To the Jura Mountains

September 11, 1993

Well, we could hardly have stopped for the night any closer to the Swiss border. At most, we're a quarter mile into Switzerland, at a crossroads hotel at the top of a very long climb. At 1050 meters, the land has quite an alpine character. The pastures surrounding the hotel are small herds of cows signaling their location by their cowbells.

We began the morning by taking petit dejeunet at our hotel, and then crossed the ridge to the east toward Ornans, 25k away. This was a very lovely, colorful stretch of land - along the Loue valley, with dramatic grey cliffs breaking out of the wooded hillsides.

The Loue valley. Hey, that's Rachael down there! I'm impressed by my discipline back then - I kept a log of the photos I took so I'd know what they were when we returned home and developed them, and it mentions this photo of her at the bottom of a switchback.

Ornans itself is extremely scenic - wedged into a very narrow canyon, it snakes along both sides of the Loue for a mile or so, with the two sides laced together by a series of arched spans. The town is built right up to the bank, with the bordering structures perched on stilts above the water.

A long, gradual climb took us out of the Loue valley and onto a gently rising plateau which we followed eastward toward Switzerland. The feeling of the towns and countryside have both undergone a gradual change here: it feels more montane, and more Germanic. We kept a steady pace for most of the afternoon, helped by a fair tailwind and kept on task by a heavier traffic load than we've experienced since the outskirts of Auxerre.

Shortly before Morteau we peaked at about a thousand meters, feeling pleased with ourselves for having had so little difficulty conquering the Juras - and then we descended bak about a thousand feet into a river valley and a large urban center, where we took our last pastry break in France, resting awhile before our last leg of the day - an unexpected, steep, long switchback up to this hotel - perhaps a 1500 foot climb at the end of a long day. (Ed: This is what is now route D48, climbing up from Morteau to the border. It's a pretty good climb alright - about 1300' in 3.5 miles. If I'm right about the route we took for the whole day, we gained about 6,500' of elevation.)

Leaving France for a spell; we'll be right back.

From the balcony of our room. Hey, I can locate us from the road sign! We're just into Switzerland after climbing up from Moreau on D48.

In the Jura Mountains, near La Chaux-de-Fonds. In addition to my primary camera, I took a disposable panoramic, with enough film for 24 shots. I made it last for the entire tour.

I can't claim to have very warm feelings toward this hotel. First, I got off on the wrong foot by stumbling over almost every aspect of communications - the price of the room, where to put the bikes, when dinner was served, and so on. Then, the room itself was a bit odd - the floor shook when you walked on it, causing the shower doors and cupboards to clatter noisily. Most of all though, this was the sight of our first fondue meal - which, although it was an entertaining experience learning how to eat, was ruined for me when I became violently ill afterwards.

Today's ride: 95 km (59 miles)
Total: 545 km (338 miles)

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