Another gorgeous day – windy as usual but clear bright sky – perfect for watching the race. I took the little ones for a walk after breakfast and can’t believe how many more vehicles and tents there were – hundreds and hundreds of people in our field and lined up and down both sides of the road. Some vans and cars are so close to the edge I’m surprised they’re not rolling down the mountainside.

Still hundreds of cyclists going up and down, and people walking up the mountain for a better view. We’re in a perfect spot – no one can get in front of us and we’re a little above the road, although I’m sure we’ll move about a bit once the racers reach us. It’s a very festive atmosphere already and the cavalcade hasn’t even started yet.

Clouds rolled in and rain began – light at first, then quite hard. Vans were going up and down selling Tour de France umbrellas, hats, shirts, bottles, etc. Rain stopped after a short bit, although the clouds were still threatening. Ate lunch at our table and chairs at the roadside – Frenchman on our right gave us some home-made salami that was very tasty.

Sometime after 3 the cavalcade began – and was it ever fun! All sorts of cars with huge mascots and people throwing freebies out at the crowd – I went wild!

Between Colin and myself we ended up with quite a haul – I was diving for stuff, while cradling my camera in my right arm like a rugby player protecting the ball. I’m not even sure what we got, but it was free and it was fun.

Within about a half hour we started seeing the helicopters coming, and saw on tv that the riders were starting the climb. As soon as they rounded the corner below us we could hear the crowds cheering.

The riders were really spread out from the previous climb, so took a long time to pass. We were on a bit of an almost flat spot between the climb below and the zig-zag climb above – many riders looked over their right shoulders to the upcoming hairpins they had to face – not happy thoughts for most of them.

As they progressed up the hill we could hear the crowds that lined the road going crazy – sound travels well down the mountain so we could always hear the very enthusiastic fans. There were at least 8 helicopters overhead at one time.

The moment the last rider passed and the following vehicles got by, with the big yellow BIC schoolbus being the last, the fans started dispersing – vehicles, bikes, pedestrians. At first the gendarme at the end of the parking lot below us was controlling the up/down/out traffic, but then she left and everyone that was moving was left to fend for themselves. At one point two motorcycle cops led a couple hundred cyclists down in a group.

The rude folks across the road continued their trend – the most vocal bitch vented at a couple of Dutch vans that were leaving – she called them disgusting pigs for leaving waste, although they vowed that it wasn’t theirs. One Frenchie tried to open the back door of the van, and the loudmouthed one kicked the van at least three times – what a sorry bunch – can’t wait until they leave. They were still going on about it well after the Dutch guys had left.

Watched as about 95% of the other campers left – the folks on our right kept their chairs right out near the road and watched same as they did all day – fairly entertaining, actually. Had a look at the pics I’d taken – some not bad ones of Contador, Froome and Quintana, as well as other riders that Colin will have to identify for me.

Tried to get an early night but a few of the remaining campers were having a chat-fest not far away. One of them kept saying ‘hush’ but that only made one of the others louder. Then the rain started to pound and the wind picked up again. I’m cozy enough inside the tent but everything’s going to be soaked when I pack up in the morning.

Woke up early thinking the day was going to be overcast, but when I peeked out the sky was clear blue but the sun hadn’t cleared the mountain peak yet. Didn’t sleep too bad considering there was a large lump right under my back on the right side – it’s not a rock or I would have noticed before I setup my tent. It was fairly chilly but my sleeping bag and black blankie kept me toasty cozy.

Colin and I took the doggies for a walk up the hill where all the hikers head – and there’s lots of them, groups of 20 or more, as well as people on their own.

I had my merino wool sweater on and my warm hoodie, but other folks were in shorts and t-shirts – the wind was fierce and those guys must have been freezing. Colin turned back after a bit and I took the little ones further on my own. I walked higher up than I had thought, just following the creek – when I looked back the way I’d come I was way further up than I would have guessed.

Took a slightly different route down and went ‘cross country’ for the last bit back to the campervan.

Had a lovely lunch of tuna salad, then watched the sheep for awhile. They were grazing on the hill on our side of the road – the sheep dog didn’t like it when they got too close to the road, and can he ever get them moving when the sheepherder wants him to.

Went for another walk, this time by myself. I crossed the road and walked down to the creek, trying to find a way across to the trail on the other side that I could see. Couldn’t find a way across, at least not without getting soaked, so stayed on my side, following the creek until the banks closed in. I made my way forward following the sheep trails onwards and upwards until I was close enough to the road to goat-climb up to it. Walked a little further on the road to the next corner – another valley opened up and the road still headed down.

