Today was a hammer-down day . . . sorta. Our hotel reservation was in Herrsching am Ammersee, which required making a ferry connection across Ammersee. Of course, getting a hotel on OUR side of the lake and making the ferry the NEXT morning would maybe have been easier. Which is what I did in 2010 when I last biked through here. But sometimes it doesn't roll that way.
So we left Kempten — early! Early as in 9:00 AM (well, early by my standards). We were shooting to make the 4:24 PM ferry out of Utting am Ammersee. Only 51 miles; should be easy! But I hate riding to a deadline like that. Well, hate is a harsh word. Dislike would be better. But when you have a deadline and a ferry schedule to make, it tends to occupy your mind, as it should!
And then that first climb of the morning . . . a significant climb, mind you, for so early in the morning with no warm-up! It wasn't too bad with an average grade of about 6%. But this is where (drum roll, please) I pulled away from the boys. And after the climb, I put the hammer down and didn't see the boys again until, well, nearly suppertime! Not quite. I met them when they arrived on the 4:24 ferry out of Utting am Ammersee. I had caught the 2:45. After all, Jerry said, "We're in a rush." So I rushed lol. But back to my story . . .
The climb woke me up, and at the top it became pretty easy going for the next six miles or so, where we hit a little climb at MP 7.
After the climb out of Kempten, rolling terrain and parallel bike trails.
We did lots of climbing today, it seemed, although the numbers don't really show it. It was just another great day for cycling, if not a bit overcast, as you can see in the pics. It really couldn't make up its mind, but at least we had no rain! The course was on mostly quiet roads, passing through small villages and farmland.
Since the scenery was a little repetitive, I decided to admire the flower boxes in the windows of homes we passed in local villages.
That nicely wooded section led us to a fairly large city, Kaufbeuren, which was relatively easy to navigate, as German cities tend to have good bicycle infrastructure. But sometimes you just have to look for it, as it may be on the opposite side of the road, which was the case as we crossed the Wertach River and exited the city. But crossing any river means a climb up ahead, which was pretty easy except for one sharp section through a park that has an extended grade that peaked at 8% . . . in about 0.3 of a mile! I made it and landed on a particularly delightful bike trail and more beautiful countryside.
A nice, isolated bike trail through a forest east of Kaufbeuren.
We crossed the River Lech and had, what else, but another steep climb that went on for quite a ways. I had to stop partway up . . . pretty much at the bottom, really . . . as it came very quickly after a left turn, and I just wasn't ready! I took it as an opportunity to rest (my first break since starting), eat a little (a boost of energy helps), and take some pictures (of course). Good thing, too, as we were already at 5-6% right before the turn and hit 7-8% right after, rising to 10-11% as it made the turn at the top. The "top" was not the top . . . it kept going at that rate for a good 0.3 of a mile!
I stopped in Thaining to make a decision. We had downloaded the ferry schedules for Ammersee and noted we could take departures from either Utting am Ammersee or Riederau, with the thought that we could change our departure point depending on our progress. Utting am Ammersee meant staying on the same course, but going to Riederau meant plotting a new one. It was a little after 1:00 PM, and I was only nine miles from Utting am Ammersee and a 2:45 departure. Riederau was closer as the bird flies, but getting there would require a more roundabout route. It had a more favorable departure time at 2:06 . . . but I decided that was just a tad too favorable, especially given the lack of a course. So Utting am Ammersee won out. Plus I'd get to (again) visit some old haunts.
After navigating some confusing detours, I arrived at 2:00 PM, so had plenty of time to relax before boarding.
After navigating some detours for road construction, I arrived in Utting am Ammersee, which is where I stayed in 2010. It was much sunnier then!
And finally, checked in to my room, which I had to myself for two hours as the boys had to catch a later ferry. Great view of the lake, even with overcast skies.
