September 18, 2010 to October 7, 2010
The Photos
September 18 ~Leaving Paris. Get up at 8, shower and pack until the house cleaner arrives at 10:30. Make last grab of stuff and finish packing in the courtyard. A quick stop at Jordan’s to drop off stuff and say goodbye. Then head to ‘a point’, versus heading to ‘point A’, on the trail. Oh yeah, Gregory bought a BoB trailer for the majority of our stuff. This makes me navigator. Finally meet up with the trail at nearly 2. Bike THROUGH the airport (WOW, how scary!) and spend most of the day on 2 or 3 lane roads trying NOT to get run over. Stop near Pringy hoping to find the tourism office open and fully stocked on cycle route maps. It’s not open, and as we are deciding our next move, a girl shows up with office supplies. Although she isn’t at work to work, she tells us where camping should be and directs us to a sushi place on the edge of town. Our first impulse is to just press on, but the road ahead looks bleaker still and it’s getting late so we decide to wait the 30 minutes till they open. The sushi was OK, but NOT worth the price, Stupid All-You-Can-Eat places! We are two tired kids and there is no sign of camping, so we pull into a field with a shielding tree line and set up in the gathering dark.
September 19 ~Day of rest. We don’t really need it but the trail remains unappealing, and we slept late and to be honest we just don’t feel like moving forward. Gregory goes to town to find lunchables. While he’s gone a truck drives right by the tent but doesn’t stop. We spend the day reading and watching people ‘work’ at a little forested oasis in the same field. After the ‘workers’ leave, we trek over to take a look. It seems they were building hunting blinds possibly for dove or other fowl creatures. Watch some Dr. Who and try to find our regular sleep schedule.
September 20 ~Get up, pack and leave by 10. Today I’m hauling the BoB and Gregory is navigating, but this means that we are riding each other’s bikes without resetting seat heights and other personal preferences. I didn’t know this was the plan and I’m NOT happy with the change. Fortunately the path starts out flat enough and we are easily distracted when we see a Decathlon Sporting Goods store. We move the better kickstand from my bike to Gregory’s, for stability with parking the trailer and buy a standard kickstand for my bike. We get back on the road around 12. Shortly thereafter we stop in a forest to eat some tuna. We aren’t quite hungry yet but we have a good tête-à-tête and just around the next corner is a GIANT hill. I’m suddenly wishing a pox upon Gregory and that each person was responsible for their own load of crap instead of me carrying it all, even if Gregory was hauling it all yesterday. I walk and push my bike almost all the way up, by the time I arrive Gregory has decided that we would be better off leaving the path since the path is highway. Begin to trail through the forest and while it’s a wonderful mountain bike trail, it’s hard as hell with a trailer.
We decide to camp here for a day or two, so Gregory goes to get some food in ‘nearby’ Fontainebleau while I set up camp. The spot we quickly chose before Gregory left was not that level or ideal for sleeping in so upon Gregory’s return we find a new level campsite. Dinner, reading and one more Dr. Who before bed does nothing to bring on the sleepies when we need them at bedtime.
September 21 ~Croissants and honey for breakfast disturbed by a nearly endless parade of old people just beyond our ‘table’ rock. We spend the day exploring our newest home with the help the gift we received from René in Amsterdam. Having no constraints on our time or resources we talk about everything before finally deciding that we were sitting at the crossroads deciding between nonexistence and grandchildren. Mind bending explorations and realizations all but forgotten in the next instant.
September 22 ~Long night of nearly no sleeping with a really strange dream about the Unseelie Court, spells and enchantment (really wish I’d written that down, grr!) Breakfast is Lunch followed by a hike to the parking lot looking for a trashcan and water supply but finding neither. Back to camp for reading until we exhaustedly fall asleep. We take a quick shower which would be more of a rinse with just about the least amount of water either of us has ever used, but we are hoping it will facilitate more restful sleep tonight. We don’t know if we should be worried or not that our days are essentially nothing more than reading, eating, shitting and sleeping, not in any particular order. We make the grand plan to bike to town tomorrow for more provisions since we are staying here a couple more days. A great place to unplug and reconnect.
