Switzerland: Luzern to Mt. Rigi

With temperatures rising on the Palouse to near 100F, cycling in the early afternoon sun can cause the mind to drift.  Even though my daily 24 mile route began late morning, temperatures reached nearly 99F before I returned home to cool down.  As seen from the graphic below, Thursday was a hot one.  Friday was not much different.

Stats distance vs temperature

While the mind drifts while cycling out in the heat, thoughts often turn towards more refreshing times.  Thursday's ride was one of those brain cooking, mind wandering 90 minutes.  

As the temperature built, I thought of our recent trip to Switzerland in early May.  Only two months ago, Nancy and I stood on the top of Mt. Rigi across Lake Luzern from the city, itself.  At the summit, the weather was clear and cold with several feet of snow on the ground.

Having a Swiss Travel Pass, planning for the excursion from Luzern to Mt. Rigi was a snap.  We boarded a ship at the Luzern dock at 10:00am and set off across the lake for a 45 minutes cruise.

Weather was pleasant on the lake with temperatures in the mid-60s F.  The ship crossed the lake making several stops before arriving at our disembarkation point in Vinzlau.  Vinzlau is a small, picturesque town that provides the embarkation point for the cog train up to the top of Mt. Rigi Kulm.  The journey up the very steep track takes about 20 minutes and the views are unbelievable gorgeous.

Once at the summit, Nancy and I detrained.  Putting on gloves, hats, and scarves, we buttoned up our coats and made the short trek up to the summit to take in the sweeping panorama.

What views they were!  Besides terrific views of the Alps and Lake Luzern, we could also see Lakes Zug and Lauerz.  Stunning.

Following about 30 minutes wandering around the summit, I suggested we take the foot path from the summit to the Rigi-Staffel train station below.  The nearby signpost stated walking time to be about 20 minutes.

After arriving at the Rigi-Staffel train station, we got the next train heading down to Vinzlau.  Back in Vinzlau, the next boat would not arrive for 40 minutes so we grabbed a light snack and drinks and wandered the shores of Vinzlau.

Seeing our boat round a point far in the distance, we turned back to the dock to meet the incoming boat.  After boarding and casting off, we enjoyed another 45 minute cruise back to Luzern in wonderful weather.

Total excursion time was about five hours.  With a Swiss Travel Pass, the cost for this enjoyable outing was $0.   

I feel cooler already.