2014 The Final Day

            With the plane not taking off until 4:30 in the afternoon I found plenty of time to walk over to the Eiffel Tower and later to buy several gifts.  There was one final foul up as I tried to retrace my steps back to the unfamiliar Metro stop.  With all the construction the entrance was well hidden and I missed it easily.  I walked several long blocks before acknowledging the mistake. 

            The Metro led to the bus that led to the airport.  Like on arrival I was ushered from one end to the other.  I had a window seat and shared a row with one other gentleman.  Eleven hours later I was welcomed back to the good old USA with a warm smile from Joe Williams.

Final thoughts.  This trip was not the “shock and awe” trip of 2013.  Buying the bike and visiting Paris with Isabelle could never be duplicated.  This was a very different adventure topped by being with Aaron for the first several weeks.  Sleeping under the stars and meeting fellow adventurers made camping very special.  How often does one meet someone who has been to both the North and South Poles?      

The biking was out of this world.  Finding a new wheel halfway through erased 99% of the anxiety.  At the same time I lost the chance of meeting those wonderful people in the bike shops.  Not being part of the regular tourist trade, they still acted with the utmost courtesy toward a foreigner who could not speak the language.  They patiently translated my wild gesticulations as if they were the Sioux in Lakota country.

            The staff in the markets, super or small, reflected the same helpful attitude.  Whether asking for the sandwiches or plastic ware they often would take me by the hand and lead me to the correct areas.  

            Aaron and I commented on the helpfulness of the people working in the Tourist Offices.  This continued after he left.  In the smaller towns they might only see one or two Americans per summer.  Their ears really perked up when they heard that I was from California, the land of glamorous movie stars.  They were more than ready to practice their craft before the trickle of tourists turned to a flood on the first of July.

            Aaron and I agreed that trips like these are not for everyone.  Most important is to spoon good out of a bad pot; to transform a missed turn, a closed campground, a weed filled campground, or a rainstorm into an opportunity for an exciting adventure.

            Lastly, words can never adequately describe what passes between Isabelle, Marie Line, and me.  They are simply the best of friends and will reside in my mind and in my heart until my very last breath.

            Much joy!!!

            Hardy

2014 The Twenty-Ninth Day

            The light rain last night forced me to moved indoors.  Isabelle and I had a quiet breakfast knowing that this would be our last day together for another year.  While she took her mother to the eye doctor I did a short ride out to see a chateau that we had passed on Sunday.  The chateau is several hundred years old, is privately owned, and is up for sale, come on Ron and Carol.  The 30 km round trip pushed the tour over the 2100 km mark.  The ride took me north of Fressines.  At almost every crossroads I saw signs in the direction of Auge.  This information would have served me well five days earlier, saving time and energy.

            Back at the ranch I made two piles; one for the trip home and the other to stay in Fressines.  After a lunch of tasty leftovers, Isabelle and I departed for the train station.  On the platform she finally trusted me with the ticket. Tears filled our eyes amidst the heartfelt hugs.  “Parting is such a sweet sorrow.”  A year is a long time to wait.

            The train whipped through the same country sides that I dawdled through for days.  The 150-hour bike ride was accomplished in a mere 150 minutes. 

Waiting for me in Paris was a huge shock.  After leaving the train I lazily made my way to the Metro only to find the route I needed to be closed for renovation.  Stupefied, I staggered down the walkways hoping for better news.  Finally, I stopped to take stock of my situation. With the subway map looking like a plate of noodles, I made ready to join the long lines at the information booths.  Then, suddenly, out of the blue my savior appeared.  A tastefully dressed Frenchman looking a lot like Alain Delon approached me and offered his help.  After I explained the problem, he mapped out two possibilities.  He suggested the one with only one exchange.  Before leaving, he thoughtfully double-checked to see if I needed anything else.   Then he departed, bowing slightly before quietly melting into the vast throng of people like Shoeless Joe Jackson disappearing into the cornfields in the “Field of Dreams.”

