Pushing on a little extra to make the window - Tuesday, 28 April

It has surprised both of us as to how very much we are no longer in the Mediterranean/Adriatic anymore. One day it's blooms of wisteria and canals and the next it's vistas of snow-capped peaks stretching off close and far on either side of the valley with a castle here and there dotting the ridge line. 

Crazy to think about and almost inconceivable. 

Yesterday's push from Merano, Italy/Sud Tyrol left us higher than what we had planned when we reached St. Valentino at the Muta Lake,  so it was an easy go to get over Passo Resia /Reschen Pass, and into Austria--a tour which took us alongside Sud Tyrol farms with their shorn green pastures and their tiny barns dotting the hillside--used for storing or shelter what, we knew not. (Saw a lot-- but never paused to take a photo.)

A curious observation--most Italian dogs were (thankfully) be kept behind fences, since most of them, regardess of size or breed, seemed to be acutely aware of of bicyclists going by (they barked, aggressively, only for cyclists-- not cars or walkers). Meanwhile, the Austrian German Shepherd, or mut, or what have you, lazes about the driveway, un-fenced, un-chained and, frankly, un-caring as to the trespass (or not) of a couple of cyclists. But I digress. 

What we thought would be more down was more up than planned and it was also our first day of true headwind, and it was also raining. But, hey! It was a Tuesday morning and we were on a great trip so we really couldn't complain.  

Our route took us through (down) 10 steep switchbacks to the Inn River which we then followed for another 30 k through Ried (where we'd thought at one point to camp, but where we got some coffee and kept on), to the city of Landeck, too busy and trafficked for our liking. And then took a sharp turn to the west toward Arlberg and its pass -- which we will crest tomorrow. We are hoping for better weather and some good photos tomorrow, but in the meantime....

Our last 10k in Italy.

Austria Baby!

The Inn

An underpass on the cycleway of "the Via"

One of the friends that Alaine made.

Too early, yet again

We had several crossings of the Inn today... 

Near our lunch stop

In Pettneu am Arlberg