Monday, July 25
Bad Tolz to Garmisch-Partenkirchen -- 58 miles
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We stayed alongside
the Isar River to Lenggries.
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Then we went
along a tributary, the Jachen.
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We reached Walchensee (Lake
Walchen) at Niedernach and headed north, following the eastern shoreline.
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We climbed a forest trail next to the lake,
then descended to the shoreline again.
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Walchensee
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The mountain pass (859 meters) between Urfeld and Kochel
was a shorter, easier climb than we expected. We got a view of the next
lake, Kochelsee, as the clouds lifted and we began the descent.
The statue outside Hotel "Zur Post" in Kochel
is
the folk hero Balthasar Mayer, "schmied von Kochel."
He led a Bavarian farmer rebellion against Austro-Hungarian occupiers
at Sendling in the War of Spanish Succession in 1705.
The 300th anniversary celebration,
Schmied von Kochel
Festspiele, is this year in Kochel,
featuring a play about the legendary smith.
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In Garmisch-Partenkirchen
we checked in to the Grand
Hotel Sonnenbichl for two nights and walked to La Toscana, an excellent
Italian restaurant. It rained again on the walk back, after dark.
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The road to Jachenau
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On the road to Jachenau,
looking back. Hear the cowbells?
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Walchensee
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Sachenbach, on Walchensee
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Area map (click
to enlarge)
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Clouds moved in over Urfeld at the northern tip of Walchensee.
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The sky quickly grew ominous.
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When we reached Urfeld, people at the lakeside cafe were hastily removing
the umbrellas and everything else from the porch. We parked our bikes under
an awning and went inside for lunch. It rained so hard, the street became
a river -- but only briefly. By the time we finished our soup and bread,
the storm was over.
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Heading for Kochel
after the storm.
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From Kochel we went along
the Loisach River to Schledorf, then through farmland
to Eschenloe.
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At Eschenloe we got caught in another thunderstorm, just as we were
leaving the town roads for a gravel trail out in the open. Luckily, this
storm also was brief. When we paused to look behind us, we saw a rainbow.
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We were glad
to get on pavement again.
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