            Coming out of the strange subway, I needed additional help finding the right direction to Nathalie’s.  Poor Nathalie was in an absolute dither.  There had been a miscommunication about the new school that Victor would be attending in the Fall.  All the needed information had to be found and turned in that evening. By the time that mission was accomplished it was well passed 10:00.  Only a few restaurants remained open at that hour.  We finally settled on a small Chinese diner. A wide variety of choices were attractively displayed in several glass cases in a cafeteria fashion.  Succumbing to temptation fueled by hunger, we chose 18 options, well beyond the limits of our stomachs.  The entire bounty was delicious and we sampled everything.  In the end we trucked nearly one-third of it back to the apartment. 

            The USA was playing Belgium in the World Cup but the limited TV access prevented us from watching.  Instead, sleep engulfed me as the new moon soared over my last night in Paris, in France. 

           

            

2014 The Twenty-Eighth Day

            After two non-biking days I was back in the saddle today for 100 km.  Since this was a working day for everyone, Marie Line suggested a ride to see an Abbey on the other side of Niort.  Back and forth would be nearly 100 km.   On Sunday, we were at Marie Line’s country place gorging ourselves on food and wine when she made the suggestion.  Serge, Marie Line’s companion, was there.  He wants to do a week of the tour next year.

            On the way back, Isabelle and I stopped to see the house that Julian, Gerard’s younger son, was renovating.  I also had the opportunity to meet his companion, Flora. 

The house was coming along nicely.  They bought it at an auction for well below the market value.  Gerard, the expert craftsman, was there.  For the first time in 12 years I met Alexander, Gerard’s older boy.  We had a great visit with him on the trip we did with Sharon, Charlie, and Jake.

            The final stop was a brief visit with their mom.  She is turning 90 in September.

            The day before, Marie Line, Isabelle, and I went to an upscale restaurant.  The food was definitely not traditional.  The chef prides himself in creating new dishes.  The evening was very special.  They also talked me into staying another day.   

            Niort has about 65,000 citizens and the ride across was 5 km.  I rode the canals up to Coulon.  Fishermen were tightly packed along both banks almost elbow to elbow.  Their long fishing poles extended to the middle of the channel.  With motorized traffic prohibited, the water was very clear.  Twice I came across an organized touring group from Belgium, first in town and later halfway to Coulon.  Altogether there were 38, some singles and some in pairs.

            The roads were mainly country, little traffic, curves, and several rough patches where the asphalt had deteriorated.  Lunch was bought in Magne and consumed near the Abbey.  There was a touch of rain but nothing serious.  The Abbey St. Pierre was well worth the visit.  Most of the buildings were gone with the stones used for other projects.  But what was left has been tastefully restored.

            I hardly paused on the way back, only to check directions.  France was playing their World Cup match at 6:00 and the whole gang would be there.  France won 2-0.  This was good because Gerard takes his soccer seriously.  He was totally absorbed in the match.  Food, wine, sex, I am not sure what could have done to distract him. 

            Afterwards Isabelle put out what she called a “simple” meal.  Believe me, it definitely was not simple by any stretch of the imagination.  Marie Line bought along a bottle of champagne to celebrate another visit.  We finished in time for Gerard to reestablish his position of the couch for the next match, which saw Germany defeat Algeria in brilliant contest.

2014 The Twenty-Seventh Day

            Twenty-seven straight days of riding.  I will come close to 2000 km, which surpasses the 1500 km of last year.  Riding with Aaron gave me a real boost.  Staying in the campgrounds fit like a glove.  I am unsure of why I like bicycling from point A to point B so much.  I do know that receiving my first bike at age 5 made me mobile if not upward.  

            Jeanlouis was a great host.  We had a lovely dinner last night with his former wife, Isabelle.  I was amazed at the travels that he had done alone and they together.  At 20, he hitchhiked east all the way to India, through Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan.  Initially, a friend was supposed to go with him but at the very last minute the friend backed out.  Jeanlouis boldly took off by himself and did not hesitate for three days until he was in Greece.  He was afraid that if he stopped sooner, he might have a change of heart and go back. 

            Then in 1974, he and Isabelle did the same trip as a honeymoon.  Finally in 1979, the two of them toured North America, Canada, the US, and Mexico.  Both trips were done on the slimmest of budgets.  They had the use of a friend’s car for part of the second trip and often they had to choose between gas and lodging.  Isabelle said that her favorite memory was a chance to talk with William Borroughs.  Her second favorite was their stay in San Francisco.

