Euro-Feejer
Well-known member
[Reposting with new photo links using Imgur, since PhotoBucket has changed their policy]
Lucerne, Lakes and Swiss Alps... in November?(!)
I'm in my last 4 weeks of a 2-month temporary assignment in the Black Forest of Germany. I've been keeping my eye out for chances to explore favorite parts of Switzerland before November turns too icy down there. I prefer to stay to backroads and avoid having to buy the annual pass for their Autobahns. So, that limits how far I can get in a day trip.
Lucerne is a favorite destination for several reasons:
1.Classy city in character and architecture, further blest with the natural beauty of lakes and alps in view.
2.Closest collection of alps to where I've been staying.
3.Good variety of backroad options for going and returning different routes along multiple lakes
The weather forcast looked ideal, especially considering my target Saturday was November 1, and I'd be exploring lake shores next to Swiss Alps. For days leading up, I'd been checking and re-checking multiple weather sites. They seemed to agree: Sunny all day, with a high of 18C/64F.
Started my day at 8am with clear skies, dew-damp roads, and a pretty crisp frig-temp of 6C/43F. I don't think it ever reached the predicted high, as there were fog banks keeping things cooler. The highest I recall was 16C/61F midday in the sun.
Here's the route map. Total distance driven was 330km (205mi). The blue line on the left was my outbound route, and the return route was the line on the right. Ending point and starting point are the same (marker C).
Just after crossing the Rhein River into Switzerland, I paused for a moment by an old-town tower-gate in Rheinfelden...
Southbound on the road to Magden. Rolling countyside with lingering morning mist.
The views looking back were lit by the sun... a few fall colors here and there amidst the perpetual green grass...
In the Olten valley, fog dulled some of the photography, but covered walking bridges are always worth a pause for a look...
The fog hung in there longer than anticipated (the weather reports made no mention of fog!?!). Didn't take many photos the next hour or so, and could not even see the lake named Sursee as I road near its west side.
Arriving in Lucerne, I was pretty bummed that the fog was blocking any views of alps. I did enjoy the city landmarks (like their covered bridge)... here's one of those obligatory forum photos showing the FJR...
A tad of sunlight peeked through to light up some of those buildings to the right...
Fall colors in full-glory here...
The bits of 'peeking sun' gave a little hope, but I decided to continue my route around the lake, hoping the fog would break soon, or that I could ride to a higher elevation and get above it. Drove past a few flower-laden chalet-restaurants and hotels near Kussnacht...
A few more photo-pauses along the shores of Lake Lucerne (next two photos)...
The road has been cut out of the rock base of the mountains in many areas...
More Autumn colors along the lakeshore...
Finally!!! First view of an actual Alp! ... Approaching the town of Brunnen near my turn-around point...
My end-goal for the day was to ride up the side of the mountain in the following photo. There's a town up there named Morschach, with many little roads I wanted to scope out for better views...
Just past Morschach, this little road gave a nice view of the city of Schwyz and it's guardian peak...
Returning down into Morschach, the full range of Alps was in view...
Went up another tiny road above Morschach to get a few more photos. The lake below in this photo still has a little fog cover on it...
View back over Brunnen (the far shore has the road I came in on from Lucerne)...
As I headed back down toward Brunnen, a quick stop there to capture the photo that was fog-bound on my way the other direction... looking southward from Brunnen...
And looking westward (direction of Lucerne) from Brunnen, before I head through Schwyz on a different return route...
After a series of alpine photos, my motivation to continue stopping for photos of "lesser" views can be low. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the peacefulness of this lake (Lauerzersee), just beyond Schwyz...
And the road along Lauerzersee was designed for better speed than some earlier roads of my day...
Another look back at the Alps above Schwyz...
It looked ahead like another fog-bank was imminent. Then, the road went higher above the next lake (Zugersee), so I was up in sunlight looking down on the clouds covering the lake...
The shadows of day-end were creeping in (we did our time change last week), so one last look back at the Alps, barely visible in the mist...
Back in Germany, just in time for a sunset over the town of Binzen, at the lower end of the long valley known as the Kandertal (I'm staying in the town at the upper end of that valley)...
