway.
Amazing desert scenery as we flew towards Phoenix, there isn't much water around in Arizona. We had a lunch break at Phoenix Airport of about an hour then another queue to check in. American Airlines like to put you in your place. They call you for boarding in a strict hierarchy. Needless to say we were the lowest of the low Category 3 Economy - and now finally all those insignificant twerps who do not fly with us very often and are left handed. Anyway it was a nice flight and there was still room for our cabin baggage in the bulging overhead lockers. A Journalist from San Diego joined our row of three. He was editor of a Mountain Bike Magazine so we had a good chat. He was a correspondent in Chechnya during the trouble with Russia and it clearly had a profound effect on him. He told us about his surfing exploits and told us to watch out for Stingrays if we went in the sea - ooerrr! You need to shuffle in rather than step as you enter the freezing water.

Mission - Our local Ocean Beach

There was a strong cold wind off the Sea every day so we did not venture in! (that's our excuse anyway).
We found our bags at San Diego OK. Always a bit worried on domestic flights that some bounder will walk off with them. Just a Twenty minute transfer by Shuttle to Bahia Resort in Mission Bay. The driver was either hard of hearing or just ignoring us so we did not get any info from him.Not sure if we picked the right location to stay in San Diego but overall it worked out pretty well.
Initially, the locality was a bit rough around the edges near Belmont Park but was fine once we pedalled a short distance along the coastal prom.

Riverboat Cruise Boat

Our arrival was on a busy Saturday and it was a bit of a culture shock. We picked up a couple of bikes for the duration, TW changed her steed twice, she likes the bike to match her outfit and also they need to have a comfy saddle and an upright riding position.

TW's velocipede

Brockton Villa in La Jolla

Pedal power heading North

She ended up on a Yellow Coaster with back-pedal brakes that she took up in the Hotel lift every night. There was certainly a relaxed atmosphere in San Diego which was just what we needed after a couple of weeks of heavy touristing. Our Hotel had its own Riverboat that does short cruises to a sister property on the other side of the Bay so we had to give that a try. Paddling across the lagoon was exceedingly pleasant initially but bitterly cold once the sun went down.

Not too shabby in La Jolla

Beside the Sea 

The main reason we booked Bahia was for the Kitchen in the room. We soon discovered the excellent Ralph's Supermarket in Pacific Beach so our Fridge was well stocked. We still managed a couple of Evening meals out though. The Restaurant at the Bahia was good and we really liked World Famous located right on the prom towards Pacific Beach. A great place to watch the sun go down.
Our favourite pedalling route took us North up to La Jolla (pronounced La Hoyer). Amazing wild life on the coast and some really, really swish properties to cycle past.

Westbourne St.

Pelicans are a favourite, they look a bit scrunched up and out of proportion when sitting on land but are as graceful as Concorde in the air. Loads of breeding Cormorants by the shore as well so there was a distinct fishy pong. Not comfortable at all with the tourists getting close to the seals or sea lions for selfie's etc. Leave them alone! By the way, how o you tell a Sea Lion from a Seal? Well, Sea Lions have little sticky-out ears whereas Seals do not. Also Sea Lions have front flippers that allow them almost to walk on all fours. Seals seem to skid along on their tummies.

Get off my beach!

We had a coffee stop at Brockton Villa, right by the Cove. Lovely place, it was lunchtime but they gave us a great seat on the terrace. TW ordered a Cobbler that took some time to arrive. We were not worried at all as we had a nice seat for Dolphin spotting in the Bay. When the bill arrived the Cobbler was missing from it. We told the Waiter that the bill was wrong but he said it was correct, you had to wait too long! Happy customer became delighted customer. Very strange Contemporary Art Museum Building just to the South, it looks like a warehouse from the outside with no windows towards the sea. Inside might be interesting but not to us. We did have a foray South towards downtown but we were frustrated by closed cycle paths and the rain. The Ocean Beach just South of the San Diego River was a big contrast to smart La Jolla. We enjoyed the nice flat cycle around Mission Bay, I had a pedal there most mornings before my Porridge.
Return to the Alamo
One of the few things we did not pre-book was the final day transfer to LAX.
Our choice boiled down to Train or Hire Car. We had been told at home that the trains did not run to timetable and it would be risky if we needed to catch NZ2.

The Beach at Torrey Pines

So it was back to Alamo for a 24 hour car rental. The plan was to make full use of the motor and have a bit of drive North to Cardiff by the Sea and Torrey Pines.

