My original plan was mid-September to mid-October--so I'd have been returning home next week. I'm thinking October-November for next year, perhaps.

Actually, we’re getting excellent weather - now. We should have just bagged the north and come to Provence a month ago.

Thanks, Scott! Seeing the weather you, the Classens, and the Grampies are experiencing, I'm not too terribly sad about having to postpone. Portugal in November should make up for it.

I wouldn’t use Venasque as a base because it’s too remote and isolated by its geography. It made an attractive destination for a day ride, but I’m not sure I’d even want to overnight there. Pernes is terrific though, with many ride possibilities around.

For the tour I’d originally cooked up for this fall and had to postpone, I was thinking of Venasque as a base for a few nights, to explore a bit of the area. I had also considered Pernes-les-Fontaines. I’ve seen neither and you’ve seen both. Thoughts?

Ah, riding in the mud. I spent a half hour cleaning my shoes and picking mud out of the cleats last night. Keith’s weren’t nearly as bad as he doesn’t put his feet down as often as I do.

It was really a place worth poking around. I’d have stayed longer if I wasn’t getting anxious about the weather.

Thanks, Patrick. It was a scene I wanted to remember.

Isn’t it though? At my first glance I thought it was an acrobat until I looked again. Disturbing.

What a powerful sculpture!

Like the wall, love the woman is your motto!

A lovely piece of writing about your observations about the family.

Good catch. You're excellent geography skills and orientation skills are impressive. Most people would miss this detail.

Great photo! So much going on here. They even gave the dead end a name.

MUCH better on foot.