Serrières to Le Pouzin

October 13, 2021

I think we beat our daily distance record so far this tour, and we came tantalizingly close to a metric century. Not that it matters. We're just trying to get from place to place, and this is what worked for us today.

It's also the result of a detour that was sprung on us with no warning. We had just started riding, humming a happy tune, when we encountered this:

We asked one of the workers what was going on. This sometimes leads to a "we'll escort you through here" response. All we got from him was a "go back 1km, turn right, go another 1km, turn right again...." Yeah, we get the picture. No exception for us. So what should've been a simple lock crossing turned out this way, costing us over 4km:

There should've been something posted about this back in Sablons. Oh well, all part of the adventure, I suppose.

The rest of the morning was pretty uneventful. We expected to see cute little towns, but they never amounted to much. The river was beautiful, as were some of the bridges. There's a mix of heavy industry, agriculture, and nature. I accept all of it. The steel that comprises my bike's frame came from a factory not unlike those we saw today. They're ugly, but I don't have a better solution as to where they should be located or how they're supposed to look. They don't seem to be polluting the water, so you have to be thankful for that, anyway.

We were fascinated by these little canals that line the river just on the other side of the levee. Sunyoung speculated that they were for flood control. I felt that the amount of water they could hold wasn't enough to make much of a difference.

After cranking out 35km, we stopped for lunch. We were still a ways from Valence, the day's main attraction. So we made it quick and cranked out more kilometers until we were finally in the city center. It turned out to be the perfect spot for our mid-afternoon drink ritual:

It's a nice town. We could've spent more time there, especially at the park that appeared just before returning to the river. However, what you see in the above photo is me booking a room in Le Pouzin, so we had to continue pedaling along. Here are a few photos of what we did see in Valence:

The effects of traveling south are starting to show themselves. The trees are scrubbier, the earth drier, the air a bit warmer. In hilly sections, it looks a lot like Southern California. To imagine it fully, you have to ignore the presence of the Rhône. SoCal would be a much different place with that much water. Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown.

A creepy vibe began when a couple of dogs darted out onto the trail in front of me. Near them were a young man and woman who I would describe as "gutter punks". Normally I feel a connection with all types of nomadic folks when touring, but this loose dogs business annoys me. It's dangerous for both the dogs and for bikers. If that wasn't enough, there was a third person in their entourage: elderly but lively, he decided to jump out in front of me too, holding his arms out and yelling "Stop!" He started asking me questions and grabbing at my handlebar bag. I tolerated him just long enough for Sunyoung to approach, at which point I bid him a hasty farewell and we both high-tailed it out of there.

A few minutes later, I remembered that we were nearing Soyons, where I'd read that a a cycle tourist had been brutally murdered exactly one week ago. This exacerbated my case of the heebie-jeebies. The trail became more enclosed by trees and shrubs. We passed some weird individuals. The trash and graffiti increased. I told Sunyoung to stay right behind me and to keep pedaling. We were soon in a clearing, with mountain bikers passing us and elderly couples walking without care. We were in no danger. My imagination had gotten the better of me.

As we neared our destination, we started looking for a good spot to cook dinner. A picnic table appeared randomly, which made us very happy. We got to eat a healthy, inexpensive, hot meal on the road without much hassle for the second day in a row. It does make us feel like vagabonds, but so what? We are.

Wind turbines, solar farms, and hydroelectric power all running in this area

We were racing this guy for a while. Then he had to stop for a lock. Haw haw!

This is a 200-year-old suspension bridge. We didn't cross it but we wish we had.

Today's ride: 98 km (61 miles)
Total: 2,265 km (1,407 miles)

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