Awesome Alpine Adventure Day 4: cable ride to Muottas Muragl

Day 4:  We rode a cable car up to the Muottas Muragl Restaurant.
Favorite image:

Looking down on the valley from the cable car.  You can see St Moritz and the other towns.  I liked the snow covered mountain tops.  You could see the tree line too.  The U shaped glacial formed valley.  So much to look at and contemplate.  

  My husband and I spent the afternoon wandering around St Moritz, Switzerland.  We were finally over the jet lag and didn't want to waste it taking a nap.  There were all sorts of designer shops there, but neither one of us are big shoppers and although it was fun to look at things we really didn't see  anything we could live without - in other words we didn't buy anything.
     In the evening we were going to the Muottas Muragl Restaurant which is on one of the mountains.  We were told we had to be in the lobby by 6:15 to catch the cable car at 6:30 to take us up to the restaurant.  My husband and I are usually very prompt and this time we got there right at the correct time, we were shocked to find out they were waiting on us.  Everyone else had gotten there early and had already loaded into the buses that were to transport us.  It was so nice to be with people that are so prompt like that.

 This was the cable car that we rode.

 This was the station for it.

 As we were going up we notice this other car on the track to.  We started to get nervous because it didn't look good.  

  Then the track split just as the other car was getting there.  It was amazing to see how precisely engineer this system was.

 It was able to pass us with no problems.

 The other interesting thing about the track was they had these solar panels along it to.  You could tell that was what was powering things. 

 Now for some photo's that where taken while it went up the mountain.  Many of the images where no good because of the reflections from the windows, but a few did turn out like these.

 As the car went higher and higher you could see we were getting into the clouds.  At first I wasn't going to take many photos but then because of the clouds I thought I better along the way just in case we did end up in the cloudy area and wouldn't have a view of things.

 

 I noticed the lake in this one and thought it had to be a cirque lake.

 We finally made it to our destination the Muottas Muragl Restaurant.

 We were definitely in the clouds and at first couldn't see much.

 I liked this one showing us at cloud level. 

 Would you believe it was SNOWING!.   It was hard for us to get use to and what a special treat it was.  My husband is from the south and there have been years where he never saw snow.  He never imagine he would see snow on his birthday in the middle of the summer - Well this year he did!

 I was amazed at how hardy these plants must be to get covered in snow like that.

 At first there wasn't much of a view and was disappointed. 

 We went  inside to the restaurant and socialized for awhile.

 Some of us were getting a little hot and decided to go outside and cool down.  When we went out we were very please to see that the clouds were drifting off and a view was clearing up.  It was still hazy and not the best for pictures but its what we were seeing and enjoying anyway. 

 Even with the haze it was still pretty spectacular.  Definitely not what we were used to.

 I just marveled at those valleys and how they were so text book examples of the U shaped valleys formed from glaciation.    I also marveled at how you could see the tree line so well (Tree_line  ).  From field camp I seemed to recall that the tree line elevation seemed to be close to 7000 ft and how that was a quick and easy way to determine how high up you were.  (I do realize it does vary from place to place and it should just be used as a ballpark figure to get you started).   They did tell us that the restaurant is at 2456 meters or it was on the diorama that they had. 

 Here's the diorama that was so nice to look at and figure out what the things were.

 And a close up with it enhanced to read better.

 It was so much fun to look and see every thing.  

 When the clouds started to clear off I noticed this valley and thought it's a great glacial valley. 

 The more I looked at it I realized there actually was an active glacier there.  From the map I have its called Vadret da Morteratsch.  I never thought I would be able to see an actualactive glacier like that.  How cool is that!!

 I think this is the Vadret da Morteratsch glacier

 I had to get more than one photo of it.  Just look at the melt water that is coming from it.  And look at how there is that zone of ablation in the front edge of it and the toe that's been formed. And the moraine that is present too.  Just looking at this helps to envision how a glacier erodes away the valley floor and how it end up being U shape.  I was so captivated by the glacier I missed seeing the horn (top of a mountain)  that was close by.

 The sun started to set and it was so incredible being able to watch it as it played off the mountains.

 In the valley down below it was neat watching the lights start to come on in the buildings, making it like it was a scene from a collectible figurines setting.

 We left after the sun had set and darkness had settled on the land.  It was so dark that none of the pictures came out.  I was just glad I got the ones I did going up the mountain.

PS:  I do want to thank the group that took us on this awesome adventure and all the wonderful people we got to know while going on it.  You know who you are - THANK YOU.

Also another awesome adventure and day all possible because of my husband,  whom I just have to thank from the bottom of my heart.