France by Bicycle | PART 25: LE MAGNIFIQUE RHÔNE

Waking up in Tain l’Hermitage, we cross the Rhône on the spectacular Marc Seguin footbridge and then follow the ViaRhôna, through orchards and beneath hillsides covered in vineyards. The trees are ablaze with the autumn colors as we make our way north. There is little to report along this stretch, just the kind of non-stop views of that magnificent French scenery everyone hopes to find here, and a serene, dreamy day. An afternoon shower graces our route as we make our way into Condrieu. A spectacular day of riding.

Music:

Accordion and Glockenspiel Comedy – JK Productions
Pond Five
081716572-accordion-and-glockenspiel-com
a href=”https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-music/item/81716572-accordion-and-glockenspiel-comedy-short-version”Stock Music/a provided by JK_Production, from a href=“https://www.pond5.com/”Pond5/a

June 21 – Victor Lundberg
Epidemic Sound

Rainy Birthday – Aluvio
Epidemic Sound

Silent Way – Candelion
Epidemic Sound

In Bloom – Victor Lundberg
Epidemic Sound

Happy Trails let’s go chase our dreams baby There’s our restaurant from last night We grabbed some Provisions for lunch we headed back to the trail the rain from last night was still threatening and the day was cool and damp as we crossed a beautiful Footbridge Over the Rhone there’s been a winery up on the hill Castle here it’s beautiful Bridge foreign

Bridge over there this is really a nice town you know you always wish you had more time when you’re bike touring you’re always kind of on the move it seems and the times you can spend long periods of time are kind of it’s not that common So you have to be content just kind of moving moving through it and just seeing it it’s like a flow but there’s a route following the river and I think it’s going to be really pretty don’t you I do yeah and two more days to Rowan’s birthday all right one

More day it’s the last day of my 62nd year so this is a very special day Oh just for that I got a handlebar in the crotch so good morning good morning and uh again we’re coming to you from Penn lermitage which according to my translation look it up in your uh and see what see what it means it must have a double meaning I don’t know the direct

Translation is not not good but they’re expecting rain today drizzle and uh got a little bit of sun a little bit of sky but I think it’s just going to be a gloomy lovely day in Europe I’m looking forward to it I think it’s going to be gorgeous it should be wonderful yeah

It’s already off to a good start yeah Happy Trails Happy Trails love it look at this hold on we gotta stop and check this out what a beautiful sculpture on the side of this Castle that is a memorial to World War one that has been artistically added to the side

Of the fabulous Castle here out overlooking their own this is the stuff I just love this stuff yeah nice yellow box you can come in and lock your bike up and then go walk the town if you want to excellent idea really cool beautiful wineries in all directions we

Checked out some wine last night that was local and probably the best wine we’ve ever had either of us fantastic just incredible field autumn sneaking in lots of leaves coming down some golds a little bit of Reds nothing the trash system here in France a little recycling dumpsters everywhere you go Good morning got the rain head on ready for the rain so yeah the de brim is not just a sun shapole it’s also a rain Chef Bowl that’s right so in case it rains uh but you know they always say yeah here comes the rain here

Comes the rain and it just never comes I’m loving this damp weather it rained overnight it rained while we were at the uh restaurant while we were eating Outdoors we had a little roof over our head but we’re watching that romantic River and the bridge because the air had a slight chill which

We didn’t mind all the other customers wanted to be inside to work with warm and dry so we had this whole lovely patio to ourselves it really was quite romantic it was lovely you know and this is romantic I just love these kind of gray European days with them with the

Mist in the air it’s going to be a great ride wherever there are bike trails there are some means to keep out unwanted Vehicles along this stretch of the Via Rona a kind of gate was used with a bar just at about my head’s level I felt like I had

To duck under each one and I found myself wondering how many people clock themselves on these gates in the U.S they call this red stuff Virginia creeper I wonder what they call it here so it’s the first thing that turns really Vivid red and it’s always gorgeous in the fall

But it doesn’t last for maybe a few days but boy sure is beautiful and a harbinger of Awesome As we rode the clouds begin to ease a bit and the wet fields and Orchards glowed under the soft light The further north we went the more lovely the trail became carving in and out of trees and pastures Vineyards and Orchards with their own showing off its calm Waters from time to time the atom colors were also becoming more beautiful sped Along by the Cool Rain the passing season and are continuing

Northward trajectory which is loving this landscape so sweet we had no destination we hadn’t looked for lodging yet we had no idea where we were on the map or what sites we should be stopping to see we just rode embraced by the soft beauty of this gentle country witnessed at a

Slow steady pace This is why we ride the even Cadence the steady effort and the quiet dreamy landscape all blending to create a perfect Zen moment losing track of time and space a circular flow of pushing energy out and taking Beauty in Thank you This Trail is just fabulous just fabulous just an incredible incredible Trail here Nice spot for a little picnic lunch what do we got today cheese and honey and peanut butter and a croissant yeah in The View yeah one of the things I love like as you’re sitting having a bite along the trail or whatever everybody who passes says bon appetit

Just it sounds trite but no they uh they actually every person says Bon Appetit they always greet you with hey glad you’re enjoying your food you know you have a have a great meal other friends appreciate Good Wine and Food yes they do a gentle mist’s just starting up had a

Great little lunch by the river cannot say enough good things about this Trail this Trail is just fabulous great views of the river if you build it they will come right there’s just a ton of people Maybe not today today’s been a little quiet We do like it that way but it is so nice all these little spots with clearing so that you can see the river this is the luxury way to do bike touring you know ride all day through Beauty and then stay in a nice little hotel and have a

Nice warm dinner at night so it’s perfect and the best wine you’ve ever had I swear to God it is that bottle last night was truly I think the best wine I’d ever had yeah I know Foreign Shower now Soft and gentle wondering if I uh should put my real rain jacket on back in full rain gear all right it’s not really raining hard yet but it looks like it’ll probably be pretty wet for the next few miles that’s okay And after another rough detour we freelanced uh deviation and made our way back onto the trail so hopefully it’s smooth sailing from here till God I can’t remember Cole Kono Kano something I don’t know all right let’s go chase our dreams baby trip around France we’ve experienced sweltering heat and punishing headwinds

It would be hard to begrudge a soft cool rain now in mid-october with the season’s colors Ablaze we were in heaven gorgeous Good morning What is the trails and rough surface turn into condoro just a lot of root buckles makes it very slow going you just can’t get any speed bounces the panniers right up your rack This Forest just smells so good after that rain it’s just magic opening through here down to a last mile and a half on anacondra nice way to finish the day and like I say it’s been raining a lot of the afternoon wet really sweet here’s our town and a hotel waiting for us

As welcome as our room and control was we were feeling the weariness not just from writing but simply from the lack of home a different room every night was no alternative to our own cozy bed we knew the trip was not far from drawing to a close beautiful and even as we savored

The last few days of our French Adventure we looked forward to the Comforts of our little house tomorrow we would reach Lyon but we always told ourselves would be the beginning of the end of our French curl anything after that would be gravy how much more do we have left in the tank Stay tuned Bonjour