July 23-26, 2011
Well, the trip has come to a close. I leave tomorrow at 4pm and I will make sure I get to airport early. I've had 3 months to do stuff here... I don't want to risk anything.
France has been very good to me. I couldn't have asked for a better place to spend 3 months. I have seen lots of the country over 5200km but there is still so much more. I hope I can come back.
Over the past three days I've seen a couple sites but mostly I've done shopping. Paris is astronomically pricey!!!!!!!! Lots of super nice stuff, but expensive. It's been interesting to try to find proper gifts. But I did it.
I also got hit by a car. Like my previous crash I got up and biked away with only scuffs and bruises. I've been very lucky.
I cant believe im gonna say it... The classic end to travel statement... Time went so fast and I wish I had more of it. However, it's nice to know I have family and friends at home.
The French people have been great. As a biker I have one suggestion... Lock up your rabid dogs.
I've had nice weather my past couple days and I'm satisfied with how it's been all trip.
Alas, thank you so much to all of you who read these past 3 months. It means a lot that you take time to read.
Goodbye France.
Until next time.
-Bryce
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Back to Paris
July 22, 2011
Today the sky's cleared. They took their time and waited till the afternoon, but right now I'm sitting under the evening sun writing this post.
Today I went to the Caen-Normandy 'Memorial' Cité de l'histoire pour la paix. I spent 5-6 hours in the museum reading through all of the information starting from the end of WW1 going all the way to the end of the Cold War. This is easily the best museum I have ever been to. There was a really good mix of information all presented in various mediums. I have never crammed so much into my brain.
The museum also featured two films in movie theaters where one showed some amazing/uncensored footage of the D-Day landings.
It completely floors me to even imagine jumping out onto the beaches that day when the gates drop in front of you and machine gun fire is coming straight at you!
The other focussed on war in general while asking for peace among nations.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my day.
Was gonna head to Paris today but my time was eaten up in the museum.
I'm heading to the gare early tmrw and will have a 2 hour train ride back to my starting point.
In Paris I will be seeing a couple more sights and making sure I'm prepared to get home. I have to get a bike box for my bike and I need to get all my gifts now because I couldn't haul anything with me.
I have already planned my return trip to France! There is just so much to see!
Today the sky's cleared. They took their time and waited till the afternoon, but right now I'm sitting under the evening sun writing this post.
Today I went to the Caen-Normandy 'Memorial' Cité de l'histoire pour la paix. I spent 5-6 hours in the museum reading through all of the information starting from the end of WW1 going all the way to the end of the Cold War. This is easily the best museum I have ever been to. There was a really good mix of information all presented in various mediums. I have never crammed so much into my brain.
The museum also featured two films in movie theaters where one showed some amazing/uncensored footage of the D-Day landings.
It completely floors me to even imagine jumping out onto the beaches that day when the gates drop in front of you and machine gun fire is coming straight at you!
The other focussed on war in general while asking for peace among nations.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my day.
Was gonna head to Paris today but my time was eaten up in the museum.
I'm heading to the gare early tmrw and will have a 2 hour train ride back to my starting point.
In Paris I will be seeing a couple more sights and making sure I'm prepared to get home. I have to get a bike box for my bike and I need to get all my gifts now because I couldn't haul anything with me.
I have already planned my return trip to France! There is just so much to see!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
The price of freedom
July 20, 2011
You'll never guess what happened today!
It rained... All day.
Now I know those of you in Calgary and most of Western Canada have had your share of rain this summer. But you're not the ones camping and cycling everyday.
I waited for a break in the rain in the morning and set out. my energy level was way down and I didn't feel that motivated. I looked at my map and knew I had over 100km to do and I just didn't feel up to it.
To fix my energy level I grabbed a chocolate bar. Might not be the best in the long run but I need a kick.
To fix the distance problem I broke up my day into small goals. I would simply set my sights on the next town or two and take it from there.
Finally, after playing in the rain and climbing some sizable (which I was not expecting) I arrived on the outskirts of Caen. I followed the signs to the tourist office, grabbed my city maps and got pointed in the direction of the closest campground which was about 10km away.
After setting up I quickly went to get food and took the evening easy.
After over 5 hours in the saddle and 110km covered, sleep came easy with a bottle of Bordeaux Supérieur.
July 21, 2011
After awaking to more rain today I thought I was gonna lose my mind. I think the weatherman realized this and decided to lay off.
About 10am the rain stopped and I took off for the beaches of Normandy. Today I was doing a loop so I left my stuff at camp. Once I reached the coast I first came to Sword beach which is where the British 3rd Infantry came ashore. There wasn't much there save a memorial or two so I moved on. It's been over 60 years since Operation Overlord occurred and time has taken it's toll. You can barely tell that vicious battles were fought all over the coast. There are a couple gun turrets and scars on the ground but if someone didn't know about D-Day it would simply be another resort coast.
After Sword Beach I reached Juno Beach which is where the Canadian Infantry came ashore. It is here that our countries finest bravely fought for the freedom of France and Europe. Just as everywhere else time has hidden what really happened here but the only Canadian Museum in the area called Centre Juno Beach has saved a small piece. Upon arrival there is an old German bunker and other contraptions from the war spread around. Juno beach is also where General Charles de Gaulle and Winston Churchill came ashore shortly after the landings.
The museum is run by Canadian students and I felt very welcome inside. The girl who helped me at the front desk had just graduates from the U of A. There was a tour of the beach happening so I got a ticket for that as well as the museum. The tour of the beach was great and it really brought the scene to life... Especially touring a part of the German bunker.
The museum was also great and I loved hearing all of the Canadian stories!
It ate up pretty much all my day so I turned around back to camp. I would have loved to see Utah and 'Bloody Omaha' beach but they were a ways away. Maybe some other time...
It is really moving what happened here that long time ago. I was proud to see my flag waving every couple hundred meters in the wind! What our country did to step was admirable and should never be forgotten.
Our country made some blunders in the war such as not acting sooner and rejecting immigrants that should have been accepted. But when push came to shove we were on the right side of the battle.
We are lucky to live in the days we live in. War is an ugly thing.
You'll never guess what happened today!
It rained... All day.
Now I know those of you in Calgary and most of Western Canada have had your share of rain this summer. But you're not the ones camping and cycling everyday.
I waited for a break in the rain in the morning and set out. my energy level was way down and I didn't feel that motivated. I looked at my map and knew I had over 100km to do and I just didn't feel up to it.
To fix my energy level I grabbed a chocolate bar. Might not be the best in the long run but I need a kick.
To fix the distance problem I broke up my day into small goals. I would simply set my sights on the next town or two and take it from there.
Finally, after playing in the rain and climbing some sizable (which I was not expecting) I arrived on the outskirts of Caen. I followed the signs to the tourist office, grabbed my city maps and got pointed in the direction of the closest campground which was about 10km away.
After setting up I quickly went to get food and took the evening easy.
After over 5 hours in the saddle and 110km covered, sleep came easy with a bottle of Bordeaux Supérieur.
July 21, 2011
After awaking to more rain today I thought I was gonna lose my mind. I think the weatherman realized this and decided to lay off.
About 10am the rain stopped and I took off for the beaches of Normandy. Today I was doing a loop so I left my stuff at camp. Once I reached the coast I first came to Sword beach which is where the British 3rd Infantry came ashore. There wasn't much there save a memorial or two so I moved on. It's been over 60 years since Operation Overlord occurred and time has taken it's toll. You can barely tell that vicious battles were fought all over the coast. There are a couple gun turrets and scars on the ground but if someone didn't know about D-Day it would simply be another resort coast.
After Sword Beach I reached Juno Beach which is where the Canadian Infantry came ashore. It is here that our countries finest bravely fought for the freedom of France and Europe. Just as everywhere else time has hidden what really happened here but the only Canadian Museum in the area called Centre Juno Beach has saved a small piece. Upon arrival there is an old German bunker and other contraptions from the war spread around. Juno beach is also where General Charles de Gaulle and Winston Churchill came ashore shortly after the landings.
The museum is run by Canadian students and I felt very welcome inside. The girl who helped me at the front desk had just graduates from the U of A. There was a tour of the beach happening so I got a ticket for that as well as the museum. The tour of the beach was great and it really brought the scene to life... Especially touring a part of the German bunker.
The museum was also great and I loved hearing all of the Canadian stories!
It ate up pretty much all my day so I turned around back to camp. I would have loved to see Utah and 'Bloody Omaha' beach but they were a ways away. Maybe some other time...
It is really moving what happened here that long time ago. I was proud to see my flag waving every couple hundred meters in the wind! What our country did to step was admirable and should never be forgotten.
Our country made some blunders in the war such as not acting sooner and rejecting immigrants that should have been accepted. But when push came to shove we were on the right side of the battle.
We are lucky to live in the days we live in. War is an ugly thing.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Northern Brittany
July 15, 2011
Bastille day took it's toll... Rest day!
July 16, 2011
The rain has returned after a couple nice days and it hung around till about 9am. I quickly packed up my stuff at that point and hit the road planning to head north. After heading inland from the coast a couple kms the land started to roll and was lush and green. The coast has been nice, but a change is always good.
Throughout the day I travelled on small sealed roads past small towns and farms. It rained a lot, but not constantly. Usually 30 minutes of every hour was rain. It wasn't heavy rain and the day wasn't cold so I couldn't complain. Once I got close to Nantes I had to cross the Loire river. I caught a small (and free!) flat decked boat with some cars and was quickly transported to the other side. The tide was coming in so it was interesting how the boat had to maneuver to get to the other side. Once across the rain started to get progressively heavier so I decided to start looking for campgrounds. I came across one in a small town just west of Nantes and quickly set up my stuff trying to keep everything dry. I heated up some ratatouille that I bought and huddled in my tent for the rest of the night. Covered around 105km today
July 17, 2011
It was still raining this morning so I laid in my tent and planned my route. During a break in the rain I quickly packed up and started out north again. My goal was to make it close to Rennes.
The rain today was a little less steady... But when it did rain, it poured. My MEC jacket has been amazing this whole trip. Its practically the same thing as Gore so I keep dry but not stuffy.
The day was mostly uneventful except for the rain and I covered another 105 km.
Near the end of the day I was trying to find a campground so I consulted an area map in a town center. I learned that there was one about 10 km east so I headed that way. Upon my arrival I found the campground had been shut down even though it was still on the city maps and there were signs pointing to where it used to be. I asked some locals where one was nearby... What I actually asked (because I dont know how to say nearby) was is there camping beside the town, but they got the point. They sent me another 5 or so km east to Paimpont.
On the way I found a supermarket that was open on a Sunday which was a huge score. I was planning on eating bread and peanut butter (which I found again yesterday). Paimpont is set in the Forêt de Paimpont which is where the stories of King Arthur, Merlin and the knights of the round table arguably originated. The stories are thought to have been brought in from offshore but... I don't really care that much anyways. Theres not much to see. However, the forest was dark and dewey and it is a perfect setting for a story such as King Arthurs.
The campground was small and cheap. Nuff said!
July 18, 2011
I awoke again to rain and started to wonder if it was going to stop at all during this trip. Like yesterday, during a break in the rain I quickly took everything down and loaded up my bike. As I was leaving I took a look at the group who had just arrived across the road from me. It was 4 adults and probably 15-20 kids most likely on a summer camping trip of sorts. Just as they split the kids into groups to set up the tents the rain started again. As I pulled away there were all these kids trying to figure out how the tent works while the stress levels could be seen rising in the adults. No one had appropriate rain gear and I'm sure it was a while before everything was set up. Great start to their trip... I felt bad, but also couldn't help but laugh. It seemed typical to me that all the kids would be soaked and complaining 10 minutes into the trip. I'm sure the chaperones had a lot of fun keeping them all in order.
I set out north-east towards the legendary Mont St. Michel Abbey which I figured was right around another 100km. The ride had less rain than the past couple days which was nice. Brittany is just as I pictured it would be. Endless rolling green hills, forests and farm land (which is remarkably stinky
I might add) It's beautiful, but so far it's been quite cold and obviously rainy.
About 18km from the abbey I finally came over my last hill and began to drop into the flats that were at sea level. Alas, on the horizon was the abbey rising up seemingly perched on nothing. I couldn't help but smile and pedal faster. Upon arrival of the causeway that connects the abbey to the mainland I snapped a couple quick pictures and took in the jaw dropping view... It was like nothing I have ever seen! I headed to my campground which was within walking distance of the island abbey. I knew I'd be visiting the abbey in the morning so I rested. For any of you that have never seen a picture of Mont St. Michel google it now!
When I arrived at my campground I was greeted by an older couple from holland who had parked their RV in my spot by accident. I took their spot right beside and they quickly offered me a couple beers. The man said that I needed a beer for each leg and I couldn't have agreed more.
For dinner I bought food from an overpriced super market and didn't really enjoy what I had. However, I tried my first taste of Brittany Cider and it made up for the crappy food.
July 19, 2011
I got up around 7:30 this morning and grabbed my baking before walking the 2km causeway to the abbey. It rained again all night so the majority of my stuff has had no chance to dry out. Can't do laundry if you can't hang the clothes... I'll stop here.
Once inside the inner ramparts I walked along the street that curved along the island pitching up steeply. The streets are no more than 10 feet wide and it sure is a sight to see.
I got up to the abbey doors with only a couple people ahead of me. I was glad i got there early before the midday swarms came. The abbey doors opened at 9 and I paid my admission and grabbed the audio guide.
The history of the abbey dates all the way back to 708 when a sanctuary was built on Mont-Tombe (tombe in Latin meaning raised place) in honour of the archangel Michael. It was continually built throughout the centuries and was unesco listed in 1979. There is so much history to the place that I'm not willing to write much more. Go to Wikipedia.
The abbey was through and through stunning. The architecture and the views from every angle are worth every penny. The audio guide was great too! When I was in the abbey I could see more rain coming my way across the bay and I wondered if I was ever gonna get a break!
After the tour I walked back along the causeway and grabbed a sandwich. I also visited a couple exhibits on some of the work that is going on at the abbey right now. The causeway that was built I believe around 50 or so years ago has affected the natural movement of the tides therefore taking away from the Monts marine setting and leaving salt marshes all around. Because of this there are several measures being taken to return the abbey to it's original beauty. A small dam has been installed that will help push the sediment back out into the bay and it isn't an eye sore at all which is nice. There is also a pedestrian foot bridge been put in that will allow the water to fully encircle the abbey once again and take away the ugly car parks right in front of the island. I would very much like to return in 40 years to see the difference. The work is supposed to be done by 2012, but pushing the sediment out naturally will take many years.
After my visit I had a nap during another shower and then packed up my stuff in some very rare sunshine. I hit the road with low expectations and travelled about 40km to Brécéy. I had a little more rain but was able to do some laundry. I hope it dries!
Tomorrow I will cover about 80 or so km to Caen which will be my jumping off point for the D-Day beaches. The town is also supposed to have some awesome museums. After my ride to Caen and my ride to the beaches that will be all for my touring trip. From Caen I will return to Paris by train, stay in the city for three days and then fly home on the 27th of this month. It's been an amazing trip and it's nice to know it's not quite over yet. It looks like I will cover just over 5000km by the time I leave.
Time passes too fast.
Bastille day took it's toll... Rest day!
July 16, 2011
The rain has returned after a couple nice days and it hung around till about 9am. I quickly packed up my stuff at that point and hit the road planning to head north. After heading inland from the coast a couple kms the land started to roll and was lush and green. The coast has been nice, but a change is always good.
Throughout the day I travelled on small sealed roads past small towns and farms. It rained a lot, but not constantly. Usually 30 minutes of every hour was rain. It wasn't heavy rain and the day wasn't cold so I couldn't complain. Once I got close to Nantes I had to cross the Loire river. I caught a small (and free!) flat decked boat with some cars and was quickly transported to the other side. The tide was coming in so it was interesting how the boat had to maneuver to get to the other side. Once across the rain started to get progressively heavier so I decided to start looking for campgrounds. I came across one in a small town just west of Nantes and quickly set up my stuff trying to keep everything dry. I heated up some ratatouille that I bought and huddled in my tent for the rest of the night. Covered around 105km today
July 17, 2011
It was still raining this morning so I laid in my tent and planned my route. During a break in the rain I quickly packed up and started out north again. My goal was to make it close to Rennes.
The rain today was a little less steady... But when it did rain, it poured. My MEC jacket has been amazing this whole trip. Its practically the same thing as Gore so I keep dry but not stuffy.
The day was mostly uneventful except for the rain and I covered another 105 km.
Near the end of the day I was trying to find a campground so I consulted an area map in a town center. I learned that there was one about 10 km east so I headed that way. Upon my arrival I found the campground had been shut down even though it was still on the city maps and there were signs pointing to where it used to be. I asked some locals where one was nearby... What I actually asked (because I dont know how to say nearby) was is there camping beside the town, but they got the point. They sent me another 5 or so km east to Paimpont.
On the way I found a supermarket that was open on a Sunday which was a huge score. I was planning on eating bread and peanut butter (which I found again yesterday). Paimpont is set in the Forêt de Paimpont which is where the stories of King Arthur, Merlin and the knights of the round table arguably originated. The stories are thought to have been brought in from offshore but... I don't really care that much anyways. Theres not much to see. However, the forest was dark and dewey and it is a perfect setting for a story such as King Arthurs.
