Epinal to Bain les Bains: An unexpectedly fantastic day
What an absolutely amazing day. We had a glorious ride down the Canal Des Vosges. It was one of the best rides we have enjoyed in Europe.
The day did not start out with promise. When we woke up it was raining, and when we got to the breakfast room we could see how windy it was, coming from the south west, our precise direction of travel. So we did what all intrepid cyclists do when faced with such conditions, we lingered over breakfast and I kept sipping cappuccinos. We knew it was a shorter day so there was no panic.
Finally we could linger no longer, so we suited up and headed out the door. It was pretty interesting at first. I was feeling very proud of me for being out there. The wind was blowing directly in our faces and that meant the rain was too of course. There was no chance of even being tempted to draft as every time Keith went through a puddle he sent a rooster tail my way, even though he has fenders. Despite all this we were having fun.
We had only been on the bike path fifteen minutes when it really started to pour, so we bailed under a railway bridge to wait it out and Keith took a rare selfie.
After the brief cloudburst things settled down to what we like to call Port Alberni dew. A constant drizzle. But the wind! It was tough to cycle into when it was right in front of me, but if the canal turned a bit and there was a gust from the side I would really get buffeted. It wasn't as bad for Keith it seemed. Maybe because he is bigger? I don't know. I started watching the water in the canal so I could anticipate the gusts. That certainly helped. All that sailboat racing paid off. About 20 km into the ride though, the sun started to make an appearance. Hallelujah!
Still grey and wet. The canal was gorgeous though. There was a man on the foredeck of this boat digging firewood out of a forward locker. Yup, it was looking like it was going to be a firewood kind of a day.
Look what happened shortly after that. I had the camera because it was in my waterproof handlebar bag, so a rare picture of Keith riding. I was trying to show the mist rising off the bike path as the sun hit it, but got a better picture of the condensation on the camera lens.
By the time we were in Bouzey it was a completely different day. Except for that darn wind of course, but I am getting used to it. Good thing too...it is in the forecast again tomorrow.
We decided to do the signed circle bike tour of Lac Bouzey (love that name) and away we went. It was 8 km altogether and was well worth the ride. On our way around we met two other touring cyclists, from Germany, who are on their way to Italy as well. They are camping and we admire their ingenuity. They are sleeping in hammocks and managing without regular internet. Keith and their CN (son) compared notes about navigation while I chatted with the Dad. We are now racing them to Lyon. Just kidding. In addition to camping they are averaging 100 km a day. They will get there first.
Then it was an absolutely awesome spin down one of the nicest bike paths we have ever been on. Beautiful scenery, interesting boats, the bonus of changing from an uphill pull to a downhill one, and while the wind continued to blow, we were a little bit protected some of the time. I did have a branch fall on my head as the wind was whipping the trees around, but that's why I wear a helmet, right? Safety first!
We are not sure where you actually get to put the mast up.
We turned off the canal to head to Bains les Bains and had a long climb out of the valley. For a few minutes though, that darn wind was behind us and blew us up the hill. Then of course, we swooped down into the town which means a climb out tomorrow just to warm up the legs. We checked in to the charming spot Keith had booked. We are in an old mansion which has been converted into a hotel. So much fun. Very different from the modernity of the last two days. We have explored the town and picked up wine, grapes, a baguette, cheese and chocolate for dinner. A well balanced meal. We are so, so lucky to be doing this and we know and appreciate it.