September 23 ~Trip to town for internet and groceries is harder than it sounds with a bumpy downhill, towering uphill and steep downhill. Gregory gets reprimanded by the police for not stopping at a red light but we are able to talk ourselves out of the 19 euro fine. Lunch and internet to upload pictures and try to find a new better path to almost anywhere (at this point we don’t have anywhere we HAVE to be). We find a few potentials but they all seem more hiking than biking. We buy three days worth of groceries, trying more canned prepared meals and less sandwiches. Yes, we are limited by not having a stove but we just don’t have the spare room and cold canned meals aren’t THAT bad. After a stop for bread and bike repair, we discover that Gregory has ripped his pants. Nice butt not the impression we might hope to make on the locals. Fortunately, we are stopped directly in front of Global Sport. Gregory goes in to find new adventure pants (his second pair since we just bought one replacement in Paris) but low blood sugar from eating too long ago, means he can’t really focus on the task. I lock the bikes and come in to find him pants to try on. One fits OK but looks dumb so we settle on the one that fits slightly too big but looks better and seems more functional. Gregory steps up to the counter and gets embroiled in a great talk with the store owner about our trip so far, our current camping and our upcoming plans. He in turn tells us that there are wild boar in the forest and that Corsica, which we have been considering, is a special place not to be missed. We restart the bike home but stop two additional times for Gregory to fix at his bike. The last stop, at a gas station, requires the help of a 10-12 year old boy and the loan of his tools to fix the kickstand. Reverse the steep uphill, towering downhill and bumpy uphill back to camp. Nibble the treats we have acquired while we read (Gregory) and write (me) till dark. Which was at least five minutes ago …
September 24 ~Rain off and on through the night continues today. We only leave the tent for breakfast, lunch and breaks of sunlight. We try our first canned dinner of Three Cheese Ravioli. It’s not completely new (see August 13th) but we are unwilling to try the more adventurous tins at the moment. More reading by both of us will probably continue until it’s too dark to read then most likely an episode of Dr. Who before sleeptime (which in reality is talktime until sleeptime).
September 25 & 26 ~Lots and lots of doing nothing. Rain and cold keep us cooped up in the tent. Reading and eating are just about our only diversions. I notice we are checking the time fairly constantly so I ban time checking on the 26th. Ruled by the requests our bodies make, we seem to eat less because we are hungry and more because we think we should.
September 27 ~Bike to Fontainebleau for luxurious hotel stay. Luxurious in the fact that I can stay in the hot, hot shower for as long as I want. The hotel claims to have WiFi but we eventually give up on it. The decision to go out for lunch, turns into grabbing pre-made sandwiches then scurry back to our room for cuddles and movie watching. We do venture back out for Indian food and I learn that I do NOT prefer Matta Paneer … too many peas and not enough paneer.
September 28 ~I didn’t sleep well and we still feel the need for internet so we decide early on to stay another night. The internet at the hotel is still ‘broken’ so we find our way to a restaurant for lunch and taxes (Gregory’s). I locate pictures on Gregory’s Flick’r that I don’t have from our time in Guatemala and in searching figure out that his Guatemala set has massive duplicates. *We blame crappy internet and not yet having the cool Flick’r Upload’r application! I clean up the duplicates, download the ones I need and upload the ones I’ve found while Gregory assembles his tax files to send to his accountant. Five hours gone in no time. In deciding what’s for dinner, we opt to buy groceries for about 3 days worth of meals. This gives us the freedom to camp anywhere without then sending some poor soul (always Gregory) off to find food and it saves us a little bit of money as we won’t need to eat out at often. Gregory sends me home (around the corner and up some stairs) with our provisions while he stops to get samosas at the ‘other’ Indian food restaurant in town. He arrives with Samosas & Palak Paneer & Matta Paneer & Nan. A tiny argument ensues because IF I’d known he was getting more than Samosas I would have preferred NOT to get Matta Paneer again so soon, if ever. We made up before things digressed to a knife fight, but it seems a fairly typical break in communication. Watch a movie during dinner and try to go to bed early so we can get on the road first thing!