Back near camp I saw a van trying in vain to get thru the parking lot to the field on our side of the road – I told him if he could get one of the cars on the other side to move there was plenty of room in that field to setup. He parked his van half on the road and went to find the owner of the car that was blocking the entrance to the field. He did find someone, although it wasn’t the car we thought should be moved – we were sure the campervan would bottom out and not be able to get onto the field, but he managed it. Several of our neighbours were also watching the manouvering and were also surprised and impressed with the success – I feel like we’re a bunch of little old ladies on our porches watching everything that happens in our little town and commenting and gossiping about it!

Another of our neighbours brought over a tiny little kitten that she has agreed to take care of – her son found it – I think on a job site where a bulldozer was just about to scoop up him and his siblings. They stopped work and rescued 3 or 4 very young baby kitties and she agreed to take one. She’s feeding it with a tiny bottle and it’s so young it’s eyes are just starting to open. It’s an all black male and he snuggled close and started licking and ‘kneeding’ my hand – he was so cute!

The group of folks across the road from us are still using one of their cars to block the way down for anyone else, although a couple of smaller cars have squeaked thru. One of our neighbours went over to help one vehicle – the owner of the ‘blocker’ car is pretending he doesn’t know it’s a problem – they even came and closed their hatch and scampered back to their tent rather stealthily (although I saw them).

Used my solar panel to re-charge my ipad so I don’t deplete the campervan’s battery so much – I bought it – I’ve lugged it around (and used it a bit) – I want to get all I can out of it. Started at 46% at around 3 and got up to 100% in less than 3 hours – not too bad.

Our closest neighbour came over with a bottle and insisted I have a swig – I got a glass instead and he poured a little into it and watched while I tasted it. It was awful – tasted like pure alcohol, perhaps aquavite or something. I saved the rest for Colin.

Some of the French folks not far from us were playing music – Colin walked the dogs over to see what’s going on. He said they’re very nice, but he didn’t want to stay longer. I, of course, wanted to join the party so went over and introduced myself. One of the older fellows took me under his wing and made sure I met many of the others, including one guy that spoke fairly good english. Whenever I was standing alone one or more of them would come and talk with me. They didn’t all remember my name, so would call out ‘Canada’ to get my attention. One guy was stirring a huge batch of paella – rice, sausage, chicken and huge shrimps. I sat down at the table with them – they told me I was welcome to join them – and they kept filling my cup with rose wine. It was such a good meal, and great company – I’m so glad I wandered over and invited myself!

Bright daylight an hour before the sun cleared the mountain to the northeast. Sunrise just after 7 – mist rising on the lake, tent and everything around soaking wet. Packed up what I could – stretched out the rest to dry. As soon as the sun shone over the mountain it heated up and things started to dry.

The only thing still wet when I did the final pack was the tent fly – put it in the large waterproof bag and loaded everything into the campervan. Sent a quick email to siblings so they wouldn’t worry if they don’t hear from me for a few days – doubt if I’ll have internet until Thursday or so.

They have signs up on all of the roads that are going to be closed for the Tour.

Drove east then north thru beautiful Alps – lots of pretty villages in beautiful narrow valleys. Stopped in Bourg d’Oisans for groceries – shocked by the total bill – the most I’ve spent since I left home, I think. I’ve become used to cheap food and wine, although they do have apple cider which I haven’t found before now. Saw a car in the parking lot with a Cdn flag in the back window – first other maple leaf flag I’ve seen over here. Then not far out of town we saw a cyclist with a Cdn jersey on – two from home in one day!

Passed many cyclists on the way – part of the route is going to be Wednesday’s Tour stage, although cycling in general seems to be very big here. There were signs everywhere advising what roads would be closed on Wednesday. Turned left (north) to the Col du Galibier – kept looking for a place to pull over but couldn’t find one – all the best places seemed to have been taken. Then we saw a field with several campervans and a lot of cars – even a cafe/restaurant. The parking lot was crowded with cars – we think they were hikers rather than Tour fans.

Colin managed to wind the van through the parked throng onto the field, which wasn’t easy – I thought we were going to side-swipe somebody a couple of times, but Colin knows his van well and is an excellent driver. We tied a rope from the canopy over to a pole next to the road so no one could come beside us on the right and impede our view of the road that the race will be on.

