Above: There was time for a few more photos. And then, before the melting snow on the road turned to ice, it was time to return to our car, more than 6,000 feet below.





Above I wouldn't want to be this cyclist, the only one we saw walking his bike.





Above What I haven't shown you is my photos of the super-cars that traveled up and down the pass that day, Ferraris, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, and many more, new and vintage. There were multitudes of powerful motorcycles, too. Cyclists and motorists were all polite and I never felt in danger from anyone. I did notice, though, that many cyclists tossed their trash – energy bar and gel packaging – on the road. It was upsetting to see people pollute the place they'd come to not just to ride, but to see.




Above:It was cold up top, and we were glad we had long-fingered gloves for the descent. It was a fantastic descent, turn after turn after turn, and unending beauty as we spooled back time and distance to return to our car.




Above: It wasn't all grand views. One part of the road, still above tree line, had a nice collection of marmots, similar to what we have in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.





Above: We reached our car, loaded the bikes, and drove back up the pass. Although I felt like I'd ridden a century, I had plenty of energy left as we made our way back to our fantastic accommodations, 300 feet above our car.





Above: That evening, we were treated to a fantastic, and long-lasting sunset from the patio of Rifugio Garibaldi; it was a perfect coda to our ride up into the Alps.