September 29 ~Great morning as we both wake up ready to hit the road. Yet after hasty showers and repacking we are back to being our regular grumpy, don’t like moving selves. For some reason moving is too much work and makes us snipe at each other. After my frustration of the giant hill while pulling the BoB, Gregory has gone back to BoB detail and I am navigator. I want to say that if I’d known in advance there were giant hills on this crap highway, I would have been fine, but I really think I’m fooling myself. *Of Note ~ It has been easier to write this journal when we are moving and there is day to day change. I didn’t write at all in Paris and didn’t write much when we were camped in the woods*
We get on the road close to 11 and cycle, cycle, cycle. Boy it’s hard work and I find myself wishing I had more strength and more stamina but I just don’t and I don’t really see how to get it. I’m quite frustrated that Gregory’s pace is about a block faster than mine AND he has the extra weight. I spend about half the day trying to keep up with him, wearing myself out physically and emotionally. Eventually we talk about it and agree that it’s pointless for me to further frustrate myself by trying to keep up, so we will each go at our own pace and he will have to wait on me occasionally. Just outside of Montargis, we discover that my back tire has gone flat. We air it up at a nearby gas station where the attendant tries to talk to us about a guy who cycled from Lisbon to Thailand.Back on the road, but a punctured tire won’t get you very far. I eventually stop in a parking lot so I don’t damage my rim while Gregory goes looking for a repair shop. He comes back soon with a replacement tube and pump, but we don’t really have a wrench in the tool set. With no other option, we walk, read as Gregory carries, my bike to the shop and borrow the appropriate tool. In short order, we find the offending sharp item and replace the tube. As luck would have it, we’ve seen signs that camping is close by. Quickly set up tents and beds before returning to the center of Montargis for reading and dinner. Gregory is really enjoying his book, Magister Ludi also known as the Glass Bead Game, and I finish writing out today’s adventure while we wait for dinner to arrive ~ Escargots, Salmon and desert to share!
September 30 ~Rain sets in around 4am and continues until after 11, thereby keeping us confined to quarters. Fortunately we both have books to read *There has been a large increase of reading on both our parts but impressively on Gregory’s. This time of biking seems to be the first time he has allowed himself to just sit and read.
During an excursion out of the tent for the restroom and exploration of the buildings on property, he meets a German couple also biking on approximately on the same path as us. At some point his enthusiastic “No Way!” resounds through the campground, rousting me out of the tent to come meet the new and exciting people he has found to talk to. Never 100% sure what to do, I decide to make an appearance. Gregory gets annoyed by my reenactment but the conversation progresses until we finally let them continue on their way. They have told us about a potential cycle path along the canal that should be much easier and take us almost all the way to where we want to go. We watch two movies and some Dr. Who in the ‘Salle de T.V.’ only really breaking for Lunch and then Dinner. A perfect veg out day with a relatively early bedtime and hope for sunshine tomorrow.
October 1 ~My camera tells me this is day 305 of our trip. It doesn’t seem like that much time has passed. We both wake up in cheerful moods and the sun is shining brightly by 9:30 or 10. So we pack up and prepare to head out. Sock warming during breakfast in the ‘S de T.V.’ before hitting the road. Stop around 2 for lunch on the side of the road and hope that we are right about having only 10 more miles to Briare, which is where we can pick up the canal path. IF it exists it will get us off the highway, so fingers crossed. We stop on the outskirts of Briare for groceries and zip ties. Then, I catch up the last two days while Gregory searches for a wrench suitable for removing bike tires. Right after lunch my left knee began to hurt in that ‘feels like it needs to pop but won’t’ way so I enjoy the rest no matter how short lived.
We stop at a hotel in Briare for a couple of reasons.
1. Shower
ii. I’m Lazy
3. Don’t want to go too much farther on my knee
4. Tourism office is closed and it makes sense not to bike past it just to double back in the morning.
e. Did I mention lazy? I did, well then tired, I’m Tired.
