Bois Barbu to Crest

May 27, 2017

After our full french buffet petit dejeuner, we loaded up and set off at 8:45am from our mountain top gite on a long day's ride to Crest, 90km according to the route we chose. We would ride back through the Gorge de la Bourne to Pont en Royans and then head south through the Vercors to Crest in the Drome department. I laid awake last night contemplating if it was possible to take the same road to the valley floor as we had taken to get here. Over breakfast, we decided we could do it if we walked the steepest sections, so off we went. After 1500m or so, I was appreciating the silence of the forest when I realized my hearing aid was not in my ear. That meant only one thing. I had to drop my panniers and ride back up the hill to search our room. So, back up the hill I went but alas, the hearing aid was nowhere to be found. OK, not to panic since it can be replaced and it's not essential for me to hear. Perhaps it will show up when I get a chance to dump the contents of my panniers. Back down the hill I went and we resumed our careful descent on foot.

We loved riding through the narrow Gorge de la Borne in this direction. It was all downhill.

We take breaks as needed, like when we gain elevation and get to see the valley recede behind us.

It's always a pleasure to look back on the view.

The road became smaller as we gained elevation and wound though some wooded areas interspersed with meadows of spring flowers. Families were out enjoying the day, having picnics in the meadows and along the banks of the creek.

If only we had a blanket and pic-a-nic basket with us.

We eventually summited the valley at Plan de Baix and the panorama that unfolded as we rounded the final curve was breath taking. The valley floor wasn't actually visible from the top of the col. Somewhere to the east was Die and to the west lay Crest. The excellent road surface and light traffic made for a magnificent descent. Our Friday's seemed to hold around 35 to 40 km/h which is a comfortable pace to descend.

Col de Bacchus looked far harder to ascend from the valley below than from the direction we had come.

Looking back up at Plan de Baix, we noticed a cross on top of the peak.

Here's my flower of the day which was growing en mass on the roadsides.

We were welcomed at the chambre d'hote we had booked on booking.com and felt immediate relief from the heat in its cool interior. I couldn't resist taking a close shot of the roof tiles, common in this region. We began noticing them a couple of days ago. These and the thick stone walls do an amazing job of keeping the indoors cool in the heat of the day. No AC is required if your walls are thick enough. Our spacious room even had a balcony with a view of the Crest Tower, the highest medieval keep still standing in France with a height of a little over 50 metres.

As I unpacked my sandals, low and behold my hearing aid had slipped into the outside pocket of the pannier and had been with me the whole time. All's well that ends well, nest-ce pas?

Today's ride: 89 km (55 miles)
Total: 294 km (183 miles)

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