One of Germany's oldest panoramic roads runs between Baden-Baden and Freudenstadt, the Schwarzwaldhochstraße (B500). It's a must-do for tourists. With an elevation between 600 and 1000 meters the pass road meanders along the mountain sides, and naturally it offers an abundance of twisties, making it also a desirable motorcycle destination for non-residents. The fresh mountain air and breathtaking views make for a year-round attraction for outdoor enthusiasts, and there is usually a lot of traffic during high season.
I got lucky because there was not so much traffic to be had on this evening trip. Maybe because it was a weekday, or school holidays were already over in some of the overpopulated northern provinces of Germany. I had the road almost to myself, and was overtaken only twice by power rangers on their rice burners. I had fun chasing a Porsche with my lil' scoot, who didn't dare shifting into second gear, or so it seemed.
Lots of speed limits are regulating traffic along the 60km stretch of road, and during weekends you will notice a high presence of police enforcing the law by checking on speeders (the two and the four wheeled kind), and rightly so. The road is a race track, and it will tempt you to push your boundaries. It can be a death trap. Lots of accidents happen every week. So, if you decide to visit the area, by all means, enjoy the Schwarzwaldhochstraße, but ride safely, and only as fast as your guardian angel can fly.
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| Tourist Trap at Mummelsee |
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| Mummelsee - it's merely a pond, not a lake, really. |
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| Murgtalsperre - Murg Dam |
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| Reflections at Murg Reservoir |
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| Murg Reservoir |
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| Schwarzwaldhochstraße - Black Forest Panoramic Road - sans traffic. |
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| Sunset over Black Forest. |
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| 164km - almost 4 hours of saddle time |
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Die Schwarzwald-Rennstrecke
Die Schwarzwald-Hochstraße ist eine der ältesten Panoramastraßen. Sie geht von Baden-Baden nach Freudenstadt und ist eine Pflichtstrecke für Touristen. Auf Höhen zwischen 600 und 1000 Metern führt sie entlang verschiedener Berge und bietet außer reichlich Kurven auch eine Menge schöner Aussichten. Nicht nur für MotorradfahrerInnen interessant. Die Höhenluft und die Landschaft machen es das ganze Jahr über zu einer attraktiven Gegend für Freiluft-Enthusiasten aus aller Welt. Daher ist in der Hochsaison eigentlich immer viel Verkehr.
Doch ich hatte Glück, vom Verkehr bekam ich nicht viel mit. Vielleicht, weil es ein Wochentag war oder weil die Sommerferien in anderen Bundesländern bereits zu Ende waren. Nur zweimal wurde ich von Papageien auf ihren Joghurt-Bechern überholt und hatte Spaß, mit meiner kleinen Vespa einen Porsche zu jagen, der wohl den zweiten Gang nicht finden konnte.
Natürlich gibt es viele Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzungen auf der Strecke und am Wochenende kontrolliert die Polizei die Raser, und das ist auch gut so. Die Schwarzwaldhochstraße verleitet zum Schnellfahren und wird somit oft zur Todesfalle. Jede Woche passieren hier schlimme Unfälle. Also wenn Ihr die Gegend besuchen wollt, kann ich die Panoramastraße nur empfehlen, aber bitte fahrt nur so schnell Euer Schutzengel fliegen kann.
The clouds in your photos really add drama to them. And more phenomenal scenery. For some reason I had always thought that Germany was pretty densely populated. Not all cities but more like the east coast of the U.S. It seems pretty wide open in your photos.
ReplyDeleteRichard, as a matter of fact we live in an area that offers a good balance between industry and farming, also part of the Black Forest is protected as a nature reserve, hence less population.
DeleteHaving said that, usually people gather where work and convenience is offered. For efficiency purposes everything has to be at close reach, hence for many Germans living in the Black Forest is already too far out. It is so remote from civilisation... we even produce our own kind of redneck.
Beautiful pictures. So glad you had a nice ride without too much traffic. Those are the best times to be on two wheels - when people are off doing other things.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brandy. It was about time to take the Vespa for a spin. The scoot didn't didn't get much more than the daily commute lately.
DeleteSonja, that sporty little scoot is the perfect accent touch to your pictures. I have to agree with Richard, the clouds were really dramatic.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen. And the little scoot was happy to oblige. I didn't think the clouds would make for such powerful pics.
DeleteSonja,
ReplyDeleteLike Richard, I was under the impression that Germany had much less 'open' area than you've been sharing in your lovely clouded photos. The quieter roads, even with some speeders, definitely look and feel very appealing.