September 15, 2021
Bagnoles-de-l'Orne to Ducey
This afternoon, we each received the following email:
Dear Sir or Madam,You can download your French COVID certificate from the following address: xxxxx
Best regards, Cellule Passe Sanitaire étrangers
So, 30 days after initially applying, and 17 days after reapplying, we now have redundant QR codes. Double trouble!
After a relaxing stay in our cute little cottage, we were ready for a long day in the saddle. We loaded up and started down the lane, when I looked down and saw that my rear tire was flat! Was it the punaises? OK, off with the tent, off with the panniers, off with the handlebar bag, flip the bike over, take off the wheel, take out the tube, check for sharp objects, on with the new tube, pump it up a bit, seal the tire, pump it up the rest of the way, install the rear wheel, flip the bike back upright, remount the panniers, bag, and tent, and back on the road we go! Whew!
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Each day was starting to fall into a similar pattern: spend a few kilometers on rolling hills to get on to the trail, then stick to the trail until we near our destination, where the hills return. Those scouts and surveyors for the railroads worked really hard to plot just the right path through the countryside. We have crossed no bridges or trestles during what must be 200km or more on the rail trails.
Our first break was at Domfront, a beautiful medieval town with breathtaking castle ruins:
Later on, it started to drizzle, but we persisted. The frequent appearance of tree canopy lessened the blow significantly.
We agreed that if we were still feeling strong after lunch, that we would pass our campground destination for the day and race (well, not really race) to the Veloscenie's finish line near Mont St. Michel. Things were looking great, but we realized we were short on food. We solved the lunch food crisis by visiting a little bar that included an épicerie.
Dinner required a more diverse selection, so we got off the trail at Ducey to visit a Carrefour. By the time we had finished there, it was almost 5pm. We were so close to the campground that we thought it best not to push ourselves any further today.
The campground has about ten other customers, all with little RVs, most of which have satellite dishes. The occupants here tend to keep to themselves, unlike the typically rambunctious American campers. There is no campground attendant. The showers are locked up. On the plus side, I think tonight's going to be a freebie. There's grass, and hedges for privacy. Also, we managed to get the only site with a picnic table!
Here we are in the tent, snuggled in at dusk. The plan is to take our time getting to the next campground. We hope they'll let us check in early, or at least let us leave our bags somewhere. Then we'll ride up to Mont St. Michel, park our bikes, and get our tourist groove on. I feel like tomorrow should have been our official rest day, so a short day of riding combined with lots of walking is a good compromise.
Oh, I forgot to mention that we officially merged with Eurovelo 4 earlier today. So I feel like we are already transitioning to the next stage of our adventure! It will be even more apparent when we finally see the waters of the Atlantic.
Today's ride: 85 km (53 miles)
Total: 524 km (325 miles)
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