3-Bagger

June 4, 2024

I’m in a corner of the world where three national corners meet. I needed a ride after a few days off the bike. What oh what can a gal do? Touch all three bases and make it home safely, that’s what.

If, on the map below, you change the map layer to OSM Cycle, you can see so many bike routes in Europe. All I had to do was decide how long I wanted to ride and I could stitch together a nice ride using bits of different routes. And I could count on way signs pretty much all along the way too.

First things first, I went to the boulangerie recommended by my host to pick up lunch and elevenses. Then off to Germany.

Heart

Comment

Link

Thus provisioned, we’re off. First water crossing, I didn’t realize it at the time but we’re actually crossing the Huningue Canal. In fact, I rode under this bridge later in the day. I’ll be riding north along this canal for quite a while tomorrow.

After a few kilometers, we approach our first international crossing.

The mighty Rhine. Not a very sexy part of Europe. Can you find the Egyptian goose?

Unceremoniously dumped here after the bridge. But we’re in Germany.

We weren’t in a very scenic part of the world. The route over the 2-lane bridge had a lot of industrial traffic. I rode on the rather narrow sidewalk. It was a change from the nice bike paths and farm roads I’d been riding, but completely doable. Later I saw a few cycle tourists heading for this bridge.

It was only a few kilometers of riding a good bike path along goodness-knows-what kind of industries before I was back in agricultural land.

The bike path I took was hard-packed dirt for maybe a kilometer but then turned into this beauty.

A barn in the village of Efringin-Kirchen.

I saw a lot of these insect hotels. Good to have near agricultural fields.

Heading back to civilization, but on a nice path.

The routes I followed kept me away from most of the suburban and industrial stuff unless I purposely routed myself there, which I had to do to touch down in Switzerland, then cross the bike/ped bridge over the Rhine at Dreiländerbrücke / Passarelle des Trois Pays / Tri-countries Bridge.

This place is for sale. Maybe the chickens (unseen but definitely heard from the building on the right) will be included.

Note the sign on the right. When I stopped to take a photo I almost immediately heard yelling. I think it was “no photo.” Sorry, dude.

This is the no-man’s land between Germany, where I’m standing, and Switzerland, about 10 meters away.

Rode past border control, on a bridge over lots of railroad tracks, then down near the river. Switzerland at last! I was admiring this brick edifice. That’s a lot of bricks. Otherwise, not a lot worth hanging around for.

Among all the industrial landscape is this diamond in the rough. It’s a school now, and has some interesting art on the grounds.

It’s kind of a circus on the German side of the border. The border crossing is behind this building which is a mall and hotel. This side is right near the Dreiländerbrücke.

I may have passed over to France at this point.

Much calmer on the French side. Time for a break.

I kept seeing a head bobbing up and finally figured out which bird it was, ye old Egyptian goose.

After my return to French soil, I was on to another phase of this ride. I wanted to see how much of tomorrow’s route along EuroVelo 6 is unpaved, and what condition it’s in after all the rain. I also wanted to check out the best way to get to EV 6 from my apartment. This meant I crossed my path from this morning and did a little meandering. Everything looked promising for the morrow.

I met Hannah and Alex for dinner in Basel. We took the tram back to the border. We walked 300 meters to their hotel, where we bid each other adieu. I trudged the remaining 1.7 kilometers to my apartment, already missing these wonderful young women. I had a little distraction, though, to lift my spirits. There was a cycling time trial happening through the streets of Saint-Louis, including my street. In a short time walking along the street I watched them go by me three times. The Tour de France is just around the corner, you know.

Today's ride: 35 km (22 miles)
Total: 296 km (184 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	8
Comment on this entry	Comment	3

Suzanne GibsonA cool ride!
Reply to this comment
10 months ago

Kathleen JonesTo Suzanne GibsonIt was. I really enjoyed it.
Reply to this comment
10 months ago

Susan CarpenterSeems like a perfect fine way to spend two days in Saint-Louis/Basel. On to the grapes!
Reply to this comment
10 months ago