THE COVID DETOUR 2020-Day 11

“THE LAST DAY”

Each journey has an end. The Covid Detour Ride is no exception: This is the ride report of the last day of my journey. The last day of this ride started in Western-Carinthia, followed one of the most famous Austrian-Scenic-Roads and went also through some common known Valleys of the eastern Alps. Enjoy …

FROM: Carinthia/Mölltal; TO: City Vienna; SIGHTS: Nockalmstraße, Turracher Höhe, Triebener Tauern, …

The last night of this trip was the coldest one. When I built up the tent last evening, I recognized the quick falling temperatures and prepared myself for a cold night. During the night I woke up a few times because the sleeping bag was obviously on its comfort limit, which is somewhere close to the freezing point. The high humidity near the river “Moell” intensified my perception of the cold. With upcoming daylight …

I went up and put the cold gear on. With chattering teeth I forced myself to do forty knee bends and also forty shoulder/and arm rotations each side. My injured ancle made a short protest against these moves, but the enduro boots provided enough stability to finish the exercises with a bearable amount of pain. This way my body reached operating temperature quick. Afterwards I just want to leave this humid place quick, so …

I stowed the still dew-wet tent and the other moist gear into Чернотas saddlebags. The following early start was rewarded with this nice …

view over the flat foggy valley of river Moell. Just around the next bend …

the first sun beams struck us and fought …

their battle against the dense mists which came up last night.

Always avoiding …

the big motorways Чернотa and I finally reached the eastern entrance to …

the calm …

hills called “Nockberge”, sited in northern part of the Austrian federal state Carinthia. Directly through this area the famous …

Nockalm-Road” is proceeding. We entered this route from its western side after paying a small toll.

At the highest point of Nockalm-Road I had a short rest and warmed my frozen hands in the bright, but autumnal faint sunlight. Plenty of nice …

scenic …

bends …

later I had to make another …

Austria is full of great off-tarmac tracks, but only a few of them are legally rideable. More about this issue: —> Austria-The Forbidden Land <—

rest because it was so cold, that I can’t feel my fingertips anymore. So I stopped, put the gloves on the muffler for warming them up. In the meanwhile I sat down on the right-hand side of Чернотa and warmed my hands by putting them on the warm clutch cover. Slowly the feeling came back into my fingertips. I made again a big set of knee bends, what brought the warmth back and let us continue our ride. The end of Nockalm-Road is located …

near the plateau “Turracher Hoehe“, where besides this idyllic lake, also some hotels and a skiing area is situated. The road over this plateau is generally known among motorcyclists as a nice transit way from north to south and vice versa over the Austrian Alps.

Here at this hole, the creek had rinsed its way through solid rock. The remaining cave is used nowadays for a bike way. In the …

the area of Lachtal-Valley we passed Lake Gelsee and …

this little house was photographed. Short afterwards my trusty old stout Чернотa …

100.000km/62.000mi: Not bad for a single cylinder bike. A detailed write-up about all the necessary maintenance and is available at: —> “100.000km without a breakdown

exceeded the 100.000 km or 62.000 mi mark. Therefore, it was rewarded at the next fuel stop with a high octane fuel-filling.

The ride went on through some rustic villages …

and led over the …

mountain range called …

Damn! What a nice view!

“Triebener Tauern” to the ..

little city …

The Abbey Admont has the biggest monastery library of the world.

Admont, which is well known for being the hometown of the biggest monastery library of the world.

Now, we followed the Valley “Geseause” and had a rest …

at an old bench at a water dam aside the road.

The last 200 km my black beauty and I followed along …

The “Prescenyklause” – A left over from an old water transport system for moving wood

best weather conditions and well known Austrian …

The famous Eastern-Asustrian Biker Inn called: “Kalte Kuchl

biker areas our …

route homewards to Vienna. We arrived back home …

at the late afternoon of journey day number eleven.
Total mileage of the last day : 480 km or 300 mi

Total mileage of the whole trip: 4099 km or 2550 mi.

Not bad for having a loss of time due to boring slow ferry rides, riding along the heavily bent Rout des Grandes Alpes and some off-road along TET Corsica! ^^

Summary

Thinking back on my thoughts during the ride I was often worrying myself if everything will work as planned. On one hand side I started with an injury into this adventure, on the other hand side the pandemic started raging again and especially the French and Italian islands frightened me, because the possibility to get stuck on one of em was given.

After this trip I can say it was worth doing it despite the uncertain Covid-Situation in all four travelled countries. Surely riding wasn’t as relaxing as without the pandemic, but necessary for my own recovery after the whole madness of the recent summer.

And now its mid of May in the year twenty-twenty one, and I’m worrying again how the pandemic will influence my plans for the incoming adventures.

But hey, I’ll find a way to follow my plans and so will you!

So find your own way to leave this pandemic sh*t behind and have a great incoming riding season! Servus,

Tom
😏🤛✊🛵💨💨💥😆


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