Day 50 – Spittal An Der Drau Austria

Day 50

Munich Germany – Spittal An Der Drau Austria

After 7 of the last 9 days in cities or at the MotoGP I was eager to get riding again. As I left Munich it promised to be a beautiful day as I made my way southeast towards the Austrian alps. As the mountains came into view I was really looking forward to riding mountain roads again and as made my way into the mountains I wasn’t disappointed. The roads were great and the views were awesome. The only downer was that the roads tend to have a lot of traffic on them. The upside is that all the cars
expect to be passed when they see a motorcycle behind them and most will even give you as much room as possible to pass them.

I made my way to the Grossglockner High Alpine Road which is a Austrian National Park which promised some amazaing roads and views. As I started making my way through the park I wasn’t disappointed by
either. As I got higher into the mountains I made my way into the clouds which really cut down on the views. This is when I noticed the clumps of snow lining the road and then the rain started. At this point my riding gear acts more like a sponge then a rain-suit. I had looked for rain gear in Brno and thought of going by a motorcycle shop while I was in Munich but didn’t get around to it. Now I do believe that it’s the thought that counts but it doesn’t count for much when there’s snow on the side of the road and it’s raining. I rode about 90% of the 48 kilometers of the Grossglockner in the rain and fog which meant nearly zero chance for sight seeing or enjoying what in better weather would have been some amazing riding.

A little bit after exiting the park the roads dried out and I got to have some fun but a few hours later the rains came back with a vengeance. I managed to get the last room at a very nice and friendly family run hotel. When I entered the hotel I asked about the price (35 Euros) and they offered to let me go check out the room. Since I was standing in an every increasing pool of water from my gear, I said I liked it already and did they have a dryer for my gear. The girl at the reception (who was the only one who spoke English) said “My mother will dry it for you and it will be ready in the morning.” Excellent!

While having dinner at the hotel restaurant the waitress asked me where I was from and when I said the United States her response was “Coool”. I guess they don’t get many American tourists in Spittal An Der Drau.

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