October 25, 2003
Saturday Oct 25: Maubourguet to Pau: Those Pyrenees are Wow-ish!
Well, what more could a person ask for. Clear skies once the incredibly-dense fog lifted. Brilliant fields of really heavy frost sparkling in the morning sun. Rolling hills much like yesterday, but today, to the southwest was the very distinct backdrop of the very snow-covered mountains. They are exquisite in all their rugged jaggedness (my 'word' for the day).
Was it ever cold this morning - my guess was -4 C or so. Last night on the news they showed people sliding down hills at Isola 2000 - that was the pass I struggled with about two weeks ago, though there was no snow then. Winter is coming, la. Then I got a flat - not fun changing in the really cold morning. I just switched tubes, and decided to patch it later in the warmth of the hotel.
When I got into Pau, the first thing I tried was going to La Poste to try to get my mail. I was lucky that I got in early as they close at 12:30 and do not re-open until Monday. My fingers were crossed that my stuff was in and that the interminably long line would not keep me so long that my bike would disappear - yes, it was locked, but I'm paranoid.
Well, right off, there was one guy doing the poste restante, so I went right to him, and when I showed him my passport and said it was a gray package, he told me he knew, as he had just seen it. And when I went out, my bike was just as I had left it. Finding a hotel was only the tiniest bit tricky as the first places I went to are no longer open. The third was, and has a tub, and three great big french doors that open onto the boulevard and kind of look south towards the mountains, except other buildings block most of the view. Still, big, bright, beautiful, and FULL of character.
So far the city seems quite nice. Once the sun drops a bit the colour will be better for photos and I will do the "Three Kingdoms" walk around the old city. As well, a walk along Blvd des Pyrénées is a must. It is the road just to the south of my hotel that looks across to the mountains to the south - supposedly breathtaking.
Tomorrow might be a rest day; however, it is supposed to be sunny and clear again, like today, so it might be something else to ride the day so I can enjoy the views of the mountains. Then rest Monday which is supposed to be rainy before the sun returns on Tuesday. Sounds clever to me. So I guess the cold did not freeze my brain after all this morning!
But, the first thing I have to do, is take another look at that back wheel of my bike. It is warped and wobbling all over the place, but the spokes seem fine. I think the hub is toast, which is fairly serious. Perhaps when I am in Madrid I shall have to leave the wheel at a shop to be re-built. I hate not doing it myself, but just do not have the time or tools to build it myself.
Today's ride: 47 km (29 miles)
Total: 3,298 km (2,048 miles)
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