The campground was small and cheap. Nuff said!
July 18, 2011
I awoke again to rain and started to wonder if it was going to stop at all during this trip. Like yesterday, during a break in the rain I quickly took everything down and loaded up my bike. As I was leaving I took a look at the group who had just arrived across the road from me. It was 4 adults and probably 15-20 kids most likely on a summer camping trip of sorts. Just as they split the kids into groups to set up the tents the rain started again. As I pulled away there were all these kids trying to figure out how the tent works while the stress levels could be seen rising in the adults. No one had appropriate rain gear and I'm sure it was a while before everything was set up. Great start to their trip... I felt bad, but also couldn't help but laugh. It seemed typical to me that all the kids would be soaked and complaining 10 minutes into the trip. I'm sure the chaperones had a lot of fun keeping them all in order.
I set out north-east towards the legendary Mont St. Michel Abbey which I figured was right around another 100km. The ride had less rain than the past couple days which was nice. Brittany is just as I pictured it would be. Endless rolling green hills, forests and farm land (which is remarkably stinky
I might add) It's beautiful, but so far it's been quite cold and obviously rainy.
About 18km from the abbey I finally came over my last hill and began to drop into the flats that were at sea level. Alas, on the horizon was the abbey rising up seemingly perched on nothing. I couldn't help but smile and pedal faster. Upon arrival of the causeway that connects the abbey to the mainland I snapped a couple quick pictures and took in the jaw dropping view... It was like nothing I have ever seen! I headed to my campground which was within walking distance of the island abbey. I knew I'd be visiting the abbey in the morning so I rested. For any of you that have never seen a picture of Mont St. Michel google it now!
When I arrived at my campground I was greeted by an older couple from holland who had parked their RV in my spot by accident. I took their spot right beside and they quickly offered me a couple beers. The man said that I needed a beer for each leg and I couldn't have agreed more.
For dinner I bought food from an overpriced super market and didn't really enjoy what I had. However, I tried my first taste of Brittany Cider and it made up for the crappy food.
July 19, 2011
I got up around 7:30 this morning and grabbed my baking before walking the 2km causeway to the abbey. It rained again all night so the majority of my stuff has had no chance to dry out. Can't do laundry if you can't hang the clothes... I'll stop here.
Once inside the inner ramparts I walked along the street that curved along the island pitching up steeply. The streets are no more than 10 feet wide and it sure is a sight to see.
I got up to the abbey doors with only a couple people ahead of me. I was glad i got there early before the midday swarms came. The abbey doors opened at 9 and I paid my admission and grabbed the audio guide.
The history of the abbey dates all the way back to 708 when a sanctuary was built on Mont-Tombe (tombe in Latin meaning raised place) in honour of the archangel Michael. It was continually built throughout the centuries and was unesco listed in 1979. There is so much history to the place that I'm not willing to write much more. Go to Wikipedia.
The abbey was through and through stunning. The architecture and the views from every angle are worth every penny. The audio guide was great too! When I was in the abbey I could see more rain coming my way across the bay and I wondered if I was ever gonna get a break!
After the tour I walked back along the causeway and grabbed a sandwich. I also visited a couple exhibits on some of the work that is going on at the abbey right now. The causeway that was built I believe around 50 or so years ago has affected the natural movement of the tides therefore taking away from the Monts marine setting and leaving salt marshes all around. Because of this there are several measures being taken to return the abbey to it's original beauty. A small dam has been installed that will help push the sediment back out into the bay and it isn't an eye sore at all which is nice. There is also a pedestrian foot bridge been put in that will allow the water to fully encircle the abbey once again and take away the ugly car parks right in front of the island. I would very much like to return in 40 years to see the difference. The work is supposed to be done by 2012, but pushing the sediment out naturally will take many years.
After my visit I had a nap during another shower and then packed up my stuff in some very rare sunshine. I hit the road with low expectations and travelled about 40km to Brécéy. I had a little more rain but was able to do some laundry. I hope it dries!
Tomorrow I will cover about 80 or so km to Caen which will be my jumping off point for the D-Day beaches. The town is also supposed to have some awesome museums. After my ride to Caen and my ride to the beaches that will be all for my touring trip. From Caen I will return to Paris by train, stay in the city for three days and then fly home on the 27th of this month. It's been an amazing trip and it's nice to know it's not quite over yet. It looks like I will cover just over 5000km by the time I leave.
Time passes too fast.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sorry for the delay
July 7, 2011
After a late and a late start I set out for the Arcachon Basis around 1. The route was very flat and very boring! Well at least for the first 80km of the trip. The last 20km was close to ocean so that was nice.
Once I got to my campground I was tired so I strolled around town and ate.
I want to say thanks again to Robin, Baptist, and Sara for being so great to me! I will never forget you generosity.
July 8, 2011
Today I took my time biking around the Arcachon basin. I eventually settled in the town of Arcachon and went to the Dune Du Pilat. It the largest sand dune in europe and is located 8km south of Arcachon. It stretches north and south for 3 km and it reaches around 115m high. The dune is moving at 4.5m a year to east. This movement has allowed it to envelope trees, a road junction and a hotel.
The hike to the top provided amazing views of the ocean and dark green pine forests as far as I could see eastward.
July 9, 2011
The camping has been expensive in this area cause it is very touristy! I was hoping it would start to get a little but cheaper for me today but it only did a bit.
After packing up I set out to the tip of Arcachon and my bike and I tested our sea legs on a quick ferry ride over the Arcachon basin to Cap Ferret. The town of Cap Ferret was also very nice pinned in between the crashing waves of the Atlantic and the tranquil basin. I went north from there to a beach called Truc Vert and checked into a campground who was nice enough to lower their rate for me. The last couple days have been very cloudy and not exactly beach weather which is too bad considering where I am. It is also raining pretty much every night while I'm sleeping. Since I'm so close to the beach everything is sandy and it's getting everywhere... Makes such a mess.
July 10, 2011
I set out north from Truc vert today and stuck to the coastline. There was a bikepath that stretches all the way from Biarritz in the south to point de grave north of me. The path started out very well and it was nice smooth asphalt. But, all of a sudden, with no warning, it fell into complete disrepair. The path was completely broken down save a small strip barely 3 inches wide. It was super rough and I never should have been riding on that crap. There was no way off of the path unless I backtracked around 20km and I only had a little to go to my next town. The bikepath is there for forestry service and really isn't for a road bike. I should have asked someone what it was like, but this is the first time this trip I've come across a bike path that's unrideable. Once I reached the next town which was lacanau ocean I peeled away from the road (after truing my wheel) and went back with the cars. I continued heading north along inland lakes and summer camp like towns.
I settled in a campground covering about 85km on the day. When I checked in though the campground was full. The lady at the front desk told me I could stay on her plot, which was both a little weird and very nice of her.
July 11, 2011
After getting a good start I stopped for another ferry at point de grave. After reaching the other side which is the town of Royan i approached a couple other touring guys who appeared my age. They turned out to be from Plymouth in England and were doing pretty much my route northwards. I asked if they wanted to ride for the day and we set out. We went through some cool fortified towns and settled in Rochefort which used to be a big naval base for the French! We set up our stuff and had a small barbecue which was awesome. Tasted so good.
July 12, 2011
It rained fairly hard over night and in the morning so we took a rest day. The town of Rochefort has some good museums we checked out and we also went out to ile d'aix which Napoleon once stayed on. We checked out the house he stayed on while on the island which is now a museum.
We took the evening easy and got prepared to ride again tomorrow.
July 13, 2011
We hit the road by 9 and after working our way out of the city we continued along the coast. We passed through the beautiful centre ville of la Rochelle and kept heading north.
The coastline in this area wasn't the prettiest I've seen. I hope it gets better soon. We tried to stay more inland for the afternoon. We settled in a small town about 100km away from Rochefort!
Traveling with some companions has been great. So nice to talk in the evening. Nathan and Charlie are both in their early 20s and just finished school like me. They're easy to be around and it's a nice change for me.
July 14, 2011
Bastille Day!!!!
On this day in 1789 the masses took to the streets and stormed the Bastille. The French Revolution had begun.
We departed and rode 80km up the coast to Les Sables D'Olonne and stopped at the tourist office. We chose to stay another 15 or so km in a campground close to a couple medium sized towns.
For the evening there were festivities happening in town so we cruised into town and watched a cover band play a concert. It was a fun evening!
Tomorrow I set out on my own again.
After a late and a late start I set out for the Arcachon Basis around 1. The route was very flat and very boring! Well at least for the first 80km of the trip. The last 20km was close to ocean so that was nice.
Once I got to my campground I was tired so I strolled around town and ate.
I want to say thanks again to Robin, Baptist, and Sara for being so great to me! I will never forget you generosity.
July 8, 2011
Today I took my time biking around the Arcachon basin. I eventually settled in the town of Arcachon and went to the Dune Du Pilat. It the largest sand dune in europe and is located 8km south of Arcachon. It stretches north and south for 3 km and it reaches around 115m high. The dune is moving at 4.5m a year to east. This movement has allowed it to envelope trees, a road junction and a hotel.
The hike to the top provided amazing views of the ocean and dark green pine forests as far as I could see eastward.
July 9, 2011
The camping has been expensive in this area cause it is very touristy! I was hoping it would start to get a little but cheaper for me today but it only did a bit.
After packing up I set out to the tip of Arcachon and my bike and I tested our sea legs on a quick ferry ride over the Arcachon basin to Cap Ferret. The town of Cap Ferret was also very nice pinned in between the crashing waves of the Atlantic and the tranquil basin. I went north from there to a beach called Truc Vert and checked into a campground who was nice enough to lower their rate for me. The last couple days have been very cloudy and not exactly beach weather which is too bad considering where I am. It is also raining pretty much every night while I'm sleeping. Since I'm so close to the beach everything is sandy and it's getting everywhere... Makes such a mess.
July 10, 2011
I set out north from Truc vert today and stuck to the coastline. There was a bikepath that stretches all the way from Biarritz in the south to point de grave north of me. The path started out very well and it was nice smooth asphalt. But, all of a sudden, with no warning, it fell into complete disrepair. The path was completely broken down save a small strip barely 3 inches wide. It was super rough and I never should have been riding on that crap. There was no way off of the path unless I backtracked around 20km and I only had a little to go to my next town. The bikepath is there for forestry service and really isn't for a road bike. I should have asked someone what it was like, but this is the first time this trip I've come across a bike path that's unrideable. Once I reached the next town which was lacanau ocean I peeled away from the road (after truing my wheel) and went back with the cars. I continued heading north along inland lakes and summer camp like towns.
I settled in a campground covering about 85km on the day. When I checked in though the campground was full. The lady at the front desk told me I could stay on her plot, which was both a little weird and very nice of her.
July 11, 2011
After getting a good start I stopped for another ferry at point de grave. After reaching the other side which is the town of Royan i approached a couple other touring guys who appeared my age. They turned out to be from Plymouth in England and were doing pretty much my route northwards. I asked if they wanted to ride for the day and we set out. We went through some cool fortified towns and settled in Rochefort which used to be a big naval base for the French! We set up our stuff and had a small barbecue which was awesome. Tasted so good.
July 12, 2011
It rained fairly hard over night and in the morning so we took a rest day. The town of Rochefort has some good museums we checked out and we also went out to ile d'aix which Napoleon once stayed on. We checked out the house he stayed on while on the island which is now a museum.
We took the evening easy and got prepared to ride again tomorrow.
July 13, 2011
We hit the road by 9 and after working our way out of the city we continued along the coast. We passed through the beautiful centre ville of la Rochelle and kept heading north.
The coastline in this area wasn't the prettiest I've seen. I hope it gets better soon. We tried to stay more inland for the afternoon. We settled in a small town about 100km away from Rochefort!
Traveling with some companions has been great. So nice to talk in the evening. Nathan and Charlie are both in their early 20s and just finished school like me. They're easy to be around and it's a nice change for me.
July 14, 2011
Bastille Day!!!!
On this day in 1789 the masses took to the streets and stormed the Bastille. The French Revolution had begun.
We departed and rode 80km up the coast to Les Sables D'Olonne and stopped at the tourist office. We chose to stay another 15 or so km in a campground close to a couple medium sized towns.
For the evening there were festivities happening in town so we cruised into town and watched a cover band play a concert. It was a fun evening!
Tomorrow I set out on my own again.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Bordeaux and beyond
July 5, 2011
Later in the evening yesterday I met a couple French guys around my age who were also bike touring. We chatted for a bit using a mix of broken English in french... Their English was better than my French though haha. We were both heading to Bordeaux the next day and they were staying at a friends flat for a couple days. They ended up inviting me to stay with them in Bordeaux and we would ride there together the next day.
So this morning we hit the road by 8 and covered 115km to Bordeaux on back roads and a convenient bike path for the last 40km or so. The ride went well and it was nice to have company during the breaks.
We rolled into Bordeaux just before three. I liked the city right away. To give you an idea in 2007 half of the city was Unesco-listed. That made it the largest urban world heritage site! All the buildings and streets make it feel like I'm walking in a constant time warp.
After arriving we heading to our accommodation which is right in the thick of it all. The apartment is very old, but had so much character. It's hard to explain what it looks like haha. I dont think i would do it justice. After getting settled and fed we lounged around for the afternoon and I got to sit on a couch and watch tv haha. I haven't had either since I left. The tour de France was on tv, it felt weird watching it and knowing it was occurring 500 or so km up the coast from me.
In the evening we walked around Bordeaux looking at the flood lit buildings. We spent most of our time hanging out by the river. There were lots of people out and about cause the weather stays so warm late into the evening. It was a really cool evening.
I was super tired by the end of it all and fell asleep in seconds in my own bed :)
July 6, 2011
After waking up and hanging out for a bit I decided to get lost in the city today. I mostly strolled around the city taking in the architecture, cathedrals and shops. Bordeaux is home to the longest European pedestrian shopping strip. It had lots of great stores, but again I don't have room for shopping haha.
I also went to the apple store here to get my iPhone looked at. It decided to pooch out on me a while ago and I'm not sure why. Big kudos for apple. After they tried to get it fixed and couldn't they simply pulled out a new one and gave it to me. Pretty much every place you go to tries to place the blame on you. Apple didn't even ask me a question about what happened or anything. But it's not like it was beat up or anything.
However, there was trouble getting it activated with Telus and stuff because of being in France or what not. Should be good to go tmrw though.
I am gonna stay another night here in Bordeaux because they offered for me to stay longer. I will probably leave tomorrow morning to the coast. Only 21 days left so I gotta keep moving.
Bordeaux has been flat out amazing. Having company obviously has made it even better. But the city is alive and in general gives off a good feeling. It's geared towards interactions between people. But it's always easier to do that in a nice warm climate.
Later in the evening yesterday I met a couple French guys around my age who were also bike touring. We chatted for a bit using a mix of broken English in french... Their English was better than my French though haha. We were both heading to Bordeaux the next day and they were staying at a friends flat for a couple days. They ended up inviting me to stay with them in Bordeaux and we would ride there together the next day.
So this morning we hit the road by 8 and covered 115km to Bordeaux on back roads and a convenient bike path for the last 40km or so. The ride went well and it was nice to have company during the breaks.
We rolled into Bordeaux just before three. I liked the city right away. To give you an idea in 2007 half of the city was Unesco-listed. That made it the largest urban world heritage site! All the buildings and streets make it feel like I'm walking in a constant time warp.
After arriving we heading to our accommodation which is right in the thick of it all. The apartment is very old, but had so much character. It's hard to explain what it looks like haha. I dont think i would do it justice. After getting settled and fed we lounged around for the afternoon and I got to sit on a couch and watch tv haha. I haven't had either since I left. The tour de France was on tv, it felt weird watching it and knowing it was occurring 500 or so km up the coast from me.
In the evening we walked around Bordeaux looking at the flood lit buildings. We spent most of our time hanging out by the river. There were lots of people out and about cause the weather stays so warm late into the evening. It was a really cool evening.
I was super tired by the end of it all and fell asleep in seconds in my own bed :)
July 6, 2011
After waking up and hanging out for a bit I decided to get lost in the city today. I mostly strolled around the city taking in the architecture, cathedrals and shops. Bordeaux is home to the longest European pedestrian shopping strip. It had lots of great stores, but again I don't have room for shopping haha.
I also went to the apple store here to get my iPhone looked at. It decided to pooch out on me a while ago and I'm not sure why. Big kudos for apple. After they tried to get it fixed and couldn't they simply pulled out a new one and gave it to me. Pretty much every place you go to tries to place the blame on you. Apple didn't even ask me a question about what happened or anything. But it's not like it was beat up or anything.
However, there was trouble getting it activated with Telus and stuff because of being in France or what not. Should be good to go tmrw though.
I am gonna stay another night here in Bordeaux because they offered for me to stay longer. I will probably leave tomorrow morning to the coast. Only 21 days left so I gotta keep moving.
Bordeaux has been flat out amazing. Having company obviously has made it even better. But the city is alive and in general gives off a good feeling. It's geared towards interactions between people. But it's always easier to do that in a nice warm climate.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Journey to the west coast
June 28, 2011
With over 100km of riding and heavy sweating under the sun I made it to Figeac. My route again took small sealed back roads all the way to my destination. The area I am currently in is very hilly so
I am constantly climbing and descending. It gives the day a nice rhythm though!
