October 5, 1993
To Ambert
We awoke to gloomy news - grey skies, and a weather report that predicted three days of rain throughout Auvergne. Because of this, we decided to limit our time in the city and get in as many miles as we could before the rains hit. First though, we had a series of errands to attend to - stopping at the post office to pick up a letter from Lynn, which we saved to savor later in the day; then at the bank; and then at a tobacconist for more film. Then we went to view the mandatory stop here - the "needle", the astonishing Chapel of Saint Michel l'Aiguilhe, perched high atop a slender volcanic plug - one of the most amazing sights of our tour.
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We were pushed north on a wonderful tailwind, under black but uncertain skies. We placed bets with each other on when the rains would strike us. The country north of Le Puy is full of fascinating spectacles, the most memorable including the castle at Polignac, the ancient Romanesque church in Saint Paulien. and the magnificent abbey at Chaise-Dieu. At Saint Paulien I had a lengthy, semi-coherent encounter with a man who wished avidly to explain the unique features of the church. At Chaise-Dieu, we huddled beneath a wall of the abbey, eating our lunch as we took shelter from the cold.
(Hmm - I've waited too long. Its three days later now, and I can't remember too much detail).
The rains continued to hold off all afternoon, and the sun occasionally broke through. Pushed along by the winds all day long, we made it all the way to Ambert, mostly following fairly level, very quiet roads all the way there. and arrived by mid-afternoon. After stocking up at the supermarket we ventured out to a creperie to fill up on a well-deserved feast. For a day on which we thought we might get rained out completely, we got in a lot of miles.
Today's ride: 75 km (47 miles)
Total: 2,156 km (1,339 miles)
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