Switzerland 2017 (#2)

Part 2: July 21st – 23rd

By Watracz Is Traveling

Day 17: Simplon Pass, Nufenen Pass,Verzasca Dam, Lago del Narèt

July 21st, 2017

Simplon Pass

2,005 m. a.s.l.

I leave the campsite around 9 a.m. and ride towards the Simplon Pass. I go past two shelters, and, just a few kilometers before the Italian border, I stumble upon a nice side road, right before the entrance to one of the tunnels. The road leads to a small bridge over the Diveria river, and there are some ruins on the surrounding rocks (probably dating back to the war).

When I reach the border, I turn back, fill up my tank, then stop by one of the shelters; and then I’m off towards the next pass.

Nufenen Pass

2,478 m. a.s.l.

It’s a very cool, winding pass. Unfortunately, it’s pretty foggy, and it’s hard to find a good place to stop and look around. I park by a shelter at the top of the pass, order a goulash and coffee (13.5 francs), and continue east after this lunch.

Verzasca Dam

I go by the town of Airolo and reach Locarno, by Lake Maggiore. A while later, I stop by Lago di Vogorno, the location of the Verzasca Dam. The place was made famous after some scenes for GoldenEye (1995), starring Pierce Brosnan, were filmed here.

You can bungee jump from the dam, and feel like James Bond for a moment, falling from a height of 220 meters. It’s the second-highest regular commercial bungee jump in the world, after the 233-meter jump at the Macau Tower in China.

Sadly, a jump costs 255 francs. Add to that another 50 francs if you want a video recorded. I try to negotiate a better price, but with no success. The crew isn’t very welcoming, and I get shot down with answers like “This is Switzerland, it’s expensive here.” But I have to admit, there are plenty of customers; in the time that I’m considering a jump, four other people go for it.

Eventually, I decide you only live once, so I should jump since I’m already here. I buy the ticket, and a moment later I’m put in the harness and trained on how to jump. The platform is right by the dam, so you need to jump in parallel to the dam, so as not to hit the wall. When the gate opens and I stand right over the drop, my heart starts pounding like a drum. The countdown begins: “3, 2, 1, jump!” — and I jump. It’s my first bungee jump. I keep thinking I’m about to die. I rotate around my axis while falling, a few meters away from the dam. The rocks down below, so far away just a second ago, are getting closer and bigger. Am I about to hit them? Is the cord going to break? Is the harness strapped right? It’s a kaleidoscope of emotion. I’m feeling faint, like I’m about to pass out. I feel the cord go taut, then pull back, and I go back up. Then down again. The whole thing repeats maybe three times. Once the jump’s over, I get pulled back up, I’m handed a certificate, a piece of the cord, and a memory card with the video. It was great, but I don’t recommend something this high for your first jump.

I go back to the parking lot and rest about half an hour before riding on. I need to get a grip on my emotions; I’m all shaky after the jump. I eat a sandwich and look for a decent campsite nearby.

I head back to Locarno, turn west, and 15 kilometers on I stop at the Melezza campsite. One night is 30 francs. I set up my tent quickly, and go take a look at another pass, since it’s only 5 p.m.

Lago del Sambuco

1,461 m. a.s.l.

I pass the towns of Maggia, Cevio, Lavizzara, and I arrive at Lago del Sambuco. It’s getting dark and it starts to drizzle.

Lago del Narèt

2,310 m. a.s.l.

By the lake, the drizzle turns into a storm. I hide under the roof of a stall by the dam, but the wind is so strong I get soaked anyway. When I put on my rain jacket, the zipper gets torn off. I try to fix it, with no luck. I try to hold the jacket together with scotch tape, but it doesn’t hold. Eventually, I pull off the zipper from one of my trouser pockets and try to attach it to the jacket, but it doesn’t fit. The rain gets stronger, and by the time I manage to put on my rain suit, I’m all wet. My boots get soaking wet, and you can squeeze water out of the gloves.

