Moar Jura!!!!!

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Or as I put it on the webpage: More Jura

I considered riding to the Alps today, but the haze in the sky gave me the impression that I wouldn’t find the clear views that I was looking for. Plus it was a beautiful day and I figured that all of the passes would be packed with motorcycles. Since I don’t like to share, I decided on a tour through my backyard for some more Jura exploration. I chose St Hippolyte (south of Saint-Ursanne (CH)), engaged “Curvy Roads” and settled in for a nice tour.

The weather had broken a couple of days ago and it was in my opinion, the perfect temperature. Not just for riding, but for life. My bike showed a range of 18-23C (the high temperature was in a tunnel, oddly enough). It felt wonderful to actually feel chilly for once! The sky was overcast which was a mixed blessing: it kept the sun from heating everything up, but it also was not a good backdrop for any pictures I would take.

I took pictures anyway.

More on the link above  














More pictures - and kittens!!! - in the link  

[Sport-Touring]

[Blue is Best]

Really nice roads. Except for the animals that might jump out.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Really nice roads. Except for the animals that might jump out.

That's just the thing: there are are almost no animals to jump out at you here. I think I've seen four deer since I moved here (not counting deer farms, where they're safe behind fences) and the road kill numbers are minimal. I don't know if it's a lack of animals, better drivers or road clean-up crews  

Needless to say, I've gotten quite lazy riding here  

[Blue is Best]

That's just the thing: there are are almost no animals to jump out at you here. I think I've seen four deer since I moved here (not counting deer farms, where they're safe behind fences) and the road kill numbers are minimal. I don't know if it's a lack of animals, better drivers or road clean-up crews  

Needless to say, I've gotten quite lazy riding here  

For whatever reason, that is good news.

[greench440]

I wasn't going to click on the link until I read the part about kittens.

I want to live here:

[RBEmerson]

That's just the thing: there are are almost no animals to jump out at you here. I think I've seen four deer since I moved here (not counting deer farms, where they're safe behind fences) and the road kill numbers are minimal. I don't know if it's a lack of animals, better drivers or road clean-up crews  

Needless to say, I've gotten quite lazy riding here  

Until you mentioned it, I'd totally blanked on the issue of road kill on German and Swiss roads. You're right, it's just not there. I cannot think when, if ever, I've seen road kill in Euro-land (or that other country). Not even one squished little racoon that Hermann Göring introduced into Germany. Flat cat? Nein! Flogged frog? Nochmal nein! Rammed Bambi? Immer nochmal nein! Amazing! Does someone from the Deutschesbundesstrassenreinigungsamt go out every morning, brush, broom, mop, and pail in hand? If so, I've never seen them, either.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

I can't say that they don't exist, but I can probably count on two gloves the number of cats, birds and other small, un-identifiable splotches on the road. Quite the change from Pennsylvania roads, where I counted what seemed to be an average of one roadkill deer per mile as I drove across the state...

[Bounce]

I-90 between the Great Lakes and the west coast is often painted with the fine mist of reds and browns where a critter was totally exploded into non-existence when a high speed collisions with an 18 wheeler played modern artist with nature.

No carcass to be found, just a multicolored paint ball splat.

[mugwump58]

Remember these lands have been occupied for thousands of years by people and wildlife is thoroughly managed. Ask what it takes to go hunting and you'll see.

[RBEmerson]

Um, yes and no. Wild animals still go where they want to. However there's far more habitat available in many areas, meaning less pressure or opportunity to cross roads. Looking out of an airplane window is instructive in that regard. Nonetheless, radio traffic reporting does occasionally cite animals on roadways as a cause for driver concern or delay.

Hunting, like many things in Europe, is closely regulated in a way that precludes "the guys" from taking their artillery to a cabin for a week of beer and blasting away at anything that moves. There is also the matter of tradition, including Jägermeisters (in this case "hunting masters", not the IMHO vile-tasting liquor), that shape how hunting is conducted. finally, the method of hunting is often to use stands instead of stalking. Small huts on stilts are a common sight from rural roads in Germany, for example.

Anyway, why there is less apparent road kill remains something of a mystery.

   

[Bounce]

It's because of the Autobahn. Drivers are going so fast they phase through the critter instead of hitting it.



This was first documented when a driver Hal Jordan first experienced it.

[Ant]

Am I the only one expecting this thread to be about whisky?!

I thoroughly enjoyed the one time I've had the opportunity to ride in Switzerland, I'd love to get back there some time. Although I didn't enjoy having to avoid the motorway like the plague since I was too cheap to buy a vignette! I obviously wouldn't choose to join the motorway, but navigating Basel with a broken GPS resulted in a few close calls.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

How about absinthe, since it is made in the region?




Yeah, the year-only vignette is a rip-off if you're just traveling through. I like how Austria gives you the option of a tourist-length pass, for a lower price.

[RBEmerson]

First off, the name of the absinthe, spoken with an "American speaking French" accent sounds suspiciously like "birth of the blues"... hmmm...

Second, I thought that recently (last year, give or take) the price of a Swiss vignette jumped up appreciably and vignettes good for shorter periods were introduced at the same time.  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Second, I thought that recently (last year, give or take) the price of a Swiss vignette jumped up appreciably and vignettes good for shorter periods were introduced at the same time.  

You thought incorrectly. It is 50chf for a full year, with no other option.

[GvG]

You thought incorrectly. It is 5040chf for a full year, with no other option.

fixed that for ya

[greench440]

Am I the only one expecting this thread to be about whisky?!

Nope.   My first thought was has our den mother developed a taste for whisky?

[keeptryn]

Another thing - there doesn't seem to be any bugs in western Europe.  Spent 8 days riding through several countries last June/July and never had to clean my visor due to too much bug guts.

[RBEmerson]

Meh - comes and goes. Maybe it's where you were riding. I've taken the occasional hit and then found out the rent-a-racer was short on windshield washer fluid.

Air conditioning is nowhere near as common as it is in the States. Typically, the weather is usually cool enough that opening the windows and letting the breeze do its work will keep a house or apartment cool enough. With climate change... not so much as before. Anyway, even screens for windows are rare. But every so often some flying critter shows and... GNGH!!! So, yeah, at least middle Europe isn't all that bug-ridden, just not bug-free.

[Ant]

Another thing - there doesn't seem to be any bugs in western Europe.  Spent 8 days riding through several countries last June/July and never had to clean my visor due to too much bug guts.

My visor and shiny new motorcycle disagrees with you after a ride yesterday!

It is definitely very seasonal though, there are only a couple of months where bugs can be an issue, even then the rain usually keeps them down. So we maybe have 2 hours a year where it is a problem.