My campground was set alongside the river and was almost deserted. Through the night there was a loud storm that rolled through and soaked the ground. My tent again showed it's resilience to the elements.
June 28, 2011
I awoke to light rain and colder temperatures this morning so I stayed wrapped in my sleeping bag and planned my route for the day. My goal was a short jaunt to the town of St. Céré which was about 50km away on backroads.
I joined up with a route in my lonely planet guide but I'm doing it backward. I highlight it on my map instead of using the usual cue sheets provided.
The route was surprisingly hilly, but nothing too challenging. However, my legs did not want to respond to riding today. I felt like i was riding on two flat tires with double the weight (don't worry, pressure was dead on). My speed was slow and even when I tried to pick it up my body just wouldn't respond... It was weird. But I made to my destination eventually and it's a nice little town. The day was cool which was refreshing and I'm actually hoping it stays this way for a couple days.
-----------
I am heading over to the Bordeaux wine region over the next few days and I will be smack dab in wine country again soon. It's not just any wine region though.
Bordeaux is the largest fine wine producing region in the world. I don't recognize any of the names... But it's the who's who of wine in France. Its known more for it's reds than anything, but also makes whites, rosés, sparkling and dessert wines. The region produces a staggering amount of wine.
In Canada's wine producing regions the finest get a rating called VQA. VQA is the Canadian quality-control system to regulate which wines are made under certain stringent regulations.
The French use a system called Appelation d'Origine Contrôlée or AOC. These are the wines that you know are carefully examined from the beginning to end of production. I have noticed wines with different control initials... But they're usually cheap knock offs.
When buying wine in Canada usually a wine store will split the wine by the country it is imported from. Then from there you can choose from a certain producer or a grape or mixture you're fond of. In Bordeaux it's split into 57 appellations, which each produce a different kind of wine. To make it simpler, these wines are categorized into 6 families.
First you have your Bordeaux and Superior Bordeaux. They are light reds and are in general pretty cheap. They are meant to be drunk early on. If I drink wine, it is usually from this family. The wines (as stated above) are cheap and still offer some decent flavor. They are obviously not going to be very robust or offer much to the drinker. But I don't have a budget for more expensive wine and quite frankly wouldn't want to buy a more expensive wine if I did. The supposed added value of spending 20€ on a bottle of wine compared to 3€ bottle of wine is not relevant. Maybe if I was rich haha.
Next, there is Libournais. These are some of the most prestigious vineyards and the wines are usually made from Merlot grapes. The best appellations should be aged. Be prepared to spend.
Another family, is vins de côtes. In this particular situation, côtes means hills. These wines are grown on Bordeauxs hillsides and are light or medium bodied. Knowing this the wines in general will mature quick.
Next we have Médoc and Graves. The wines from this family also contain some of the big name châteaux. The wines should be aged, sometimes for decades! Some bottles cost thousands of dollars!!!! I can't even imagine spending that kind of money.
For dry white wines, the usual appellation is again Bordeaux although there are others such as several côtes and graves. Some are light and crisp, while others are fuller bodied aged in oak.
Lastly, the sweet white wines are usually produced with Sémillion, which is used for dessert wine. There are several appellations for this wine.
There are also quality gradings for the wine.
You have your usual Cru ranging from Grand and Premier Cru at the top dropping down much lower.
Some of the others ratings from AOC include vin delimité de qualité supérieur (VDQS) which is usually a stepping stone to AOC. There is also Vin de Pays which are regional wines and can be pretty good. Also there is your Vin de Table which are very ordinary.
Phew. I think I understand it... Barely. I hope you do to.
I have been looking into visiting some of the wine producing chateaux in the region but I am not exactly fit for the experience. Many of the chateaux require bookings days or months ahead. These bookings places you in more of buying situation than a usual group tour. Furthermore, many of the more prestigious winery's are mostly interested in genuine buyers... Not me haha. I may do an organized tour through a tourist office that takes you to a couple chateaux and provides tastings. I simply dont have the know how or desire to spend on anything over a couple euro.
------------
If anyone wishes to give their thoughts on the seemingly pretentious (at times) wine industry... Feel free. For or against!
With over 100km of riding and heavy sweating under the sun I made it to Figeac. My route again took small sealed back roads all the way to my destination. The area I am currently in is very hilly so
I am constantly climbing and descending. It gives the day a nice rhythm though!
My campground was set alongside the river and was almost deserted. Through the night there was a loud storm that rolled through and soaked the ground. My tent again showed it's resilience to the elements.
June 28, 2011
I awoke to light rain and colder temperatures this morning so I stayed wrapped in my sleeping bag and planned my route for the day. My goal was a short jaunt to the town of St. Céré which was about 50km away on backroads.
I joined up with a route in my lonely planet guide but I'm doing it backward. I highlight it on my map instead of using the usual cue sheets provided.
The route was surprisingly hilly, but nothing too challenging. However, my legs did not want to respond to riding today. I felt like i was riding on two flat tires with double the weight (don't worry, pressure was dead on). My speed was slow and even when I tried to pick it up my body just wouldn't respond... It was weird. But I made to my destination eventually and it's a nice little town. The day was cool which was refreshing and I'm actually hoping it stays this way for a couple days.
-----------
I am heading over to the Bordeaux wine region over the next few days and I will be smack dab in wine country again soon. It's not just any wine region though.
Bordeaux is the largest fine wine producing region in the world. I don't recognize any of the names... But it's the who's who of wine in France. Its known more for it's reds than anything, but also makes whites, rosés, sparkling and dessert wines. The region produces a staggering amount of wine.
In Canada's wine producing regions the finest get a rating called VQA. VQA is the Canadian quality-control system to regulate which wines are made under certain stringent regulations.
The French use a system called Appelation d'Origine Contrôlée or AOC. These are the wines that you know are carefully examined from the beginning to end of production. I have noticed wines with different control initials... But they're usually cheap knock offs.
When buying wine in Canada usually a wine store will split the wine by the country it is imported from. Then from there you can choose from a certain producer or a grape or mixture you're fond of. In Bordeaux it's split into 57 appellations, which each produce a different kind of wine. To make it simpler, these wines are categorized into 6 families.
First you have your Bordeaux and Superior Bordeaux. They are light reds and are in general pretty cheap. They are meant to be drunk early on. If I drink wine, it is usually from this family. The wines (as stated above) are cheap and still offer some decent flavor. They are obviously not going to be very robust or offer much to the drinker. But I don't have a budget for more expensive wine and quite frankly wouldn't want to buy a more expensive wine if I did. The supposed added value of spending 20€ on a bottle of wine compared to 3€ bottle of wine is not relevant. Maybe if I was rich haha.
Next, there is Libournais. These are some of the most prestigious vineyards and the wines are usually made from Merlot grapes. The best appellations should be aged. Be prepared to spend.
Another family, is vins de côtes. In this particular situation, côtes means hills. These wines are grown on Bordeauxs hillsides and are light or medium bodied. Knowing this the wines in general will mature quick.
Next we have Médoc and Graves. The wines from this family also contain some of the big name châteaux. The wines should be aged, sometimes for decades! Some bottles cost thousands of dollars!!!! I can't even imagine spending that kind of money.
For dry white wines, the usual appellation is again Bordeaux although there are others such as several côtes and graves. Some are light and crisp, while others are fuller bodied aged in oak.
Lastly, the sweet white wines are usually produced with Sémillion, which is used for dessert wine. There are several appellations for this wine.
There are also quality gradings for the wine.
You have your usual Cru ranging from Grand and Premier Cru at the top dropping down much lower.
Some of the others ratings from AOC include vin delimité de qualité supérieur (VDQS) which is usually a stepping stone to AOC. There is also Vin de Pays which are regional wines and can be pretty good. Also there is your Vin de Table which are very ordinary.
Phew. I think I understand it... Barely. I hope you do to.
I have been looking into visiting some of the wine producing chateaux in the region but I am not exactly fit for the experience. Many of the chateaux require bookings days or months ahead. These bookings places you in more of buying situation than a usual group tour. Furthermore, many of the more prestigious winery's are mostly interested in genuine buyers... Not me haha. I may do an organized tour through a tourist office that takes you to a couple chateaux and provides tastings. I simply dont have the know how or desire to spend on anything over a couple euro.
------------
If anyone wishes to give their thoughts on the seemingly pretentious (at times) wine industry... Feel free. For or against!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Rodez.... Almost
June 24, 2011
Took a rest day today and explored Florac.
June 25, 2011
Today was jam packed with different scenery and riding conditions.
I started off with a usual trip to the local bakery and got some nourishment.
The town of Florac is in this beautiful setting surrounded by high rocky hills. One of them happened to have switchbacks working their way up it's steep slope. That was my route. I trudged in low gears for a while until I reached the top and was welcomed by a vast and barren plateau. It is a part is a part of 'Les Grands Causses' which is a 3150 square kilometer area of limestone plateau. The stony surface allows water to filter through creating an area with little vegetation and many caves. My ride was on the Causse Méjean which is the highest and most isolated.
After crossing the barren land I came upon the Gorges du Tarn. However, I came upon then at 800m in elevation and had a switchbacks descent into the valley!
The rest of the day i rolled through the gorges and then started a gradual climb up the Gorge de la Jonte to my destination of Meyrueis clocking a distance of 80km.
The gorges are amazing in the sense that along the walls of rock their are these massive boulders precariously perched as if they are about to tumble into the valley, but have obviously been rooted there for a long time. I hope they don't decide to move soon.
June 26, 2011
Today started again with 24km of climbing to the summit of Mount Aigoual. The trip up went well and it provided a couple stretches of challenging climbing. A couple km from the top the road started to level and the trees fell away exposing the mountain top. The vegetation was all short shrubs and alpine grass where there were tons of hikers joining me in the last stretch to the top. Once at the peak I was able to enjoy 360 degree panoramas of the area... It was amazing. From 1567m, one sure can see a long way.
From this point I was then given a gift from my past 5 days of work... A 55km downhill (almost). The day was getting super hot so I was glad about the descent. I got into Millau (pronounced Mee-ooo) and my cycle computer read 95km. Another good day of distance. The day was super hot so I hid in the shade for most of the day.
I met an older (50ish) married couple from Utah (non-mormon, beer drinking Utah couple) at the campsite and chatted with them for an hour or so. They had only back packs and a tent. No car, no bikes. First older couple I've seen without a car or caravan.
They were staying in France for a month because she had family here and then they were going to teach ESL somewhere else in Europe. He was a social worker and was really burnt out and she was along for the adventure I think. This is the second time I've met a 50ish year old male sick of their work, on a sort of walkabout and trying to figure out a balance in life. It makes me think of career choices. Work is work, one can never get away from that. But finding something where you don't have to throw in the towl because you can't stand it anymore seems optimal. Finding that balance is a lifetime journey for some people. I hope I can find something that gives me a good quality of life so I don't have to go to another country to find out what to do with myself when I'm 50.
Intereting life this is.
June 27, 2011
Yesterday was my last day of my remote cévennes ride, so again I found myself planning my own route. My goal for the day was Rodez and I chose quiet roads to get me there. I started out with a steady climb out of Millau and looked at the Pont De Millau. It's a huge bridge that carries 2.5km of a 4-lane freeway that is (at it's highest) 343m above the valley bottom. It's one of the tallest in the world. I recommend you google it and check out the architecture on it! And no I didn't ride on it. It's a freeway so I'm not allowed, its also a toll road and I'd probably get blown off.
I continued on my route which I planned to pass a couple lakes. Unfortunately, 5km out of town I got a flat. I'm a whizz at em now though, so I was moving again right away. The day started getting super hot again around 1ish and considering the lakes I was beside I stopped at the closest campground and went swimming for the afternoon. I saw a poster for a company who takes people wake-boarding and skiing... But I didn't call and just took it easy. I stopped about 15km south-east of Rodez so I will continue past there and onto Figeac. I will see how the day goes and how far the route ends up being... Might make it, might not.
I think I need to be prepared for sweltering heat everyday as I move forward. Especially in the south. Earlier starts may be necessary... But I still like to treat this a vacation. I get up early to work, not to enjoy enjoy myself :)
Dinner time!
----------
I've talked to several people this trip who approach me and tell me about their past cycling adventures. They all talk about covering X kilometers in X days. And usually, to their credit, they are covering some solid distances. Now I'm not one to judge about how a cycling tour should be done. But I'm gonna anyways, at least from my experience.
Some of my most enjoyable moments have not come from covering over 100km in day. They have come from the sense of exploration and discovery. For example, today I could and should have covered more ground, but didnt. I knew in Rodez I would have been at an average campground with nothing to do. Cutting my ride short let me enjoy my afternoon lakeside and the beautiful weather France has been giving me. I enjoy being on the road because it is what allows me to see what I am able. But stopping to enjoy what you are seeing is all the better.
Even though this point may seem elementary, It is the main driver behind this trip. I cover ground to see things, not just for the sake of saying I did it.
But as in any argument, there is always two sides. So if your prerogative is just to cover kms... well, power to ya.
Bye for now. 31 day countdown begins today... Time flys.
Took a rest day today and explored Florac.
June 25, 2011
Today was jam packed with different scenery and riding conditions.
I started off with a usual trip to the local bakery and got some nourishment.
The town of Florac is in this beautiful setting surrounded by high rocky hills. One of them happened to have switchbacks working their way up it's steep slope. That was my route. I trudged in low gears for a while until I reached the top and was welcomed by a vast and barren plateau. It is a part is a part of 'Les Grands Causses' which is a 3150 square kilometer area of limestone plateau. The stony surface allows water to filter through creating an area with little vegetation and many caves. My ride was on the Causse Méjean which is the highest and most isolated.
After crossing the barren land I came upon the Gorges du Tarn. However, I came upon then at 800m in elevation and had a switchbacks descent into the valley!
The rest of the day i rolled through the gorges and then started a gradual climb up the Gorge de la Jonte to my destination of Meyrueis clocking a distance of 80km.
The gorges are amazing in the sense that along the walls of rock their are these massive boulders precariously perched as if they are about to tumble into the valley, but have obviously been rooted there for a long time. I hope they don't decide to move soon.
June 26, 2011
Today started again with 24km of climbing to the summit of Mount Aigoual. The trip up went well and it provided a couple stretches of challenging climbing. A couple km from the top the road started to level and the trees fell away exposing the mountain top. The vegetation was all short shrubs and alpine grass where there were tons of hikers joining me in the last stretch to the top. Once at the peak I was able to enjoy 360 degree panoramas of the area... It was amazing. From 1567m, one sure can see a long way.
From this point I was then given a gift from my past 5 days of work... A 55km downhill (almost). The day was getting super hot so I was glad about the descent. I got into Millau (pronounced Mee-ooo) and my cycle computer read 95km. Another good day of distance. The day was super hot so I hid in the shade for most of the day.
I met an older (50ish) married couple from Utah (non-mormon, beer drinking Utah couple) at the campsite and chatted with them for an hour or so. They had only back packs and a tent. No car, no bikes. First older couple I've seen without a car or caravan.
They were staying in France for a month because she had family here and then they were going to teach ESL somewhere else in Europe. He was a social worker and was really burnt out and she was along for the adventure I think. This is the second time I've met a 50ish year old male sick of their work, on a sort of walkabout and trying to figure out a balance in life. It makes me think of career choices. Work is work, one can never get away from that. But finding something where you don't have to throw in the towl because you can't stand it anymore seems optimal. Finding that balance is a lifetime journey for some people. I hope I can find something that gives me a good quality of life so I don't have to go to another country to find out what to do with myself when I'm 50.
Intereting life this is.
June 27, 2011
Yesterday was my last day of my remote cévennes ride, so again I found myself planning my own route. My goal for the day was Rodez and I chose quiet roads to get me there. I started out with a steady climb out of Millau and looked at the Pont De Millau. It's a huge bridge that carries 2.5km of a 4-lane freeway that is (at it's highest) 343m above the valley bottom. It's one of the tallest in the world. I recommend you google it and check out the architecture on it! And no I didn't ride on it. It's a freeway so I'm not allowed, its also a toll road and I'd probably get blown off.
I continued on my route which I planned to pass a couple lakes. Unfortunately, 5km out of town I got a flat. I'm a whizz at em now though, so I was moving again right away. The day started getting super hot again around 1ish and considering the lakes I was beside I stopped at the closest campground and went swimming for the afternoon. I saw a poster for a company who takes people wake-boarding and skiing... But I didn't call and just took it easy. I stopped about 15km south-east of Rodez so I will continue past there and onto Figeac. I will see how the day goes and how far the route ends up being... Might make it, might not.
I think I need to be prepared for sweltering heat everyday as I move forward. Especially in the south. Earlier starts may be necessary... But I still like to treat this a vacation. I get up early to work, not to enjoy enjoy myself :)
Dinner time!
----------
I've talked to several people this trip who approach me and tell me about their past cycling adventures. They all talk about covering X kilometers in X days. And usually, to their credit, they are covering some solid distances. Now I'm not one to judge about how a cycling tour should be done. But I'm gonna anyways, at least from my experience.
Some of my most enjoyable moments have not come from covering over 100km in day. They have come from the sense of exploration and discovery. For example, today I could and should have covered more ground, but didnt. I knew in Rodez I would have been at an average campground with nothing to do. Cutting my ride short let me enjoy my afternoon lakeside and the beautiful weather France has been giving me. I enjoy being on the road because it is what allows me to see what I am able. But stopping to enjoy what you are seeing is all the better.
