Day 4: To Isny - Autumn in Allgäu - CycleBlaze

October 11, 2021

Day 4: To Isny

Our last day in the Allgäu and we wake up to blue skies but the temperature is near freezing. I spend some time getting my journal up to date and we don't leave until check-out time, 10:30, thus giving the sun a chance to warm things up a bit. After ten degrees and fog, ten degrees with sun is a different story. Or am I becoming acclimated?

We have an enjoyable ride to Isny, partially on the same route we rode on our first day. Again we have some splendid views over pastures and from the highest point, the Allgäu Alps are visible on the horizon.

More curvy roads in gentle countryside
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Great expanses of green meadows
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The Allgäu Alps barely visible on the horizon
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Zooming in on Isny as we descend
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Rachael AndersonWow! What a beautiful place. So glad you didn’t have fog!
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3 years ago
Suzanne GibsonTo Rachael AndersonIt was a great view - so glad the sun came out!
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3 years ago

The last kilometers before we reach Isny are on a bicycle path next to the highway. It's good to have a dedicated path when there are no small roads leading into the town. Or to be honest, I didn't notice that there was going to be a section following the highway, otherwise I might have chosen another route.

Why did I pick Isny for today's ride other than that the distance seemed right? I noted somewhere that there is a church and castle to look at and that Isny has a historic center. We weren't too impressed with the historic center but we did find a table in the sun for lunch. 

After lunch we didn't look for the church or the castle, nor did we complete the loop I had mapped. We still had a car ride back home on the day's agenda and decided to return the way we came. The sky was clouding over and it was a good decision. The ride back was a speedy one, lots of downhill runs and again the views.

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Scott AndersonI keep forgetting. What’s your favorite animal?
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3 years ago

We loaded the bikes on the bike rack and were home in a comfortable one-and-a-half hours, no traffic jams. We were very pleased with ourselves for eking out one more excellent tour in October. We found the Allgäu a perfect region for cycling with its abundance of small roads and proximity to Munich. We should definitely return for more exploring here. However, I think this was the last tour for this year. Don't challenge me to do another!

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Today's ride: 39 km (24 miles)
Total: 149 km (93 miles)

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Scott AndersonI certainly hope no one goads you into going out again this fall. It’s definitely getting too cold up there. Unless of course you drove down to Italy.
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2 years ago
Suzanne GibsonTo Scott AndersonAre you daring us?
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Suzanne GibsonCertainly not. That would be very presumptuous. Mostly I’m just expressing envy at living in a place where, if you wanted to, you could just hop on down to Puglia for a midwinter break.
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2 years ago
Tricia GrahamItaly sounds a wonderful idea!!
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2 years ago
Suzanne GibsonTo Scott AndersonKind of a big hop. But maybe Emilia-Romagna in early spring.
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2 years ago
Suzanne GibsonTo Tricia GrahamIf the warmer parts were just a bit closer...
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2 years ago
Keith KleinGruss Gott!

Vielen schoenen Dank fur uns zum mitbringen auf seine Tour. Die Ansichten ausgezeichneten war.
And thanks for letting me practice my German with you. It’s been many years since I’ve lived in Germany, and much longer still since I learned the language in my family home , so forgive my errors. I’ll be waiting for your next tour, even if you only go out your front door in beautiful Bayern.
Mit vielen herzlichen Gruss zum Hause,
Keith
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2 years ago
Suzanne GibsonTo Keith KleinGerne geschehen, Keith! Es freut mich, dass es dir gefallen hat. Toll, dass du noch soviel Deutsch kannst! Schöne Grüße!
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2 years ago
Nancy GrahamLove the cows, love the views, am a bit envious of those wonderful places to tour so near you. A bonus to have the weather stay fairly good for you tour.
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2 years ago
Suzanne GibsonTo Nancy GrahamThanks, Nancy! Yes, it is so good to have things close by. We are spoiled.
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2 years ago
Carolyn van HoeveHi Suzanne! Enjoying following your tours, and as many others have commented so envious you have all of Europe at your doorstep.
I also love following the inspirational Anderson's and have been very much enjoying keeping up on their current tour.
My husband & I live in NZ and are biting at the bit to get back to Europe to do some touring. We own e-bikes here and now wouldn't consider anything else. We rented e-bikes in Andalucia and Puglia for some touring but they weren't ideal and ended up having distance anxiety with batteries that were unreliable. Next time we would like to purchase our own bikes, the problem being what to do with them at the end. Tricia Graham had the great idea of using a storage unit as we plan to do this on a regular basis and this still seems to be the best option. I researched taking our own bikes but renting batteries doesn't seem easy, buying new ones is expensive and shipping batteries from here sounds complicated and expensive.
The other thing we struggled with was getting our e-bikes onto trains quickly and then having to heave them into the upright storage positions they have on the trains. How do you manage with that? We are thinking we should perhaps looking at folders that would make it easier to travel with but not sure how comfortable they are for long distance touring.
Do you have any good advise to offer and also bike shops you could recommend. We are thinking we would love to start our tour in Germany and follow a similar itinerary to the Andersons tour.
Kind Regards
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2 years ago
Suzanne GibsonHi Carolyn! Thanks for following along! Glad you enjoyed my journals. Yes, that is a predicament for you to tour on e-bikes in Europe. I think the Grahams found an excellent solution. Buying bikes here and putting them in storage is an investment but seems well worth it - now if they only could get back to Europe! Buying e-bikes and them selling them at the end of the tour might also be worth considerig. As far as taking e-bikes on trains - we avoid it whenever possible. It might be more feasible for younger cyclists but for us stairs and hanging the heavy bikes on hooks is intimidating and only works if there are helpful souls around. That is usually the case but we go through some anxiety pior to a train trip. Fortunately we can take our bikes on our car bike rack. There are also problems involved when driving to your sarting point by car, but more easily managed than trains. From what I have read, folders are just as comfortable as regular bikes, you basically can have the same sitting position and the 20" wheels just need a bit of getting used to. There are many cyclists here on CycleBlaze who do extensive touring on Bike Fridays. They aren't much lighter than regular bikes, though. You might also want to read the most recent journal by "The Grampies" where Steve discusses converting Bike Fridays to e-bikes. It's very interesting. I am afraid I don't really have any good recommendations for bike shops. As elsewhere, in Germany there has been a bicycle boom and we have a hard time getting appointments for service. I can only recommend that you make contact by way of Internet, find a place that speaks English and is willing to help you. I don't know if this was much help. I wish you lots of luck and hope you find a solution that works for you! Suzanne
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2 years ago