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.