Day 9, Weil to Rhein Camping, Waldshut 85 km

Last night Tobias offered to ride me into Basel. We left around 8 a.m. with all the other commuters. It really didn't take long, but that's the point: anything I do takes twice as long as I have to check my phone and map to make sure I haven't messed up.

In Switzerland I follow the red signs. After Tobias left me I followed my paper map to turn away from the Rhine toward Muttenz. I then saw the signs and followed them, ending up in Liesel, where I had to course correct to Prattein. Everything looks a bit industrial. It takes a while to leave the outskirts. I head to Augusta Raurica where there are Roman ruins. 

At Rhinefelden I have a choice of how to get across to Mumpf and Stein. My paper directions have me staying close to the river while the other looks like it crosses the interior. I opted for Rhine thinking it might be less hilly. There have been some gut-wrenching steep inclines. A lot of up and down. Straight away I began a climb into a forest. The trail was gravel. I felt too alone and imagined it going on for a while so at a certain point I turned south through Mohlin and did the other bike route. By 1 pm I was in Bad Sackingen, crossing the Rhine to the German side on a beautiful, covered bridge. There I stopped to eat a sandwich and get WiFi. Again, for some reason, I cannot get my phone to connect with the mother ship.

I stayed pretty close to the river, with a lot of ups and downs. Laufenburg was another great looking town, picturesque along the Rhine. There are no longer barges on the river, nor heavy industry. 

In my original plan, I was meant to stay at a cute little tollhouse turned bike hostel in Abbruck but I wanted to keep going since I'm intending to end the trip tomorrow at Stein am Rhine and needed to get in more km. Alas, I lost the track there, tried to get WiFi at a bakery but they said, Nein, so kept looking and going. Then there was a diversion. A lady on her bike pulling a baby trailer uphill shouted at me to go to Dogren, so I did. 

I was almost to Waldshut when I lost the track again. Suddenly a German biker was beside me, he saw me struggling with directions. I told him I needed to get to Rhein Camping. He said my favorite words: Follow me. We went through the outskirts of Waldshut and then went down a steep hill on a gravel path to ride right next to the river. It was beautiful.

I arrived at camping at 5 pm, where I asked reception for a room. It's very nice, clean, and brand new. Toilet is down the hall, shower on first floor for a Euro. She gave me the Euro. After getting my stuff upstairs and online, I saw there is a grocery just back a ways, so cycled back along the Rhine to a Lidl to get some food for supper and breakfast. Tomorrow, hopefully the Rhine Falls.

Laufenburg

sunken path

Bad Sackingen bridge

from inside bridge

Taken from inside covered bridge

Augusta Raurica 

Basel