June 20, 2023 - Andermatt - Rhone Glacier and Ice Tunnel

 Today, we got going at the crack of noon to visit the Eisgrotte, Rhone Gletscher, aka, Rhone Glacier and Ice Tunnel.  The drive in Sam and Miranda's rental car was only 15 miles and 30 minutes from our apartment in Andermatt.  Sooz and I had not heard of it but Miranda found out about it through Instagram. It was fun, and a bit chilly.

Sam did a great job driving there through several twisty, 180-degree turns.  The ice tunnel goes through a glacier and is at 7,600 feet.  We drove about 2 miles past Furka Pass to a parking lot where we had a picnic lunch in the parking lot after walking through the tunnel.  It's quite possible the tunnel and glacier will be gone in 20 years through global warming.

Sam and Miranda walking through the spooky Ice Tunnel

                            

Entrance to the tourist center and ice tunnel ticket counter - it was $9 per ticket

Sooz getting ready to take a shower in the glacier fed waterfall

The path down to the ice tunnel

Miranda, Sooz and Sam watching the Rhone Glacier move down the mountain

Rhone Glacier feeding into Glacier Lake

Our Florida folks confidently crossing some snow

The entrance to the ice tunnel covered by insulating foam to slow its melting

A close up of the ice inside the ice tunnel showing bubbles

Sooz and me trying to stay warm in a glacier.

Sooz crossing glacier polished stone coming back from the ice tunnel

Ice tunnel entrance

A road sign near Furka Pass

Translation of the road sign

Memorial sign for Sean Connery on the side of Furka Pass road where part of the movie Goldfinger was filmed

Near Furka Pass

Monday, June 19, 2023 - Andermatt - Devil's Bridge, Göscheneralpsee Staudamm

 It's been a restful and busy week since I last posted.  Sooz and I took a couple of days for R & R, walking to town, eating and resting up.   Our son Sam and his girlfriend, Miranda, joined us Friday and we have been busy checking out new areas with them.  It's great to see them, and see Andermatt and the Alps through their eyes.  I wasn't sure if they would have a similar reaction as Sooz and I; wonder, amazement, awe - and they have.  They both are as stunned by the scenery and scale as Sooz and I.

This is a video of the Tour de Suisse running in front of our apartment.

A short video of the waterfall on our way to the Göscheneralpsee Staudamm.

One of my favorite pictures of Sooz, sitting next to a waterfall on our way to the Göscheneralpsee Staudamm.

Sooz, Sam and Miranda in Andermatt

Sam and Miranda learning the local area from Bernie, a shop owner in Andermatt

Sooz and me at The Devil's Bridge near Andermatt

Waterfall at Devil's Bridge

Goofing at Devil's Bridge

A claustrophobic tunnel at Devil's Bridge

Devil's Bridge

Way down the road Sam and Miranda communing with the local cows

My pasty white feet getting numb in a local glacier fed stream

Sam and Mom

Watching cashmere goats

Cashmere goats under a don't drive on the grass sign

Some of the marauding gangs of wild and crazy Vespa club riders in Andermatt

June 12, 2023 - Andermatt - Göscheneralp Dam and Reservoir

 Sooz and I took another 30 minute ride that turned into 4 hours.  People working in the outdoor supply store in town recommended we see the Goscheneralp Dam and Reservoir, so we did today.  It's only a 30 minute ride from Andermatt in a direction we have not gone before.  It was a beautiful ride and we decided to have lunch at the restaurant at the dam and walk around a little.

It's really a lot more than just a dam and reservoir although that's interesting to the water manager in me.  There was a constant flow of hikers, bikers, cars, vans and even a boy scout troop.  It was really active with a lot of marked trails for hikers. 

From a website:  The reservoir in the Göscheneralp valley lies at alt. 1792 metres/5,879 feet in the midst of scenic hiking and climbing country. Created 60 years ago and containing some 75 million cubic metres of water, Lake Göscheneralp serves as a reservoir for local power generator Kraftwerk Göschenen AG.  A narrow but easily accessible path runs around it, passing through alpine pastures and moorland. Lake Göscheneralp can be reached by PostBus and car.

Me pointing out Andermatt and how the reservoir and dam work

The restaurant we had lunch at is in the middle-left of the picture.

Goscheneralp Reservoir looking pretty low to me

E-bicycle charging station at the dam

The GS on the far left socializing and enjoying the view with some other motorcycles

One of the narrow tunnels on the way to the dam

Goats in the road coming down from the dam/reservoir - photo by Sooz

Sooz took this picture and said these long-haired beasts are cashmere goats, I did not argue - read about them HERE

This answers one of our questions about the manicured fields - they use this contraption to mow/thresh the grass.  This sign was posted near the dam - they must have posted this because they got tired of answering dumb questions from people like me.

I'm still refining my selfi-taking skills.

June 11, 2023 - Andermatt

 Today was an Andermatt day - we never left the area although we were outside for a lot of the day.  We got going early and went to a 9:00 am church service at the Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church.  It was fairly well attended and was a basic Catholic mass, in German.

We had coffee and met Max Hagenbucher, his wife and mother-in-law.  They were sitting right behind us and he struck up a conversation in English.  His wife spoke some English and the mother-in-law spoke German, Italian and French, but not English.  She was a hoot, getting frustrated by not being able to get the waitress's attention, but she was a sweetheart, very friendly, smiling and on top of her game.

Max is a semi-retired helicopter pilot who spent 4 years in New Hampshire.  He mostly flew helicopters for construction projects, but also flew 2 years for a Swiss emergency evacuation service.  When I mentioned that we had watched a TV show on Netflix about that he said that was his station.  He gave me 2 business cards, one for his commercial work and one for personal trips for hire.  You can check out the commercial company he is still working at www.centralheli.ch 

In mid-afternoon we literally walked across the street for a hike in the mountains.  We are not big hikers, but as you can see, the path was mostly paved - not too strenuous.  Although, we did get passed by a man pushing a stroller with his newborn baby in it.  Like I said, we are not big hikers, but it felt great to get out on a beautiful day in the Alps.

Incredible scenery during the hike

The sign says cows get the right of way

It's almost like the entire landscape is manicured, but it seems to grow that way maintained by grazing cattle, with some limited mowing

Street sign on a hiking trail

Of course, the wild flowers were in-bloom

Our hiking path

Sooz took this picture of a posting on the side of a barn. I guess they raise yak in Switzerland.

Picture by Sooz while walking, not riding on the back of a motorcycle

At the beginning of our hike/walk