We are finally riding a motorcycle!

Last night our guides Rob and Gretchen Beach told us the necessary warnings, reminders, procedures, safety tips, etc.  We met the 2 other riders: Bill from Texas and Dennis from southern CA.  Dennis is on his 4th tour with Beach's.  We were treated to a fabulous Suisse dinner of sea bass on sauerkraut, with fancy mashed potatoes, caesar salad, bread, and a fancy ice cream dish, including figs and grapes, chocolate sauce and berry sauce.  What can we say except they know how to eat here!

We got to see our bike after dinner.  It is an
orange BMW F800 GT with saddlebags for the day's necessities.  Both Mark and Odile had trouble sleeping, so we turned on a light and opened a bottle of wine at 11:30.  After finishing the wine at 12:30 am, we slept reasonably well.  This morning, we were treated to a fabulous breakfast buffet with smoked herring, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, croissants, yogurt, and so much more.  The coffee here is very strong and very good.

This morning we got our GPS and learned how to use it.  Then the entire group headed out for a day's ride to Lucerne (another city Ugh!) and then some fabulous mountain  roads.  We are not required to ride with the group, however we thought it was best to stay together today as we are getting accustomed to the new bike and European road system.  In many of the pictures, you can see our tour guides riding on the motorcycle ahead of us.

Picnic lunch spot

Running in Switzerland.  What a view!

Odile learned to hold onto Mark's waist when he ascended an 18.5% gradient road.  This bike does not have a backrest, so Odile feels like she is sliding off if she is not holding on.  Actually her legs and feet and on the bike, so it is not as dangerous as it feels.

There is snow on those mountains!

Lunch stop was a picnic with a gorgeous mountain view.  Odile took an opportunity to run after lunch on the small road in Switzerland that we were traveling.  Europe is now the 4th continent Odile has run in after North America, Africa, and Oceania (New Zealand).

The ride home was hot, but gorgeous.  It was an awesome day!

Tomorrow we ride through the Black Forest of Germany, north to Mount Sainte-Odile, then down to Kaysersberg, France for the night.  Below are some pictures Odile took from the bike.

Mostly we road through farmland.

This must be a very old Swiss building.

Flags fly in many locations.

The Swiss are very green.  We saw solar panels on many buildings and a couple of wind turbines.

Just one of many beautiful buildings.

Roads get as small as a driveway, then they get even smaller!!