Day 38: Thursday, 16 June 1983

Start: Hostel, Basel, Switzerland

End: Campground, Schoenau, France

Switzerland delightful, but a little on the pricey side, so I saddle up and head north along the Rhine, immediately back into France. As usual, no hassles at the border crossing. They just wave me through without slowing down.

Pannier rack holding up fine after repair job. Good as new.

My bike clothes are clean and fresh and dry, and it's another beautiful day in beautiful countryside, but I have a steady headwind down my throat all day.

Before long I come upon Casemate 35/3 of the Maginot Line. I've never been here before, but this all seems very familiar to me because of my WWII reading. Preserved as a museum, the casemate is one that was assaulted in mid-June 1940 during the Rhine crossing in the last stages of the fall of France. This area was the objective of a three-division attack. I spend an hour climbing around and inspecting the defenses. The heck with culture, this is much more interesting to me.

The wind continued to batter me all afternoon, so I cut the ride a little short and found a campground. Out to a restaurant. Here my French failed me in humorous fashion when I ordered ris de veau. I thought I was ordering rice and beef, but it turned out to be cow innards. Yuck. This is not what I need to stay fueled up for riding a hundred klicks into the wind! 

Fortunately, in the tent I have some pastry I was saving for breakfast.

Conditions 

Distance: 90 km  

Weather: Cool, strong headwind 

Road: Good 

Traffic: Light 

Terrain: Flat 

Mechanical: All is well 

Physical: Feeling strong