April 22, 2018
Spring is here in Baselland! Actually, it feels more like summer, but the trees are in bloom which means that spring still has a hold on things. I went for a quick detour last weekend to see if the local cherry trees were blooming, but I was a bit early:
But with the high temperatures and blue skies we’ve been having, we knew that it was time to get back out there. Dan and I agreed to go “early” today and do a little tour of our corner of Switzerland. We were not disappointed. And like most day rides, the pictures do most of the talking.
And what’s a ride in Switzerland without a castle?
Leaving Basel behind
Thick green pastures
There were a lot of people out enjoying the beautiful Sunday. Many other motorcycles went by, quite a few bicyclists, and the parking areas near trailheads were full of cars. It was a glorious day to be out!
This region is known as “Kirschland” (Cherry Land)
Swiss cows
Bee hives in place
I love it when Dan comes with me
Dog cooling off in the village fountain
We came around a corner to find “accident ahead” signs along the edge. We slowed down and came upon a smattering of emergency workers, vehicles and a Rega rescue helicopter. We couldn’t see any cause for the accident, but perhaps that’s why they call them “accidents”. Oh, and one of the officials at the scene wasn’t happy that I snapped this photo. I just wanted a photo of the helicopter, honest!
I think the “peak” for the cherry blossoms was a couple of days ago, but it was still beautiful
We then left Kirschland behind and headed towards Jurapark, a natural area a little further east. There really was no destination; I just pushed on the GPS for somewhere in an area that I wanted to ride.
Riding through the village of Nusshof
I love riding through this area
Seriously, every turn just made me smile with the view
Dan had put in a new sprocket (along with a new chain of course) and wanted to see how it felt on the motorway, so once we hit our halfway point we just made our way back to Basel via the fast roads. Not nearly as much fun, but it had been a good morning’s ride.
And the rest of the ride home was taken at 120 kph!
Colleen and Dan,
‘Loved the photos of cherry blossoms in your spring. I believe these are ‘real’ cherry blossoms which will eventually bear fruit. Here in Eastern U.S. we hear much about the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. which are Japanese and don’t bear fruit. Many years ago, before we had children, we drove to Washington, D.C. to see these blossoms and we were so surprised to find there were so many others there with the same intention that we couldn’t find a hotel to spend the night. We saw the blossoms and then drove back to Pa.
Five years ago we made reservations in D.C. to celebrate our anniversary, which is 3/22. That was a very early spring and the cherry blossoms were in bloom and we felt so lucky to be there. They were a beautiful sight. On 3/22 this year we were actually ‘snowed in’ with a storm much like the one in 1958. We had plans to travel to Williamsburg by train and the night before we were to leave, Amtrak called to say the train had been canceled. Sure enough, there was an overnight storm and we spent the day watching the snow from our wonderful windows. Love to you both, Sally