Day 3 started with filling their water bottles at the mountainside spring, then a cable car ride down to the valley floor for Tim and Monique.
They then took a short bus ride to the town of Lauterbrunen which is where they would pick up their bikes for the day at the local outdoor adventure store. Most people were there for mountian climbing.
It was a bit off-season for bikes, as the region was having a late summer and they were not accustomed to renting many bikes this late in the year. The locals were already prepping for the coming snow season. After filling out the paperwork, fitting helmets and showing the store employee the route they had intended, he exclaimed, "You want to do what?" He must have felt they were in over their heads as most of the people renting were more tourist than rider. Tim and Monique then proceeded to ride toward the end of the long valley with the intention of riding up into the Swiss Alps. The countryside of Lauterbrunnen was like something out of a storybook. Green grass everywhere and a wonderful trail following the glacial creek through the valley welcomed the riders and let them acclimate to the bikes. The first stop on the bike tour was the Trümmelbach Falls. The glacial water carved out the rock, hollowing out the inside of the mountain and creating unbelievable falls inside caves within the mountainside. They took a funicular up inside the mountain to see the matterhorn like caves with water flowing in every direction. This was an amazing first stop for sure. They continued the ride to the end of the valley and proceeded to climb into the back country of the Alps encountering streams, bridges, rock gardens and finally, as they approached the small village of Gimmewald, a bit of pavement. Gimmewald, with a population of 140, proved to be the reward for a day of riding through the forest.
There were very few tourists there and Monique found The Honesty Shop, an honor system gift shop, while Tim was greeted with a Monch beer brewed right there in the small village. Again, being treated to views that very few would get to see in their lifetime. After absorbing all they could in Gimmewald, it was onward and upward where the next stop on the ride was in Murren. Here Tim charged up the e-bikes at the charging station while Monique gathered some snacks at the local market. Once rested and charged the two began the decent which started by following an Alpine railway that was under construction and offered pavement, gravel and dirt, winding through the forest of the mountainside all the way back to the valley floor and the town of Lauterbrunnen. It was an epic ride of about 25 miles and approximately 3500 feet of climbing. This was a lifetime memory for sure. A short bus ride and a cable car back to Murren and Tim and Monique would spend the last night in Switzerland walking around the town, taking photos and enjoying their last dinner in Switzerland. The next day they would be in Italy.