Even though this point may seem elementary, It is the main driver behind this trip. I cover ground to see things, not just for the sake of saying I did it.
But as in any argument, there is always two sides. So if your prerogative is just to cover kms... well, power to ya.
Bye for now. 31 day countdown begins today... Time flys.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
More from the sunburned road
Hello! Hope you're all doing great. The last bit has been interesting. With just over a month left I am trying to allow myself enough time to get everywhere I want to... Which I still a long ways! Today I rolled over the 3000km mark on the trip and I haven't gotten sick of my bike yet. I think it's a good sign. Everyday has its challenges but I've been very blessed and lucky to have such a great trip so far. I look forward at what is coming and I can't help but be excited. Although sometimes I get a little jaded by the usual climbs, rolls and descents in the road, France and it's never ending surprises and diversity always snap me back within seconds. This truly is an amazing country... Now, the latest.
June 19, 2011
Today I got on the road by 10am. I used pieces of the route that the guide had planned for me and I chose some of my own roads to 'cut the fat' that was in their route.
The day was very nice and my route was fairly quiet. I passed small towns and fields of lavender which smelt great.
After 95km of biking I settled in the town of Apt for the evening and will complete the rest of the ride to avingnon tomorrow. Not much to say about today.
June 20, 2011
The ride today was an average one, but it always feels good to be moving. I feel stronger everyday and the terrain is not to strenuous so I'm able to maintain good speeds. I started off by heading to the town of Roussillon which is where the Romans used the red earth for making pottery. The town was beautiful... But all in all, what you're really there for is the red ground haha. Very touristy spot but very beautiful. There's a couple walks a person could do to see some formations of the ground. But they didn't interest me too much and didn't feel like paying to see them.
I spent the rest of my day heading towards Avignon which is the start of a 5 day ride through some remote areas of France. Should be pretty cool.
The day around 2pm became very hot so i was happy when I rolled into my site around 3.
I'm starting to see lots more tourists and biking tourists. Also the campgrounds are becoming increasingly more busy... Mostly in the tourist areas though.
Tomorrow i am going to the Pont du Gard which is a three-tiered Roman Aqueduct. It's supposed to be massive and pretty cool. From there I'll join up with the first day of another ride set out in my cycling France guide.
June 21, 2011
Yesterday and today could probably be considered some of the hottest days I've had in France. Starting about noon, the sun is relentless till about 6ish. But with a decent start I can usually ward off most of the heat.
I got on the road by 9, which is decent, but I had nearly 100km to cover today. The ride to the pont du Gard was easy and I was glad I went to see it. It's truly amazing the lengths the roman empire went to supply it's cities with water. It shows just how important it is!
After taking in the sights I set out in the hot sun with another 75km or so to cover. The first 20 weren't very interesting... But that was because I was simply catching up to the guides route. After that point I found myself on tiny service roads winding through vineyards. I love those kind of roads. Their condition can be poor, but being alone in the countryside is all the better.
I had a couple climbs, but nothing overly notable. The day was scorching and everything was throwing heat at me! I ran out of water with about 20km to go but luckily came upon a little shop that had just opened for afternoon hours. Water has never tasted so good. The rest of my route let me to St. Martin d'Ardeche and i set up for the evening. Today was also a festival day for music all across France. I walked the short bit to centre ville that evening and listened to a band play some covers. I recognized some songs but the French accent makes some of the English songs almost unrecognizable. Beautiful evening though and the town setting made it all the better.
June 22, 2011
The ride was another longish one at 96km. I got a good start and set off. The morning was highlighted by the Gorges de l'lardèche which in my opinion rivaled the gorges du Verdon. The ride went up and down and up down along the canyon but it wasn't too challenging. After leaving the canyon I pulled into Vallon-pont d'arc and grabbed a panini at a small shop. The valley in this area had a campground almost every 100m. I have never seen so many... The group also contained a couple 5 stars. I am interested to see what they're like! After letting it settle a bit I moved on to cover the last 60ish km. Today was cooler which was nice.
The ride was easy up till km 58 where I had some climbing to do. I went from 200m to over 800m at the col du mas de l'air and then descended a couple hundred meters into Villefort. I made sure to grab some fruit from some fruit stands on the way up to keep me going.
The rest of the day involved the usual.
June 23, 2011
I awoke to rain.
Since I had been cycling for over 7 days in a row I figured I might take a rest day. But by 9am it had stopped and i was forced to face the day. I walked into town to find food and to my delight, today was open air market day in Villefort. In most towns, 2 days a week there is a market. I gathered up my breakfast from the vendors (mostly fruit and bread) and chowed down back at camp. The pêche jaune (peaches) have been amazing here! Another interesting thing I've found in some markets and wine areas are places or in this case a work van outfitted with many vin de table or 'cheap, run of the mill wines' for sale. The wine is pumped out of a vat into whatever jug, vase, or water bottle (if you wish) through literally what looks like a gas hose with the nozzle and all. Might have to try some of that stuff.
I got on the road by 10:30 and was welcoming by climbing. For the first 25 km I climbed slowly up to col des tribes at 1130m. Just before the col there was road construction and lots of loose gravel... I had to push my bike a couple hundred meters (I did this 2 days ago as well when a crew was laying down fresh asphalt. I was the first one on the new road I think ;) )
From that col I dropped into the small town of Le bleymard and was quickly launched into another 10km climb. This was was much more challenging than my morning one. I climbed up to the Mont Lozère ski resort and then up to the barren Col de Finiels at 1541m. I had a great long descent from there backdropped by the unique landscape. The barren hills were covered in giant granite boulders of all shapes and sizes. It was great to look at as I zoomed alone along the mountainside. After I got to the town of pont de montvert i saw life again. Bikers were climbing and people were lounging at cafes. I climbed a couple km and then descended again to my destination of Florac which is where I am writing now.
This area is called the remote cévennes and is named so because it the least inhabited area of France. Everywhere is pretty busy these days now though. It used to be a hideout for those who didn't want to be found! Great little campsite and now it's time for dinner!
-----------------
For those of you that have written me little messages and blurbs... Thanks so much. They are steady reminders of how lucky i am to be on a trip like this and to make sure I enjoy every minute. Cant wait to share stories when I'm back.
June 19, 2011
Today I got on the road by 10am. I used pieces of the route that the guide had planned for me and I chose some of my own roads to 'cut the fat' that was in their route.
The day was very nice and my route was fairly quiet. I passed small towns and fields of lavender which smelt great.
After 95km of biking I settled in the town of Apt for the evening and will complete the rest of the ride to avingnon tomorrow. Not much to say about today.
June 20, 2011
The ride today was an average one, but it always feels good to be moving. I feel stronger everyday and the terrain is not to strenuous so I'm able to maintain good speeds. I started off by heading to the town of Roussillon which is where the Romans used the red earth for making pottery. The town was beautiful... But all in all, what you're really there for is the red ground haha. Very touristy spot but very beautiful. There's a couple walks a person could do to see some formations of the ground. But they didn't interest me too much and didn't feel like paying to see them.
I spent the rest of my day heading towards Avignon which is the start of a 5 day ride through some remote areas of France. Should be pretty cool.
The day around 2pm became very hot so i was happy when I rolled into my site around 3.
I'm starting to see lots more tourists and biking tourists. Also the campgrounds are becoming increasingly more busy... Mostly in the tourist areas though.
Tomorrow i am going to the Pont du Gard which is a three-tiered Roman Aqueduct. It's supposed to be massive and pretty cool. From there I'll join up with the first day of another ride set out in my cycling France guide.
June 21, 2011
Yesterday and today could probably be considered some of the hottest days I've had in France. Starting about noon, the sun is relentless till about 6ish. But with a decent start I can usually ward off most of the heat.
I got on the road by 9, which is decent, but I had nearly 100km to cover today. The ride to the pont du Gard was easy and I was glad I went to see it. It's truly amazing the lengths the roman empire went to supply it's cities with water. It shows just how important it is!
After taking in the sights I set out in the hot sun with another 75km or so to cover. The first 20 weren't very interesting... But that was because I was simply catching up to the guides route. After that point I found myself on tiny service roads winding through vineyards. I love those kind of roads. Their condition can be poor, but being alone in the countryside is all the better.
I had a couple climbs, but nothing overly notable. The day was scorching and everything was throwing heat at me! I ran out of water with about 20km to go but luckily came upon a little shop that had just opened for afternoon hours. Water has never tasted so good. The rest of my route let me to St. Martin d'Ardeche and i set up for the evening. Today was also a festival day for music all across France. I walked the short bit to centre ville that evening and listened to a band play some covers. I recognized some songs but the French accent makes some of the English songs almost unrecognizable. Beautiful evening though and the town setting made it all the better.
June 22, 2011
The ride was another longish one at 96km. I got a good start and set off. The morning was highlighted by the Gorges de l'lardèche which in my opinion rivaled the gorges du Verdon. The ride went up and down and up down along the canyon but it wasn't too challenging. After leaving the canyon I pulled into Vallon-pont d'arc and grabbed a panini at a small shop. The valley in this area had a campground almost every 100m. I have never seen so many... The group also contained a couple 5 stars. I am interested to see what they're like! After letting it settle a bit I moved on to cover the last 60ish km. Today was cooler which was nice.
The ride was easy up till km 58 where I had some climbing to do. I went from 200m to over 800m at the col du mas de l'air and then descended a couple hundred meters into Villefort. I made sure to grab some fruit from some fruit stands on the way up to keep me going.
The rest of the day involved the usual.
June 23, 2011
I awoke to rain.
Since I had been cycling for over 7 days in a row I figured I might take a rest day. But by 9am it had stopped and i was forced to face the day. I walked into town to find food and to my delight, today was open air market day in Villefort. In most towns, 2 days a week there is a market. I gathered up my breakfast from the vendors (mostly fruit and bread) and chowed down back at camp. The pêche jaune (peaches) have been amazing here! Another interesting thing I've found in some markets and wine areas are places or in this case a work van outfitted with many vin de table or 'cheap, run of the mill wines' for sale. The wine is pumped out of a vat into whatever jug, vase, or water bottle (if you wish) through literally what looks like a gas hose with the nozzle and all. Might have to try some of that stuff.
I got on the road by 10:30 and was welcoming by climbing. For the first 25 km I climbed slowly up to col des tribes at 1130m. Just before the col there was road construction and lots of loose gravel... I had to push my bike a couple hundred meters (I did this 2 days ago as well when a crew was laying down fresh asphalt. I was the first one on the new road I think ;) )
From that col I dropped into the small town of Le bleymard and was quickly launched into another 10km climb. This was was much more challenging than my morning one. I climbed up to the Mont Lozère ski resort and then up to the barren Col de Finiels at 1541m. I had a great long descent from there backdropped by the unique landscape. The barren hills were covered in giant granite boulders of all shapes and sizes. It was great to look at as I zoomed alone along the mountainside. After I got to the town of pont de montvert i saw life again. Bikers were climbing and people were lounging at cafes. I climbed a couple km and then descended again to my destination of Florac which is where I am writing now.
This area is called the remote cévennes and is named so because it the least inhabited area of France. Everywhere is pretty busy these days now though. It used to be a hideout for those who didn't want to be found! Great little campsite and now it's time for dinner!
-----------------
For those of you that have written me little messages and blurbs... Thanks so much. They are steady reminders of how lucky i am to be on a trip like this and to make sure I enjoy every minute. Cant wait to share stories when I'm back.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Sun, Beach and Gorges
June 15, 2011
After waking up and buying some food and supplies for the day I set out for a short easy ride. The whole goal of today was to soak up the southern sun, enjoy the views and of course lay on the beach. I was able to accomplish all of those.
I set out from La Napoule worked my way south-west along the coast. The traffic leaving town was busy and frantic, but after passing a couple towns it died down and I was left to soak in the scenery. The Mediterranean is just as I thought it would be and the towns perched along it's shores make it all the better. My route lazily climbed and dropped through several towns all with their own beaches and refreshment stands.
After 20km I stopped in the town of Agay and pulled into a campground that was right on the ocean. I set up and decided it was time for the beach.
Agay is set in a deep horseshoe bay with boats moored throughout. It's a perfect place for swimming as it is generally protected from the wind and the water is warm. I threw on my suit for the first time this trip and was greeted by the warm and shimmering sapphire waters. The temperature for the day was right around 30 but that didn't bug me at all. I just had to think of the couple cool nights and days i had in the Alps and the Jura.
After enjoying the beach I started to make dinner and sipped on a beer watching the sun slowly slip away. The campground is packed and there are people of all types here. With that point being made I will take you on a tangent here...
I had the misfortune of being placed beside the most talkative/stinky guy in the whole place. At first he seemed okay... He asked me where i was from and I told him Canada. He told me he knew of John Candy and that his most favorite movie was Planes, Trains and Automobiles and listed a couple Canadian bands he knew. At this point is usually where the conversation drops off if it's not going anywhere (which it was). But like any person with excellent social skills, he was over in my space chatting up a storm and pulling out a guitar to show me the songs he knew. This was all too close for comfort... Especially since he had this cow-poo odor about him. Anyways, I quickly got the point across that I was gonna cook dinner and take it easy. Without me saying more than 10 words in the conversation he already had a bunch of ideas whirring in his head of how we could become better friends. I'll keep my distance.
He headed off and I heard him start chatting to a lady who took a more no nonsense approach. She told him he stunk, should take a shower and walked off to her spot in the campground. To the point and probably a little rude. But the unfortunate truth and a very good suggestion.
Anyways, I really enjoyed my day today. It offered everything I wanted it to and I can't wait for more of it tomorrow.
June 16, 2011
Today I did a little more of what I did yesterday, minus the biking. I woke up and headed to the bakery and picked up stuff for breakfast and lunch. After lounging for a bit I went to the beach and tried again to get rid of the amazing farmers tan I have going. It rivals my dads that he usually has in the summer for anyone who has seen him on the beach. That's saying something.
Tomorrow I head off north-east to the grand canyon du Verdon. It's the grand canyon of europe and it is supposed to be pretty jaw-dropping.
June 17, 2011
Today I got a decent start time and rode along the coast to St-Raphaël. The morning was nice but by 9:30am it was already 27 degrees Celsius out! I had to be prepared for a warm one today. As I was riding I noticed two riders ahead of me and couldn't help but think of Paul and James who I met on my Jura ride. Sure enough, it indeed was them. We pulled over to the side of the road, shared a couple stories of where we have been and then rode into St-Raphaël together. They were heading over farther west on a train to do a ride over in the Bordeux/Quercy region. We said our good-byes again and I headed out towards the grand canyon du Verdon. This ride is covered in my lonely planet guide so i had to get to the starting point of Les Arcs-sur-Argens. Getting out of the city was busy, but I was soon in back road bliss. There was some climbing as I went from sea-level to over 800m, but it wasn't overly challenging. The heat of the day was my worst enemy. I made sure to stay hydrated.
My route also went past the Camp Militaire du Canjuers' tank-parking campground which was interesting. As i lay in my tent writing this post i can hear blasts exploding in the distance. Ive noticed a fairly strong military presence in the country since ive arrived. A lot different than home. I see lots of military fly overs and troops in the cities and highways.
Once I got to my destination I ended up covering 95km and I was tired. I grabbed food and set up for the night. The municipal campground is bare bones... But it only cost me 4,50€. I'm not complaining.
Tomorrow is gorge day is what my guide tells me. Im pretty excited for this ride.
June 18, 2011
Today I hit the road by 9 and was eager to see the natural beauty throughout the gorges du Verdon. Within 10km I descended onto the cliffs of the gorge and it did not cease to impress. I kept descending trying to keep my eyes off the road as much as possible. The sides of the canyon dropped straight to the bottom with the clear blue river snaking it's way along. I then came upon the pont de l'Artuby which is the highest placed bridge in Europe at an elevation of 734m and it rests 182m above the canyon. I pulled my bike into a viewing point and watched as people threw themselves from the bridge bungee-jumping. I figured i might as well get in on the action. I walked up, paid the fee and was instructed to change into my sneakers. I was quickly strapped into both a body and ankle harnesses and before I knew it i was climbing a small step ladder and was standing over the gorge on the railing of the bridge. I was given an un, deux, trois and I lept. The free fall was amazing and exhilarating! The setting made it all the better. I don't really know how to explain it in words. It all happens so fast! Once lowered to the bottom of the canyon i then had to hike out which probably took a good 10 to 15 minutes. But it was cool to be inside the gorge as well. Once back at the top i grabbed the swag that came with the jump and hit the road again climbing and descending through the hairpin turns along the canyon. The panoramas were breathtaking.
Around the 30th km i had a decently challenging climb in the midday heat up to 1200m that was also followed by a long descent all the way down the end of the canyon. Once at the bottom I snapped a couple more pictures and continued on my route to my destination of Moustiers Ste Marie. I checked into a nice little campground and took the afternoon easy. Tomorrow the ride continues but unfortunately one day of riding covered the whole gorge. There really isn't a whole lot to see so I'm gonna try to cover over a hundred km and see how far west i will get.
The goal of this trip now is to get the city of Avingon and check out the Pont Du Gard (a Roman built aqueduct) and do another ride through the Langeudoc region of France which should put in the city of Millau before the end of the month. Then it's west to the coast!
