TREDION - 21-SEP

 

Yesterday's transfer day was not worthy of its own post. Suffice to say that we got from point "A" to point "B" without incident. 

Today started out as a perfect riding day. It was cooler than we have experienced which was a welcome relief from the oppressively hot days earlier. Jackets and leggings were in order. The prospect for rain was a low probability with at most low intensity precipitation. Things don't always go as forecasted. 

The route took us east from Tredion towards the River Oust with a turn to the north to the Castle town of Josselin. We followed the 16 km paved bike path along the river which served as the tow path in an earlier time. 

The best part of navigable rivers is they are flatter than flat. 

As we wandered along the cycle path there were more photo spots than time would permit. Bridges are always an attraction.

In order to make the river navigable they would build a dam about five feet high to create flat water behind. 

Getting from one flat section to another requires a boat lift in the form of a lock. Depending on whether you are going upstream or down you power your boat into the lock, the gates close and water is either let in (raise the boat) or drained out  (lower the boat) to the desired level. Tracking the elevation of the path, each lock raised or lowered the boat about 2 meters (~6 feet). 

These warning signs are along the path cautioning drivers not drive over the edge. Not sure how the parent and child sign fits into the equation. 

An older and far more attractive bridge. Stone makes everything look better. 

The canal has a name, of sorts. It runs about 300 Km from Nantes on the Loire to Brest on the most northwestern point on the Atlantic coast. Since we road upstream to the north we can assume the termination point is in Nantes - a long way. 

A gothic style church with an uncharacteristic modern looking clock. I am sure there is a story behind this anachronism but did not stop long enough to solve the mystery. 

Oh No! Look closely and you will see the ripples caused by rain drops. It started as a mere drizzled but that was not to be. We pressed on through the rain hoping beyond reason that the forecast would come to fruition and the rain would be light and short lived. Not so!

As documented on our previous rides along the French canals there is a lock with a house where the lock keeper (not sure his/her proper title) lives. On more heavily traveled canals with more boat traffic this is a challenging job. On the sleepy Oust it is about as demanding as the Maytag repair man (for those who remember that commercial). 

A place to call home. Life on the river is quiet and serene.

Our river destination and the Castle at Josselin. 

Kim can't wait for the coffee and pastry stop. Even a little rain won't slow her down. 

This is Laurence of Champagne, IL. Another American in love with biking in France. He is a thru biker with special paniers for transporting wine. One side for red and the other side for white. As the rain intensified we offered to buy the coffee and find a dry place inside. Getting acquainted is always fun, especially if we both speak the same language. His son lives in Denver and daughter-in-law works for a resort property in Vail. Small world. We exchanged contact info and will try to get together when he and his wife are in Colorado for Thanksgiving.  

Not sure what this sign says. Ask Kim since she took the picture. 

More photos of the castle. 

This town is worth exploring, but not today. We will take this ride again and walk the medieval streets on a dryer day. 

Okay. This is where a great day turns into a disaster. After coffee we bravely pushed on through the ever intensifying rain. After a short, but valiant attempt we decided that our 12 miles back home was insane. We were very wet, very cold, and really concerned about riding on the rain soaked roads. So we retreated to our coffee stop (also a hotel) and asked the desk clerk if we could get a taxi back to our Airbnb. No one has a van that could take two passengers and two bikes so we decided that I would drive back in the taxi and bring the car. Kim found a spot to wait out my return and I directed our taxi driver to Tredion and the location of our house. I was still wet and cold but jumped into the car and drove the 25 km back to Josselin. After loading the bikes we headed home. Once inside we peeled off our wet clothes, put on warm and dry ones, and relaxed after the ordeal. This calls for a bottle of Champagne, or maybe two. Hopefully we will be a bit smarter next time. If we would have waited a while the rain got lighter and stopped. We could have made it back wet and tired, but saved the 50 euro fare. Next time we will treat a chance of rain as an absolute certainty. Hope we don't find ourselves in the same situation on our eight day tour at the next stop. 

Over the course of many biking adventures today was the first time we had to abort a ride due to rain or weather event. We did encounter a severe Mistral storm near Avignon in 2021. Since we were on a self guided tour the operator arranged to transport our bikes and the four of us to the next location before starting out. Smart move.

PONS - 19-SEP

 

Today was our last ride in Pons. We opted for a shorter ride starting from the house. Since this is the birthplace of Cognac it seemed symbolic to head in that direction, even if we did not intend to actually cross the city limits.

