To Yenne

May 8, 2022

We don’t quite make it out by eight this morning, but we come close. We’re on the street by 8:15, which is really just about as good as we ever do. We’d better get accustomed to it too - looking ahead to Lyon and north to Burgundy it looks like a fantastic streak of sunny days is coming, with highs in the eighties. We’ll want to start getting early starts to our days to beat the heat, and we’re imagining some relaxed, warm evenings dining outdoors in Burgundy.

We’ve been hearing horror stories about how terrible the spring has been back home. It leaves us feeling a little guilty about avoiding the endless series of rainy days they’ve been enduring, but quite happy at the moment to be climate migrants.

A last look. Cloudy now, but it will clear up soon.

We’re leaving town in a new direction today, biking out the north end of the lake and climbing a low saddle to a broad view west to the Rhone Valley. Like everywhere else in Annecy we’re finding an easy time of it following well-marked bike lanes and encountering remarkably respectful drivers.

Annecy takes bike infrastructure and promotion seriously. Here we find a regional cycling map at a prominent location as we leave town. The map makes me see all the routes not yet ridden and leaves us wanting to return soon.

Cresting the divide we get our first look at the miles ahead, generally dropping to the Rhone.

The Rhone is our ultimate destination for today but first we have to drop through or cross the Fier Valley. Our ride profile for the day is generally level or downhill, but there are apparently a few significant spikes ahead. We haven’t bothered studying the map to see what’s going on here, but I’m assuming that after we drop to the Fier we’ll do some climbing out the other side before reaching the Rhone.

I’m wrong. We generally drop for the next fifteen miles, save for one of those spikes, when we drop and then climb out of the narrow Merluz Ravine created by a stream flowing into the Fier. At the bottom though we come to the town of Sion after biking into a forceful headwind for several miles; and then suddenly we’re threading through the narrow, twisting, steep-walled Fier Gorge as our road follows the river as it cuts through a wall before reaching the Rhone. It’s a dramatic ride and totally unexpected.

It’s also just a little unnerving as the road narrows to a single lane and passes through a pair of thankfully short tunnels. Alternating traffic is controlled by lights, and we wait our turn with a string of cars and then bike hard trying to make it through to the other side before the next oncoming cars arrive. It’s a striking scene, and one I don’t photograph because there’s really no time or place to stop for it. Unfortunately the GoPro was somehow off also, so we’ve just got our memories for now. We’re thinking maybe we should come back to Annecy some year and have another go at it though.

Approaching Sion. The Fier Gorge is on the left, cutting through that ridge on its journey to the Rhone.

Out the other side, we’re abruptly in the open again and back on our old friend the Via Rhona, this time biking downriver for a short ways. We’ll be biking along or near the river for most of the next three days until we come to Lyon and turn north toward Burgundy. As we found further south, the Via Rhona provides many miles of delightful, scenic cycling. The day as a whole is really much more scenic than I’d been expecting.

Along a lumpy patch on the Via Rhona. There’s a short section here that looks like it may have been washed out.

Along the Via Rhona. We’re looking here at the Grand Columbier, a massive formation I’d never heard of before. I see that climbing it is one of the steepest cycling roads in France, so now we really do have a reason to come back.

In Chanaz, looking back across the Rhone at the Grand Columbier. Amazing. Between this sight and the Fier Gorge today’s ride is much more dramatic than I’d envisioned.

Below Chanaz the Rhône divides for about ten miles, with the river proper following the base of the hills on the east and the Rhone Canal splitting off to the west. We follow the canal for several miles, blasted downriver by a now strong tail wind; and then leave the Via Rhona as it continues down the canal to cut across to the river itself while we roll along a lumpy and surprisingly steep last few miles before finally dropping to the river and crossing the bridge to Yenne. It’s just turning one when we pull into town, and time for lunch.

Along the Rhone. We’re looking east here. That highest ridge may be Le Chat, with Lake Bourget on the other side

One last climb for the day, and I think the steepest.

Video sound track: A Light, by Gerald Clayton

We arrive at the Bistro Le Coin, the place we’d targeted for lunch, take a picture of the menu so that Rachael can translate it on the phone, and take our seats at a shady outside table. There’s a small staff (just one woman serving the tables and a second one inside, I think) and a fairly good crowd, so we wait about five minutes until the server checks in with us. We apparently miscommunicate, and our theory is that she somehow got the idea that we really are just here to sit in the shade for awhile because she never does come back or even look our way for over twenty minutes. We’re starting to get anxious because the place closes at two. Finally we get her eye, and she looks startled and comes by. We show her the photo of the menu and she understands finally and takes our order - two menus, the same: salads and the fish of the day, with a pichet of white wine and a carafe d’eau. So we’re set.

Five minutes later she arrives at our table with two salads, looks puzzled, and then leaves to return first with placemats and cutlery before dropping the salads, which are excellent. A few minutes later we remind her of the water and wine, she looks startled, departs and returns with the water. A few minutes later I take matters into my own hands and go inside to ask about the wine, and she looks startled again but then brings it out as well.

Our mains arrive, which are also excellent. They want salt though, which Rachael requests and she nods in agreement and then leaves. A few minutes later I take matters into my own hands and ask the neighboring table if we can have theirs.

Amazing. She seems very pleasant, but is either badly overworked or has serious memory issues. Not a natural waitress, perhaps. The meal was very good though, including dessert (mousse chocolate and tarte myrtille); and it was very pleasant sitting in the shade on the warm afternoon, watching the swallows criss-crossing above and the socializing of the other customers. A small town, where everyone knows your name from the looks of it.

The view from our table at lunch. It makes a nice backdrop while you’re waiting a half hour or so to place your order and get water.

Yenne is a small place, and a stop on the Via Gebinensis, the route from Geneva to Compostela. It’s essentially a one street town, nicely preserved with an authentic feeling - other than walkers and bikers I suspect it doesn’t see much tourism. We probably wouldn’t stay here again, mostly because we’re unimpressed with the hotel and its manager; but it made a for very pleasant short early evening walk after resting up in our spartan hotel room until the early evening.

Notre Dame of the Assumption. According to the information panel, it dates to the 12th century; and the 13th; and the 14th; and the 15th.

A good use for old window frames - storing your roofing tiles.

Yenne is essentially a one street town, with a few tunnels branching off to a side street.

Heart

Comment

Link

Ride stats today: 41 miles, 1,200’; for the tour: 1,572 miles, 80,400’

Today's ride: 41 miles (66 km)
Total: 1,572 miles (2,530 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	12
Comment on this entry	Comment	0