Also I just got the update on the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Vancouver loss. I hear they didn't take it so well. Classy.
After waking up and buying some food and supplies for the day I set out for a short easy ride. The whole goal of today was to soak up the southern sun, enjoy the views and of course lay on the beach. I was able to accomplish all of those.
I set out from La Napoule worked my way south-west along the coast. The traffic leaving town was busy and frantic, but after passing a couple towns it died down and I was left to soak in the scenery. The Mediterranean is just as I thought it would be and the towns perched along it's shores make it all the better. My route lazily climbed and dropped through several towns all with their own beaches and refreshment stands.
After 20km I stopped in the town of Agay and pulled into a campground that was right on the ocean. I set up and decided it was time for the beach.
Agay is set in a deep horseshoe bay with boats moored throughout. It's a perfect place for swimming as it is generally protected from the wind and the water is warm. I threw on my suit for the first time this trip and was greeted by the warm and shimmering sapphire waters. The temperature for the day was right around 30 but that didn't bug me at all. I just had to think of the couple cool nights and days i had in the Alps and the Jura.
After enjoying the beach I started to make dinner and sipped on a beer watching the sun slowly slip away. The campground is packed and there are people of all types here. With that point being made I will take you on a tangent here...
I had the misfortune of being placed beside the most talkative/stinky guy in the whole place. At first he seemed okay... He asked me where i was from and I told him Canada. He told me he knew of John Candy and that his most favorite movie was Planes, Trains and Automobiles and listed a couple Canadian bands he knew. At this point is usually where the conversation drops off if it's not going anywhere (which it was). But like any person with excellent social skills, he was over in my space chatting up a storm and pulling out a guitar to show me the songs he knew. This was all too close for comfort... Especially since he had this cow-poo odor about him. Anyways, I quickly got the point across that I was gonna cook dinner and take it easy. Without me saying more than 10 words in the conversation he already had a bunch of ideas whirring in his head of how we could become better friends. I'll keep my distance.
He headed off and I heard him start chatting to a lady who took a more no nonsense approach. She told him he stunk, should take a shower and walked off to her spot in the campground. To the point and probably a little rude. But the unfortunate truth and a very good suggestion.
Anyways, I really enjoyed my day today. It offered everything I wanted it to and I can't wait for more of it tomorrow.
June 16, 2011
Today I did a little more of what I did yesterday, minus the biking. I woke up and headed to the bakery and picked up stuff for breakfast and lunch. After lounging for a bit I went to the beach and tried again to get rid of the amazing farmers tan I have going. It rivals my dads that he usually has in the summer for anyone who has seen him on the beach. That's saying something.
Tomorrow I head off north-east to the grand canyon du Verdon. It's the grand canyon of europe and it is supposed to be pretty jaw-dropping.
June 17, 2011
Today I got a decent start time and rode along the coast to St-Raphaël. The morning was nice but by 9:30am it was already 27 degrees Celsius out! I had to be prepared for a warm one today. As I was riding I noticed two riders ahead of me and couldn't help but think of Paul and James who I met on my Jura ride. Sure enough, it indeed was them. We pulled over to the side of the road, shared a couple stories of where we have been and then rode into St-Raphaël together. They were heading over farther west on a train to do a ride over in the Bordeux/Quercy region. We said our good-byes again and I headed out towards the grand canyon du Verdon. This ride is covered in my lonely planet guide so i had to get to the starting point of Les Arcs-sur-Argens. Getting out of the city was busy, but I was soon in back road bliss. There was some climbing as I went from sea-level to over 800m, but it wasn't overly challenging. The heat of the day was my worst enemy. I made sure to stay hydrated.
My route also went past the Camp Militaire du Canjuers' tank-parking campground which was interesting. As i lay in my tent writing this post i can hear blasts exploding in the distance. Ive noticed a fairly strong military presence in the country since ive arrived. A lot different than home. I see lots of military fly overs and troops in the cities and highways.
Once I got to my destination I ended up covering 95km and I was tired. I grabbed food and set up for the night. The municipal campground is bare bones... But it only cost me 4,50€. I'm not complaining.
Tomorrow is gorge day is what my guide tells me. Im pretty excited for this ride.
June 18, 2011
Today I hit the road by 9 and was eager to see the natural beauty throughout the gorges du Verdon. Within 10km I descended onto the cliffs of the gorge and it did not cease to impress. I kept descending trying to keep my eyes off the road as much as possible. The sides of the canyon dropped straight to the bottom with the clear blue river snaking it's way along. I then came upon the pont de l'Artuby which is the highest placed bridge in Europe at an elevation of 734m and it rests 182m above the canyon. I pulled my bike into a viewing point and watched as people threw themselves from the bridge bungee-jumping. I figured i might as well get in on the action. I walked up, paid the fee and was instructed to change into my sneakers. I was quickly strapped into both a body and ankle harnesses and before I knew it i was climbing a small step ladder and was standing over the gorge on the railing of the bridge. I was given an un, deux, trois and I lept. The free fall was amazing and exhilarating! The setting made it all the better. I don't really know how to explain it in words. It all happens so fast! Once lowered to the bottom of the canyon i then had to hike out which probably took a good 10 to 15 minutes. But it was cool to be inside the gorge as well. Once back at the top i grabbed the swag that came with the jump and hit the road again climbing and descending through the hairpin turns along the canyon. The panoramas were breathtaking.
Around the 30th km i had a decently challenging climb in the midday heat up to 1200m that was also followed by a long descent all the way down the end of the canyon. Once at the bottom I snapped a couple more pictures and continued on my route to my destination of Moustiers Ste Marie. I checked into a nice little campground and took the afternoon easy. Tomorrow the ride continues but unfortunately one day of riding covered the whole gorge. There really isn't a whole lot to see so I'm gonna try to cover over a hundred km and see how far west i will get.
The goal of this trip now is to get the city of Avingon and check out the Pont Du Gard (a Roman built aqueduct) and do another ride through the Langeudoc region of France which should put in the city of Millau before the end of the month. Then it's west to the coast!
Also I just got the update on the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Vancouver loss. I hear they didn't take it so well. Classy.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Alps to the Mediteranean
June 9, 2011
This morning I set out, after making a breakfast of bacon and eggs of course in the kitchen, to summit the col de la croix de fer (2016m). I figured i would cash in on having a stove to my disposal. One word, amazing.
The 6km to the top of the col were very challenging as it gained 560m. But, at this point I'm starting to feel like a veteran... My legs don't agree.
Upon summit I again got some people to snap my picture. I then hit the curvy descent letting gravity do the work. The scenery was beautiful but it was marred by yet another spoke. I tried my best to enjoy my way down and instead of going back to Grenoble I went back to Le Bourg d'Osains which was only about 30ish km from the summit. I got the spoke fixed and called it a day in the campground I stayed in previously. The shop owner who fixed my spoke discussed the issue and decided I needed a new stronger rim with more spoke to relieve the problem. He made some calls and came up with a new one that would cost 300€. I simply was not willing to pay that so I left without a solution.
Today was the day the climb was going on that I mentioned early on Alpe d'Huez.
June 10, 2011
I took today as a rest day. The only thing to note is that I bought myself a nice little stove which only weighs a couple ounces. It'll be great to cook some meals coming up here.
June 11, 2011
I was excited to move south today but again broke a spoke 6km into the ride. I was fed up with this problem and decided I would end it right here and now. I took my gear off the bike and threw it off a nearby cliff. I was taking the bus from now on.
Just kidding. But I felt that way.
I turned back to town and knew I'd have to find a solution this time. The shop keeper knew I didn't want to spend the money on a new rim so he tried to find a new one off of friends or whoever he could. Eventually, with no success he was about to give up... But thankfully, he ended up getting a rim that should work. I had to pay 120€ for the setup... But it was way better than the previous price.
I set out on my previously planned route of going through Briançon. I summited Col du Lautaret again and dropped into a great descent towards Briançon. With the problems and late start I ended up only covering 60km after finding a campground south of the city.
The rim stood up with no signs of weakness... But I wasnt getting my hopes up.
After cooking up some pasta I met a really nice family from Oregon and chatted with them till it was time for bed.
June 12, 2011
This morning I woke up ready to make a decent start around 10am. However I ended up chatting with the father of the family for over 2 hours. All of a sudden I was leaving after noon. I took the late start in stride but was met with a strong headwind. I only covered around 60km, but I ended up on a really nice like glacier fed lake in Savines-Le-lac. The colour of the water was a bright aqua marine blue and was really nice to look at. I took the evening easy and planned to actually cover some ground the next day.
June 13, 2011
Today I got a good start and hit the road by 9:30am. My route in the morning continued along the lake which did not cease to impress all the way along. I couldnt get over the colour!
Once past the southern end of the lake I started a climb to the village of Montclar. From there I had a nice descent into farm land in valley. I stopped at the town Seyne for lunch. Today was a national holiday in France so I was forced to eat out.
The rest of the day the route went up and down over several cols which kept my legs working. These cols are not near comparable to the ones I completed a couple days ago. Col du Maure peaked at 1346m and Col du Labouret reached it's highest at 1240m. From that point the road was mostly downhill all the way to Digne-Les-Bains. There were several camprounds here but I wanted to cover more ground since it was only 4pm. I continued to head south and added another 30 or so km to my tally landing me in Barrême at 6:30pm for a total of 120km on the day. I passes through the Clue de Chabrières on my way. It was this thin slice through the mountain where the river had cut through. It was really neat to ride through.
I was super tired from the day so I passed out fast.
June 14, 2011
When entering town last night I saw a sign that informed me i was only 105km from Cannes. Unfortunately, I missed the movie festival by about a month. I decided I would try my best to make it. I got away from Barrême around 9:30 and quickly was launched into another climb. The climb passed through Clue de Taulanne which was evening more impressive than the previous one. After that point I peaked at Col DES Leques at 1148m. Oh, since Barrême I've also been on the Route Napoléon. It was the route taken by the Emperor on his return from Elba with 1200 men.
After the col I was rewarded with a descent into Castellane. I had a quick bite here and made a photocopy of a route I'm doing in the next couple days once I'm at the ocean. I once again climbed out of the city up to Col du Luens at 1054m. I treated myself to some fresh fruit on the way up to some fruit at a stand. It was delicious.
I had yet another descent... This up and down was the story of the day. So here's the rest.
Col de Valferrie(1169m)
Pas de Faye (981m)
At the top of Pas de Faye I got my reward. At nearly the limit of my vision I could see the ocean. With the sight of it I hopped right back in the saddle and descended down into Grasse. I grabbed a new map here and planned a route south to La Napoule. I was also greeted by heavy traffic in the city. I've been spoiled the last while so I had to adjust quickly. I made my way weaving through towns which never seem to end and found my campground which was 500m from the ocean. I was drained. I had covered 120km again today and had some long overdo laundry and chores to do. I know most people would rush to the beach. But that's what my next two days are about. I'll hit the road early and ride the coast. When i find a beach I like, I'll stop and enjoy the day. I'm excited for rest and sun. The weather looks like it's gonna be hot.
As for Cannes, Nice and Monaco. I'm afraid I won't make it to those places. I'm very close to them. But biking to them would be on very busy roads. I could take transit, but when it comes down to it im really not that interested. In Cannes I want to see the theatre there... But it's nicknamed the 'bunker' from it's appearance so it won't be too interesting. Nice would be nice in it's old town, but I've seen lots of those. And as for monaco I'll skip the craziness and overpriced everything. Minimum bet in the casino is 10€, so there would be none of that. I guess it would be all cool to see and to say I've been there. But when it comes down to it, time is tight and im placing the beaches and ocean over the cities. This is my reasoning for my actions. I hope I haven't offended anyone :)
The campground is nice and the evening is beautiful. Gonna go enjoy myself.
Bon soirée
P.S. No problems with the spokes so far!
P.S.S. Thanks for reading whoever is
This morning I set out, after making a breakfast of bacon and eggs of course in the kitchen, to summit the col de la croix de fer (2016m). I figured i would cash in on having a stove to my disposal. One word, amazing.
The 6km to the top of the col were very challenging as it gained 560m. But, at this point I'm starting to feel like a veteran... My legs don't agree.
Upon summit I again got some people to snap my picture. I then hit the curvy descent letting gravity do the work. The scenery was beautiful but it was marred by yet another spoke. I tried my best to enjoy my way down and instead of going back to Grenoble I went back to Le Bourg d'Osains which was only about 30ish km from the summit. I got the spoke fixed and called it a day in the campground I stayed in previously. The shop owner who fixed my spoke discussed the issue and decided I needed a new stronger rim with more spoke to relieve the problem. He made some calls and came up with a new one that would cost 300€. I simply was not willing to pay that so I left without a solution.
Today was the day the climb was going on that I mentioned early on Alpe d'Huez.
June 10, 2011
I took today as a rest day. The only thing to note is that I bought myself a nice little stove which only weighs a couple ounces. It'll be great to cook some meals coming up here.
June 11, 2011
I was excited to move south today but again broke a spoke 6km into the ride. I was fed up with this problem and decided I would end it right here and now. I took my gear off the bike and threw it off a nearby cliff. I was taking the bus from now on.
Just kidding. But I felt that way.
I turned back to town and knew I'd have to find a solution this time. The shop keeper knew I didn't want to spend the money on a new rim so he tried to find a new one off of friends or whoever he could. Eventually, with no success he was about to give up... But thankfully, he ended up getting a rim that should work. I had to pay 120€ for the setup... But it was way better than the previous price.
I set out on my previously planned route of going through Briançon. I summited Col du Lautaret again and dropped into a great descent towards Briançon. With the problems and late start I ended up only covering 60km after finding a campground south of the city.
The rim stood up with no signs of weakness... But I wasnt getting my hopes up.
After cooking up some pasta I met a really nice family from Oregon and chatted with them till it was time for bed.
June 12, 2011
This morning I woke up ready to make a decent start around 10am. However I ended up chatting with the father of the family for over 2 hours. All of a sudden I was leaving after noon. I took the late start in stride but was met with a strong headwind. I only covered around 60km, but I ended up on a really nice like glacier fed lake in Savines-Le-lac. The colour of the water was a bright aqua marine blue and was really nice to look at. I took the evening easy and planned to actually cover some ground the next day.
June 13, 2011
Today I got a good start and hit the road by 9:30am. My route in the morning continued along the lake which did not cease to impress all the way along. I couldnt get over the colour!
Once past the southern end of the lake I started a climb to the village of Montclar. From there I had a nice descent into farm land in valley. I stopped at the town Seyne for lunch. Today was a national holiday in France so I was forced to eat out.
The rest of the day the route went up and down over several cols which kept my legs working. These cols are not near comparable to the ones I completed a couple days ago. Col du Maure peaked at 1346m and Col du Labouret reached it's highest at 1240m. From that point the road was mostly downhill all the way to Digne-Les-Bains. There were several camprounds here but I wanted to cover more ground since it was only 4pm. I continued to head south and added another 30 or so km to my tally landing me in Barrême at 6:30pm for a total of 120km on the day. I passes through the Clue de Chabrières on my way. It was this thin slice through the mountain where the river had cut through. It was really neat to ride through.
I was super tired from the day so I passed out fast.
June 14, 2011
When entering town last night I saw a sign that informed me i was only 105km from Cannes. Unfortunately, I missed the movie festival by about a month. I decided I would try my best to make it. I got away from Barrême around 9:30 and quickly was launched into another climb. The climb passed through Clue de Taulanne which was evening more impressive than the previous one. After that point I peaked at Col DES Leques at 1148m. Oh, since Barrême I've also been on the Route Napoléon. It was the route taken by the Emperor on his return from Elba with 1200 men.
After the col I was rewarded with a descent into Castellane. I had a quick bite here and made a photocopy of a route I'm doing in the next couple days once I'm at the ocean. I once again climbed out of the city up to Col du Luens at 1054m. I treated myself to some fresh fruit on the way up to some fruit at a stand. It was delicious.
I had yet another descent... This up and down was the story of the day. So here's the rest.
Col de Valferrie(1169m)
Pas de Faye (981m)
At the top of Pas de Faye I got my reward. At nearly the limit of my vision I could see the ocean. With the sight of it I hopped right back in the saddle and descended down into Grasse. I grabbed a new map here and planned a route south to La Napoule. I was also greeted by heavy traffic in the city. I've been spoiled the last while so I had to adjust quickly. I made my way weaving through towns which never seem to end and found my campground which was 500m from the ocean. I was drained. I had covered 120km again today and had some long overdo laundry and chores to do. I know most people would rush to the beach. But that's what my next two days are about. I'll hit the road early and ride the coast. When i find a beach I like, I'll stop and enjoy the day. I'm excited for rest and sun. The weather looks like it's gonna be hot.
As for Cannes, Nice and Monaco. I'm afraid I won't make it to those places. I'm very close to them. But biking to them would be on very busy roads. I could take transit, but when it comes down to it im really not that interested. In Cannes I want to see the theatre there... But it's nicknamed the 'bunker' from it's appearance so it won't be too interesting. Nice would be nice in it's old town, but I've seen lots of those. And as for monaco I'll skip the craziness and overpriced everything. Minimum bet in the casino is 10€, so there would be none of that. I guess it would be all cool to see and to say I've been there. But when it comes down to it, time is tight and im placing the beaches and ocean over the cities. This is my reasoning for my actions. I hope I haven't offended anyone :)
The campground is nice and the evening is beautiful. Gonna go enjoy myself.