That's all, folks (for now... hope to do a day in the French Alsace, weather and time permitting).
Lucerne, Lakes and Swiss Alps... in November?(!)
I'm in my last 4 weeks of a 2-month temporary assignment in the Black Forest of Germany. I've been keeping my eye out for chances to explore favorite parts of Switzerland before November turns too icy down there. I prefer to stay to backroads and avoid having to buy the annual pass for their Autobahns. So, that limits how far I can get in a day trip.
Lucerne is a favorite destination for several reasons:
1.Classy city in character and architecture, further blest with the natural beauty of lakes and alps in view.
2.Closest collection of alps to where I've been staying.
3.Good variety of backroad options for going and returning different routes along multiple lakes
The weather forcast looked ideal, especially considering my target Saturday was November 1, and I'd be exploring lake shores next to Swiss Alps. For days leading up, I'd been checking and re-checking multiple weather sites. They seemed to agree: Sunny all day, with a high of 18C/64F.
Started my day at 8am with clear skies, dew-damp roads, and a pretty crisp frig-temp of 6C/43F. I don't think it ever reached the predicted high, as there were fog banks keeping things cooler. The highest I recall was 16C/61F midday in the sun.
Here's the route map. Total distance driven was 330km (205mi). The blue line on the left was my outbound route, and the return route was the line on the right. Ending point and starting point are the same (marker C).
Just after crossing the Rhein River into Switzerland, I paused for a moment by an old-town tower-gate in Rheinfelden...
Southbound on the road to Magden. Rolling countyside with lingering morning mist.
The views looking back were lit by the sun... a few fall colors here and there amidst the perpetual green grass...
In the Olten valley, fog dulled some of the photography, but covered walking bridges are always worth a pause for a look...
The fog hung in there longer than anticipated (the weather reports made no mention of fog!?!). Didn't take many photos the next hour or so, and could not even see the lake named Sursee as I road near its west side.
Arriving in Lucerne, I was pretty bummed that the fog was blocking any views of alps. I did enjoy the city landmarks (like their covered bridge)... here's one of those obligatory forum photos showing the FJR...
A tad of sunlight peeked through to light up some of those buildings to the right...
Fall colors in full-glory here...
The bits of 'peeking sun' gave a little hope, but I decided to continue my route around the lake, hoping the fog would break soon, or that I could ride to a higher elevation and get above it. Drove past a few flower-laden chalet-restaurants and hotels near Kussnacht...
A few more photo-pauses along the shores of Lake Lucerne (next two photos)...
The road has been cut out of the rock base of the mountains in many areas...
More Autumn colors along the lakeshore...
Finally!!! First view of an actual Alp! ... Approaching the town of Brunnen near my turn-around point...
My end-goal for the day was to ride up the side of the mountain in the following photo. There's a town up there named Morschach, with many little roads I wanted to scope out for better views...
Just past Morschach, this little road gave a nice view of the city of Schwyz and it's guardian peak...
Returning down into Morschach, the full range of Alps was in view...
Went up another tiny road above Morschach to get a few more photos. The lake below in this photo still has a little fog cover on it...
View back over Brunnen (the far shore has the road I came in on from Lucerne)...
As I headed back down toward Brunnen, a quick stop there to capture the photo that was fog-bound on my way the other direction... looking southward from Brunnen...
And looking westward (direction of Lucerne) from Brunnen, before I head through Schwyz on a different return route...
After a series of alpine photos, my motivation to continue stopping for photos of "lesser" views can be low. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the peacefulness of this lake (Lauerzersee), just beyond Schwyz...
And the road along Lauerzersee was designed for better speed than some earlier roads of my day...
Another look back at the Alps above Schwyz...
It looked ahead like another fog-bank was imminent. Then, the road went higher above the next lake (Zugersee), so I was up in sunlight looking down on the clouds covering the lake...
The shadows of day-end were creeping in (we did our time change last week), so one last look back at the Alps, barely visible in the mist...
Back in Germany, just in time for a sunset over the town of Binzen, at the lower end of the long valley known as the Kandertal (I'm staying in the town at the upper end of that valley)...
That's all, folks (for now... hope to do a day in the French Alsace, weather and time permitting).
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