Mountain Pass Loop Journal

September 1. Wednesday

Gary

We spent the whole day with a Swiss couple from Bern we have known since 1980. They picked us up from our hotel and drove all day on a dream route I thought I’d never get to experience. We went on some of Switzerland’s highest, curviest, gnarliest passes - Grimsel Pass, Furka Pass, and Susten Pass - a big circle route. We had lunch at a lovely restaurant in Andermatt, and coffee later at the top of Susten Pass. These roads were also quite narrow in places. I would never attempt to drive this route myself!!

As beautiful as the weather and the scenes were, more beautiful was this time of reconnecting with such gracious and warm friends after so many years.

Cathy

Early breakfast about 8:00 AM today because we said we'd be ready by 10. This gave us time to make a quick visit to the woodpecker shop just down the street. It had all kinds of hand-carved wooden figures and the most wonderful selection of wooden objects! We'd been in the store about 5 minutes when Gary got a message from our friends from Berh that they were 15 minutes away and would arrive at 9:20! Quick, say thanks and goodbye and hot-foot it back to the hotel!

We spent the whole day with our friends, in their car. He loves to drive, and he drove us over three passes: Grimsel Pass, Furka Pass and Susten Pass. The day was clear, cloudless, sunny and only a light breeze if any. It was perfect for an extensive road trip. God created some stunning landscapes and Swiss engineering was also impressive. Gary and I were in awe of the roadways and tunnels, plus the other infrastructure that supports their transportation system. Our friend really knew how to navigate the traffic (deftly passing bicyclists, timing his approach to a bus (!) on a narrow winding mountain road so that you meet each other at a wide spot, traffic circles, e.g.). The other Swiss and other drivers drove similarly, so it fit together as though choreographed. Neither Gary nor I would have survived as a driver today.

One stop early in the day was Gelmerbahn, claimed to be a 106 degree grade up the mountain side. It was impressively steep. One rides up the mountain backwards. Google claims it is the steepest funicular in Europe, until 2017. At the site of the ticket booth is a Hängebrücke, crossing over the Rhone River. Gary went a few steps onto it for picture taking but none of the rest of us did. It was fairly narrow for two way traffic and too high for me.


Gary & Cathy Martin