Bon soirée
P.S. No problems with the spokes so far!
P.S.S. Thanks for reading whoever is
Thursday, June 9, 2011
High Cols of the Tour De France
Sorry for the hiatus on the communication front. No wifi... At least none that was free. Hope you're all doing well and here are my latest adventures. For those of you that wrote emails i will respond asap.
June 2, 2011
This morning I woke up to much needed warmth and an attack of the slugs. The warmth was nice to feel again (apparently snow was falling in some regions of France... The cold was a pretty freak thing I think) but the slugs were uncalled for. There was probably close to ten of them in various sizes hanging out on whatever was under my vestibule. After flicking them back to the dirt I attempted to dry out what I could and get ready to make some ground again. I set out from Bonlieu to St. Claude which was only about 40 km. The first 20km was moderate climbing and flats and then the road dropped... Literally. Just after a town called Château des Prés I went on the suggested route de rocheblanche. The road dived for nearly 3km straight and was filled with hairpin turns. I stopped a couple times on the way down to let my rims cool down from the braking and my hands rest. Once at the bottom I took in my surroundings. The area was heavily wooded, there was a small river running nearby and a little one lane bridge to top it off. The road then began a climb up the other side that was thankfully nowhere as steep as the descent. My route took me through the rest of the day rising and dropping along the river into St. Claude which was in an amazing mountain setting but lacked character. I went to the municipal campground and went through my usual motions. That evening I had dinner with a father/son biking duo from Melbourne, Australia who I had met earlier that day morning at the campground in Bonlieu... They were doing the same route as me. We had dinner at the campground restaurant and shared stories of the previous route and mishaps (Paul had the same misfortune of ordering the beef dish i did in Verdun) as well as having a couple laughs over several design flaws in our tour book. It's always nice to meet people and have regular conversation once in a while. Thanks Paul and James.
After dinner which was sloshed down by a couple of beers I went out like a light.
June 3, 2011
Today I ended up getting a late start when I should have had an early one... But i was granted with another short day and good weather. After heading into town and buying stuff for breakfast, lunch and dinner and getting all packed up I hit the road by noon. The first 25km of the ride was an unrelenting climb from St. Claude (elev: 400m) to La Pesse (elev: 1200). I locked into my gears and kept a steady pace throughout. The road snaked along a mountainside for the first 10km before dropping into back roads that worked their way through small hilltop towns. After La Pesse the road was one of the most beautiful I've been on yet. It was wide enough for a car and a half and it was along a heavily forested hillside. The right side of the road was a sheer drop with retaining wall keeping the road in place. The only life I saw were a couple cars and 4 hikers or so. After rolling along the road for a while it began to drop and didn't stop all the way to the 40th km where I stopped at Champfromier. The route continues on to Bellegarde but there is no camping there. The small alpine campground did the trick for the evening.
June 4, 2011
Today was about distance. I got a decent start time... But after going to the bakery and the epicerie (a small supermarket) I found myself on the road by 10:30. Gotta have my fresh baking!
The road swooped into Bellegarde quickly which was 15km from my camping stop. I stopped at the tourist office to see what I could get in terms of maps as well see what kind of camping was on the way to Grenoble. The tourist office ended up giving me a map that was a pretty much a
Substitute for a michelin map of the whole alps region. I also got them to point me to the nearest bikeshop. I bought another spare tire after using my last one in Nozeroy and got some chain lube (I've been mooching off other bikers since the start of the trip). I also got the shop owner to draw out a route that would be optimal for a bike ride to Grenoble. Getting out of the city was easy and the scenery wasn't great... But after breaking the city beat I again realized why I'm enjoying this part of France so much. The valley opened wide and after climbing for a short bit i rolled through small towns along the bottom of the Jura mountains (they are called mountains, but they mostly really tall hills - if you're picturing the Rockies you're way off - the hills around Bragg Creek are probably the most comparable - but these are bigger). Ok, so my route then took me down into the Rhone River valley where I rode along the highway in and out of bikepaths and lanes. I then came upon lac du bourget and I could not have asked for a better day to me beside this lake. It runs for about 15 or so kms I believe and the road rides along the east side of the lake with a cliff on the left and the lake just a few feet to the right. The lake was glass and the day was in the high 20's. All I could think about was waterskiing on lake Koocanusa in Montana. It was a perfect day and the north end of the lake wasn't that busy... Most people were just floating or trolling, at least they weren't tubing to ruin the water on such a perfect day. I really wanted someone to ask me onto their boat, but i didn't think my chances were good for that. Towards the south end of the lake it became increasingly touristy as i hit Aix-les-Bains. I pulled off my route to check out the town. I was considering stopping for the day and enjoying the water. After stopping and taking in the views i realized staying there wouldn't be all it cracked up to be. The north end of the lake was clean and crisp while the south end was overrun with boats and people. If i was going to enjoy the lake i knew I'd missed my chance. There was just a concrete boardwalk running north and south for kilometers which wasn't appealing for swimming or hanging out in the sun. I decided to move on and cover more ground (the French Riviera would come soon enough). The rest of the day I got spoiled with bikepaths and lanes running in between Aix-les-Bains and Chambéry. I stopped again in the tourist office here and inquired about close by campgrounds. The one I chose was in Les Marches and only 15km away. I got back onto the bikepaths and started heading out. I realized that rolling in from the west was a nasty looking thunderstorm so I had to hoof it. I got turned around close to Les Marches and ended up in a town 4km south of my destination. With the storm right on my back tire I got to camp in time to get set up before the rain hit. I had picked up food earlier so I was good for dinner. The lighting and thunder went for an hour or so. The thunder was making really weird noises though... It wasn't the kind that rolled and rolled. It seemed to pop like a huge kernel of popcorn and then that would be it. Weird country this France :)
I managed to cover about 115km today (new PB!). It felt good as well. I think im in good enough shape now to cover the high cols around Grenoble. But I'm gonna take that one peddle at a time in granny gear.
June 5, 2011
When I awoke this morning the rain had stopped but the clouds were still grey and hanging low. I got all my stuff together and then it started raining again. I waited a couple minutes and did a double check of everything and then decided to go for it. I only had another 50km to Grenoble so I figured I could make it. The rain came and went throughout the ride so I took shelter a couple times and drug out the ride.
When I made it to the Grenoble tourist office it was noon so I grabbed maps for the city and set out for the suburb of Seyssins where my campground was. After setting up I decided to head back into Grenoble and check out the Musée de Grenoble. It was the first Sunday of the month so that meant all the national museums offered free entry. I toured the museum which featured works from the past and present. I enjoyed some of the more modern works because that's something i haven't seen here yet.
After the museum I picked up food from a shop and headed back to the campground. I met a couple from Belgium that evening who I shared some wine (a box of wine) with. They were touring France by RV for 6 weeks.
I went to bed early because i had a big day ahead of me.
June 6, 2011
Today I left Grenoble for Le Bourg D'Oisans which was a 50km ride gaining a modest 500m in elevation. The goal of this ride was to get into the heart of the mountains so I could begin tackling the 'high cols of the tour de france' ride set out in my guide. The ride was along busy highways for the most part which Isnt always fun... But it was manageable. When I was 20km into the trip I took my first tumble to make the day eventful. There was an old set of train tracks that lazily curved over the road and I didn't approach them at a sharp enough angle. My tire slipped into the track and the next thing I knew I was ejected from my pedals landing on the pavement elbows and knees abound. I was only traveling about 20km/hr at that point so I was able to walk/ride away with only scrapes wherever my body met the pavement. My bike also received a couple of cosmetic adjustments that were mostly minor. After brushing over and taking a minute I set back on my course. Upon arrival I went to a campsite and quickly set up. The real goal for the day was conquering the legendary Alpe d'Huez. For anyone who doesn't know Alpe d'Huez is a 13.8km climb to the the summit which is at an elevation of 1860m. The average gradient throughout is 8.5% that is carries throughout 21 numbered hairpin turn to the summit. It is one of the most famous climbs for two-wheelers in the world and is usually showcased in the tour de France. The record to the top is 36min and 50secs; not
The easiest feat. The ride up was very tough, but i couldn't help but smile the whole way up. As tough as the climb is, it's just cool to be there. I made 3 quick stops on the way up to take pictures or a quick breather, but I was trying my best to do it in one shot. I made it to the top after an hour and a half of climbing and average about 10km/hr. It felt good to make the legendary climb... Try to catch it in mid-July on tv to see the best in the world tackle it.
After hanging around for a bit I hit the descent which I can tell you from experience goes much faster than the way up. The hairpin turns keep you on guard.
I had noticed from a flyer In town that there was an organized climb of d'Huez on June 9. The campgrounds were nearly full and bikers were everywhere. I was briefed that night by a man from the Netherlands. It was a fundraiser for cancer where people would raise money to climb the mountain a certain number of times in a day, where the maximum was 6. He was going to climb 4 times on Thursday. One was enough for me.
June 7, 2011
I'm unsure how exactly i feel about today... It was filled with both accomplishment, old annoyances and a questionable decisions.
I started off the day good and got my self ready to hit the road by 11am after breakfast and some errands. The ride today was a very challenging one that would require me to ride from 720m to 2057m over 40km which was at the Col du Lautaret. Then from that point I would go to the Col du Galibier which peaked at 2645m at km 49 then descend to the mountain town of Valloire which was at 1400m. The col du Galibier was the first ever climb in the alps to be introduced in the tour way back and it will be the highest pedalling i will be doing on my tour... I think. The ride started fine and then 13km into the ride I heard the familiar sound of spoke breaking. Since it was early in the ride I decided i would hoof it back, get it fixed and set out again. Once I got back and got fixed up it was 2:30. I figured i could still tackle the ride.
After a couple adjustments at the bottom of the climb I had lost another half hour. I made it up to the Col du Lautaret without much trouble other than the slow pace that comes along with climbing a mountain pass. At this point the day was started to get pretty cool and it was raining lightly. I only had a hard 9km climb and I would be on the descent which would go quick. The ride up was one of the hardest I've done yet. I was right up in the clouds which started spitting more and more rain. The terrain was amazing but the day was slowly starting to get darker and colder. Since i was working hard at this point it was easy to stay warm.
After what seemed like forever to reach the summit at Galibier i finally made it. It was a great feeling to do something like that!
Thankfully there were some people in a van who had quickly stopped at the top so i got them to take my picture with the elevation sign in the background.
It was at this point i realized i could have trouble. The rain was really starting to come down and it was really cold. To put it in perspective there was still a snowplow and banks of snow along the side of the road. I threw on a set of long gloves and some clothes to try to stay warm and set out for Valloire. The roads were wet so I had to be careful not to slide out, but my body temperature was dropping quickly and I needed shelter. After a couple kms my extremities were numb but my core was warm so I hoped it would stay that way. About halfway to my destination I really started shaking in my saddle and everything other than under my coat was soaked. I stopped at a B&B to grab some quick warmth and check on vacancy. They were full up but I was suggested a couple hotels in town. I continued my descent only getting colder. Thankfully from that point it was only 7km to town and I managed to find a hotel with bike storage. It was still raining and i was not camping this night. I got in the shower asap and got some food in me. The hotel smells funky and it's older... But I'm not complaining.
I gave myself enough time for the day but did not count on that kind of weather.
It's nice to be inside and warm.
Looking back, the best decision would have been to have stopped at a campground near the 30km mark and stretched the day into two. But, this is all a part of the trip and being exposed to the elements.
June 8, 2011
Today I awoke to rain get again. I took my time with breakfast and getting packed up then hit the road. The rain kept coming but I figured I would be fine during the day. I didnt have any major descents except one a couple minutes into the ride. My ride was about 55km and took me over col du telegraph and into a valley for the majority of my day. I picked up supplies at a market in town and then set out on a climb that would take me almost up to another col which I will summit tomorrow morning. The climb up was very hard but was only about 14km. My legs are feeling it. I also passed the 2000km mark on my trip!
No campgrounds in this town so I splurged again. I got a place for 60€ that could sleep 6 and it had a small kitchen. I made myself some warm food which was great. Tomorrow I'm back to Grenoble and then i head south from there to the Mediterranean! I hope it's warm there cause it sure isn't up at 2000m.
June 2, 2011
This morning I woke up to much needed warmth and an attack of the slugs. The warmth was nice to feel again (apparently snow was falling in some regions of France... The cold was a pretty freak thing I think) but the slugs were uncalled for. There was probably close to ten of them in various sizes hanging out on whatever was under my vestibule. After flicking them back to the dirt I attempted to dry out what I could and get ready to make some ground again. I set out from Bonlieu to St. Claude which was only about 40 km. The first 20km was moderate climbing and flats and then the road dropped... Literally. Just after a town called Château des Prés I went on the suggested route de rocheblanche. The road dived for nearly 3km straight and was filled with hairpin turns. I stopped a couple times on the way down to let my rims cool down from the braking and my hands rest. Once at the bottom I took in my surroundings. The area was heavily wooded, there was a small river running nearby and a little one lane bridge to top it off. The road then began a climb up the other side that was thankfully nowhere as steep as the descent. My route took me through the rest of the day rising and dropping along the river into St. Claude which was in an amazing mountain setting but lacked character. I went to the municipal campground and went through my usual motions. That evening I had dinner with a father/son biking duo from Melbourne, Australia who I had met earlier that day morning at the campground in Bonlieu... They were doing the same route as me. We had dinner at the campground restaurant and shared stories of the previous route and mishaps (Paul had the same misfortune of ordering the beef dish i did in Verdun) as well as having a couple laughs over several design flaws in our tour book. It's always nice to meet people and have regular conversation once in a while. Thanks Paul and James.
After dinner which was sloshed down by a couple of beers I went out like a light.
June 3, 2011
Today I ended up getting a late start when I should have had an early one... But i was granted with another short day and good weather. After heading into town and buying stuff for breakfast, lunch and dinner and getting all packed up I hit the road by noon. The first 25km of the ride was an unrelenting climb from St. Claude (elev: 400m) to La Pesse (elev: 1200). I locked into my gears and kept a steady pace throughout. The road snaked along a mountainside for the first 10km before dropping into back roads that worked their way through small hilltop towns. After La Pesse the road was one of the most beautiful I've been on yet. It was wide enough for a car and a half and it was along a heavily forested hillside. The right side of the road was a sheer drop with retaining wall keeping the road in place. The only life I saw were a couple cars and 4 hikers or so. After rolling along the road for a while it began to drop and didn't stop all the way to the 40th km where I stopped at Champfromier. The route continues on to Bellegarde but there is no camping there. The small alpine campground did the trick for the evening.
June 4, 2011
Today was about distance. I got a decent start time... But after going to the bakery and the epicerie (a small supermarket) I found myself on the road by 10:30. Gotta have my fresh baking!
The road swooped into Bellegarde quickly which was 15km from my camping stop. I stopped at the tourist office to see what I could get in terms of maps as well see what kind of camping was on the way to Grenoble. The tourist office ended up giving me a map that was a pretty much a
Substitute for a michelin map of the whole alps region. I also got them to point me to the nearest bikeshop. I bought another spare tire after using my last one in Nozeroy and got some chain lube (I've been mooching off other bikers since the start of the trip). I also got the shop owner to draw out a route that would be optimal for a bike ride to Grenoble. Getting out of the city was easy and the scenery wasn't great... But after breaking the city beat I again realized why I'm enjoying this part of France so much. The valley opened wide and after climbing for a short bit i rolled through small towns along the bottom of the Jura mountains (they are called mountains, but they mostly really tall hills - if you're picturing the Rockies you're way off - the hills around Bragg Creek are probably the most comparable - but these are bigger). Ok, so my route then took me down into the Rhone River valley where I rode along the highway in and out of bikepaths and lanes. I then came upon lac du bourget and I could not have asked for a better day to me beside this lake. It runs for about 15 or so kms I believe and the road rides along the east side of the lake with a cliff on the left and the lake just a few feet to the right. The lake was glass and the day was in the high 20's. All I could think about was waterskiing on lake Koocanusa in Montana. It was a perfect day and the north end of the lake wasn't that busy... Most people were just floating or trolling, at least they weren't tubing to ruin the water on such a perfect day. I really wanted someone to ask me onto their boat, but i didn't think my chances were good for that. Towards the south end of the lake it became increasingly touristy as i hit Aix-les-Bains. I pulled off my route to check out the town. I was considering stopping for the day and enjoying the water. After stopping and taking in the views i realized staying there wouldn't be all it cracked up to be. The north end of the lake was clean and crisp while the south end was overrun with boats and people. If i was going to enjoy the lake i knew I'd missed my chance. There was just a concrete boardwalk running north and south for kilometers which wasn't appealing for swimming or hanging out in the sun. I decided to move on and cover more ground (the French Riviera would come soon enough). The rest of the day I got spoiled with bikepaths and lanes running in between Aix-les-Bains and Chambéry. I stopped again in the tourist office here and inquired about close by campgrounds. The one I chose was in Les Marches and only 15km away. I got back onto the bikepaths and started heading out. I realized that rolling in from the west was a nasty looking thunderstorm so I had to hoof it. I got turned around close to Les Marches and ended up in a town 4km south of my destination. With the storm right on my back tire I got to camp in time to get set up before the rain hit. I had picked up food earlier so I was good for dinner. The lighting and thunder went for an hour or so. The thunder was making really weird noises though... It wasn't the kind that rolled and rolled. It seemed to pop like a huge kernel of popcorn and then that would be it. Weird country this France :)
I managed to cover about 115km today (new PB!). It felt good as well. I think im in good enough shape now to cover the high cols around Grenoble. But I'm gonna take that one peddle at a time in granny gear.
