Vosges Mountains

stimmer6253472 · Post by **stimmer6253472** » 20 Oct 2012 01:08

I am in France visiting my in laws and I am about ready to leave to pick up a Honda Hornet 600 for a two day rental. My brother in law and I have a few day ride planned in the Vosges Mountains near their home. Should be fun and the weather is looking perfect... Planning on renting the bike again on Tuesday if the weather holds for 3 to 4 days in the French/Swiss/Italian Alps by myself... I would like to get to the Dolomites but I might not make it that far.
I will be sure to post up some pics and video as I am bringing my gopro.
Jim

ozarksrider · Post by **ozarksrider** » 20 Oct 2012 07:50

This sounds like a lot of fun. All the way to Italy, sounds like a pretty solid 4 days. If it were me I'd spend it all in Switzerland, I like it there. I've spent some time hiking southeast of Montreux. I suppose you are headed more to Lugano?

Post up some pics.

stimmer6253472 · Post by **stimmer6253472** » 20 Oct 2012 17:57

yeah I was planning on renting a bike for 5 to 6 days in a row and wanted to make it even further than the Italian Alps into the Dolomites... however plans with family changed and made that un reasonable. So I had to split it into two seperate rides. I have been to the best parts of Switzerland several times in the past so only the Italy parts are really new to me. Anyway I got in almost 300 miles of twistys today in the Vosges in perfect weather but I have no time to process the 600 plus photos I got from the gopro and 1 plus hour of video. I will get it uploaded in the next few days. I will say that it is almost perfect time for leaves changing here in Alsace. Plan on getting another full day tomorrow.
Jim

Post by **troy** » 20 Oct 2012 18:41

Awesome!

Rusty Jug · Post by **Rusty Jug** » 21 Oct 2012 06:57

I can't wait to see the pics!

Yes, that is a dream ride!

Rental cost on the bikes? Curious!

stimmer6253472 · Post by **stimmer6253472** » 21 Oct 2012 15:18

I would post some pics already but I am in the position of having internet at my in laws houses's computer(cellular dongle) but no SD card connection. On my laptop at their house I have SD card connection but no internet. Only when I take my laptop to my in laws hotel do I have both wifi access and where I can upload from my SD card.

That being said I ran into some problems today... my trusty Honda 600 Hornet (POS) that I rented quit on me 3 times today. Not sure the reason but it just died and would not restart for 10 to 15 minutes. When I did get it restarted it ran just fine?!?! I am as puzzeled as anyone. I returned it to the shop tonight as I am not riding tomorrow since my inlaws restaurant is closed on Mondays and I did not plan on riding tomorrow. When I rent a bike again on Tuesday I am chosing the Suzuki SV650 instead. All that being said I got in about 200 miles today in the Vosges in perfect weather.

The rental was 75 euros per day with a 250 km limit... however the rental company is new in Chatenois (almoto.com) and told my mother in law when he dropped off the brochures at her hotel that the first person that rents from her hotel (me) gets unlimited miles. So basically 75 euros per day unlimited miles. Seemed reasonable compared to the other places I checked online with this place having the advantage of being 1 block from the hotel. They had a decent selection of bikes but the Honda was one of the cheaper. Hopefully some pics tonmorrow as I don't plan on riding again till Tuesday.
Jim

stimmer6253472 · Post by **stimmer6253472** » 21 Oct 2012 15:22

Sorry almoto.fr

Sorry if there is a edit button I have drank too much wine at dinner to find it.

BTW
French keyboards SUCK!!!! I feel like I have spent an lifetime typing these post with this mixed up keyboard.
Jim

Rusty Jug · Post by **Rusty Jug** » 21 Oct 2012 19:16

I love it! seeing the struggles of others I still am jealous !

gagnaou · Post by **gagnaou** » 21 Oct 2012 22:35

Looking forward to the pics!

stimmer6253472 · Post by **stimmer6253472** » 22 Oct 2012 17:20

Here are a few pictures from my actual camera not the gopro... I will try to get a few gopro pics up soon. Cellular internet sucks.

I think I was above St Marie aux Mines here. This is the Honda thqt let me down on day two. Not a bad bike but a slight POS.

At the La Bresse ski area pqrking lot. I will probably be on the red bike next. It had no problems.

Jim

stimmer6253472 · Post by **stimmer6253472** » 22 Oct 2012 17:36

Cows everywhere... even on the super steep pastures.

