Today promised to be fairly easy start to the tour, following the Moselle River upstream to Épinal along the Canal des Vosges. However, I first had to escape the sprawl of Nancy – a city whose residents number about 100K, but swell to almost 500K if you include the surrounding areas. The good news was that my route was entirely on well-marked bike lanes, almost all of which were separated from traffic. Still, it was almost eight miles of urban, suburban, exurban bike paths before I reached the Vosges Canal, just past Richardménil. For the next 30+ miles, I followed the canal along Voie Bleue, a 700 km long cycle route from Luxembourg to Lyon.
Traffic was fairly light along the Voie Bleue, and even lighter on the canal.. The cycle track was excellent - sufficiently wide with a nice paved surface and a minimal number of barriers. There were a fair number of day riders, including a group of seven men from Chalon-sur-Saône on a day ride from Nancy. The canal was not the most scenic – for the first fifteen miles it traveled in a near straight line through a wooded area that offered few views beyond the tree-line edge. With no real challenge and little scenery, I rolled along, making good progress to Charmes where I planned to stop for lunch.
I met the Vosges Canal just south of Richardménil - it would be my companion for the next thirty miles
This canal house is apparently a bat refuge. According to the signage, bat populations in the area have declined due to the use of insecticides. However, two species of bats are frequent visitors to this house, which is now a Government-preserved bat habitat. The sign goes on to say how important bats are and not to be afraid of them.
I had not brought any provisions today, neither a lunch sandwich nor an elevenses treat. Instead, kept pedaling along and took a few bites of a Clif bar while I pondered options for lunch in Charmes. I was making such good time that a nice restaurant lunch rose to the top of my list of possibilities. However, dreams of a leisurely lunch were spoiled when I got lost getting into Charmes. It shouldn’t have been so difficult, but I ended up at a dead end on the wrong side of the canal – a bridge to Charmes towering above me. It wasn’t a big error, adding only a mile to my route, but I’d lost all enthusiasm for a restaurant meal by the time I arrived in the center of Charmes. I settled instead on half a sandwich, a cookie and a bench on the square. Certainly not the charming little bistro I’d imagined.
I also had a bit of difficulty getting out of Charmes. Rather than retrace my route, I continued through town to the next upstream écluse along the canal. My progress was halted when a very large truck with a very long trailer tried backing down a side street, one which would take me to the canal. The constant beep-beep of the reversing truck aroused a half-dressed gentleman who poked his head out his door to see what all the commotion was about. On spotting me, he started waving his arms, indicating that my way to the bike path was blocked (I admit to seeing road closed signs but like all sensible touring cyclists I had ignored it). Based on the man’s gesticulations, I surmised that I must retrace my route all the way back through town. I’ll spare you another “charm” pun and just say that three times through Charmes was more than enough.
The route greatly improved after lunch as the canal coursed through a more open landscape, one with cows and water birds. But the most entertaining part of the day was watching a barge pull into a canal-side dock and deliver stones to a sand and gravel operation near Thaon-les-Vosges. I was quite impressed with the ability of the barge operator to maneuver the large vessel and sidle it up near the dock and the waiting bucket loader. However, it apparently wasn't close enough. The laden barge had to be pulled alongside the dock using the power and leverage of the bucket loader, which then scooped up a large shovel-full of stones and deposited it in the chute.
My track left the Vosges Canal and the Voie Bleue cycle route in Golbey where I crossed the Moselle River on a Pont Canal and cycled along a branch canal into the city of Épinal. I quickly found my hotel in the old quarter and then stowed Vivien George in their nearby parking garage where she had her own private room.
A nice afternoon of blue skies and an open landscape
My afternoon bonus entertainment - a barge carrying a load of rocks for delivery to the large sand and gravel operation at the right. The process involved the barge pulling alongside the dock close enough for the bucket loader to scoop up the stones and deposit them in the large funnel, after which the stones would be carried up a chute to the gravel pit.
My walk back to the hotel from the garage took me past a handful of restaurants with enticing menus posted out front,; however, I ended up being too hungry and impatient to wait for their 7 pm opening. Instead, I opted for Thai food at a small eatery close to my hotel and then went out for a quick stroll around the neighborhood. The city was awash in an evening glow, giving an almost surreal look to the pastel colors of the town and it's buildings. It seemed like a place from the past.
Children playing near the Saint-Maurice Basilica in Épinal