June 5, 2011
When I awoke this morning the rain had stopped but the clouds were still grey and hanging low. I got all my stuff together and then it started raining again. I waited a couple minutes and did a double check of everything and then decided to go for it. I only had another 50km to Grenoble so I figured I could make it. The rain came and went throughout the ride so I took shelter a couple times and drug out the ride.
When I made it to the Grenoble tourist office it was noon so I grabbed maps for the city and set out for the suburb of Seyssins where my campground was. After setting up I decided to head back into Grenoble and check out the Musée de Grenoble. It was the first Sunday of the month so that meant all the national museums offered free entry. I toured the museum which featured works from the past and present. I enjoyed some of the more modern works because that's something i haven't seen here yet.
After the museum I picked up food from a shop and headed back to the campground. I met a couple from Belgium that evening who I shared some wine (a box of wine) with. They were touring France by RV for 6 weeks.
I went to bed early because i had a big day ahead of me.
June 6, 2011
Today I left Grenoble for Le Bourg D'Oisans which was a 50km ride gaining a modest 500m in elevation. The goal of this ride was to get into the heart of the mountains so I could begin tackling the 'high cols of the tour de france' ride set out in my guide. The ride was along busy highways for the most part which Isnt always fun... But it was manageable. When I was 20km into the trip I took my first tumble to make the day eventful. There was an old set of train tracks that lazily curved over the road and I didn't approach them at a sharp enough angle. My tire slipped into the track and the next thing I knew I was ejected from my pedals landing on the pavement elbows and knees abound. I was only traveling about 20km/hr at that point so I was able to walk/ride away with only scrapes wherever my body met the pavement. My bike also received a couple of cosmetic adjustments that were mostly minor. After brushing over and taking a minute I set back on my course. Upon arrival I went to a campsite and quickly set up. The real goal for the day was conquering the legendary Alpe d'Huez. For anyone who doesn't know Alpe d'Huez is a 13.8km climb to the the summit which is at an elevation of 1860m. The average gradient throughout is 8.5% that is carries throughout 21 numbered hairpin turn to the summit. It is one of the most famous climbs for two-wheelers in the world and is usually showcased in the tour de France. The record to the top is 36min and 50secs; not
The easiest feat. The ride up was very tough, but i couldn't help but smile the whole way up. As tough as the climb is, it's just cool to be there. I made 3 quick stops on the way up to take pictures or a quick breather, but I was trying my best to do it in one shot. I made it to the top after an hour and a half of climbing and average about 10km/hr. It felt good to make the legendary climb... Try to catch it in mid-July on tv to see the best in the world tackle it.
After hanging around for a bit I hit the descent which I can tell you from experience goes much faster than the way up. The hairpin turns keep you on guard.
I had noticed from a flyer In town that there was an organized climb of d'Huez on June 9. The campgrounds were nearly full and bikers were everywhere. I was briefed that night by a man from the Netherlands. It was a fundraiser for cancer where people would raise money to climb the mountain a certain number of times in a day, where the maximum was 6. He was going to climb 4 times on Thursday. One was enough for me.
June 7, 2011
I'm unsure how exactly i feel about today... It was filled with both accomplishment, old annoyances and a questionable decisions.
I started off the day good and got my self ready to hit the road by 11am after breakfast and some errands. The ride today was a very challenging one that would require me to ride from 720m to 2057m over 40km which was at the Col du Lautaret. Then from that point I would go to the Col du Galibier which peaked at 2645m at km 49 then descend to the mountain town of Valloire which was at 1400m. The col du Galibier was the first ever climb in the alps to be introduced in the tour way back and it will be the highest pedalling i will be doing on my tour... I think. The ride started fine and then 13km into the ride I heard the familiar sound of spoke breaking. Since it was early in the ride I decided i would hoof it back, get it fixed and set out again. Once I got back and got fixed up it was 2:30. I figured i could still tackle the ride.
After a couple adjustments at the bottom of the climb I had lost another half hour. I made it up to the Col du Lautaret without much trouble other than the slow pace that comes along with climbing a mountain pass. At this point the day was started to get pretty cool and it was raining lightly. I only had a hard 9km climb and I would be on the descent which would go quick. The ride up was one of the hardest I've done yet. I was right up in the clouds which started spitting more and more rain. The terrain was amazing but the day was slowly starting to get darker and colder. Since i was working hard at this point it was easy to stay warm.
After what seemed like forever to reach the summit at Galibier i finally made it. It was a great feeling to do something like that!
Thankfully there were some people in a van who had quickly stopped at the top so i got them to take my picture with the elevation sign in the background.
It was at this point i realized i could have trouble. The rain was really starting to come down and it was really cold. To put it in perspective there was still a snowplow and banks of snow along the side of the road. I threw on a set of long gloves and some clothes to try to stay warm and set out for Valloire. The roads were wet so I had to be careful not to slide out, but my body temperature was dropping quickly and I needed shelter. After a couple kms my extremities were numb but my core was warm so I hoped it would stay that way. About halfway to my destination I really started shaking in my saddle and everything other than under my coat was soaked. I stopped at a B&B to grab some quick warmth and check on vacancy. They were full up but I was suggested a couple hotels in town. I continued my descent only getting colder. Thankfully from that point it was only 7km to town and I managed to find a hotel with bike storage. It was still raining and i was not camping this night. I got in the shower asap and got some food in me. The hotel smells funky and it's older... But I'm not complaining.
I gave myself enough time for the day but did not count on that kind of weather.
It's nice to be inside and warm.
Looking back, the best decision would have been to have stopped at a campground near the 30km mark and stretched the day into two. But, this is all a part of the trip and being exposed to the elements.
June 8, 2011
Today I awoke to rain get again. I took my time with breakfast and getting packed up then hit the road. The rain kept coming but I figured I would be fine during the day. I didnt have any major descents except one a couple minutes into the ride. My ride was about 55km and took me over col du telegraph and into a valley for the majority of my day. I picked up supplies at a market in town and then set out on a climb that would take me almost up to another col which I will summit tomorrow morning. The climb up was very hard but was only about 14km. My legs are feeling it. I also passed the 2000km mark on my trip!
No campgrounds in this town so I splurged again. I got a place for 60€ that could sleep 6 and it had a small kitchen. I made myself some warm food which was great. Tomorrow I'm back to Grenoble and then i head south from there to the Mediterranean! I hope it's warm there cause it sure isn't up at 2000m.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
More from The Jura
The last few days have been filled with a little bit of everything and it's made for an interesting trip.
May 29, 2011
I set out from Arbois ready to tackle another day of biking. Within two km I had my second flat on my other tire this time. They were both ready to go at the same time I guess. It was close to midday and the sun was roasting. But I got the flat fixed and got on my way. There was a steep climb leaving town which then opened up at the top into pasture and farms. It was a nice ride but didn't particularly smell nice. I cruised on the roads unnoticed on the empty roads to a regional forest and the route de sapins. It was mostly just a nature ride, but it provided great views. The roads were really small and broken down in places so I had to be careful to not get another flat. I also saw the Sapin President which was the biggest tree in the area. Nothing super impressive, but still cool.
I eventually made my way out of the forest and to the medieval town of Nozeroy. It was here i soon realized that the municipal campground had been shut down and was now an overnight park for RVs. I knew there was camping 15km away in Champagnole so I decided to head there for the evening. It was downhill the whole way which was good, but i knew id be making up the elevation sooner or later (than turned out to be sooner than planned). I found the camping quickly and noticed it wasn't yet open for the season. I stopped at a couple hotels... But there was no way I was paying 70€ for one night.
My mind was whirring trying to figure out a solution.
I could splurge and get the hotel room... Ask a farmer to stay on his land... Or go back to the RV park in Nozeroy and risk one night (camping savauge - camping in the wild is illegal in France. Not that the spot was wild at all).
I went back the 15km to Nozeroy and set up away from plain site of the road. The hassle of finding a spot to stay disappeared immediately as I sat in front of my tent with the sun setting and an orchestra of cow bells filled the valley. It was the nicest evening I've had yet and the view was amazing.
I ate my dinner and quietly went to bed.
May 30, 2011
When I woke up u quickly took down my stuff and packed my bike. I was approached by a Swiss fellow I had met the evening before and he invited me to breakfast with his wife and friends. Having hot tea in the morning sure sounded good so I agreed. I had bread and cheese and jam with them before setting off again. They were very nice people and it sure was nice to had a little luxury. I can carry much for weight and can't carry perishable food.
My ride was a short one that took me to a lakeside town and campground called Malbuisson. I caught up on chores like laundry and took the afternoon easy. It was a hot day.
Overnight that changed quickly.
May 31, 2011
It rained for most the night but stopped by morning. There were grey clouds in the sky threatening to rain but I decided to go for it. The ride was cool and misty but went well. I stopped to view a river that had cut it's way into a very skinny 60m crevice and ate lunch. After that point i could see the weather was changing up ahead. First it was mist, then light rain and then the real stuff came. I've read and now experienced, that when it rains In the Jura... It does so torrentially! I found shelter under the site of a building in a town 2km from my campsite. After 30mn of waiting the rain didn't stop at all so I decided to go for it. By the time I got to the campsite It was really coming down and i pulled into shelter. I set up my tent under a covered area and walked it to my spot (my tents really small). After getting everything in place I warmed up in the shower and put on fresh clothes. I now had one goal for the rest of the day... Stay Warm. The rain did not let up one bit all day and night.
June 1, 2011
I woke up to the same sound I fell asleep to... Falling rain. Thankfully i was warm and dry. The rain continued all morning so I just hid out except for running to the reception area to get the bread I had ordered the night before (I was glad I made that decision). The forecast said it's supposed to warm a little tomorrow and clear up. I'm hoping that happens. For now I'm gonna go crawl back in my tent cause my fingers are numb from the cold temperatures.
May 29, 2011
I set out from Arbois ready to tackle another day of biking. Within two km I had my second flat on my other tire this time. They were both ready to go at the same time I guess. It was close to midday and the sun was roasting. But I got the flat fixed and got on my way. There was a steep climb leaving town which then opened up at the top into pasture and farms. It was a nice ride but didn't particularly smell nice. I cruised on the roads unnoticed on the empty roads to a regional forest and the route de sapins. It was mostly just a nature ride, but it provided great views. The roads were really small and broken down in places so I had to be careful to not get another flat. I also saw the Sapin President which was the biggest tree in the area. Nothing super impressive, but still cool.
I eventually made my way out of the forest and to the medieval town of Nozeroy. It was here i soon realized that the municipal campground had been shut down and was now an overnight park for RVs. I knew there was camping 15km away in Champagnole so I decided to head there for the evening. It was downhill the whole way which was good, but i knew id be making up the elevation sooner or later (than turned out to be sooner than planned). I found the camping quickly and noticed it wasn't yet open for the season. I stopped at a couple hotels... But there was no way I was paying 70€ for one night.
My mind was whirring trying to figure out a solution.
I could splurge and get the hotel room... Ask a farmer to stay on his land... Or go back to the RV park in Nozeroy and risk one night (camping savauge - camping in the wild is illegal in France. Not that the spot was wild at all).
I went back the 15km to Nozeroy and set up away from plain site of the road. The hassle of finding a spot to stay disappeared immediately as I sat in front of my tent with the sun setting and an orchestra of cow bells filled the valley. It was the nicest evening I've had yet and the view was amazing.
I ate my dinner and quietly went to bed.
May 30, 2011
When I woke up u quickly took down my stuff and packed my bike. I was approached by a Swiss fellow I had met the evening before and he invited me to breakfast with his wife and friends. Having hot tea in the morning sure sounded good so I agreed. I had bread and cheese and jam with them before setting off again. They were very nice people and it sure was nice to had a little luxury. I can carry much for weight and can't carry perishable food.
My ride was a short one that took me to a lakeside town and campground called Malbuisson. I caught up on chores like laundry and took the afternoon easy. It was a hot day.
Overnight that changed quickly.
May 31, 2011
It rained for most the night but stopped by morning. There were grey clouds in the sky threatening to rain but I decided to go for it. The ride was cool and misty but went well. I stopped to view a river that had cut it's way into a very skinny 60m crevice and ate lunch. After that point i could see the weather was changing up ahead. First it was mist, then light rain and then the real stuff came. I've read and now experienced, that when it rains In the Jura... It does so torrentially! I found shelter under the site of a building in a town 2km from my campsite. After 30mn of waiting the rain didn't stop at all so I decided to go for it. By the time I got to the campsite It was really coming down and i pulled into shelter. I set up my tent under a covered area and walked it to my spot (my tents really small). After getting everything in place I warmed up in the shower and put on fresh clothes. I now had one goal for the rest of the day... Stay Warm. The rain did not let up one bit all day and night.
June 1, 2011
I woke up to the same sound I fell asleep to... Falling rain. Thankfully i was warm and dry. The rain continued all morning so I just hid out except for running to the reception area to get the bread I had ordered the night before (I was glad I made that decision). The forecast said it's supposed to warm a little tomorrow and clear up. I'm hoping that happens. For now I'm gonna go crawl back in my tent cause my fingers are numb from the cold temperatures.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Start of The Jura
May 28, 2011
My ride today was a nice peaceful one rolling through small towns and fields. It was uneventful for the most part and I covered about 60km to get to my destination of Arbois. After waking up and eating, I loaded up my bike and hit the road. Getting out of Besançon was easy and the weather was perfect for riding. I saw lots of people touring and going for day rides in Alsace and on the canals... It sure died down today and will probably continue to stay like that for a bit. Its more of a remote area and most of the towns im heading to have populations of under a 1000 people. The town is very nice and so is the campground. It's situated right next to the municipal pool but I think I'll leave that for the kids... I don't want to be the creepy guy by himself splashing around with the teenagers and tweens haha. Arbois is known as the wine capital of the Jura and its vin jaune (yellow wine). Its made using a long undisrupted fermentation process (6 years and 3 months), which gives it's distinctive colour and taste. Arbois is also known as the town where the Pasteur family settled in 1827 and where Louis Pasteur experimented. There is a house where you can go view his lab, workshop and all the other rooms.
The rest of the day will contain me eating and prepping for tomorrow.
Special note: it's Kaitlyns birthday today! Shes 21 and legal everywhere! Be sure to wish her a happy birthday.
My ride today was a nice peaceful one rolling through small towns and fields. It was uneventful for the most part and I covered about 60km to get to my destination of Arbois. After waking up and eating, I loaded up my bike and hit the road. Getting out of Besançon was easy and the weather was perfect for riding. I saw lots of people touring and going for day rides in Alsace and on the canals... It sure died down today and will probably continue to stay like that for a bit. Its more of a remote area and most of the towns im heading to have populations of under a 1000 people. The town is very nice and so is the campground. It's situated right next to the municipal pool but I think I'll leave that for the kids... I don't want to be the creepy guy by himself splashing around with the teenagers and tweens haha. Arbois is known as the wine capital of the Jura and its vin jaune (yellow wine). Its made using a long undisrupted fermentation process (6 years and 3 months), which gives it's distinctive colour and taste. Arbois is also known as the town where the Pasteur family settled in 1827 and where Louis Pasteur experimented. There is a house where you can go view his lab, workshop and all the other rooms.
The rest of the day will contain me eating and prepping for tomorrow.
Special note: it's Kaitlyns birthday today! Shes 21 and legal everywhere! Be sure to wish her a happy birthday.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Besançon
May 25, 2011
I left Cernay early in the morning and instead of heading north to Colmar, which is the last day of the planned ride in my guide I decided I would head south west to Besançon. I knew of a canal going from Mulhouse to Besançon so I went south until I hit that. The canal was easy easy riding and obviously traffic free so I was able to cover a lot of ground. The day was not completely uneventful though. I got my first flat tire... I've been expecting one to come. I'm just glad it came on a nice day and I wasn't tight for time. I haven't fixed many flats so it took close to 30 minutes, but i did it perfect. I then rode on to the city of Montbéliard and camped in a town called Mandeure for the evening which was 15 km south. In total I rode around 90km.
May 26, 2011
The plan today was to make it to Besançon and prepare for a 6 day ride covering The Jura of France. I started out early and found the canal bike path again and followed that for a while. Following the signs I then changed course and started following the Doubs River. The scenery quickly started to change as I went. Steep lush and rocky hills started jutting up beside me and it was a really nice change from the Alsace region. I rode along the river and was joined by some rain later in the day that wasn't too heavy and arrived in Besançon around 6 pm. As I came into town, a huge fort came up on the horizon. It was perched up on a high hill with two rivers cutting around it. It was a good start to the city, knowing that they had some sights to see. The fort at first glance is one of the most impressive I've seen yet. After finding the tourist office I took off with my new maps to my campground and set up. I'm along the river so that's nice... But I'm also 5km from the city center. I grabbed dinner, read for a bit and passed out. I had covered 109 km and was very tired from the last three rides I've done.