Had lunch right away as we were both very hungry, then setup my tent. Went to the cafe for tea (for me) and coffee (for Colin) – most expensive yet, even for France. Back at the van to read for awhile and watch other campers try to negotiate the rocky, hilly parking lot to get in and settled – who needs tv when you have slightly incompetent drivers to watch?

Colin put up the flags he had brought – two long poles with three flags each on them – very impressive – I’ll have to figure out how to get my little maple leafs visible.

A bunch of cars pulled in across the road and setup several tents. They have set some logs upright and are burning a couple – don’t know what for.

Colin looked up the mountain to the north and said ‘do you see the sheep’? Sure enough there were hundreds on the very steep hill, with one man and 3 or 4 dogs.

A fellow from the next campervan over came and said hi – he saw the flags and asked (in French) where we were from. One of the folks with him was American and came of to chat and interpret a bit. They’ve been here since yesterday – I’m glad we didn’t wait any longer to get here, it’s obvious that many people are still to come. We’re in a really good spot – part way up a horrible mountain climb, and right near the road, although we likely won’t stay at our campsite very long once the riders start coming thru.

Looked up the mountain (not the one in the picture above) again to see what the sheep were up to and they weren’t there – they were on the move down and at a fairly speedy pace. They slowed down a bit and headed over the hill away from us with the one guy and the dogs urging them on.

More vans going up and down the hill – the grassy field we’re in is filling up slowly. The fire-logs across the road are for cooking food. The folks have three fairly large tents put together to make one large eating area with tables and chairs. I went over to say hi – they’re all French, although one lady did speak a tiny bit of English. They seemed pretty impressed that I’m on a six month trip to see the Grand Tours. They were cooking sausages on top of one log and baking potatoes in foil in a split partway down the log. Other logs had various other kinds of meat, and people were feasting inside the tents. She told me they would have music and dancing later, but I didn’t stay. I did hear some music and voices, but they weren’t loud and shut it down early.

It’s so quiet – all you can hear is the creek and the wind – not sure if it ever stops blowing.
nit

Watched another brilliant sunrise as I did yoga – mist rising off the lake, only birds and water sounds to listen to – how lovely!

There was a mini-market at the campground this morning – four or five tables with jewelry, olives and cheeses, jams, etc – don’t even have to go into the village.

Didn’t get riding until almost noon, despite the early start to the day. Went along the river on the path near the campground thinking it would follow the river and end up at the highway a few miles down, but all it did was go around the small lake and ended up where I started.

Rode across the bridge and up and down the other side of the river – saw some sheep (mostly sleeping or eating) and went up to the village on the hill again.

Got back to the campground and watched a bit of the Tour, then went down to the lake – might as well take advantage of what we’re paying for (or at least that Colin’s paying for!). It was really nice – most of the time. Lots of people swimming, paddle-boarding, kite-flying – all sorts of activities happening. Only a few very irritating kids that had to scream all the time, but most were really good.

Had a really nice swim and a little sunbathing, then watched the end of today’s Tour stage. Froome still in the lead, but he had to work very hard for it.

Face-timed Dom – let him know I might be out of touch for a few days after tonight, depending on where we end up tomorrow and if we have wi-fi or not.

Colin had bought some sheep’s cheese at the ‘camp market’ this morning – was it ever good. I wonder if it came from some of the sheep I saw on my ride.

Had a good sleep, and got on the bike a little earlier – 10:00. Rode into the village and checked out the Exhibition – basically an indoor market of local jewelry, jams, artwork, homemade knives, etc – some really nice things. I then found the supermarket – got some fresh veggies and was a little surprised at the cost, and not in a good way. I’ve become used to super cheap food, and it seemed a little expensive – I guess that’s the price you pay to be here.

Took a ride around, heading east from the village – saw another village across the valley and think it might be the one I rode to yesterday. Continued on until just past the bridge, then rode up a couple of side roads until it became too steep. Headed back to camp on the creek path I was on yesterday.

Tried to load some pic’s but got frustrated at the slowness of the connection – sometimes it’s really fast, sometimes not so much.

Watched most of the day’s Tour on tv – found an English channel! – Froome regained yellow, and Aru looked very tired. Looking forward to seeing it in person next week.

