Naw mate, couldn't have happened....but funny you mention the crappy weather there, many say the same thing.
I've never had an issue....but this one was an exceptionally clear day as well , with incredible long-distance views.
b
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Tornanti_3...ABRACADABRA!
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Naw mate, couldn't have happened....but funny you mention the crappy weather there, many say the same thing.
I've never had an issue....but this one was an exceptionally clear day as well , with incredible long-distance views.
b
Since when do mountains throw shadows into the early morning sky?
Our fantastic host, Jacqueline, going the full-bubbly, as usual.
Having saved the empties from the night before for "accounting purposes", it's time to settle the bill and our banker is tiptoeing and blowing his cheeks in anticipation of some juicy figures.
"Non, those few drops are on the house…and did I mention that…and have you seen, and where are you off to now, and…"
And off she goes again at 200miles-an-hour.
Lots of hugs and good wishes, it's hard to leave a place like that, and we're off, down those steep, vine-covered slopes for the last time, bouncing across the valley floor to try and find the tiny single-laner of the Col du Lein from Saxon.
Miss the single sign in the village and you'll go around in circles. Look for the back of the church and there's the sign tacked to a house-corner.
It's pretty damn nippy, too…but there's another cracker in the making.
It's tight, it's narrow, it's steep and there are turn-offs into narrow dirt lanes everywhere. It's a maze of lanes and driveways, roads and service tracks for the vineyards that's simply puzzling.
Found it!
The scattered local mountain pine is starting to colour, the only deciduous needle-tree which is shedding its delicate green coat in winter.
Plenty of choices here…we'll pic the Col de Tronc, another tiny gravel road across the broad shoulder of the mountain, dropping into the Val de Dranse and Sembrancher.
Oh maaaan….life's good!!
Our fantastic host, Jacqueline, going the full-bubbly, as usual.
Having saved the empties from the night before for "accounting purposes", it's time to settle the bill and our banker is tiptoeing and blowing his cheeks in anticipation of some juicy figures.
"Non, those few drops are on the house…and did I mention that…and have you seen, and where are you off to now, and…"
And off she goes again at 200miles-an-hour.
Lots of hugs and good wishes, it's hard to leave a place like that, and we're off, down those steep, vine-covered slopes for the last time, bouncing across the valley floor to try and find the tiny single-laner of the Col du Lein from Saxon.
Miss the single sign in the village and you'll go around in circles. Look for the back of the church and there's the sign tacked to a house-corner.
It's pretty damn nippy, too…but there's another cracker in the making.
It's tight, it's narrow, it's steep and there are turn-offs into narrow dirt lanes everywhere. It's a maze of lanes and driveways, roads and service tracks for the vineyards that's simply puzzling.
Found it!
The scattered local mountain pine is starting to colour, the only deciduous needle-tree which is shedding its delicate green coat in winter.
Plenty of choices here…we'll pic the Col de Tronc, another tiny gravel road across the broad shoulder of the mountain, dropping into the Val de Dranse and Sembrancher.
Oh maaaan….life's good!!
The glass was THAT full?? Really??? You're shittin' me!!
What an awesome little crossing!! Views are stumping!
I SAID: DON'T come closer, buster!! Which part you don't get??
Oh boy…now Doug's starting off with the flu! Not that it slows him down, he just can't see what country he's in…
Getting weak-kneed at the sight of it….
It's into Sembrancher and back to the main drag for a few k's west to Bovernier, a small place squeezed between the main road, which is the northern end of the Great St. Bernard Pass into the Aosta Valley in Italy, and the steep mountainside which harbor an absolute gem of a road along the Gorges du Durnand to Champex.
The road drops via a 6 pack of long switchbacks to Orsieres on the Great St. Bernard again.
The climb from Bovernier is STEEP and TIGHT…way more technical and physically demanding than what Google and the Michelin-maps promise. The rise and fall of the exhaust-noise of a half-dozen bikes climbing up the hillside is something else.
The road flattens out, the valley widens a little towards the Vallee D'Entremont and Val Ferret junction...and there's the pretty, little gem of Champex.
Dave checking the catch…and our Tasmanian knows about trout, which makes him an instant family-member up here. Never shy, our Dave
What a pretty place…
…and with a pace at 3 gears down it's easy to see why the local coach driver waves us through time and again…then gives us toots and thumbs-up when going past while we keep the cameras smoking.
Into Orsieres…
…before the run up the Great St. Bernard aka Col de Grand St.Bernard aka Colle delle Gran San Bernardo, pick whatever lingo you fancy (I love the Italian version, it just rollllls of the tongue… and one can throw in 10pounds of body-language to just wrap it all into the name.)
The last few k's to the top get a bit more interesting, both in landscape and road.
The road drops via a 6 pack of long switchbacks to Orsieres on the Great St. Bernard again.
The climb from Bovernier is STEEP and TIGHT…way more technical and physically demanding than what Google and the Michelin-maps promise. The rise and fall of the exhaust-noise of a half-dozen bikes climbing up the hillside is something else.
The road flattens out, the valley widens a little towards the Vallee D'Entremont and Val Ferret junction...and there's the pretty, little gem of Champex.
Dave checking the catch…and our Tasmanian knows about trout, which makes him an instant family-member up here. Never shy, our Dave
What a pretty place…
…and with a pace at 3 gears down it's easy to see why the local coach driver waves us through time and again…then gives us toots and thumbs-up when going past while we keep the cameras smoking.
