Vorder Riffenkopf

Although the storms seemed to have moved on, and the sun was out, it was by no means warm. We headed out at 9:30 in a fresh 15C.

Winding our way into the first pass of the day towards St. Christoph am Arlberg, with a height of 1793m.
https://www.stantonamarlberg.com/en/the-region-…

The section of road leading to the Flexen pass, towards Zurs, was mostly constructed on the edge of the mountain through numerous tunnels and snowsheds. It appeared the snowshed retaining walls were quite old, and the roofs constructed later, either way they emitted an intreguing mustiness.

We passed at least a half dozen ski areas, some towns were bustling with multi-season purpose, while others were quite literally shuttered for the summer.

We reached Warth and took a spur route east, just for the ride. The valley towards Steeg was magnificent, and a u-turn near Kleinburg sent us back to Warth, and on our way deeper into Bavaria.

Being such a brisk morning, we decided to stop for a quick coffee, and enjoy a warm homemade apple strudel in Schrocken. With the temperature still around 15C, decided to add the jacket liners as the chill was setting in.

Finally reaching the far valley, we meandered along the highway till we intersected with Schnepfau, and took a narrow winding road over to Bezau before getting back on the highway.

Another side route took us into Scharzenberg, were we fueled up the bikes, and removed the extra layers added earlier; it was now quiet warm out, around 20C. A helped an older gentleman whom was having issues with the self-pay at the pump. Though language was a barrier, enough button mashing did the trick. He happily went on his way, including the open flap for his filler 🤣

Getting nearer to our night's destination, we rode through Riedbergpass. The road resembled more of a mildly accordioned snake with its back-to-back curves slithering through the gulley along the mountain's edge. There wasn't much traffic, and it was so much fun, we decided to do the eastern section twice, by doubling back!

Finally arrived in Oberstdorf mid-afternoon. Once checked in, unpacked, and rested, we went for a short walk to explore the downtown area. There was a fair bit of bustle and activity, and looked as though an upcoming event was being set up.

Back at the hotel, we enjoyed the late afternoon sun in solitude by the outdoor pool.

We decided against doing the hotel buffet dinner; still a little scared from the last buffet dinner... So we wandered in to town to see what was available. Weirdly enough a couple of the places weren't even open for dinner service, and most looked like tourist traps. Settled on a place near the hotel that A had reviewed earlier.

As the sun faded and the evening descended, we were met with the rising strong and overpowering odor of freshly applied manure (commonly used to top dress the surrounding fields) in our hotel room... 🤢 We had left the windows open for fresh air, and were basically suffocated by the aroma. Wee!Read more