Had fried bacon and eggs for dinner – quite a nice sunset, then to bed early. I’m alternating reading two books – one about the history of the Tour (by Graeme Fife) and the other a Jack Reacher novel.

Got up to see mist on the lake – very cool night and everything covered with condensation. Had a nice shower, then did yoga as the sun rose over the Alp in the northeast. The campground was so quiet – all I could hear was the birds and the river/creek.

After a late breakfast took a ride to see the rest of the campground, etc. The campground is large with a creek flowing through the middle. There are lots of activity areas – a bunch of teenagers were playing freezbie in a large field – there seemed to be at least a couple of large groups together.

I saw what looked like a path up to a road, so headed for it – sure enough it was a path – maybe cars went on it, but looked more like a walking/cycle path to me. I followed it for a short bit, then when there was a cross-path that went left back towards the village of Valbonnaiss I took it.

Rode to the village, then west to the end and back east again – there might have been a market somewhere, but all I saw that was open was a couple of hotel bars and cafes.

I did check out a map at a square that showed lots of local paths and trails so I followed a couple without getting too far into the mountains or away from the campground.

The Tour didn’t start until mid-afternoon – short but hard day of climbing. Quintana and Contador both picked up time on Froome, but probably not enough.

Had mashed potatoes and lamb chops for dinner – not bad eating for campers! I must say there have been very few times I haven’t loved the food everywhere I’ve been.

On the road to Mont Ventoux right at 9:30. Started passing more and more cyclists going up – stopped a couple of times to cheer them on, then drove towards the top of the mountain. It’s by far the highest peak in the area, with a weather station on top.

There’s a restaurant about 6 km from the top where a lot of folks had stopped for refreshments – Colin saw someone he knew, so took the dogs for a walk while I found (eventually) the WC. I must say that there are so many kinds of toilets, and ways to flush them that it sometimes amazes me. In every country I’ve been in so far there have been: ordinary toilets (with seat), toilets without seat, hole in floor with places for feet. Then there is the method of flushing: choice of two things to press – one small and one large (can figure that one out!), push button on wall, step on button on floor, pull cord from above. But for today’s I had to be a bit of a detective – the flusher was actually the same button as the door locker – when you pushed it to indicate you wanted out, it flushed – a combination lock!

The reason for our foray up the mountain, as well as many of the riders, was a memorial ceremony for a friend of Colin’s who had died on the mountain while competing in a race. Tom Simpson was a Brit (that lived in Belgium) and was only 29 years old, and they’ve built a very nice memorial right were he passed away very near the top of the climb.

We drove to the top and walked around a bit – awesome views in every direction. There was more than one person selling candy of all sorts, another selling cookies and sausages, etc.

Chatted with a few of the cyclists, then drove back down 1 km to the memorial site. There were hundreds of cyclists that made the climb, and even the vehicle traffic came to a stop when the service was going on. There were a few speeches, mostly in Belgian (or Flemish?) but it wasn’t overly sombre – rather seemed happy and perhaps inspiring. Bradley Wiggins had ridden up, but left before the ceremony (probably so he wouldn’t distract folks).

After the ceremony we drove down as far as the restaurant, then turned onto a different road the rest of the way down – heading at first east, then north towards Gap. Partway down we got on one of the roads we had come in on, and followed it to Sault, then north and east to just south of Sedron where we turned north.

Near the end of this road was another gorge, although not as long or high up as the one the other day. At several points there were cars parked at the side of the road – folks were down at the river swimming and having picnics. At one very narrow corner we met a truck coming the other way – we ended up having to back up so he could pass, as he was pulling a small trailer and it was easier for us to manoeuvre back and forth so he could get by. As usual I’m glad I’m not driving!

Made it to Laragne Moteglin where we expected to get onto the E712 highway, but took several wrong turns, then found the road was closed so had to back-track a bit and get onto another highway going north.

Got to Gap, did some shopping and headed further north to just before La Mure – some very beautiful countryside. Passed a bunch of solar panels on a large building then further on a couple of huge wind turbines.

Got to the campground at Valbonnais not long after 7 – it’s very beautiful, surrounded by Alps and has a small lake. Setup camp – I had wanted to put my tent facing west toward the lake, and with the campervan’s awning also facing the lake but the wind was so strong we turned everything around and are now facing east instead.

Colin took me out for pizza for dinner at the restaurant on the lake – I had a Hawaiian which was very good – leftovers for breakfast, too.