Into Orsieres…
…before the run up the Great St. Bernard aka Col de Grand St.Bernard aka Colle delle Gran San Bernardo, pick whatever lingo you fancy (I love the Italian version, it just rollllls of the tongue… and one can throw in 10pounds of body-language to just wrap it all into the name.)
The last few k's to the top get a bit more interesting, both in landscape and road.
Oh YESSS!!, It sure is the day for it, don't want to be here when the weather's crap.
Good, old St. Bernard is telling us where to go…
....while those 2 have finally "tied the knot" and are sailing for some happy times.
Man, that vino last night packed one hell of a punch, it's still working now!
St. Bernard Express…I thought that was us??
Time to drop into bella Italia for a bit…
How do they bend those split logs to make it all fit so neatly?
Not short on colour…nor interesting bits!
Despite the close-to-lunchtime timeslot, traffic is sparse on the Aosta bypass through Arpuilles and Ville-sur-Sarre, the reason to take the quicker main-road to Courmayeur.
Morgex is the jump-off up the little Colle San Carlo.
Peace, no traffic and all happy for getting busy on the tiller again, the small, narrow road winds its way parallel to the Little St. Bernard Pass road, joining in the rather plasticky ski-resort of La Thuile near the top.
Good spot for a break and the sandwiches at La Genzianella are worth hitting the anchors for. They even have a basket of dry bread for Dave…he'll be back one day just for that.
Oi, Doug!! Mate, we're in Italy!
Despite the close-to-lunchtime timeslot, traffic is sparse on the Aosta bypass through Arpuilles and Ville-sur-Sarre, the reason to take the quicker main-road to Courmayeur.
Morgex is the jump-off up the little Colle San Carlo.
Peace, no traffic and all happy for getting busy on the tiller again, the small, narrow road winds its way parallel to the Little St. Bernard Pass road, joining in the rather plasticky ski-resort of La Thuile near the top.
Good spot for a break and the sandwiches at La Genzianella are worth hitting the anchors for. They even have a basket of dry bread for Dave…he'll be back one day just for that.
Oi, Doug!! Mate, we're in Italy!
twowheeler
two wheels are best
:watch:
Mt Rainier shadow (not my pic)
Since when do mountains throw shadows into the early morning sky?
Mt Rainier shadow (not my pic)
Nice to see that FIAT is still making the tiny Panda 4x4, the old shoe-box version of the '90s turned into an icon and partially replaced the Piaggio APE
three-wheel pickup for all those super-tight and hard-to-reach places.
Cute!
There goes that sandwich….
A pity really to see those slowly disappearing in favour of the "universal" dunny pan. Vive la difference, yeah!
The last few bends of the Colle San Carlo into La Thuile…
…. the last settlement before the French border and the loooong drop into Bourg St. Maurice.
Another Saint telling us where to go, there's gotta be a nest around here…
The Little St. Bernard…Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo just doesn't roll off the tongue like it's bigger brother up north.
Trying to process the endless king-wave of new impressions…or just last night's Red?
Even the walking tracks are choked with hairpins.
three-wheel pickup for all those super-tight and hard-to-reach places.
Cute!
There goes that sandwich….
A pity really to see those slowly disappearing in favour of the "universal" dunny pan. Vive la difference, yeah!
The last few bends of the Colle San Carlo into La Thuile…
…. the last settlement before the French border and the loooong drop into Bourg St. Maurice.
Another Saint telling us where to go, there's gotta be a nest around here…
The Little St. Bernard…Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo just doesn't roll off the tongue like it's bigger brother up north.
Trying to process the endless king-wave of new impressions…or just last night's Red?
Even the walking tracks are choked with hairpins.
La Rosiere shows that the 1970s/'80s of lego-style ski-resorts are over and things can be done in a rather traditional Alpine style of rock+timbers…even if the actual structure is all slap-bang concrete underneath.
Dave wants to trade the 800GS...perhaps not a bad idea, slowing him down with a Diesel might give some of us a chance to keep up.
We barely touch the outskirts of Bourg St. Maurice, entering and leaving at the northern end of town, up the Cormet de Roselend.
It's narrow and some of the bends are quite steep…and showing the scars for it.
A common sight on many alpine roads. The morte backroady, the more and deeper scars and gouges.
Things grow wider and flatter towards the top, then the drop towards the dam (barrage de Roselend) turns picturesque again, the road like a racetrack now.
Twist it to the pin and…CRANK IIIT!!
The road tucks underneath that nose of rock,
then drops into the shadows… downhill into Beaufort.
Memories of Tornanti_1 in 2007 come rushing in…a late morning sitting in the warm sunshine at the bakery, laughing and bantering with the locals, soaking up life like a dry sponge.
Good times…just like now.
Dave wants to trade the 800GS...perhaps not a bad idea, slowing him down with a Diesel might give some of us a chance to keep up.
We barely touch the outskirts of Bourg St. Maurice, entering and leaving at the northern end of town, up the Cormet de Roselend.
It's narrow and some of the bends are quite steep…and showing the scars for it.
A common sight on many alpine roads. The morte backroady, the more and deeper scars and gouges.
Things grow wider and flatter towards the top, then the drop towards the dam (barrage de Roselend) turns picturesque again, the road like a racetrack now.
Twist it to the pin and…CRANK IIIT!!
The road tucks underneath that nose of rock,
then drops into the shadows… downhill into Beaufort.
Memories of Tornanti_1 in 2007 come rushing in…a late morning sitting in the warm sunshine at the bakery, laughing and bantering with the locals, soaking up life like a dry sponge.
Good times…just like now.