´Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.´

John Muir..

Initially I was only going to post some pictures for this blog page, but then thought better of it..
We spend a few days after leaving Punta Ala at a lake heading towards Livigno.
Lago de Iseo was so hot and beautiful that it was hard to leave. The only thing that kept us moving was the thoughts of biking in the Alps.
Italy has turned it on for us, and has only got better. I was hoping it would for it is a wonderful place to discover and always has a place in my heart from years along. So after a short-ish drive from the lake up into the mountains the road just seemed to climb for ever. I was in this part of the country many years ago, and remember vividly cycling a section of the road we drove on. It was with an old friend Paulo and his buddy Marco as they took me on a cycle from Sondrio into Switzerland. Truly bizarre, but nice memories. I had already been in the Alps with those guys, Lago Palu on a camping trip and much hiking to small peaks, that looked down onto ski fields, awesome.

Scenes from Our stay at Lago de Iseo. Because of a closure to one
of the bike paths, we had to cycle through the tunnels, scary and dark place

So after making it to Livigno, the duty free capital of Italy, we set up camp and purchased some biking maps from the tourist info. Looking around at the snow capped mountains and even lower, snow still lying in parts of the town, it´s hard to imagine it could be warm at all, but it is. And all around the sound of cow bells, ski lifts that sit silent, except for the bike park lift, and busy construction workers making repairs on the numerous wooden chalets after the snow season. This is a real paradise for hikers and bikers in summer, and ski bunnies in winter.


 

Scenes Of Flora and Fauna! And some Edjit who looks like he
might be having too much fun, A happy camper..

Livigno, the Alps. Awesome trails, scenery and silent moments that last
a lifetime. Some snow of course...

Another great day out..

At the start of some trials, it looked like we would be carrying the bikes for ages, but shortly after a few step turns the forest opened up to the mountains. It was single track and long climbs, but worth every pedal stroke. Through snow and across streams the trail took us winding up and up. Over two thousand metres, 2275m, and the views were amazing. Above the tree line, we could look down to the campsite, over the village and beyond.
Cycling on the trail took us into the bike park and back to civilization where we could have a well deserved coffee.
Esther once asked me, if given the choice of either living by the ocean or up in the mountains, which would I choose. Now that´s not an easy question to answer, and I would love the best of both worlds, so for now I reserve the right to say, I really don´t know..
For now it will be another day or two on the bikes here in Livigno, then into France to catch-up with Karen, a friend and fellow MTB biker from New Zealand, originally from Dublin.
This blog is dedicated to our friends from NZ, whom we went biking with regularly.. You know who you are, and we miss you all heaps.