September 10, 1993
To Quingey
We got out fairly early this morning and biked back into Auxonne for croissants and coffee. We briefly looked the town - it has another large, fine cathedral - like the one at Sens, its dignity diminished by the street vendors surrounding it - and then struck out south along the west bank of the Saone toward Dole, 27 km away. The morning's weather featured broken clouds with a mild headwind. The road was flat, closely following the Saone ten km until we crossed the river and veered eastward.
The feeling of the land and culture is changing s we leave Burgundy and enter the Jura. It feels wilder, les manicured, less touristed. It also begins to look more contoured, especially as we move further eastward from Dole.
We had a spell of anxiety and an unplanned five mile detour on the way to Dole. At one point we stopped for Rachael to make a clothing adjustment - and a few miles later discovered that she was missing her fannypack. Retracing our route, we found it safely on the shoulder of the quiet highway, complete with her passport and about $500!
We dithered around a bit in Dole. First we stopped in at a bike shop to buy a replacement tube for one whose valve I broke the day before yesterday; then we had coffee and treats at a café; and then stood in the doorway of a shelter listening to thunder and waiting out a shower, trying to decide whether to just stay here, do our laundry and wait for better weather. We went to the laundry, took our bikes inside, bought detergent, and then saw the sun came out so we changed our mind again. Finally, after great difficulty with directions we set of northeast toward Arc-en-Senans.
The weather held for us for the 27k to Arc. It occasionally sprinkled lightly, and the road remained wet, but it never really interfered with the ride other than to make us anxious. The sky was dark, gloomy and dramatic throughout the ride. The countryside, as always, was a mix of woods, fields and colorful villages.
We stopped at Arc at about 3 and puzzled over its central feature, a large complex of heavily touristed buildings. It had the feel of a retreat of some sort, but we were unable to glean its significance from its appearance or the posters on its walls (ed: this must have been the Royal Saltworks, a UNESCO world heritage site).
Another very dark cloud appeared, and broke above us as we started to leave; so we changed our plans, stashed our bikes, and dashed for a café where I had coffee and Rachael a do-it-yourself lemonade.
Another 9k, another downpour just in time for us to ower under an overhang by the side of the road at Lombard, where we waited (and Rachael discarded her rain boots, which tore at the seams) for fifteen minutes before another clearing gave us an enjoyable three miles under a rainbow into Quingey, where we decided to stay for the night rather than move on to Ornan, another 26k to the northeast. It was already 5, we had done our 50 miles for the day (although 5 were in the wrong direction), and I didn't want the anxiety of wondering if we could find a room at 7 in a small town.
It proved to be a great decision. We found an inexpensive (150 ff) but lovely room with a pretty view of the surrounding foothills. The proprietress volunteered to do our laundry for us after we were informed that there was no laundromat in town. We had a splendid picnic on the edge of the Loue River, which splits the town - baguette, gouda cheese, grapes, lemon art, and a salad. A perfect end to the day - cycle touring at its best.
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Today's ride: 80 km (50 miles)
Total: 450 km (279 miles)
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