I wanted to get in at least one more nice ride before returning home, but was resigned to making it a shorter ride. Bellinzona again? Back to where I watched the Tour de Suisse, and down the other side to Caslano? To Ascona, where I haven't managed to visit again? Another suggestion was Monte Generoso, a popular viewpoint where (I am told) you can see Italy to one side and Switzerland to the other.
I was ambivalent right up to the end, and nearly repeated my ride to Bellinzona one last time. And I'm sure I would have enjoyed that, and it would have been stress-free, whereas the first time I head toward a new destination is always a bit more stressful, not least because I can't really read a map and ride at the same time. But I'm glad I followed the suggestion and rode to Monte Generoso (or actually to Bella Vista, as close as you can get to Monte Generoso by car or bicycle).
It's quite a climb ... from about 1000 feet in Mendrisio to 3700 feet where the pavement ends (and then I hiked a bit further to 4012 feet). I saw just one other cyclist on the way up, but by the time I headed back down I was passing lots and lots on the way up ... far outnumbering cars. It seems to be a very popular climb for local cyclists.
The road (one lane, paved) winds through forest most of the way up, with fewer of the drop-offs that trigger my fear of heights on Monte Bre. A very nice ride.
Near the top I was hearing semi-organized percussive sounds. Some kind of weird drumming festival? No, that would be Eugene, not Switzerland. What could it be? Then when I rode along a small road along the ridge, the sounds became more distinct: Cow bells. In Switzerland, all the cows I have seen (and there are lots and lots and lots of cows in Switzerland) were wearing cowbells.
The view I got was of Switzerland (barely visible behind my bicycle).
To get further, it may be possible to walk, and there is a funicular train. You can see the teeth the train grabs to pull itself up the hill. There was a small restaurant and bar open at the end of the pavement, and I had a cappuccino there, but the restaurant at the Belle Vista funicular train station (0.7 km further on, on an unpaved trail that I judged too slippery for riding) was closed.
Cycling is popular and well-supported in Switzerland, but even more popular and well-supported is walking. The sign in the last photo (about half way from the end of the paved road and the Bella Vista station) seems to be giving times to walk to different destinations. One can walk back to Mendrisio, where I started, in two directions, depending on whether one wants to take 2.5 hours or just under 2 hours.
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