It’s almost 9 p.m., and I have over 60 kilometers to go to the campsite. It took me two and a half hours to get here… And as I ride back, shivering with cold, through the narrow, steep, and winding road, I feel a tingle of excitement. Finally, something interesting. I guess I just like it when things are tough, and I need to overcome challenges. When a route is too easy, I don’t feel the same satisfaction. Around 11 p.m. I reach the campsite, take off the wet gear, and go to sleep.

Day 18: San Bernardino Pass, Julier Pass, Bernina Pass

July 22nd, 2017

In the morning, all my clothes are still wet from the night before. I put them in the campsite’s dryer (3 francs), and go shower and have some breakfast. When my things are dry, I head to the first pass of the day.

San Bernardino Pass

2,066 m. a.s.l.

There’s a lot of traffic on the pass; lots of cars, but luckily — lots of nice turns, too. I stop by Laghetto Moesola, eat a sandwich and take an hour-long break, just admiring the surroundings.

Julier Pass

2,284 m. a.s.l.

A white Vespa is riding in front of me and keeping a pretty lively pace, so I join up. The scooter turns out to be incredibly quick, and keeps overtaking all the vehicles along the way. It’s riding really dynamically, overtaking people on turns, and I’m having a hard time staying on its tail. The rider is a thin dude in jeans and sneakers. I overtake him on a longer stretch of the road, but he catches up on a turn. I try to lose him, but he’s always there in my rearview mirror. Eventually, we pull up next to each other at a stop light. The rider turns out to be a spry grandpa, smiling ear to ear. I tell him he’s riding well, and ask him to lead from here. When the light turns green, we race to the top of the pass. For several dozen kilometers, we overtake everything on the road. When turning, the scooter’s center stand drags on the asphalt, throwing sparks. This is the fastest I’ve ever ridden in the Alps.

When I stop to take a photo, I fail to notice the bike is on damp ground. The side stand digs into the earth, and the bike topples over. A cyclist stops by and helps me pick it up. Fortunately, nothing’s really damaged — only the plastic mirror cover has fallen off, but I stick it back in place with some tape. That, and there are a few new scratches on the left case.

Bernina Pass

2,330 m. a.s.l.

I get to the pass at 4:30 p.m. I stop next to Lago Bianco (2,234 m. a.s.l.), from which you can clearly see a panorama of the mountain range and the glaciers on the other side of the lake.

20 kilometers further on, I stop at the Cavresc campsite in Poschiavo. The price for a night is 19 francs. When I set up my tent, a tourist from a nearby tent suggests I should move to a different spot, because the one I chose originally is where water collects in the mornings. After dinner I take a shower and spend some time on the (finally available) Internet.

Day 19: Stelvio Pass, Umbrail Pass, Flüela Pass

July 23rd, 2017

The campsite is only 70 kilometers from the Stelvio Pass, so right after breakfast I head towards the Italian border. I’ve been to Stelvio back in 2015, when I rode to Austria, but that time I climbed the pass from the other side, under worse conditions.

Stelvio Pass

2,758 m. a.s.l.

I reach the pass at 10 a.m. The weather’s great, but the pass is really busy; there are hundreds of motorbikes, cars, and cyclists. It’s tough to find a spot to park and take some photos.

There’s a traffic jam at the top. I ride all the way down on the eastern side, then head back up and stop far from the crowd.

Umbrail Pass

2,503 m. a.s.l.

In 2015, a gust of wind pushed me to the side here, and I skidded to the roadside, the bike jumping on the rocks. I turned back before I reached the Swiss border. This time the weather is clear, and I pass with no trouble, but my heart still kicks into a higher gear when I remember that moment.

Flüela Pass

2,383 m. a.s.l.

On the way I fill up the bike and have lunch. A breaded cutlet, fries and coke set me back 33 francs. The food is good, but on the expensive side. I go through most of the Flüela Pass without stopping, because it doesn’t impress me for some reason. I only stop at a spot where you can see a picturesque stream winding between the mountains.

An hour later I reach the campsite. It’s 20 francs a night, with an extra 3 francs to access the Internet. The staff speaks great English. I go to bed around 10 p.m. Earlier in the day, I had some trouble with my GoPro. It started to freeze, and I had to pull out the memory card and battery to get it to work again. I just hope it’s not a sign of more serious problems!