Last pic is interesting - way fun.

Second to last pic - center of pic to upper left quadrant - I see a horizontal line on the mountainside. Is that a road you took or just some old path (looks too consistent of an incline to be 'just a path').

I'm getting slower in my old age, and not just on the bike    I finally finished up this ride (and it was only a weekend!) but there are a lot of photos and some other stuff thrown in.

Link for the curious

Is this fairly late in the year to be able to take on Mountain passes?

Next, let's talk traffic for a moment.  How is traffic there?  Do people move out of the way or get upset when passed?  It was mixed in Ireland and I suspect the people upsetting me were American tourists.     Then again, there were occasions when lorries would hold up long lines of traffic without pulling over.


Traffic is becoming a major bummer to me lately on rides.  It may be me, but it appears I'm seeing more of it and they're more aggressive when it comes to (a) not getting passed and (b) upset when you do pass them.

My experience with passing on mountain passes in Europe has been similar to yours.
Locals will usually yield or drive like hell. Tourists have no clue.

How do you know it's a tourist in front of you? The smell of burnt brakes. 

Is this fairly late in the year to be able to take on Mountain passes?

Not really. Dan and I left for our Croatia trip about the same time last year and while we did run into a little snow near Stelvio Pass, it wasn't anything too bad. It can change from day to day though, so you just need a good window of opportunity     Actually, one of my favorite rides ever in the mountains was taken on October 19th a few years ago. There was fresh snow on the hills, but the roads were clear and no one else was there, because they figured that it was too late 

Next, let's talk traffic for a moment.  How is traffic there?  Do people move out of the way or get upset when passed?  It was mixed in Ireland and I suspect the people upsetting me were American tourists.     Then again, there were occasions when lorries would hold up long lines of traffic without pulling over.

The traffic depends on where and when you are. The usual passes will always be busy on a weekend, and of course busier on a holiday or really nice weather weekend. Sometimes there are just so many cars/trucks that it is pointless to really try to get around them. But for the most part, I'd say that the locals expect you to pass, and will sometimes make it easier for you. I find that the business vehicles are the least likely to be nice (stupid vans    )  No one ever has ever reacted to my passing or even lane splitting - at least that I've noticed    Then again, I am not a maniac rider like some of the squids who patrol the mountain passes....

How do you know it's a tourist in front of you? The smell of burnt brakes. 

Ha! So very, very true!