Sat outside the office for a bit (where the wi-fi is best) and got caught up on things. Froome, Quintana and Contador all had a bad day, and Aru is now in yellow – we’ll see how long that lasts, or if Froome can come back. Quintana and Contador are likely out of it, although you never know – the race is only half over.

Once again had a very efficient tent tear-down and pack-up, followed by a leisurely breakfast – out of camp by 9:30. Initially headed northeast to Digne Les Bains, where we turned west to Sisteron.

Passed more than one place with ‘les bains’ in it’s name – apparently they have some really great hotsprings in the area. And there’s also a long part of the road that has big trees on both sides – this was the route that Napolean took when he escaped from Elba, and he later had the trees planted so that when his army marched through the area they would be in shade – how considerate of him!

Went west at Sisteron – now in lavender growing country, where both the vistas and the aromas are lovely. Some of the houses have lavender-coloured shutters – it’s a very picturesque area. Turned south just past Montbrun-les-bains toward Sault.

Were supposed to turn west right when we approached Sault, but the bend was way too sharp for the campervan. It was market-day in the town and the traffic – both vehicles and pedestrians – was crazy. We ended up going thru the town and the GPS tried to get us back on the right road but we ended up on a dirt road leading nowhere fast.

Turned around and made our own way – GPS was unhappy with every turn we made (or didn’t make) and we ended up on the ‘Gorges la Nesque’ road. It was gorgeous and very impressive, but I’m sure glad it was Colin driving and not me. There were very short rock tunnels with very low clearances – I thought at times we were in danger of taking the top of the campervan off, but Colin had nerves of steel and we made it in one piece. Had to turn GPS off for a bit as all it was doing was beeping warnings – as if we couldn’t see the low tunnels or extremely dangerous drop-offs. Lots of cyclists going up and down – it seems to be quite a local attraction.

Got to the campsite in Bedoin before 2 – had last night’s leftover pasta for lunch before setting up the tent. Noticed that one of the tent poles is a little cracked at one end – really hope it doesn’t break off as the whole structure would be put out of whack – all of the poles are hooked together with elastic inside and if one’s out they’re all out.

It’s very hot – the campsite we’re at is very basic and doesn’t have any amenities, although there’s a pool right next door that you have to pay to use.

After dinner of stuffed chicken burgers we took the dogs down to the night market. It wasn’t very large but at least most of the stuff looked local and hand-made rather than plastic junk from China. Some really nice jewelry and paintings.

Saw some plaques on the wall of a building on the road to Mont Venteux, including one commemorating Colin’s friend Tom Simpson, whose memorial ride is the event we’re here to see.

Had a glass of wine at a street-side cafe, then a leisurely walk home to camp. Passed a ‘lavage’ that Colin told me used to be where all of the village women came to do their laundry. There were large depressions where the clothes were pressed down against the rock sides – quite interesting. There were rinsing pools and everything – I guess the women would have a good gossip while scrubbing away.

Despite the party at the pool bar last night I did get a fairly good sleep. Got up at 1:15 to visit to loo, and there were people everywhere just leaving the bar to go to bed. We got on the road just when we had planned to – right around 10.

Headed west and crossed into France just after Ventimiglia, then turned north on the outskirts of Nice. Lots of craggy hills and beautiful villages.

Drove north for a bit along a beautiful turquoise lake that ended at St. Andres les Alpes, where we turned west again.

We found our campsite easily in the small town of Berreme. It’s a really nice campsite, and we walked into the village over a pedestrian bridge with the dogs and had a drink. There were so many flies around that we didn’t hang out for long.

Back at the campground I went for a really nice swim in the pool – A German (I think) lady had to help me open the child-proof gate to get in – the instructions, of course, are all in French, and at this point my Italian is actually better, but not overly helpful here.

Had yet another lovely quiet dinner and evening chat with Colin.

After a nice shower, yoga, then breakfast went for a ride down to the village, then east along the cycle path. It went for about 6 1/2 km, including a 1.6 km tunnel, before it ended. Turned around and rode back to Santo Stefano al Mare where I met Colin and the little ones.

Had a cup (pot) of tea, then Colin left to walk back to camp while I stayed a few minutes, then went to a store then rode back up the hill.

Had a quiet afternoon reading after lunch – excellent bunwich of ham and camembert cheese with side salad of fresh veggies.

Kind of lazy day – it’s a rest day for the Tour, so mostly just read and hung out and chatted.