St. Pierre d'Entremont to Gorge de la Bourne

May 25, 2017

We strolled 2k into town last night for dinner and upon arriving home, our host, Elizabeth, asked if we would like to try some Chartreuse. I didn't have to think too long about that one! I've read about how the monks have been making this liqueur for hundreds of years using herbs from the Chartruse. I've also loved the colour, chartreuse, since I was a little kid. We sat outside, sipping chartreuse (highly recommended if your sinuses are plugged up) and taking turns riding her e-bike up and down the main drag of her tiny village. In the morning we were treated to yet another delicious locally sourced breakfast, including Elizabeth's hand made confitures. She is an artist so all the jam jars were labelled with her whimsical artwork. Her pen and ink sketches fill the walls of her little alpine house.

This is a sample of our host's pen and ink sketches.

We set out on an ambitious route today, 90k with two significant climbs. The first climb began as we left the village. We reached the summit about an hour later. The views back to St. Pierre d'Entremont were stunning.

A light breeze made for a great day of paragliding for these enthusiasts.

First col out of St. Pierre d'Entremont.

Orchids blowing in the breeze at the summit.

We anticipated the 30k of downhill to go rather quickly, however that didn't materialize because the grade on the downhill was between 7 and 12 % with lots of hairpin turns. It made for a technical descent and believe me, it requires its own skill set. That is to say, on a loaded touring bike you must proceed with caution unless you fancy flying off an embankment.

A light headwind and a long, gradual climb after St. Laurent du Pont took more out of me than expected so by the time we reached the second climb that would take us into the Vercors, it was already 2:00. Along the way we saw some incredible mountain scenery, enjoyed some leisurely winding descents through the gorge of Le Guiers Mort, took a stroll at the old distilllery site at Fourvoirie where Chartreuse was once produced, and we got to enjoy 10k of the Isere voie verte on the outskirts of Grenoble.

Fourvoirie, the site of the distillery where Chartreuse was made. It was destroyed in 1935 by a landslide.

There are marked hiking trails everywhere here.

The road wound through a canyon so there were several tunnels.

Don't try this unless you know what you're doing.

Voie Verte near Grenoble, along the Isère. It's a well used and critical cycle network for this region.

But the over-riding problem was the time the of day and the ambient temperature. We were climbing out of the valley of the Isère near Grenoble which has a reputation for being a bit of a heat sink. We made the assault on the hill while the sun was beating down on us and we had a tailwind at the same time. Sounds lovely but it led to some serious overheating that wouldn't go away. About 4k up the mountain, we had to switch to plan B. This is when years of touring experience has to kick in. A decision has to be made to get out of a pickle and you both have to keep a clear head in the process. Expect the unexpected and keep faith that it will all work out.

We cycled back to the bottom of the hill and made a skype call to our host to explain how disappointed we were that we would not make it to her chambre d'hote nor enjoy the dinner that was being prepared for us. She replied that she had a car with a trailer and would come to pick us up. Whoa, really? It turned out to be yet another extraordinary experience with 6 of us enjoying and a fabulous 4 course dinner that finished at 10:30pm. Their young 2 month old labrador retriever, Neige, was an added bonus.

Me, chef Antoine and our host Laurence. He doesn't look it in this photo, but Antoine's a real joker. They were both a lot of fun.

Neige already knew that the guest's rooms were out of bounds.

View from our room in the Gorge de la Bourne.

Antoine, the chef, built himself an egg organizer so he knows how fresh the eggs are while Laurence, a math teacher, keeps time on their business with a mathematical clock.

This is chef's egg organizer. Helps to know which egg to serve next. Anyone who misbehaves gets the tiny egg!

Ode to math techers of the world. Our host is a math teacher.

What a great thing it is to share a meal and become friends in such short order. Another amazing day today.

Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 150 km (93 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	2
Comment on this entry	Comment	0