            In the morning Jeanlouis made a wonderful breakfast including fresh carrot juice.  I was on my way at 10:30 and was immediately met by a light rain shower.  There was also rain about one when I stopped for lunch finding cover in a bus stop.  I seemed to be chasing weather all day.  The country roads were magnificent with one picturesque moment after another.  There were lakes, forests, and cows and sheep in the fields.

            Puttering along, I wanted the mood of this ride to fill my heart.  Stopping often, I took pictures of everything, fields, beasts in the fields, and my beloved churches.  At one intersection I encountered an absolute first.  Down the road came two touring cyclists, man and woman.  Both were heavily loaded with panniers dangling from both wheels.  In addition, they pulled two trailers with young children packed inside. 

A steady headwind and more ups than downs added to the slowness of the ride.  Isabelle would be in Paris for the day as part of her work and would not return home until 6:30.  Consequently, this became my aiming point.   With nobody there arriving sooner made little sense and anything later would cause needless worry.  At 5:30 there remained a slim chance but the odds went astronomical with several map-reading errors. The very detailed map stopped making sense and led me astray twice, adding 25 km and ninety minutes to the ride.  Ironically, while lost in Auge, I could have made an easy correction that would have saved the day.  Where is Aaron when you need him?  I finally stumbled into Fressines at 8:00 with Marie Line and Isabelle ready to call out the cavalry.

            One miscue actually sent me in a full circle that repeated a long, tedious climb.  Finally, I bit the proverbial bullet and hopped on a busy road where twenty to thirty cars and trucks whizzed by every kilometer.  Earlier in the day I had been on country roads where 20 to 30 kilometers would pass without encountering a car.

            I ended up doing 100 km.  What shocked me was the weight loss for the day.  Stepping on the scale showed 96 kg, which translated to about 212 lbs.  I have not been that light since shortly after college.  The next morning I was back up to 100 kg or 220 lbs.  I hope that I can hold that number. 

2014 The Twenty-Sixth Day

            The sun rose slowly peeking over the horizon and backlighting the houses on the far side of the Loire River.  The sky was sweating already.  It was going to be one of those hot, sultry days that I remember so well from Minnesota.  Fortunately the mosquitos came in a smaller size 

            Cyclists of all types and sizes flooded the campground last evening.  I was lucky to still find a spot near the Loire River.  Cycling the Loire River is a very popular tour.  In fact, my dentist, Dr. Forster, did that tour three years back.  Sharon and I did the route on our way to Lisbon.  The castles are plentiful, beautiful, and are not to be missed. The campground was directly next-door to the Loire River.  I counted 14 pairs and one single before turning in.

The morning ride proved uneventful.  The first two towns were large but I found my way through with little difficulty.

Sadly, two sites unique to this area went unseen.  Several centuries ago people in this area carved out homes deep in the ground.  They were discovered recently and several have been excavated.  The museum in town would not open until 2:00 and the other was 10 km behind me. 

There was a fun encounter with a fully loaded hay wagon.  The farmer had pulled out of a driveway a short distance ahead of me.  His pace matched mine and I was able to draft behind him for several km.  Although the incident was reminiscent of the semi truck and biking scene in “Breaking Away,” it was not nearly as thrilling or inspirational.

            Getting through Thouax proved difficult.  In the center of town the directions were worthless.  With severe weather still threatening I was tossed on one bad climb after another.  I was finally clearing the town when the rain came down in buckets.  I was fortunate to find shelter near a house under construction.  Thankfully, this was the first bad weather in 24 days.  Aaron and I had a couple of rough days in the early hours of our ride but since then the weather had cooperated beautifully.  The temperature was consistently mild with limited rainfall, a sprinkle here and there.  At times the head winds were troublesome. 

With the winds howling and the rain falling I had a bite of food, simple fare of bread, cheese, tomato, and beer.  When the storm finally abated, I struck out for Jeanlouis.  He has a remarkable place, nestled in the forest between a slow moving river and a limestone cliff.  He has plenty of room for a nice garden and three cats.  Two more severe storms rolled through the area that night but I was tucked safely inside.

            Overall, the ride was a nice, comfortable 80 km.  Several of the roads lacked any traffic at all.  There were several churches in the smaller towns that were spectacular.  The fact that these small towns had such large and beautiful churches never ceases to amaze me!  I hope that my pictures have captured their grandeur.

Much joy!!!
Hardy