TW on the beach - no more snake signs

The traffic was awful so we only made it as far as Torrey Pines, a State Park Nature Reserve.
We were a bit underwhelmed by it after the National Parks but we had a good circular walk through the scrubland to the sea and back along the beach. As soon as I saw the first sign telling us to beware of Rattlesnakes I knew it would not a relaxed stroll in the Park for TW. She hates snakes but they seem to like her. Luckily they were shaking their tails elsewhere. We turned for home and back into the traffic. We had a very expensive coffee at La Jolla Shores Hotel on the way, nice view though.
 Where we stayed - http://www.bahiahotel.com/  Mission Beach San Diego

USA Road Trip - Grand Canyon to Las Vegas

Day 16 - From Natural to Egyptian

TW stepping out on the Hoover Dam

With Grand Canyon behind us we headed South on the 50 mile long straight road towards Williams and the long drive to Las Vegas. Just a single carriageway and people in a hurry which meant it was risky drive. A slow vehicle like a Camper Van tends to develop a string of cars behind and they start jockeying to get past.

The impressive Hoover Dam

We came across a six car pile-up at the crest of a hill. We were the first car to arrive from the Canyon direction but were nowhere near being involved fortunately. Makes you think because it happened in the middle of a desert area quite a way from Emergency Services but, happily, they appeared to have phone coverage. Ambulances were already being called but we were some way down the road before we saw them speeding to the scene. We helped clear the road and then got out of the way.

After the Hoover Dam

A hard drive today but we were probably a bit weary. Our lunch stop was near Kingman in very good diner, The Iron Skillet was mainly targeted by truckers and we had a splendid feed. Our waitress was very kind and amusing so worth stopping. Lots of dust being picked up by the strong winds as headed across the desert towards the Hoover Dam. The link between dust being picked up and Hoover is not coincidental. Not sure who invented Dams, maybe it was the Beaver, but they are fascinating. They control the river, store water and generate power so we are big fans. We drove over the dam and parked in a free car park. We had a good old wander, buffeted by warm winds. The Hoover, as previously alluded, to was named after a vacuum cleaner.
 It is an iconic structure with lots of Art Deco decoration and was certainly worth a wander. The brass doors were great and, on reflection, polishing them

Took a shine to these Dam doors

Hoover two

would be a very rewarding hobby or career

Balcony View

Distracting the punters at Planet Hollywood

Rear view

Time for a well earned beer

Now for the tricky bit, getting into Vegas on the increasingly busy roads in what appeared to be the rush hour. Not sure where they were going to, or from, but they Vegans to do it in a speedy fashion. This time our aim was set on the Luxor, a massive, glass clad, pyramid structure. Bit of a relief getting to self-parking, this time without driving down the Strip! The Hotel Receptionist thought we were mad staying just one night and might have been right. The pyramid has around 2,500 rooms so I would not like to be the maintenance man. Window cleaning must be a nightmare. Riding the lifts is a strange sensation as they run at an angle up the inside walls of the pyramid. Our view from the room was the backside of a Sphynx. Open the door and an internal balcony revealed a massive casino floor. A mezzanine floor supported a bevy of different restaurants. We chose the Italian option and had a decent meal of Pizza with a massive salad.

On the wide wide Strip

It was Friday night and the queue at Check-in was now a massive snake. Suppose they are weekenders?
We headed for the Strip and a wander down the busy pavements and into, and out of Casinos. Some interesting sights to distract the punters. We enjoyed an Elvis impersonator who was standing frozen whilst singing in a ventriloquist fashion.
He would jump out on unsuspecting passers-by which we found amusing. Perhaps it was a good job we were moving on in the morning.

Luxor sunrise

Out on the strip

Not sure what to think about Vegas. Its become like a massive cruise ship floating in a sea of sand. Almost every form of entertainment is available. No nice bike rides or places for walks in the country so jury is out for me I'm afraid. I believe you can win loads and loads of money here though and there is a whole industry set up to make it very, very easy.
Where we stayed - https://www.luxor.com/en/hotel.html  Las Vegas

