Ladies and Gentlemen,

this is not your regular motorcycle tour, and therefore this is not gonna be your regular blog: this is Edelweiss Feschtl 2013!

Once a year Edelweiss organizes a double event (in North America and in Europe) to gather together friends that have been riding on our previous tours (or new members that are planning to join some tours in the future). Marriot Hotel in Visalia (California) is the base camp for this riding weekend. Edelweiss staff (here represented by Anna, event planner; Rainer, general manager; Marko and Manuel, tour guides)  have arrived a couple of days ago with some planes from Munich and Innsbruck to make sure that everything was ready to welcome the participants. Peggy, our US agent is also here, and even Werner (founder and owner of Edelweiss) will join the group with a ride from San Francisco.

Are you getting curious? Well then have a look at the first shots... a preview of what you are going to see tomorrow, when we ride trough Sequoia National Park!

Below you can see the excitement for the new beauties that we have received from a rental partner in Los Angeles...

Good day California! Not a bad start, with a very pleasant temperature, palms swinging in the Pacific breeze and fine beach.

Yes, someone is allowed to park his car right on the beach...

Anna gearing up for the ride to Visalia, and in front of her our tiny RV, the support vehicle of the event. We basically needed a fridge for the picnic and 4 wheels to transport it around... and this is what we got!

Coming from Alpine Europe the vastness of American freeways is simply impressive: it's hard to pick up a lane, they are too many! 

After a great day of Californian roads we reach Visalia, but only after a gas stop, mostly because we wanted to admire some real American trucks in the sunset light.

The starting day of the Feschtl has arrived! In the morning Anna and Manuel went to do some shopping for tomorrow's picnic...

... while the first riders arrive at the hotel.

Good to have some fun right before checking in, Jocelin and Demetri! Just watch out for the blind corners, that cart has no brakes!

Rainer "master of ceremony" during the welcome drink...

And Marko glad to meet again some tour members of one of his tours...

After the welcome drink a short walk brings us to a fine restaurant for dinner: the Souther Pacific Depot, an art nuveau building that used to be a train station. Quite an eclectic restyling, beautifully keeping intact the stained glass ceiling and some of the interiors.

And... SURPRISE! When everyone thought that Werner and his two riding buddies could not make it on time for the dinner after the long ride (apparently they decided to go from San Francisco to here passing trough Patagonia... just kidding) Werner Wachter joins the group! Boarding completed, have a good sleep and see you tomorrow for the great ride to the big Sequoia trees like the General Sherman.

The next day it's time to get riding! The amazing twists of Sequoia National Park are awaiting us! With over 40 bikes on the gathering it's impossible to ride all together, so in small groups we go trough the waypoints nicely prepared on a "rally style map" by Anna.

Soon after leaving Visalia the landscape becomes very interesting...

And after entering the park the roads get more and more challenging. A fantastic ride!

Anyone is feeling hungry? Anna and Manuel are preparing the picnic, just before General Sherman stop.

Oh yes, even some pasta could be cooked, since our support vehicle this time is an RV, with kitchen and fridge!

We said fridge, didn't we? Picnic food out... beers in! But not until we park the bikes at the hotel... then we can enjoy a typical "boot beer"! What is a boot beer? Simple... it's the beer you drink after the ride, even before removing your motorcycle boots!

After lunch there is a nice little hike trough the forest for those that want to admire the largest tree in the world! He is 2000 years old! Isn't that incredible?

As soon as the group arrive back at the hotel in Visalia, it's time to some more socializing... Boot beer and stories about past trips, or new plans for future travels...

Time to shower and then the final evening. After dinner we have some slideshows: Rainer presents the new programme for 2014, Marko a reportage of the Corsica Sardinia tour and Manuel the Scandinavian tours.

A long weekend, plenty of laugh, great roads, old friends meeting up, new friendships blossoming... Isn't that awesome?

See you at the next Edelweiss Feschtl!!!