The First Day Biking 2016
June 7th,
the day after the 72nd celebration of the D-Day landings. During the ride I listened to Stephen Ambrose
story about the “Citizen Soldier,” an account of the war from D-Day to the end
in May, 1945. He gathered many stories
from men who participated. Of the many,
two details struck me above the others.
Whereas the US executed only one soldier for desertion, the German army
executed over 45,000. The other was
shameful way Blacks were demeaned during the war. The world’s greatest democracy was fighting
the world’s greatest tyranny and yet was denying the basic rights of a large
segment of its population.
The
get-a-way happened promptly at 8:04 after a nice breakfast with Isabelle and
Gerald. It will take time for me to
adjust to the new apparatus over the front wheel. At lower speeds, the wheel tends to wobble
which will be a problem going uphill. A
dense gray fog as descended over the entire area totally blocking out the
sun. Just outside of Fressines, a road
barrier blocks my path. Initially I
tried the suggested detour but was fearful where that would take me. Instead I ambled back to the main road and
enjoyed traffic free biking for 3 kms.
Usually there is room for bikers and walkers to circumvent the obstruction. My one fear was that the road might be
flooded with recent rains. But the
flagman with his yellow helmet and orange vest waved me passed.
At Mougon,
I jumped on D 948 to the east. This was
a very busy road with tons of trucks and cars.
I was surprised that Google maps had suggested it as a biking
route. At Melle I checked for a quieter
route. The three receptionists at the
Tourisme were unable to suggest anything better. The girls and I had visited Melle last and
its amazing collection of cathedrals.
Isabelle and I returned a day later to see the chateau in
Celles-s-Belle.
Back on D
948 I made good time. The nice thing was
that I did not have check the map for directions. I did jump off the road when I truck went by
announcing an extra wide load. Good
idea, since the load not only filled the entire lane but spilled across the centerline.
I stopped
for lunch at Sauge-Vaussairs and had half of the delicious salad that Isabelle
had made the night before. I made try an
alternate road at Charroux.
How does a
one star campground zoom to the top of the list? Quiet!
Monks in cloister would make more noise.
The only sounds came from the birds and the water rushing over a nearby
dam. Friendliness! The young lady in the reception center was all
smile. Neatness! Cleanliness! Large spaces! Inexpensive! Only 5 euros. All in all, Camping des Ribieres in Contofons
will be hard to beat.
Getting to
the campground was a feat of endurance and perseverance. If one can limp on a bicycle I limped into
the campground. No matter the
preparation my body could not handle the 10 hours on road, 7 in the
saddle. The sun was brutal during the
middle of the day but fortunately a haze blocked out the sun later in the
afternoon.
I picked up
a few food items in Civray before diving off D 948 at Charroux. Charroux is a picturesque village with the
ruins of an abbey. D 25 out of town was
easy but I missed the turn off to D 103, which would become D 30 and directly
lead in Contofons. Instead D 25 swung
further south. I cycled blissfully on,
not realizing my mistake until Benest. D
171 headed east again and then through Alloue on D 217.
The extra
miles and hilly terrain took their toll.
With only water and snack bars for nourishment I took extended breaks
five or six times including naps. I have
not fully adjusted to the time difference, nine hours.
The good
side was that there was less traffic but a few drivers were bent on recreated
LeMans with their maniacal driving. The
trucks although less still seem to fill the entire lane. Several times they swept toward each other as
wide as two NFL tackles, barely the centerline separating them. One truck coming toward me pulled out to pass
a slower moving truck. Oh my! That had
my heart skipping a beat!
This
morning the dense fog is back. The sun
is slowly burning it off and I should be on the road soon heading further east
toward a lake high on Marie-Line’s list.
Finished
the “Crossing” by Michael Connelly.
Avoir!
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