May 23, 2022
To Semur-en-Auxois
The major discussion at breakfast this morning was the weather. Predictions for the region were for rain showers all day, with severe thunderstorms passing through mid-morning. Scott had designed a short, 22 mile route to Semur-en-Auxois and comparing predictions for the two cities it appeared there might be a window we could catch around eleven and, with luck, ride dry to Semur. Suzanne and Janos, the most impervious to rain among the group, chose to ignore the predictions - they donned their rain gear and were under way shortly after nine am. I decided to wait with Scott and Rachael until our 11 am check-out time, and retreated to my room for more journaling.
An hour later there was a knock on the door – Team Anderson had moved up the departure time to ASAP. Naturally we hit some snags that delayed us a bit – I was in the middle of a photo upload and then we had to sort out the bill (it was way too confusing for us to comprehend at the time, so I won’t even try to explain it all here). To hex the rain, I wore my rain jacket and the Andersons mounted rain covers on their panniers. And then we were off, under dry skies, with even a little sunshine poking through.
The first sixteen miles continued along the Burgundy Canal. Rachael was determined to stay dry, and it did not take long for Scott and me to fall behind indulging in our pursuit of interesting photos. For the next several miles, Scott and I leap-frogged along the canal, until I became enchanted with an abandoned canal house and fell seriously behind. Like a good dad, he waited to make sure I was okay and then we continued on together.
The rain drops appeared on the water before they hit me, a light sprinkling at first, but soon there was enough to stop and stow the cameras, but not enough for Scott to put on his rain jacket. It wasn't long before we were off the canal and onto D970, one of those larger departmental roads that can have quite a bit of traffic. But not today. Few cars, rolling terrain and a nice little tailwind made for a fun ride into Semur-en Auxois. We arrived about the same time as Suzanne and Janos, who had taken a different, longer route through the hills east of the canal. They got a little wet, but Rachael had succeeded in staying dry. She was only about a mile and a half ahead of Scott and me, and we too might have stayed dry if I hadn’t dawdled at the canal house. So, the rain was on me, figuratively as well as literally.
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2 years ago
Before finding my hotel, I ran into Scott and Rachael who were searching for a place to lunch while waiting for their hotel check-in time. We convened to a nearby bar/restaurant where we could easily keep an eye on the bikes. I had onion soup and a side of fries to share (neither of which came with the appellation French) while Scott and Rachael had some type of ham/gelatin/mustard dish that Scott may choose to comment on. We all reconvened for dinner at a restaurant recommended by the hotel that Suzanne, Janos and I are staying at. Food was okay, with Scott and Rachael winning the prize for best main. But my chocolate mousse was quite tasty.
After dinner, we walked Scott and Rachael back to their lodging, talking and dawdling - holding on to another great day of cycling and camaraderie.
Today's ride: 22 miles (35 km)
Total: 1,113 miles (1,791 km)
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