The flight over is comfortable & uneventful and clearing customs is a breeze. We exchange some money at the UBS counter and head for the train platform. So far, all good. The Swiss rail system is just what you'd expect, clean, on time & efficient. In no time at all we are on our way to Aarau. The team at Moto Mader had our bikes all ready for us. We had a BMW R-1150-R, a Yamaha TDM and a Yamaha FZ-1 at our disposal. Tossing a coin to decide on rides Joe ended up with the FZ-1 and Mike picked the TDM. I ended up with the Beemer, no problem. Heated grips!…. I think to myself remembering previous trips with snow & rain.... but as we set off I am wondering if I'll even need them. Hitting the highway south a little jet-lagged, the fresh air sure feels good and the lack of sleep in Swiss coach is a distant memory. We’re headed for the mountains, getting used to our new bikes and our new surroundings. Life is good! First the Grimsel Pass and then the Furka, the three of us fall into an easy riding rhythm. The weather is warm, and even at the top of the passes, the temperatures are pleasant. This must be why Europeans take holiday in August. We arrive in Andermatt and stop at Hotel Aurora for the night since it’s the first hotel we see and they have a cool motorcycle display out front. We grab some chow (not the best meal) and a few cold beers (very GOOD Swiss beers) and hit the rack.

After a good breakfast with plenty of very strong European coffee we set off through the town of Andermatt. The street through town is narrow, essentially one lane, with cool cobblestones down the middle and medieval style buildings overhanging the street. Probably a pain in the wet, but it's a beautiful day so who cares! We get to a crossroads just outside of town where we can choose our next pass. An embarrassment of riches as they say. Furka? naw, just did that one. Susten? Wrong way. Gotthard? Also the wrong way... I guess that leaves the Oberalp, so off we go. The weather is SPECTACULAR, clear blue skies & just cool enough to be comfortable. Not even a hint of snow in the mountains... it's been pretty warm. We are making great time, the roads are dry, very little traffic and the fact that we're a small group is all coming together. Joe is leading with Mike & I taking turns riding sweep. The Albula comes next and then Bernina. Before we know it we’re in Italy. We fly down into Italy and start the assent of Stelvio. This is 100% different to my experience in 2001 (and will be different than 2004 as well). It's warm & sunny as we make our climb. We stop at the little kiosk about half way up to snap some pictures & look around. When I was here in 2001 the temperature was 0° C and there was a light rain / snow falling. Today the sun shines, the road is dry and traffic is light. The Stelvio Pass is incredible! Switchback after switchback. Everyone is in their rhythm and having a blast, best part is we aren't even half way through this pass. Back on our bikes we continue the assent. Once we reach the top we are greeted by a circus-like atmosphere, shops selling all kinds of food & souvenirs. We get a picture snapped under the sign marking the altitude, 2758 m above sea level, and take a short walk over to the edge to see what’s next. The view leaves us speechless! Seemingly endless hairpins descending the other side of the mountain, one stacked on top of the other. Time to saddle up & ride! At the bottom of Stelvio we turn more eastward towards Bolzano and the gateway to the Dolomites! It only gets better with every passing mile until Joe spots what looks to be a shortcut. We have found the lost road forever to be known as “passo di Proia”. We continue our ride, passing by a few small hotels but decide to keep going. “Might as well be closer to the Dolomites, and there's still plenty of daylight.”  Well, it's still tourist season, so as we get into Canazei most of the hotels are full, bummer! As we pull into another hotel and think "well, sleeping outside tonight is gonna suck... not to mention no dinner!"  the night manager, Luca, tells us "no problem, I can help you with a room.” Cool! We get a huge room for very reasonable money and also get invited to the hotel cabaret. Luca gets us in the back door, introduces us to Vito and all his friends & starts buying us drinks. What could be better? With a load of grappa and food in us we toddle off to crash. Sometimes the best things in life happen when you least expect it.

Sunrise, blue skies, and we're in Italia, what could be better? Checked out after breakfast and set off on our way to the passes around Cortina. The roads in this area of Italy are the Mecca of motorcycling… the Holy grail! You can ride loops back and forth, up and down, and never really get far from Cortina. We ride Passo di Giau, Tre Sim, Tre Croci, Gardina, Pordoi, Falzarego, and Campolonggo (I probably forgot a few, but there were so many…) Finally, after gorging ourselves on beautiful twisting roads, tight hair-pins and breathtaking scenery we bid the Dolomites a fond farewell and swing north towards Austria. We only make it as far as Sillian just as the rain starts to fall. We stop at a four star “Pension” where we are treated to a fine meal and plush European spa-like accommodations.

 Breakfast is huge and we are well rested for our assault on Gross Glockner. The weather is a bit overcast, but so far it’s dry. Joe pays the toll for Gross Glockner and we begin. Stopping at the glacier, about half way up the wind is blowing VERY hard, and we stop in the covered garage and snap some pics of the glacier. Leaving the parking area we actually have to climb a bunch more before beginning our descent. I lost track of how many switchbacks, but I do remember they were numbered to give you an idea where you were at least. When we reached the far side, the skies were threatening and we had on-and-off rain to look forward to all the way to Eschenloe. As we reach the German border the rain is full-on, my boots are getting soggy, and for the first time I have the grip-heaters set to “roast”! Arriving at zur Bruecke, Waltraud has a warm greeting and we get changed into dry clothes and several große dunkle Bier!!

The next day it’s pissing down so we take the train into Munich for a little walk-about. The weather clears as we get into the city and check out the sights, eat and of course drink some more. We jump the S-Bahn back to Eschenloe and have just one or two more night-caps.

Drizzle and rain again at dawn… this won’t do at all! Joe wants to hang and see if the weather will improve, but Mike & I want to ride. Our argument being “weather moves west to east… so maybe it’s sunny in the Schwarzwald.” Finally Joe relents and we’re off. The rain continues for a time, but starts to ease up, eventually stopping altogether. We arrive at Gasthof Linde in Oberwolfach and Klaus sets us up with rooms at Pension Grunach. After our gear is stowed we head back over to Linde for a huge dinner. Klaus brings out a map and charts some routes for us (he knows the Schwarzwald like the back of his hand).

We go exploring all over and find that while the Black Forest doesn’t have the steep climbs of the Alps, it has some great sweepers mixed with technical, twisty narrow roads. There are also tons of neat little villages throughout the region. Plenty to see & do, we even try our hand at summertime luge. We visited the spa town of Baden-Baden, and got to ride the Schwarzwaldhochstraße which is a beautiful piece of road.  Finally, our time comes to say goodbye to the Black Forest and head towards Switzerland and home.