6. It’s starting to sprinkle and then continues to rain
7. Internet *although I don’t really need it, Gregory needs to do some banking.
Wonderful hot shower then use the lint roller on the sleeping pads (should have done that in Paris!) Start Flick’r uploading one of two uploads then head to dinner ~ sharing another thirty euro meal of escargot, veal, cheese plate and tiramisu. I’m excited and hungry. Early to bed (planned) and early wake up (also planned NOW!)
October 2 ~Morning comes, I don’t feel that rested, blaming scratchy sheets and a restless Gregory. Breakfast in bed, yogurt and cereal from our provisions, followed by a quick rinse, cause I’m NOT passing up hot water, pack and on the road. First stop is Briare’s Office of Tourism for information about the canal path. Spend two euro on a map that looks like it goes exactly where we want to go. The tourism lady is awesomely helpful and we both comment later that she would be a wonderful addition to Gregory’s CB Ski trip. We encounter some difficulty deciphering which of the two available white rocked paths is correct but Gregory asks a fisherman, who sets us straight.
We are ON the Path! It is beautiful, quiet, serene, deserted, perfect and completely appreciated. At some point it changes into a paved road with light traffic but the map indicates it switches back and forth for the duration and we are ever so grateful that it’s nothing like the highway. A stop for treats (for now) and baguettes (for lunch) gives me the chance to catch up the writing.
We continue until near Sancerre because our map thinks there is camping almost directly on the trail. However, like the last place we stopped at because the map said there was camping, it is either nonexistent or closed for the season. A helpful Frenchman out biking with his children, directs us to a perfect flat space suitable for pitching the tent, very near to the canal where his and several other houseboats are currently docked. We set up the tents in no time flat, I think we are almost pros at this, despite the light drizzle that seems to be settling in. Read and rest until dinner. Once dark falls, we try to watch two different movies but I keep falling asleep so in bed by 10, one exhausted girl and a boy who claims not to be that tired.
October 3 ~Wake up around 9. During breakfast we hear some nearby gunshot and some whistling and/or bell ringing. Just beyond the hedge covered fence, we see at least one hunter with a shotgun. So very glad we DIDN’T camp in that field last night. A short time later a shot rings out much closer and later still we hear several shots in a row. Gregory thinks there must be a shotgun range nearby. Just a typical Sunday morning in the French countryside. Decide to walk into town for baguettes and maybe reading at a café. Town is small and we follow a one way street the long way around thinking the center of town is bigger. First we stop at a bar right on the corner of the busiest (read only) street in the center of town. Not exactly the best reading spot so abandon it for a quiet little patio space at a hotel with restaurant around the corner. Much better for reading and even some talking. As I write this we are trying to decide if we should lunch here then have our baguette for dinner or be cheap and go back to the tent for both. End up sneakily eating our baguette at the restaurant and reading until they close up for the late afternoon. The walk home turns into watching the tag end of the local rugby game. I think we won, but it was difficult to tell who was home team and who was away.October 4 ~Rain, Rain, Rain. We start to pack up because it seems like the sun is coming then it starts to sprinkle so we pause and walk to town for bread. NOTHING is open! Not the cafe, Not the bakery, Not even the hotel with restaurant from the day before. Gregory asks at an insurance office and they direct us to the next town. Start long walk on foot to next town. As with all our trips into the unknown, getting there always takes longer than getting back. Our initial desire to just get lunch and return to the tent is completely overwhelmed when we realize we can stock up on food for the next couple of day. Of course, by the time we finish buying groceries, the café is closed for the afternoon*. Trek back home, stopping for our now standard baguette for lunch sandwiches. Back at the tent, it seems sunny enough to finish our previous packing and get on the road even if only for a couple of miles. Once more it starts to sprinkle but we press on.
*That is something so strange to me, that restaurants are open for lunch, closed for the late afternoon and early evening and reopen for dinner. It’s not that I don’t understand the need for it, I’m just an American used to getting food whenever I damn well please!
