Sunny days are here again

Hey good lookin!

About 70 miles and 4,000 feet of climbing today, but everyone in our group to a person was ready for an easy day. While it wasn't easy - it was a beautiful ride without major climbs and a nice sunshine on our backs. A little threat of rain at the end of the day, but the storm just missed us, and we came home dry.

Just one look back at Moustiers and the magnificent rock formations that have been home for the last two days.

After a little up and down rolling hills, we came upon the most charming village of Riez. They had, what was, even David and Susan admitted, the best open air market in France - and even they were seeing it for the first time. Arts and crafts, clothes, antiques, and an entire farmers market to boot. All of it running the length of the village, and traffic was completely shut down. At some point in the future, this is where I want to bring the family to enjoy the French countryside.

This guy was a little creepy, but all the locals were lined up for the fresh bread.

After some minor bike repair, a coffee, and some market shopping we were off!

This part of France is the largest producer of lavender - we missed the harvest by a couple weeks, but there were a few fields still flowering along the way.

And where there was no lavender, there were beautiful rolling fields for sunflowers, and wheat, and other agricultural production. In a way, it felt a lot like riding through the Sonoma countryside - except we have mostly grapes at this point.

A little water stop along the way in a old town that clearly had booming times in its past, with a large bank on the town square and a cathedral across the street - both virtually deserted at this point.

A little bit of a climb then a nice downhill, followed by the worst false flat on earth brought us to small St. Etienne for a little more water and regrouping before the final push home. Even in a town that has at its most a few hundred residents, there is a monument to the "dead boys" of world war 1. The saddest thing is most monuments have two, three, sometimes four boys with the same last name listed.

Head wind turned to tail wind, and we absolutely flew through the last 25 kilometers of the ride. A local beer had our name on it after we put our bikes away at the hotel.

Enjoyed in a quiet garden, of course.

The hotel is great, but their sense of decorating - or maybe translation - is a little off. For example, here is Mark's shower:

A little Tour de France trivia game before dinner produced a couple extra gifts (thanks for sharing Mark!) for kids at home.

Dinner starts in the garden over drinks, different fish appetizers . . .

Followed by the best gazpacho that I've ever had - with interestingly enough a vegetable ice cream in the middle . . .

And more fish! This one is fish on top of fish, in fish broth, on top of fennel. Fish!

Followed by pineapple ice cream with pineapple chips in a saffron syrup - this was super tasty.

Ending with cafe and little treats!

It is supposed to be an easy day tomorrow to get ready for the big daddy day on Friday, three times up Mt. Ventoux - pretty much the biggest day of riding someone can do. Crossing fingers. . .

Thunderstorms

Today started with what I liked to call a 20% chance for sunshine. We had that for a little bit at the start of the ride, but quickly lost it, and most of the day was in a thunderstorm - but that's all part of a trip like this. We circled France's version of the Grand Canyon, and it may be even more memorable spending time warming up in a cafe mid-way, and holding on to dear life coming down the descents than if it were super hot and sunshiny.

We took a quick left from our hotel and town up the hill side to get to the canyon. Looking back, the lake was just as beautiful under clouds as sun. We stopped to regroup after a few miles of climbing in yet another old hillside town.

An old castle or something like it, turned into a hotel, sits right on the edge of the hillside.

Mark cresting the hill into town.

This is the same rock formation that is above our hotel, seen from above.

B at the top.

The break didn't last long, and we were back at the climbing, which seemed to go on forever today.

Mark crushing the hills.

Not too much further in, and we started to get glimpses of the Gorge du Verdun.

This is the most B.S. col sign that I've come across yet on the tours, since we have another thousand feet of climbing or so after it - and this is when the thunder started.

More early glimpses of the Gorge as the rain is blowing in.

That's the corner Mark was crushing in the earlier photo.

Looking back to the lake, and the river mouth where we saw so many boaters paddling around yesterday.

Aaaaaaannnnd, here is the rain.

The Gorge really started to open up at this point . . .

Almost to the back end of the Gorge, we crossed over on this great bridge, then huddled up for warm drinks and lunch at a roadside cafe.

A little hot chocolate never hurt.

Happy pepper sauce is a nice little extra . . . 

. . . for your lunch time pizza. A little mix-up in the kitchen, and I'm trying goat cheese, pine-nut, and honey pizza. Good, but probably not one on my regular list.

Only if they had this in my size . . .

Look quickly, what is Mark doing. . . . Yes, those are his pants around his ankles . . . any guesses? Drying out of course!

The rain let up a little bit, so we put our wet gear on, and pushed on. This town, Veranges, was important in medieval times, although I didn't stop to read the tourist signs.

And just for a second, as we turned and followed the river back out of the Gorge, a little sunshine came and warmed us up.

The final climb for the day, and then a ripping descent back down to the hotel.

I picked up this beer, only brewed and sold around the Gorge. It, like the pizza, was alright, but not on my regular list. The memories of today will be high up on the list for sure though!

Especially this old French SOB. That is a bottle of wine and a pack of cigarettes he is killing by himself - in between cat naps and snoring - on the terrance. What a life!

My first absinthe. I could have this again for sure.

Here comes the sun for tomorrow.

An excellent dinner tonight along with good stories and conversation. Our best guess is that the restaurant is a converted animal stable attached to a country estate, which has been turned into a hotel.

The stone room had all kinds of little interesting nooks and crannies, including this little one next to our table.

Cold tomato soup . . .

followed by marinated fish, with tomato, cheese, and onion . . .

and pork shoulder . . . 

and pistachio pana cota with chocolate ice cream and fresh peaches.

And a few little candies with coffee, before hoping in the bus to hotel. Hopefully to do it all again tomorrow. Without the rain.