Today we drove to our starting point. Although getting the bikes into and out of the car is a chore it extends our routing range. After watching numerous videos on local sites we knew that this ride would take us to "must see" locations.
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| Just south of the town of Vitac we crossed the river and parked at one of the numerous beaches. |
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| There are many canoe and kayak rental locations that ferry you up river. After putting in it is a very gentle down river jaunt of mostly flat water and no rapids of note. |
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| Our early start provided cooler temps and virtually no wind. These conditions are also ideal for hot air balloon adventures. We have never taken a ride and not sure if my fear of heights would frazzle my nerves. |
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| The views must be spectacular. |
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| One of the must see towns along the way is this town built into the vaulted hillside. |
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| Some of the houses up the hill are more modern but it is hard to imagine getting to the more ancient places that predate the industrial age. |
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| This one at the base of the cliff is accessible by paved road. Sure beats walking. |
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| Not bad for our modern cliff dwellers. |
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| Fortunately the road through town is flat, not like some of the killer climbs to lesser places. |
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| A "YAC", yet another castle. There are over 1000 in the Dordogne alone. |
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| Our ride today took us back through Daglan where we visited with Darlene and Shaun on Friday night. |
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| Shaun offered us a coffee which we dare not refuse. Would be very "un-French" |
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| Bicycles have a long history in France with many abandoned and rusting along the way. The more artistic folk often paint and decorate them in lively colors and flowery accessories. These are all used up awaiting an ambitious artist giving them a new life. |
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| Toward the end of the ride we needed to sneak in our required coffee and pastry stop. |
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| Park the bikes... |
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| Near a suitable cafe. A noisy spot but maybe our last chance saloon. |
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| Napoleons do not travel well in a panier on a very hot day. Still, they are delicious even if some of the icing was scraped off the foil. |
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| Our path through the secret garden where cars are "barre" |
