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File name |
Description |
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Lugano Lake |
Early in the day we passed
through Milan, and started up the long Levantina Valley. We passed
several beautiful resort lakes, including Como, and the one seen
here, Lake Lugano. |
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Lugano Lake |
Like Garda, Lugano and the
other lakes were shaped and deepened by the four glacial ice ages
that effected this region. With the southern sun exposure, the
climate of the lakes is much warmer than other parts of the Alps,
and these lakes are favorite vacation destinations for Italians and
northern Europeans alike. |
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Peaks in the clouds at
Bellinzona |
We crossed the frontier into
Switzerland long before we reached the pass. Switzerland actually
extends over the Alps, and far into the drainage of the upper Po
River upstream of Italy. Many of the residents in the area are
culturally and linguistically Italian. We stopped for lunch at a
roadside rest in a village called Bellinzona. |
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Monastery near Bellinzano |
Beautiful hanging valleys
revealed waterfalls, which formed as the main trunk glacier cut a
deeper valley than the branch glaciers. Scenic towers and
monasteries were present throughout the region. This was probably
near Monte Carasso. |
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Bellinzano |
Below the rest area there was
a flower bedecked meadow next to the river. It was one of the
coolest, greenest places we had yet seen during this hot July
journey! |
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Limestone cliffs |
As we drove further up the
valley, huge outcrops of limestone became visible...these were once
deposits on the floor of the Tethys Sea, a forerunner to the
Mediterranean Sea that was destroyed when the African plate crashed
into the southern European plate. |
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Upper Levantina Valley |
As we approached the head of
the Valle Levantina, the mountains along the high crest of the Alps
came into view. Some of the peaks here approach elevations exceeding
3,000 meters. Our road can be seen switchbacking up the mountain in
the center of the picture.
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Upper Levantina Valley |
The shape of the mountains
here is more angular. Instead of being scoured by the passage of
glaciers, these peaks were the source of the glaciers, and were
never covered. The glaciers pluck rocks from the sides and edges,
forming cliffs, aretes, and horns. No active glaciers are in
evidence here...the site was chosen for travel because it was lower,
and ice-free during the summer. A few tens of miles to the west, at
the Jungfrau, the peaks exceed 4,000 meters, and are mantled with
glaciers that are many miles long.
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Upper Levantina Valley |
This is not to say that it
doesn't snow at these elevations. The long, glacially-steepened
valleys are under the constant danger of avalanches. These
structures are designed to increase the stability of snow banks on
these high ridges. |
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Approaching St. Gotthard Pass |
St. Gotthard Pass first opened
for travel in the 12th century, with the completion of a bridge over
a particularly rugged gorge on the north side. A railway tunnel
circumvented the pass in 1882, and in 1980, a 10.5 mile long
automobile tunnel was opened. This was the third longest of its type
in the world at the time. A railway tunnel currently under
construction will be 35 miles long, and will be the longest in the
world. |
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Approaching St. Gotthard Pass |
Two paved roads still cross
the pass, an older cobblestone pathway (visible in the previous
photo), and a more modern highway. It is an important alternative
when the tunnel is closed for various reasons (a truck collision and
explosion in 2001 killed eleven people). Our bus driver was kind
enough to take us over the pass, and we enjoyed an spectacular view
of the Valle Levantina (and a view of a few thousand feet straight
down under the highway!).
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The View from St. Gotthard
Pass |
We stopped at a lookout point
near the summit of the pass and explored for a few minutes, taking
in a glorious view. Looking south over the Valle Levantina, we could
see the long u-shaped valley left behind by the glaciers. |
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The View from St. Gotthard
Pass |
The slightly wider view shown
here includes the village of Airolo, where the railway and auto
tunnels disappear into the mountain |
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The View from St. Gotthard
Pass |
Looking further to the east.
The roof over the highway is an avalanche shelter. |
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Gneiss |
The rocks that make up the
highest part of the Alps are composed of highly metamorphosed rocks,
brought up from deep in the crust during the collision of Africa and
Europe. These were a sharp contrast to the limestones and shales
that we saw in the Apennines. |
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The Rock Shop! |
What a great place for a rock
shop! Although I have to admit, it was hard taking precious minutes
from the view to see what they have for sale. But the sign was
pretty cool to see! |
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Near the top of the Alps! |
The summit of the pass lies at
an elevation of 2,108m
(6,916 ft). Your
webmaster is not that big on posting photos of himself, but I
couldn't pass up my greatest geological moments: this was one,
reaching the summit of the Alps for the first time! |
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The Val Tremona |
This switchbacking road, in
the Val Tremona ("Valley of Trembling"), is a cobblestone path
constructed between 1827 and 1830 over the actual summit of St.
Gotthard Pass. It is preserved today as a motorbike and equestrian
road. Tourist can also ride on a coach pulled by five horses....if
they dare! |
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Hospental Tower |
Below St. Gotthard Pass, the
road passed through Hospental, at the crossroads of several
trans-alpine passes. The area had strategic importance in the 13th
century, when the tower was constructed. |
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Schollenen Gorge |
Shortly after leaving the
village of Andermatt, the road plunged into the rugged Schollenen
Gorge, the northward course of the Reuss River. |
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Medieval Bridge |
This is one of the ancient
bridges over the Reuss River in the Schollenen Gorge. I didn't get a
picture of it, but the most famous bridge in this gorge is the
Devil's Bridge (the Teufelsbrücke).
It got the name from the legendary events surrounding it's
construction in the middle ages, when a seemingly insurmountable
section of the gorge prevented completion of the road. The devil
offered to finish the bridge, at the cost of the first soul to cross
it. The crafty townspeople made sure the first to cross was a
goat.... |
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Arrival at Lake Lucerne |
At the end of the day, we had
crossed the Alps, to finish our travels at another glacially carved
lake on the northern flanks of the range, Lake Lucerne. The weather
was overcast, cool, and even rainy. It was a refreshing change! Mt.
Pilatus, our main destination on the next day, dominated the skyline
from the north shore of the lake. |
