Training Log Archive: phatty

Not much of a window today as we're headed home so I was up early for a quick road ride of the area between Dieulifit and Bourdeaux.

We're now staying in La Drome area. We bought a topo and I headed out exploring the local trails first thing in the AM. I climbed atop the highest peak and had stellar views in all directions. The landscape is kind of a transition between the dryness of Ardeche with the elevation closer to Haute Savoie. I ran along the ridgeline, bushed it down some elevation, and hit the local Grand Route trail. I tried to cut off some distance near the end and entered what looked like some sort of backwater kennel. Dogs were everywhere and the proprietor was not happy. Of course I played the dumb tourist (it wasn't a stretch) and allayed his temper a little. I almost had to play the "I am Canadian" card...

C • so you've really been relaxing 1

We bought a topo map and I constructed a route from a dirt road down to the bottom of the gorge and back...smart to end on a climb back up, right? Wee announced after 200m that she was too tired to walk...awesome. Onto my back she went and I also had the 30L so I was loaded up. The technical route down was a bit sketchy in spots as the drops were precipitous. Almost at the bottom, we hit what was a leper colony back in the 13th century. Talk about secluded! Once at the bottom, our lunch spot really was stellar. The gorge walls were all around us and the river flowed by. Too bad about 500+ boats paddled by during our stop there - no exaggeration. Heck of a way to treat a UNESCO site, in my view.

C • Adventure! 2

A different route this time and of course, had to cut it short again as I bit off too much just taking a look at a cartoon map to construct my route. The climbs are deceivingly long but certainly not steep and I made my way to St. Remeze and south to the Gorge road. Once again, the views of the Gorge were really cool.

I would call this an "idyllic" ride as I had the roads to myself, the scenery was stunning, and the pavement was smooth. I did a tour of the Gorges de l'Ardeche from our little 'glamping' set up just south of Vallon Pont d'Arc. The fact that I had the roads to myself is quite remarkable given that everyone and their dog seems to be vacationing in the Ardeche region at the moment. Clearly, they're not early risers! The white cliffs of the Gorge are pretty cool to see and the drops from the edge are very severe. No wonder lots of the French come to have a look. There are lots of quiet and perfectly paved roads around so I'll have to do some more exploring.