Jon Hallander - France - Making Lemonade

Arrived in Paris and once the bike was put together I went for a walk about.

After a TGV ride to Saint Jean de Luz I walked about this beach town until Tom and Augie arrived.

Bicycle Infrastructure Paris

Augie's Hotel

Start in Paris

Augie is set

A quick ride a bout

Crazy Intersection of many roads

The Champs

Almost to the Arc

A little more ride about

on the return

To Montparnasse

Keep walking ...

Bikes only

A nice beach?

A nice view

The Atlantic

Down low

fading light

First day in our trans Pyrenees adventure involved first riding to the official start in Hendaye, about 10 kilometers South and right on the border with Spain. Then back to St Jean de Luz, and into the foothills of the Pyrenees. Three climbs on the day, a warm-up and then a climb into and another out of Spain. We finished the day in Saint Jean Pied de Pont.

Our second day on the road, I learned that the gradients we had the first day were easy compared to the ones we were going to be seeing on this day. In hindsight, the Covid was probably getting it's teeth into me by the end of the day.

Carton Bike

I loved this little hotel

They aren't just here

Early haze

Gaining

Climbing

A lot of mooing

Getting up to the big views

My Portofino

Love the switchback

Tom fixing my shifting issue

Made it

Going up again?

The Bagargi

Adding a sticker

Carton Brewing was here

Downhill at last

Some quaint shit

A fountain in every town?

Last climb, see ya

Drank a few of these

By the end of this day, it was confirmed that I was positive for the Covid 19, but that wasn't really known in the morning. What I did know was that unless I slept on my back, I wanted to lose dinner all night. That was the Covid, but a rational me said "Maybe I had one too many beers". It really came into focus in the morning when 1) I didn't want to get out of bed, and 2) when I asked the others if it was hot during breakfast, they both said "No". Needless to say, I suffered on the Col Marie Blanc, and knew before the Aubisque my day was going to finish differently than Tom and Augie's. A stop at a Pharmacia, a purchased test, and then administration of that test confirmed the worst fears. Positive.

Before the sun broke over the mountain.

I don't look sick. yet

Jeremy at the top

We rode down with him

Getting advice

Going our separate ways today

Cycling is what this area is about

Baaa

Haven't a clue what this is

Some off off roads

Another little town in France

The evidence is clear

Infrastructure

So now I am holed up in a nice little 2* hotel in Argeles called Les Cimes where I was well taken care of with great food at a great price. Even if the dollar wasn't so strong, it was still a good deal.

I stayed in bed most of the day Thursday, and Friday morning, but I decided to give Luz Ardiden a go in the afternoon. Too much too soon, as not only did I plot the wrong way up, but at some point I felt like I wasn't doing myself any favors, and so I turned around and descended the proper ascent, and worked my way back to Les Cimes where I was treated to another wonderful meal.

Back on the bike path

The big mountains

What cuts the gorge

Avalanche safety

The wrong turn

on my way back

Water pipes

Took the high road back

I like the clouds

App

Main

Dessert

Saturday I was feeling a lot better, and went for walk about Argeles and decided that was my last idle day. My choices were to ride North to Lourdes and then skirt the mountains and see if I could meet up with Tom and Augie again, or I could plot a new route and go to Bordeaux. I figured my gearing wasn't good enough for the Pyrenees, so I opted for some flat riding to Bordeaux.

More umbrellas

and more

Looking East in Argeles

more..

Every town has one

The Aubisque

Chestnuts everywhere

Young crowd for wine and cheese

Argeles at night

fountain

On the road early Sunday morning. 250 kilometers to Bordeaux I would knock out 150 today

Riding North

Infrastructure

Why can't the US do this?

Small town roads

Group ride

One of the A roads

What happened to my road?

Oh look, another church

Love these roads

More disappearing pavement

Not too much in America

Crossing another river

Not too shabby today

A Beer again!!

I made it 150 kilometers on my first day back on the bike. That got me to Rocquefort where I was starving when I got there. This was Sunday, and there was nothing open, and by the time I found a place for lunch it was actually 2 hours past the kitchen is closed time. Everyone I thought was eating were really just drinking. Ha!. Roc was only a little further up the road, and I found a really cheap place for the night, and after a shower, I found a cafe that was open and serving, and served I was, stuffed, I did.

The next day I rode into the vineyards, and into Bordeaux. It was wet by the time I got there, but I secured a really nice B&B just up the street from the train station. I was going to venture out the next day, but it rained all day, so I simply wandered about the local neighborhood.

Had I not found this I would have been stuck

Not really a shoulder

Bought food when I saw it

Better road

Except for logging trucks

Chatted this dude up

And then the pavement ended

Inside the train station.

Breakfast

walking about

The Paris TGV

In the clear

Evolution of a pint glass

...

ahhh

After Bordeaux, I caught a TGV back to Paris, where I then jumped on the bike and rode West to Plaisir where I found the home of an old family friend who I haven't see in 52 years. I joined Yann for his trip to Caen where he had a conference to attend, and I took advantage of my proximity to the Invasion Beaches to get out there and see them in person. Of course, it was raining, and when the wet sand got into my rotors, they started to sing to me, and the music was telling me that it probably wasn't a good idea for them to sing, so before I could reach the American Beaches, I turned South and headed back to Caen.

Morning meal

The first freight train I saw

Awaiting

Some park that google routed me into

A nice view where ever it was

Tree lined streets

Palace Versailles

Monument

Infrastructure

Monument of Caen

Another Web

The Canal

Don't know what the clumps are

70 year anniversary monument

Older monument

End of the beaches for awhile

Flat open farmland

Infrastructure

downtown Caen

Pub view

My final day in France was a busy one. I awoke in Plaisir at the beautiful home of Yann and Beatrice, had some breakfast and coffee drinks and Yann was kind enough to drive me to my hotel where we said our goodbyes. I checked in, retrieved my bike bag (What does it look like? Well, this bike has to fit in it.) and then proceeded to break down the bike in their courtyard while a mild drizzle fell. A quick shower, and I was off to Gare Nord to catch a TGV to Lille for the afternoon to see another dear friend, Michele Genuard who live in the North of France half the year, and Long Island the other half. We got some lunch and walked around the tremendous squares of Lille, and then I was back on the TGV headed for Paris and a reunion with my mates which I started this adventure with. I found Augie standing in line for our dinner at https://goo.gl/maps/oDDfXDoEmuzndVFn6 with an umbrella. Tom was checking out other local places as our line was long, and it was raining. We stuck it out and this was my last non-vegan meal before getting back on my diet.