October 1, 1993
To Carpentras
We awoke to a promising sky this morning - blue with pillowy clouds - but as we continued downriver along the Durance toward Cadanet it steadily darkened. As with the day before, we arrived in town perhaps a minute before the rains hit. This time though they were reasonably brief - and after a bit we ventured out from our overhangs to explore the town a bit (getting lost in the process in its maze of alleyways) and then departed to begin the climb away from the Durance and toward Bonnieux.
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The climb to Bonnieux was surprisingly easy, and very pretty as it wove its way p along a gorge. We were helped up by a robust tailwind, and gratified to see the skies gradually improve as we went. As an aside - we learned today that there has been more severe flooding further to the north as a result of yesterdays rains, resulting in extensive damage and highway closures. From the time we reached Bonnieux until the end of the day we had pleasant skies, fine winds, and astonishing sights - making this one of the best days of the tour. One village after another in the Luberons and on to the north was spectacular, each in its own way. Bonnieux, Menerbe and Lacoste all seem like they are carved out of the ridge, and each is remarkable and beautiful.
Dropping from the Luberons, we passed Les Baumettes, a curious set of primitive cliff wellings under a brooding limestone overhang. While stopping to admire them we were encouraged on by a bike racer who sped by, standing up and applauding us as he raced along.
Continuing north, we climbed on toward Gordes - an astonishing community sprouting from a hilltop. The appearance of this town is unique, unforgettable - as is its architecture. Particularly noteable are its fences and beehive shaped stone kilns, which look very primitive.
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2 years ago
From Gordes we climbed sharply up a ridge to a lovely view of the 12th century Senanque Abbey, far below wedged into a valley. Then we dropped swiftly down to it before enduring an even longer, arduous climb out the other side. Finally, we ended the day with a wonderful desccet through a lovely, intriguing gorge to Carpentras, where we called it a day.
One major accomplishment in Carpentras was locating a restaurant. It's not really that large of a town, but we probably spent close to two hours searching for a creperie - passing one pizza place I believe six times - before stopping at a restaurant where we had our first fixed price meal, perhaps a half block from our hotel.
(Ed: and so we moved on from Provence, after passing through it in only three or four days. Once again, I'm surprised by what's not in the journal - some of my favorite, strongest memories of the tour. One is my first experience of a bowl of coffee, large enough for two hands, on a day when those hands were very cold. The best cup of coffee I've ever had. I can't quite figure out where this must have been, but maybe along the coast west of Nice. The other missing entry is our stop at a street market in the Luberons, I think in Lourmarin, where I had the most delicious roasted chicken. Ever since, when we go back to France looking for a market with as satisfying an experience but it's never quite the same. )
Today's ride: 80 km (50 miles)
Total: 1,826 km (1,134 miles)
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