May 27, 2011
I was tired today, so I slept in and took the day mostly easy. I rode into town around 11 ish, grabbed a bite and decided to check out the fort/citadel that I had seen. It is great to look at from a distance and from inside the walls... But how it's being run doesnt do it justice. After paying admission I climbed up the high walls and checked out the views. It gave me a great idea of what the area is like. After that I decided I would check out museums inside some of the buildings. I went to the Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation first. The museum focussed on the rise of Nazism and fascism and the French resistance movement in WWII. Much of the information was very interesting and gave a different perspective on the war. However, the museum didn't flow particularly well and I found the self guiding info scattered and hard to connect to the material. Still interesting though. I then went to the Musée Comtois, whose focus is on local traditions. It was good, but mostly fluff. The rest of the Citadelle was completely cheapened by it being made into a zoo of sorts. There was an aquarium, a noctarium, and an insectarium all of which were largely unimpressive. I realize it's an attempt to make the place family friendly and bring more people in... But I found it cheesy. It took away from some of the sites that could have been seen, such as the citadel as it would have looked during it's prime or more history. Seeing some monkeys from Africa climb around the walls took away the effort that was put in to designing the Citadel and it's true purpose. I felt as if it was disrespectful to the lives that were lost there... Not worth my money.
Anyways, I then decided to head to a bike shop (because I still hadn't found anything that had worked on my bike, and I could tell my spokes were straining. I went to a shop on the river Doubs and alas... My search was over. I found a nice front bag that worked with my large handlebars. The shop owner was great and I signed his guestbook and he put my picture beside it... Really cool little shop. Some people from Quebec had been there just a few days before.
After that I decided to head back to camp, eat and get ready to set out tomorrow. I'm itching to see what The Jura has in store for me. I don't know when I'll come across wifi again, hopefully soon.
Thanks for taking time to read!
I left Cernay early in the morning and instead of heading north to Colmar, which is the last day of the planned ride in my guide I decided I would head south west to Besançon. I knew of a canal going from Mulhouse to Besançon so I went south until I hit that. The canal was easy easy riding and obviously traffic free so I was able to cover a lot of ground. The day was not completely uneventful though. I got my first flat tire... I've been expecting one to come. I'm just glad it came on a nice day and I wasn't tight for time. I haven't fixed many flats so it took close to 30 minutes, but i did it perfect. I then rode on to the city of Montbéliard and camped in a town called Mandeure for the evening which was 15 km south. In total I rode around 90km.
May 26, 2011
The plan today was to make it to Besançon and prepare for a 6 day ride covering The Jura of France. I started out early and found the canal bike path again and followed that for a while. Following the signs I then changed course and started following the Doubs River. The scenery quickly started to change as I went. Steep lush and rocky hills started jutting up beside me and it was a really nice change from the Alsace region. I rode along the river and was joined by some rain later in the day that wasn't too heavy and arrived in Besançon around 6 pm. As I came into town, a huge fort came up on the horizon. It was perched up on a high hill with two rivers cutting around it. It was a good start to the city, knowing that they had some sights to see. The fort at first glance is one of the most impressive I've seen yet. After finding the tourist office I took off with my new maps to my campground and set up. I'm along the river so that's nice... But I'm also 5km from the city center. I grabbed dinner, read for a bit and passed out. I had covered 109 km and was very tired from the last three rides I've done.
May 27, 2011
I was tired today, so I slept in and took the day mostly easy. I rode into town around 11 ish, grabbed a bite and decided to check out the fort/citadel that I had seen. It is great to look at from a distance and from inside the walls... But how it's being run doesnt do it justice. After paying admission I climbed up the high walls and checked out the views. It gave me a great idea of what the area is like. After that I decided I would check out museums inside some of the buildings. I went to the Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation first. The museum focussed on the rise of Nazism and fascism and the French resistance movement in WWII. Much of the information was very interesting and gave a different perspective on the war. However, the museum didn't flow particularly well and I found the self guiding info scattered and hard to connect to the material. Still interesting though. I then went to the Musée Comtois, whose focus is on local traditions. It was good, but mostly fluff. The rest of the Citadelle was completely cheapened by it being made into a zoo of sorts. There was an aquarium, a noctarium, and an insectarium all of which were largely unimpressive. I realize it's an attempt to make the place family friendly and bring more people in... But I found it cheesy. It took away from some of the sites that could have been seen, such as the citadel as it would have looked during it's prime or more history. Seeing some monkeys from Africa climb around the walls took away the effort that was put in to designing the Citadel and it's true purpose. I felt as if it was disrespectful to the lives that were lost there... Not worth my money.
Anyways, I then decided to head to a bike shop (because I still hadn't found anything that had worked on my bike, and I could tell my spokes were straining. I went to a shop on the river Doubs and alas... My search was over. I found a nice front bag that worked with my large handlebars. The shop owner was great and I signed his guestbook and he put my picture beside it... Really cool little shop. Some people from Quebec had been there just a few days before.
After that I decided to head back to camp, eat and get ready to set out tomorrow. I'm itching to see what The Jura has in store for me. I don't know when I'll come across wifi again, hopefully soon.
Thanks for taking time to read!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The Climb
May 24, 2011
The day started with a quick visit to a boulangerie where I grabbed a quick breakfast and a sandwich for lunch. For 20 km after that point I rode only up towards Col de Schlucht. The road wasn't necessarily steep but it definitely gets draining after a while. The road was lined with a dense forest at the bottom which slowly got thinned out to the almost bare col at just under 1200 meters... I started at 220 meters in Munster. After taking in the views I continued on and and joined the Route de Crêtes which was built during WW1 to supply the French troops who were fighting on the front. This road rolled on and provided spectacular panoramas of small alpine towns and lakes. I also rode past 3 or so ski areas which were not overly impressive.
After another 20 km I arrived in Le Markstein and took a break with a bottle of coke that was sure to give me a little extra kick in order to summit the Grand Ballon that was looming in the distance. It was 7 kilometers to get there but I didn't find it too bad until I got 1 km away. At that point the road rose sharply and I found myself in granny gear working to keep my legs spinning up the incline. The road was covered in places with names of riders who have rode in the Tour de France in the past when the route has come this direction. After a couple more minutes of work I summited the Grand Ballon (fittingly named for it's round shape) which was at 1424 meters. I enjoyed my time at the top and snapped a couple pictures but I was excited about my descent. I put on my jacket for the initial descent and shoved off. The ride down started off great but was quickly interrupted by some small goats who decided to hang out on the road. I weaved my way through them and while most of them scattered a few of the bolder ones lowered their heads at me. I'm glad they decided not to charge.
The rest of the descent was carefree and a lot of fun. I reached a maximum of 60 km/HR and enjoyed leaning in and out of the turns as they came. I unfortunately found myself close to the bottom in Willer-Sur-Thur faster than I would have liked. I found a bike path close to the river and rode that to the nearby town of Thann which is where I had planned to camp for the night. After stopping at the tourist office I was informed like before that the campground was not open yet and that a town a couple kilometers away had one. So I hopped on my bike and headed to Cernay and set up camp. The rest of the night was uneventful.
The day started with a quick visit to a boulangerie where I grabbed a quick breakfast and a sandwich for lunch. For 20 km after that point I rode only up towards Col de Schlucht. The road wasn't necessarily steep but it definitely gets draining after a while. The road was lined with a dense forest at the bottom which slowly got thinned out to the almost bare col at just under 1200 meters... I started at 220 meters in Munster. After taking in the views I continued on and and joined the Route de Crêtes which was built during WW1 to supply the French troops who were fighting on the front. This road rolled on and provided spectacular panoramas of small alpine towns and lakes. I also rode past 3 or so ski areas which were not overly impressive.
After another 20 km I arrived in Le Markstein and took a break with a bottle of coke that was sure to give me a little extra kick in order to summit the Grand Ballon that was looming in the distance. It was 7 kilometers to get there but I didn't find it too bad until I got 1 km away. At that point the road rose sharply and I found myself in granny gear working to keep my legs spinning up the incline. The road was covered in places with names of riders who have rode in the Tour de France in the past when the route has come this direction. After a couple more minutes of work I summited the Grand Ballon (fittingly named for it's round shape) which was at 1424 meters. I enjoyed my time at the top and snapped a couple pictures but I was excited about my descent. I put on my jacket for the initial descent and shoved off. The ride down started off great but was quickly interrupted by some small goats who decided to hang out on the road. I weaved my way through them and while most of them scattered a few of the bolder ones lowered their heads at me. I'm glad they decided not to charge.
The rest of the descent was carefree and a lot of fun. I reached a maximum of 60 km/HR and enjoyed leaning in and out of the turns as they came. I unfortunately found myself close to the bottom in Willer-Sur-Thur faster than I would have liked. I found a bike path close to the river and rode that to the nearby town of Thann which is where I had planned to camp for the night. After stopping at the tourist office I was informed like before that the campground was not open yet and that a town a couple kilometers away had one. So I hopped on my bike and headed to Cernay and set up camp. The rest of the night was uneventful.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Strasbourg to Munster
May 20, 2011
Rest day... Laundry etc.
May 21, 2011
Today I left Strasbourg. I got a late start but it was a short day as I only had about 55km to cover.
I took the morning easy, as I said before and went into Strasbourg to buy some maps and breakfast. Unfortunately, the map store suggested in the lonely planet cycling France guide had close. The edition I have is from June 2009 and this is the second time this has happened now; I'm thinking it's not the best time to be in the map business and I don't expect the margins were very big in the first place.
Anyways, my route took me through the first 20km beside a canal from Strasbourg to Molsheim. Although it was some of the easiest riding I've done yet it was some of the most peaceful being away from roads.
The route after this point turned south and I hit the head of the Alsatian Wine Route just after the town of Rosheim. Speaking of Rosheim, the cathedral their had a wedding going on so I didn't visit. But outside on an elevated corner of the church there was a lion with his paws on mans shoulders. Apparently, the lion is protecting the man from the temptation of the secular world.
After Rosheim, I headed into the Mecca or the Vatican City of the Riesling world. I passed vineyard after vineyard between villages and had some beautiful view of the area. My ride was supposed to end in Barr. However, when I showed up to the tourist office I was informed that one campground in town was closed till June and the other was blocked off by road construction till around 8pm that night (it was about 4:30pm at the time. I decided with the help of the lady at the tourist office to head to the nearby town of St. Pierre where I could find camping right away. After about a 15 minute ride I got to St. Pierre, set up, had dinner and passed out early knowing my longer ride tomorrow would come soon enough.
May 22, 2011
I had about 70km of riding to do today along with a couple side trips so I got up early and hit the road as soon as I could. The best part about the Alsatian Wine Route is that nearly every town is connected by bike routes. This makes the ride so much more peaceful and enjoyable. The only problem is that the bike paths can prove to be very hard to find. I spent probably 15 minutes of my day just trying to find tue best route, but it was worth it.
To start my day I headed back to the Barr tourist office where my ride was set to start. I rode through many small towns (all ended with a stein or ein) which are no more than a couple kilometers apart. There were lots of degustation (wine tasting) signs out but I decided I should at least wait till noon.
After stopping for lunch in one of the towns I took a side trip to a chateau. The name right now is escaping my mind and I don't really feel like looking it up. However, like many of the chateaus in the region it was built high up on a hill to protect it from attacks. The ride up was 5km and rose over 550 meters. Although the road only went up, it still was not overly steep and only peaked in grade around 10%. It's still the longest climb I've had to do yet. After I got to the top the panoramas gave great views of the valley below and the small towns scattered about. I walked up to the restored chateau, paid my fee and started a small self guided tour which provided me the gist of the history and uses of the chateau. It would be amazing to see it when it was actually in use.
After the tour I had a quick snack at the top and prepared for my ride down. The day was close to 30 degrees but the ride down was all shaded and the wind would be cold so I threw on my windbreaker and headed out. The trip down definitely paid off for the work I had to put in to get up there. There were lots of corners and hairpins which kept me on the edge of my seat and no cars came up behind me the whole way down so I was able to utilize the whole half of the road.
After getting to the bottom I realized that the time I had taken for lunch and the side trip to the chateau had eaten up a good portion of my day and I still had close to 50km to cover. I decided I would stop little and skip another option I was considering seeing that involved seeing some storks... Im not to worried that I missed it.
My journey took me through more and more towns and vineyards. Some of the towns get similar after a while but they all have some subtle differences that switch them up. At about 4pm I decided it would be pretty bad if I went through all these vineyards and didn't go to a tasting. I stopped in at the first tasting sign I saw and tried several different wines (even some Grand Cru Rieslings which was a treat). I also decided to buy a bottle to enjoy with whatever I was eating at camp that night. The rest of the day cruised by and I entered the Munster Valley at around 6:30pm and was joined by a fairly strong unwelcoming headwind. This slowed down my already tired legs and I finally rolled into camp around 7:30 and got everything set up. I grabbed a quick meal to go and quickly passed out after most the Riesling was gone. After a day of biking my body can't handle much when it comes to liquor.
May 23, 2011
Today my legs were pretty cooked so I decided to take a rest day before tackling the Grand Ballon which peaks at about 1500 meters (I'm at around 400 meters right now). iI also needed to get some supplies because my some of my day to day stuff was running out. Gonna take it easy, eat well and get ready for my biggest climb yet.
Rest day... Laundry etc.
May 21, 2011
Today I left Strasbourg. I got a late start but it was a short day as I only had about 55km to cover.
I took the morning easy, as I said before and went into Strasbourg to buy some maps and breakfast. Unfortunately, the map store suggested in the lonely planet cycling France guide had close. The edition I have is from June 2009 and this is the second time this has happened now; I'm thinking it's not the best time to be in the map business and I don't expect the margins were very big in the first place.
Anyways, my route took me through the first 20km beside a canal from Strasbourg to Molsheim. Although it was some of the easiest riding I've done yet it was some of the most peaceful being away from roads.
The route after this point turned south and I hit the head of the Alsatian Wine Route just after the town of Rosheim. Speaking of Rosheim, the cathedral their had a wedding going on so I didn't visit. But outside on an elevated corner of the church there was a lion with his paws on mans shoulders. Apparently, the lion is protecting the man from the temptation of the secular world.
After Rosheim, I headed into the Mecca or the Vatican City of the Riesling world. I passed vineyard after vineyard between villages and had some beautiful view of the area. My ride was supposed to end in Barr. However, when I showed up to the tourist office I was informed that one campground in town was closed till June and the other was blocked off by road construction till around 8pm that night (it was about 4:30pm at the time. I decided with the help of the lady at the tourist office to head to the nearby town of St. Pierre where I could find camping right away. After about a 15 minute ride I got to St. Pierre, set up, had dinner and passed out early knowing my longer ride tomorrow would come soon enough.
May 22, 2011
I had about 70km of riding to do today along with a couple side trips so I got up early and hit the road as soon as I could. The best part about the Alsatian Wine Route is that nearly every town is connected by bike routes. This makes the ride so much more peaceful and enjoyable. The only problem is that the bike paths can prove to be very hard to find. I spent probably 15 minutes of my day just trying to find tue best route, but it was worth it.
To start my day I headed back to the Barr tourist office where my ride was set to start. I rode through many small towns (all ended with a stein or ein) which are no more than a couple kilometers apart. There were lots of degustation (wine tasting) signs out but I decided I should at least wait till noon.
After stopping for lunch in one of the towns I took a side trip to a chateau. The name right now is escaping my mind and I don't really feel like looking it up. However, like many of the chateaus in the region it was built high up on a hill to protect it from attacks. The ride up was 5km and rose over 550 meters. Although the road only went up, it still was not overly steep and only peaked in grade around 10%. It's still the longest climb I've had to do yet. After I got to the top the panoramas gave great views of the valley below and the small towns scattered about. I walked up to the restored chateau, paid my fee and started a small self guided tour which provided me the gist of the history and uses of the chateau. It would be amazing to see it when it was actually in use.
After the tour I had a quick snack at the top and prepared for my ride down. The day was close to 30 degrees but the ride down was all shaded and the wind would be cold so I threw on my windbreaker and headed out. The trip down definitely paid off for the work I had to put in to get up there. There were lots of corners and hairpins which kept me on the edge of my seat and no cars came up behind me the whole way down so I was able to utilize the whole half of the road.
After getting to the bottom I realized that the time I had taken for lunch and the side trip to the chateau had eaten up a good portion of my day and I still had close to 50km to cover. I decided I would stop little and skip another option I was considering seeing that involved seeing some storks... Im not to worried that I missed it.
My journey took me through more and more towns and vineyards. Some of the towns get similar after a while but they all have some subtle differences that switch them up. At about 4pm I decided it would be pretty bad if I went through all these vineyards and didn't go to a tasting. I stopped in at the first tasting sign I saw and tried several different wines (even some Grand Cru Rieslings which was a treat). I also decided to buy a bottle to enjoy with whatever I was eating at camp that night. The rest of the day cruised by and I entered the Munster Valley at around 6:30pm and was joined by a fairly strong unwelcoming headwind. This slowed down my already tired legs and I finally rolled into camp around 7:30 and got everything set up. I grabbed a quick meal to go and quickly passed out after most the Riesling was gone. After a day of biking my body can't handle much when it comes to liquor.
May 23, 2011
Today my legs were pretty cooked so I decided to take a rest day before tackling the Grand Ballon which peaks at about 1500 meters (I'm at around 400 meters right now). iI also needed to get some supplies because my some of my day to day stuff was running out. Gonna take it easy, eat well and get ready for my biggest climb yet.
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