We got close enough to Cognac to take a photo of this sign. This was far enough so we reversed course along the same route. It was a lovely meandering path through the fields along paved farm roads. They don't pave these paths for us but probably to avoid having the heavy equipment make a mucky muddy mess. Few cars come this way but harvest must be upon us since there were many farm vehicles moving about. 

Vines in full fruit awaiting the picker. 

Some bunches have passed their prime but somehow get mixed in with the not too ripe grapes. Wonder how they get the bad ones separated from the good ones but guess Cognac drinkers are less discriminating.

It is always best to find what you want when you want it. It was time for a bread break and what better place to rest than a covered bus shelter. The light drizzle we encountered at the turn around gave way to overcast skies but no more precipitation. Dodged another rain cloud. 

The overcast was breaking up so good contrasting light for a last look at the region's best vintage. 

Partial sun makes for an even better view. 

Almost home but perfect for a coffee and pastry at our local Boulangerie. The deck overlooks the water so we can watch the ducks watching us. This is the second visit today since we picked up a seeded baguette on our way out of town this morning. One more visit later today along the garden path for our dinner baguette. Seeded of course.

Kim savors our pastry while I keep an eye on our bikes. I can multitask - eat, drink, and watch at the same time. 

Our afternoon outing is the back way to the Boulangerie for our final baguette of the day. Man can not live by bread alone but it might be a wonderful way to die.

Leaving our place to a voyage into the unknown. 

First gate into the world beyond. 

I know I can do it. Just focus, focus, and keep my eyes on the other side.

Into the magical path and world beyond. 

Bridge over ???? waters. 

Walking the plank is easy if you have good balance. Original crossing was twice as wide but the remnants are sitting in the water below. 

Success! Last visit of the day with bread in hand. Passing through our gates as conquering heroes. 

PONS - 18-SEP

 

Today we are on a mission, or to be more precise a pilgrimage. Not to some religious site in Spain, but one of the most unique conveyances we have ever experienced. Our travels over the years have taken us across rivers on bridges and ferries, but never on a "Transporter Bridge" - or "Le Sire du Port Transpordeur".

To make the ride more civilized we drove about half way there. Originally we were planning a loop with the bridge location of Rochefort (Row - Fort) at the top of the ride. To make it even more civilized we decided an out and back along the same route was more sensible. 

After passing through many towns, large and small we came upon a very touristy medieval town with cobble stone streets - an uncomfortable ride. 

In addition to the cobbles was a rampart, and fragments of stone structures. 

Alan passing the corner of Walk and Don't Walk.

Guess my bike was going in the right direction. The D238E1 was key since we would have to pass this way again on our return.

Not to be outdone Kim knew the way as well. 

Yeah, we passed through Hiers-Brouage but never saw the cross. Oh well!

There it is, the main attraction beyond the new new bridge, which replaced the old new bridge in 1993.

Okay, time for an explanation.

Transporter bridges are a rare sighting, especially in France where this is the only one. There are eight remaining transporters in the world, all built between the 1890's and 1920's. There is a collective organization to get these relicts designated as a UNESCO world heritage site.  

After biking around we found the way to visitor's parking.

Time for an explanation. The bridge consists of two towers on opposite shores with a horizontal truss spanning across. 

A detailed explanation but in French. Oh well, we get the picture. 

Suspended by cables is a large platform to transport people, vehicles, and livestock from one side to the other. Why you might ask did they build this contraption? It turns out that a traditional ferry got bogged down at low tide. I am sure if the water was deep enough they would have avoided this unnecessary expense. Don't know if the other transport bridges were built for the same reason.

The platform does not go up and down, just rides on the overhead rails. The docks on both sides are the same height above the water as the platform. 

But first we need to purchase our tickets. Elsewhere in France ferries are free but not in such a tourist rich location. We purchased round trip tickets rather than bike around and cross the new new bridge. 

On our trip over we were the only passengers. 

The crossing only takes a few minutes and returns every ten to fifteen minutes. 

The operator has to watch out for boats along his path. Mostly barges but lots of pleasure craft during the summer tourist season. 

Mid stream and all clear. 

Patient travelers eagerly awaiting our arrival. Guess it will not be a private crossing on the way back. There was a group of three touring bikers, and a young man, a solo thru biker from New Zealand following the coastal Velo 1 route. He started up north and only arrived four days ago. Miles to go as he heads to Provence then up to Switzerland along the Rhone.   

The ride home was a bit more challenging since we did not have a GPS route to follow. Kim the navigator was able to find all our roads in reverse order. Only one wrong turn but easily corrected and back on track. The car was just where we left it in Saint Just Luzac.

A Great Adventure!