I read a lot, and that often gets me into trouble. Instead of painting the shutters, or mowing the grass, or calling a plumber to fix a noise in our plumbing, I prefer to spend my time with a good book, or in front of the computer screen reading about all sorts of interesting stuff, and consequently being transported elsewhere, at least in my head. It should come as no surprise to you, dear reader, that lately I have been perusing books on cycle touring. Now, normally at this time of year, I am to be found in my workshop doing all sorts of projects for the house. But I was happier reading, and contemplating the view out over our terrace. And that got me thinking.

The air of October in Burgundy is usually crisp, and the days are noticeably shorter than they were just a few weeks ago. I don't stop riding my bike in the fall, but my riding is normally limited to local outings and the daily trips to the market and the bakery. This is the beginning of the hot stove season for bike touring, when books and on-line journals replace actual adventure. But not this year.

Temperatures have been on the twenties (Celsius) and shorts and t- shirts have replaced sweaters and scarves. The rains that would normally come with the change of seasons have been largely absent, not that it's ever really dry here, and the road beckons. The nights are cool and could be damp, so I won't be camping on this tour, and I do have commitments to honor, so it won't be long, but there is a chance to be taken, an opportunity to be grasped, and I am not going to waste it. Just a few more days in the saddle, just a brief visit to the hills before the snow comes to turn them into skiers playgrounds and I am going to enjoy myself in what seems to be almost cheating against the rules of cycle touring in France.

I'm going to start from Lyon and go upstream along the Rhone using the Via Rhona cycle path as much as possible, and branching off it to climb into the alps. Three to four days is my timeline. As usual, I will be seeking out the sites recommended by the French cycclo-touring federation. Secondarily, I will be continuing my quest for the perfect andouillette. What's that,you ask? Its a sausage made from chitterlings, the muscular walls of the intestines, but not finely ground and diguised like in German wursts and American hot dogs. No these babies are packed with coarsely chopped bits. Done well, they are delicious, but that takes talent. So on to new destinations, new restaurants, new roads. We'll see how far I get.