A shot of my in laws hotel from their living room balcony across the street. If you are ever in Alsace you have to stay here. http://www.hr-beysang.com/

The bike rental place is just a block or so down the road. http://almoto.fr/

Their dog Falco... he just sits on the wall of their courtyard and watches the world go by. Tourists stop and take pictures of him all of the time.

stimmer6253472 · Post by **stimmer6253472** » 22 Oct 2012 17:50

Shot of the Haut-Koenigsbourg castle. This is just a few miles up the road from their house. I can actually see it better from my bedroom window. Just too lazy to get off the bike to take a picture so this is all I got while riding by. The roads going up to the castle and then every which way from there are a sport bikers dream. Twisty smooth as silk pavement with not too bad traffic. Not sure if there is a lot of dual sport spots in the area since this bike was not gravel friendly. Wish I had a better bike to find out. They did have a TT600 that could be rented but I am kind of digging the twistys. Been a long time since I had a bike that remotely resembled a sport bike. I did ask the rental guy if there was any OHV types of places to ride in the area as my wife and brother in law had never heard of anything like Chadwick or White Rock. He said no. Would have to sell the 300s if I moved there.

Google has better pictures anyways. Pretty cool castle and well preserved.

http://www.google.sn/search?hl=en&rlz=1 ... 0QXy7IHoBA

stimmer6253472 · Post by **stimmer6253472** » 22 Oct 2012 18:22

We were heading up north and decided to hit up Strausborg for lunch and got a shot of the Catherdral of Strausborg. Pretty impressive. The picture does not do it justice.

I did get me some escargot for lunch... I am sure it is terrible for you but that is some good sh"t right there!!

That is really the only bike related pictures I took with my point and shoot camera so far. The rest are on my gopro and I do not have any easy way to upload them yet. However, here is one more interesting non bike related picture. My in laws hotel and main house is in Chatenois right on the La Route des Vins - wine route -
http://www.frenchmoments.com/Alsace_Wine_Route.html but they also have another house not far away but up further in the Vosges in La Vancelle. They recently purchased this house and it is the first time we have visited since they owned it and so we are actually staying there. This is a shot out my bedrooms window. The grass was green and smooth the first day and the next morning I woke up and looked out the window and saw this:

It might be hard to see but the ground was all tore up from wild boars that came in over night. In one night they did all of this damage not 10 yards from my window!! No wonder everyone hates them.

I got a bike rented for Tues through Thurs but will probably stay out of the alps this time. With the bike trouble I had with the Honda I must say I am a little spooked about venturing too far from home on a rental. My cell phone does not work here and I am sure it would have been a pain to get help if I could not have gotten it restarted as one time it died I was in a pretty remote area. Besides I am finding tons of great riding roads in the Vosges and having a blast for now.
Jim

Rusty Jug · Post by **Rusty Jug** » 22 Oct 2012 18:46

Great post! I'm a big foodie you can take more pictures of great food!

I'm still jealous, this is a dream vacation for me, now I know a person that I can get details from on where to go and see!

Love it!

ozarksrider · Post by **ozarksrider** » 22 Oct 2012 20:05

I wouldn't come back to Missouri if it were me.

ozarksrider · Post by **ozarksrider** » 22 Oct 2012 20:17

Le trajet prend vie!

Or the more useful...

J'ai besoin d'un verre de vin.

I like french, and thanks to online translators I can write it. I like the way they say wifi.

stimmer6253472 · Post by **stimmer6253472** » 24 Oct 2012 17:39

Man I have tried to update a post three times with the internet blowing up each time... I give up. I will update some time but who knows when. Fu"k this cellular internet. Feels like I am at home in Cass county. If you got access to stable "wired" high speed internet count your self lucky. There are a lot of people around town and the world that are not as lucky.
Jim

stimmer6253472 · Post by **stimmer6253472** » 25 Oct 2012 04:41

Not sure where I was at but this image does not do the view justice.

stimmer6253472 · Post by **stimmer6253472** » 25 Oct 2012 04:54

My riding was cut short yesterday as I helped harvest the grapes in Nothalten.

I did snap a few pics of the new bike in the fields around Nothalten.

Savage · Post by **Savage** » 25 Oct 2012 10:18

2nd to last pic is nice! Sharp ride. It was probably alot more fun. I mean how can you go wrong with naked twins!

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