Barcelona to Rome: Into the Alps

And so we leave behind the Pyrenees, Provence and the Mont Ventoux as we had for the alps. There was a tempting opportunity to do the Ventoux again following a second route originating in Sault where we were scheduled to stop for morning tea/coffee but a wild thunderstorm with lightning and heavy rain for several hours through the night prompted Dylan to can the idea as it was still possible that conditions could be nasty at the top.

Even without the ascent of Mont Ventoux we were going to get quite a bit of cumulative climbing done. Only one decent berg but lots of constant uphill along the way. Passing through the Gorges de Nesque was spectacular as we headed ever east. At the top of the gorge there was a... lets say strange fellow living a hermit like existence, who was raking gravel and keeping the area tidy. London to a brick he was an ex-Vietnam vet who wanted to get away from it all. No electricity, no phone, no TV etc. Still had a strong American accent.

The new group got a chance to show us how fresh their legs were and one young guy, Pat, from Washington DC was off like a scalded cat. We didn't see him until lunch. Tim, a young fellow from England is a cancer survivor in his 30's and was rightly proud to have summited the Ventoux yesterday. There is another American couple and a single American fellow who are all very amicable.

We spent last night at La Motte Chalancon in a rustic farmhouse. Dinner was to be had at a Table d'hote on a nearby beef farm. I had visions of steak and chips which we are all hanging out for. Instead we had a lovely, large, hearty feed of beef bourginon, salads, bread and dessert followed by an early night as most of us are pretty knackered.

Today is pretty much a transport stage with 1900 m of climbing and 92km, taking us closer to three big days in the Alps.