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Last Drive Through Mountains

August 16, 2003

Dear Friends and Families,

This was the day we would leave Italy. Our goal was Appenzell, Switzerland, where we had managed to make hotel reservations. Apparently, the Italian vacation tidal wave hadn't reached that far.

We left our zimmer and headed northwest. The map showed a pretty straightforward route on autobahns, but we also saw a smaller road bypassing the first section. Since both routes were about 100 kilometers, the driving time difference shouldn't be too much different. Right?

Well, not exactly. The small road was the most mountainous one we've ever driven on, by a clear margin. It was twisty. In many places it was a narrow notch along an almost-vertical cliff. We went up to Jaufenpass (2094 meters or 7000 feet), down almost to sea level, back up through Timmelsjoch pass (2509 meters or 8300 feet) and back down into Austria. Those 100 kilometers took over four hours of driving. (Average speed about 15 miles an hour, a far cry from autobahn speeds.)

However, the sights were worth every minute. This was a road over the top of Europe -- twice. Every turn in the road brought a surprise. We saw thick forests, verdant alpine valleys, barren rocks above the tree line, glaciers, racing ice-fed rivers, and rugged mountains stretching out to the horizon in all directions. This was an absolutely perfect last-drive in the Alps.

Eventually, even this road ended and we stopped for a roadside lunch, a good one this time, and, after paying for our Austrian freeway pass, we hit the autobahns. This was still mountainous Austria so we went in and out of tunnels, some as long as 10 kilometers (6 miles). Our map showed an even longer tunnel, but when we got there, it was being repaired and we were routed along the original twisting highway. If we would have our choice, we'd stay on side roads, but we did have to get going, so it was back to the big highways.

We managed to work in a brief pass through a new-for-us country: Liechtenstein. It is squeezed between Austria and Switzerland and, to tell the truth, it looked no different. "No different" means picture-perfect farms and houses, flowers on every windowsill, and beautiful mountains forming a 360-degree horizon.

From there it was a 20-minute ride to Appenzell, a very touristy Swiss town in a post card setting. But that's the next story.

Take care and choose the small roads.

John and Marianne

The start of our small bypass looked pretty unchallenging. After this, we turned onto a small road that climbed through heavy forests.

We knew this was a real mountain road when we broke out above the timberline. Before this, it was just a relatively ordinary forest drive, a bit steep but not remarkable.

We stopped at our first pass, Jaufenpass. This fence ran along a ridge that dropped off a thousand meters.

Below the ridge was a postcard alpine valley. As far away as it was, we still could hear the distinctive sounds of cow bells. Meanwhile, mountain peaks stretched off to the horizon in all directions.

This was a good part of the road. Note how battered the guard rail is. That was the only safety measure between the cars and a valley that was a long, long way below.

The road was not wide. We followed this big Mercedes,thankful that he was moving people out of our way. Trucks were not allowed on this road, but there was a bus service. We passed one on a bit wider spot and barely made it, so I don't know what happens when sections like this need to be navigated.

This glacier field reminded us that we really were on the top of Europe. (Note the absence of the guard rail here. I was glad we were on the inside of this section.)

Immediately after Timmelsjoch pass, the road dropped and twisted into Austria. There was a special 8.50 euro charge for using this road, but it was worth it.

Finally, we made it to the flatlands, including level Liechtenstein. Even here though, the mountians were always in view.

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	The start of our small bypass looked pretty unchallenging. After this, we turned onto a small road that climbed through heavy forests.		We knew this was a real mountain road when we broke out above the timberline. Before this, it was just a relatively ordinary forest drive, a bit steep but not remarkable.
We stopped at our first pass, Jaufenpass. This fence ran along a ridge that dropped off a thousand meters.		Below the ridge was a postcard alpine valley. As far away as it was, we still could hear the distinctive sounds of cow bells. Meanwhile, mountain peaks stretched off to the horizon in all directions.
	This was a good part of the road. Note how battered the guard rail is. That was the only safety measure between the cars and a valley that was a long, long way below.		The road was not wide. We followed this big Mercedes,thankful that he was moving people out of our way. Trucks were not allowed on this road, but there was a bus service. We passed one on a bit wider spot and barely made it, so I don't know what happens when sections like this need to be navigated.
This glacier field reminded us that we really were on the top of Europe. (Note the absence of the guard rail here. I was glad we were on the inside of this section.)		Immediately after Timmelsjoch pass, the road dropped and twisted into Austria. There was a special 8.50 euro charge for using this road, but it was worth it.
		Finally, we made it to the flatlands, including level Liechtenstein. Even here though, the mountians were always in view.