USA Road Trip - Bryce Canyon to Grand Canyon

Day 15 - Grand Tour to Grand Canyon

Grand Canton South Rim

A big old drive in store today of about 330 miles. This was made worse by our TomTom Lady having a lie-in and sending us in the wrong direction. When planning our day we had seen a route to the right out of Bryce but expected to go left. TomTom said right and we followed. When TomTom awoke she advised a U-turn but we pressed on like selfie-dummies until a Visitor Centre told us to go the other way. You'll never make it, it's a dirt road! So back toward Bryce, Red Canyon and past the Galaxy Diner on Route 89. Route 89 goes from Canada to Mexico so a wrong turn can take you along way from home. It took a while to get into new territory and eventually into big vistas. Lake Powell was our first stop. The Glen Canyon dam was pretty impressive. Amazing that a small band of concrete can hold back all that water and a mighty River. Mind you this one may have sprung a leak as the tide mark is some way above the current water level. Or perhaps it's the drought? We had lunch in the nearby town of Page and we chose Mcdonalds as the speedy option. Incredibly, this burger house hosts Chinese Tour buses and two stopped for breaks. Not exactly convenience food as loo's totally were inadequate for 80 people and the wait for food was horrendous. We did not twig until after we had ordered. I even had time pop off to WallMart to get a Memory Card before my fish burger was landed. Back in the Sonata and on to Cameron Trading Post for a stretch. Bursting with Native American artefacts and tour parties, we definitely were on the Arizona Tourist Trail.
We turned off 89 and headed up 64 for the South Rim of Grand Canyon.

First stop was at Desert View and our first sighting of the Canyon. There is a tower to climb up so a good opportunity to stretch the legs. We progressed along the Rim with the other tourists. The visit took the normal pattern - drive, park, look, photo and repeat until hungry. Certainly was Grand though and well worth the effort.

It was just a few minutes to Tusayan and the Best Western Squires Inn. The room was fine but the food was terrible. We were weary and opted for the quick, cheaper option. It was inedible. Very unusually, we complained and got on our horses to eat up the street at a Cowboy themed Restaurant which was fine.

Next morning we were up early and back to  East Rim Drive and the Shuttle Buses. Mega windy today so would be easy to get blown over the edge. You do need to be a bit careful as there are no barriers. Sadly, there are signs showing missing persons! Very few people so well worth making an early start. Back to Tusayan to check-out of Squires and head off towards Las Vegas. Grand Canyon is an incredibly big hole, wonder why more rivers did not carve like the Colorado. And the River that cut it out is now held back by a thin grey line.

An Ussie at the Canyon

Where we stayed http://www.grandcanyonsquire.com/  Tusayan - Grand Canyon

USA Road Trip - Zion to Bryce Canyon

Day 14 - Helluva place to lose a Cow! - Off to Bryce Canyon 

Hoodoo at Bryce

If you had to design a Canyon to be a tourist attraction it would probably look something like Zion. Built in would be a tree lined river with steep rock faces in a nice warm colour. Unobtrusive development with just the shuttle served road and a decent Lodge with a Cafe and Restaurant and of course it would have loads of different Hiking options.

Meeting the locals

Time to move on though, next stop Bryce Canyon. Quite an easy drive today, only about 70 miles. We have not seen too many traditional US Diners on this trip but happily we found the Galaxy Diner in Hatch. Be rude not to stop off for a coffee and apple pie and to listen in on the locals conversations. Hatch is on quite a busy tourist route but prosperity looks to have passed it by. Not too far from the Canyons and some skiing so things might pick up. The population is only about 130 and at a deceptive 2,109 metres it must be bitterly cold in Winter.
Quick stop at Ruby's Inn near Bryce Canyon to check-in and get a spot of lunch. So good to get checked in early, meant we had the whole Afternoon and early Evening to explore the latest item of natural splendour. A bit of rain initially but it brightened up and became exceedingly pleasant.

Driving around the rim

TW on the edge

This Canyon was not carved out by a River. It is fantastic erosion show on the edge of a plateau. Water freezing and splitting the rocks and then washing the debris away causes the weird shapes. The spire-like pillars are called Hoodoos. Photos do not do Bryce justice. It is massive and impressive yet strangely delicate. We stopped at all the various viewpoints and took pics but the highlight was a walk into down into the bottom of the Canyon on the Queens Garden route.

Can see why Ebenezer Bryce, who the Canyon was named after, said it was a helluva place to lose a cow. Anyway, it was a helluva place to spend an afternoon.
Dinner in the busy Hotel Restaurant, was very good so, all told, one of the best days.

Good to be skinny round here

Where we stayed - http://www.rubysinn.com/  Bryce Canyon