It was a dark and stormy night...and, in the morning, foggy and raining. We decided not to commit suicide riding 26 switchbacks the six miles and 1,000 feet down from Passo Pordoi to Canazei in the fog. So we called the Wolf Wagon to pick us up and take us down to Canazei in his VW van-taxi. Nice guy who had his roller skis in the back. Mr. Wolf dropped us off at the beginning of yet another amazing dedicated paved bike trail. What? You're tired of great landscapes, quaint Alpine villages, trailside cafes and little baby goats? OK, then let's talk about food. We try our best...

Like the Val Venosta bike path, the Dolomiti mountains are also the most beautiful in the world. In Alaska the closest you can get to Denali in your car is 90 miles but the Dolomiti are right there in your face. You have to crane your neck up to see the peaks. To get some fantastic views we took the bus to Passo Sella. At Passo Sella there is a tram up Sassolungo to a rifugio tucked amidst the peaks at nearly 9,000 ft. The star-wars-looking escape pods come moving by, the operator opens the door, and you need to hop in on the run. Then he closes and locks the door behind you. Up you go! And...

We think the Dolomites are the most beautiful and spectacular mountains in the world! We took a shuttle from Bolzano to Passo Pordoi today and, after checking in to Hotel Col Di Lana, we took the tram up to Sass Pordoi where, on a clear day, the views are unbeatable. We spent the entire afternoon on top of the world with jaw-dropping scenes everywhere we looked. It was a gorgeous day for parasailing, with light winds and fairly warm temperatures. Conditions were also apparently perfect for squirrel-suit jumping. We watched these young Americans launch three...

We got an earlier start than usual this morning as the check-out time from our pension was 9 a.m. Our route at first followed little roads high above the city of Merano with a vista looking toward Bolzano, our destination for the day. Bolzano is known as "La citta della bicicletta" (the city of bicycles). As we entered the outskirts of Bolzano there was this official welcome sign. Bolzano has a 50-kilometer network of bike paths that seem to connect to every part of the city. We've never seen so many people using bikes for every day transportation and nowhere else have we seen so many...

This is the valley of APPLES! Val Venosta produces millions of apples each season. In fact, 15% of all the apples consumed in Europe come from here and they are all organically grown. Fall is harvest time for the apple crop. Everywhere you look people are in the orchards hand-picking apples and narrow little trucks pulling trailers loaded with apple bins are whizzing by. We rolled out of Laas village this morning as an apple truck rolled up the street. They are built narrow to fit down the rows of apple trees. Then we headed to the world's greatest bike trail... You don't believe me yet?...

Our day started by catching the bus from Pfunds to the top of Reschen Pass. You didn't really think we were going to ride up there ourselves did you? The Austrian bus system is easy to use. First, we got our "summer pass" from our hotel which allows for free bus rides. Then we waited at the bus stop and put our bikes on the bike racks at the back of the bus. So easy. The driver dropped us off at the ski resort of Nauders in Reschen Pass at 5,000ft. After crossing the Austrian/Italian border we see the man-made lake of Reschensee, where the valley was dammed in the 1950s to create hydropower. The...

That's "fundz" to you gringos. These Tyrolian villages are truly picture perfect. I have no illusions that they are anything other than Austrian equivalents to high-end Colorado ski towns, like Breckenridge, but they do have cows. Are there gentleman farmers in Aspen? On the path to Pfunds, Austria. Approaching Pfunds. The view from our room. Whatever the case I love the cows, the architecture, churches and the walking streets. Pfunds is quintessential.   They choose to include art in everything they do like this flood management project. Well...

We woke up to rain this morning, checked the radar and waited until 11 a.m. for a break in the clouds to begin our ride. Rain showers continued off and on all day but it didn't dampen our spirits. The route was too beautiful for that. Once again, our route followed the Inn River most of the way. There was a bit of climbing but nothing too long or steep except for this section of 18% grade. We crossed the river multiple times, usually on small bridges like these, designed for cyclists or walkers. At times the route paralleled train tracks and then would veer away to a more...

A delightful day in the Austrian Alps. We started out by saying goodbye to Lucy and Ella, the resident Bearnaise mountain dogs at Gasthof Badl. Then we rode the peaceful trails through the downtown parks in Innsbruck. The trails insulated us from the city traffic. This apartment is sided completely with solar panels. A rest stop just for cyclists on the outskirts of Innsbruck. Back into the countryside. A typical and beautiful home along the path approaching Haiming, Austria. Wild Chamois. Arriving at Rafting Alm in Haiming means dinner...

We had decided last night that today would probably be a rest day and that, instead of riding, we would take the train the 45+ miles from Kufstein to Hall in Tyrol. We were both a bit tired from yesterday's ride and Barb was still recovering from a cold. We woke up to rain this morning so that confirmed our decision to take the train. Conveniently, the train station was right across the road from our hotel. We purchased our tickets and waited on the platform for the 11:12 a.m. departure. Parked along the side of the platform were all kinds of commuter bikes. It was so easy to take...