Monday, April 12, 1999 (100 km; avg ~ 19) -- Well, it wasn't raining when I
woke up. That was a good sign. I went upstairs to the restaurant to eat
some Topf and other stuff I should have had last night. Amazingly, the sun
was shining in places. It didn't make it to my set up since I was in the
shadow of the house. I took my time packing up and was able to leave at
about 10:00. I had to finish the climb for the 1st 5 km to the Sattel Pass
(932 m -- not bad). It was pretty flat and rolling at the top for a while,
and finally, I dropped down to the Zukichsee. There I rode through dozens
of little towns. I timed it kind of badly, since I got this stretch of many
towns at the Todezeit ("deadtime"), so nothing was open. I cruised through,
only stopping (frequently) for map checks. An annoying thing is that in
every little town, there is a wonderful signpost telling you how to get
anywhere. What it never says is where the hell you are! It was pretty
populated along the lake, but it cleared a bit past it. Then there were few
towns near the beginning of the Walensee. The navigating got real crazy.
Frustrated, I just, on a whim, started following "Veloland Schweiz" signs.
Best move of the day. What a great route, extremely well-marked and mostly
flat with a couple of absurd little climbs -- one I had to push! The bike
path around the lake was stunning! The scenery was Yosemite-caliber, but I
was more impressed that the Swiss saw fit to build a bike path sticking out
of the road sticking out of the cliff that formed the walls of the lake.
For example, there were about 1,000 m of TUNNEL for ONLY bikes. A tunnel
for a bike path (lit!!). Amazing! After the lake, I realized what a good
plan it would be to follow these signs. Now I was hungry and ready to ride
by a Migro or other food store, BUT! this bike route was so damn good that
it avoided all towns and traffic. Just little farm roads along canals.
Very, very nice. I was starting to get hungry, though. Finally in Sarcans,
I came to the train station, and there was a restaurant there. There's
always a menu posted, so you can sell enough cows to raise the necessary
cash. A "big" pizza was going for about $10. Such a deal -- I'm hungry.
While I was eating my surprisingly-not-bad pizza, I noticed that I was
right at the doorstep of my goal -- Liechtenstein. Cool. It was kind of
cool all day (jacket, which had mercifully dried in the W.C., gaiters, new
kneecaps), and it seemed very cool and cloudy after lunch. I only saw the
sun in the morning. Off I went to find this COUNTRY of 35,000 people! I had
to ride through some tank defenses (big concrete shapes) -- these Swiss are
not people to mess with! I also passed a bunch of army bases with guys
playing with large guns and rockets -- and nearby, people walking their
dogs. So anyway, I crossed over THE Rhein River into a new country. There
wasn't even a welcome sign to photograph. Oh well. There was a cool castle
in the first town of Balzers. Not long afterward, I saw a sign for
"camping." I wound my way up a little road to a nice RV park. The whole
place is filled -- but no one's here. I think when you go RV touring here,
you rent the RV as you go. I don't know. I set up camp per instructions
(though no one was here). I ate a bit and talked to a bored kid whose name
is unpronounceable to English speakers. We agreed that "Andy" was a good
name for him. I took a shower, which was nice. Then, when the woman who
took the money showed up, she suggested that I sleep in a "sleep space."
They have a room with 8 compartments (like a bookshelf *Picture-sleep
space). For only 12 CHF, I could sleep there. Cool. Done deal. Especially
since no one's here. There is a guy who lives in the next room who says
he's a Kosovo Albanian. He's listening to V.O.A. Right now. He just
finished another Yugoslavian-oriented program auf Deutsch. So I took down
my set up, which is now 95% dry thanks to that airing out. Now I'm in the
room. It's almost dark -- time for sleep for me. I think with no take down
tomorrow, I can have an early departure. We'll see. I accidentally reset my
Cat-eye today while taking a picture. I think it's right within about 5
kms, though. This place is a few km north of Balzers, Liechtenstein.
Odometer: 373.1
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