The road is easy and we don’t get very far but progress is progress. Yet again we are led astray as our map says something wonderful is just around the corner. This time a youth hostel in Herry. We abandon the path and begin the search. I thought it was near to the path, but Gregory and the map say otherwise. After wandering in the drizzle, we end up at a tennis court where the available locals say NO youth hostel. However, they are willing to lead us to a ‘nearby’ bed and breakfast, IF we can keep up with their car. Gregory does admirably and I just keep pedaling until I catch up. The B&B doesn’t really look open and the sign says 70 euro a night so we think we’ll pass. Gregory asserts that he saw a sign someways back and we head there. Even if it’s the same price, it’s closer to the road and the town. Gregory is right, there was a sign, it’s only 45 per night and it’s much more inviting as it’s essentially the spare room of a family home. Super friendly couple goes so far as to garage our bikes overnight, even though Gregory and I don’t think it’s necessary.
October 5 ~Good nights sleep and breakfast at 8 with no real packing makes for a really early start. Head back to the path which is great for a little bit, when suddenly it disappears completely. Well, the path doesn’t but the signage for it does. Glad we are fresh and aware. It is quite rainy or drizzly for a significant part of the morning but we easily make it to Nevers by 3 or 4. Check into a ‘cheap’ hotel and walk around some looking for a sporting goods store or a book store. Find them stacked on top of each other. Sports store doesn’t have better rain pants than I already have. Book store is not much better off with only about eight books in English. Choose two only to remember that I hate paying for books, especially when I have at least one in my pack to trade. Indian food for dinner and it’s the best since San Francisco but my love for Chai means no sleeping girl so write this then internet until tired and hope that tomorrow doesn’t arrive too early.
October 6 ~I force us out of the hotel and away from the internet to explore Nevers. Visit the cathedral which has strange modern stained glass due to the destruction of the original glass in ’44. Wander the town until lunch, where we decide we will head back to our hotel to trim and re-dye my hair. *Who does your hair? Point to Gregory “He does!” More Indian food for dinner but less Chai followed but beginning the series 4400 until tiredness kicks in.
October 7 ~On the road by 10 or so and it’s easier that just out of Paris, cause it’s NOT on a highway but it’s very rough terrain on an unpaved road held to varying degrees of maintenance. Arrive in Decize and Gregory is buying groceries while I catch up the days. Next we find out if the camping shown on the map is real or not. *Rough relationship day as this is the day Gregory tries to help me improve my pedaling power. I resist because it’s just about the worst terrain we’ve biked and I feel like I’m doing good to make forward progress.
Camping CLOSED! Apparently the French don’t believe in camping in the Fall.
Things I forgot to write about today
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| This picture is actually from when he fell AGAIN on the 12th, but I didn't write about that one for some reason. |
*We played leap frog with a boat. They get stuck at the locks and we would pass them. Then we’d stop to rest, snack or rehydrate and they’d pass us. They always called out to us when they saw us so it brought a smile to my face that the rough path couldn’t completely remove. Eventually we passed them and then left the canal path, but it was fun while it lasted.
*I love and trust Gregory, despite how I might act sometimes.
*Still no signs of our path but I think the map calls it provisional. Although I just looked up provisional I have to say… “I do not think it means what you think it means.’ I’m guessing they mean it’s there but not paved and quite ready for the average cycling tourist. Fortunately we are just a little bit more hard core … or is that stubborn, I confuse the two sometimes.
*The days are very blendy right now. I think we are both tired of cycling but neither of us will say *Stop*. Need to have a real conversation about it, sooner rather than later.
*Despite being half of a partnership, I don’t think I pull my weight and I feel like Gregory agrees with this but won’t say anything. How much of this is real or just fears, I don’t know. I do seem content to just float along in life. Right now Gregory is in the tourism office trying to figure out OUR next move while I sit outside content with whatever decision he makes. Theoretically, I’m guarding the bikes but how crucial is that really. I don’t know how to show him that I appreciate him and ALL that he does, I don’t think that words are enough.
*I LOVE dogs. They make me smile when everything else in the world seems impossible.
Find a hotel in Decize, where we have some of the above conversations and reconnect with each other.
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