Leaving Meiringen, the Grimsel pass now beckons. Climbing higher and feeling the temperature drop, frost hangs on the roadside grasses.
We stop to admire the colours laced on the mountainside. A short walk from the camping car is enough to convince us that inside is desirable today.
o
I thought of a stunning sunset over Totonsee ("Dead Lake"), which had been icy all summer, but it was not to be; as we passed, the low clouds and precipitation worsened. Not a drop of water was to be seen in the gloom.
It was a lucky moment, for sure! As we approached the Furka pass, the cloud lifted enough for us to see our onward and upward journey. The Rhone glacier is in view to the high left of the photograph.
Having travelled along and across the mighty Rhone River and watched it flow into the Mediterranean, we are struck in awe at its source.
The Rhone glacier and local souvenir holders carve a tunnel through it each year. The weather does not allow us to experience it. Interestingly, the tunnel melts about one-third of its length during the summer and moves nearly a hundred feet.
We have taken an hour and some to get down the zig-zag road and up the other side.
The cloud pours over the mountains like drifting smoke.
Climbing again, we see more glaciers.
This time, we must walk higher in the wet cloud to admire the sight.
Only glimpses as the cloud swirls around the glacier and us.
It was a proud moment for the camping car. The elevation was 8,000 ft, and there was fog, sleet, and a single-track road at times, with no crash barrier. The signpost looked more like a totem pole with the graffiti and stickers of earlier travellers.
After hours of fog, we reach this lighthouse (quite bizarre!) across the Oberalp pass and then continue on to Chur for our night stop.
Chilly travels!
No comments:
Post a Comment