Auberives en Royans to St. Jean en Royans - Poking Around Europe 6.0 - CycleBlaze

May 14, 2019

Auberives en Royans to St. Jean en Royans

A Memorable Day

A memorable, memorable day. Everything about today has been fabulous. We have taken far too many pictures and I don’t know how I will choose. 

We started the day with breakfast in our chambre d’hôte. Home made brioche, croissants, cheese, homemade jams and wonderful company. Conversation was a little easier this morning as one of the guests spoke excellent English and no one had to be exposed to quite so much of my fractured French. 

A feast for the guests.
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Our room is lower right. It was both charming and modern...all the atmosphere of Europe with all the modern conveniences.
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The first climb of the day was up the steep driveway. We are glad we don’t have to shovel it in the winter. That pool will be getting some good use in the coming months. It looked very inviting.
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We decided to reverse our route as far as Pont-en-Royans. We really wanted to take a better look at the town. It is always astonishing to us how different a route looks in the opposite direction. It was a fantastic ride up with virtually no traffic. 

On our way to Pont-en-Royans.
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Pont-En-Royans is a stunning place. We visited tourist information and just puttered around. First up though was a traffic jam caused by a large truck. We loved watching the machinations necessary for this guy to get through the narrow street. 

This wasn’t easy, and involved much backing up of everyone coming the other way. It was so much fun to watch. Everyone was patient and just waited until the drama was over.
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The coast is clear. See the narrow bit ahead he had to negotiate? Even the pedestrians piled up waiting for him to get through.
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An amazing spot. The foam you see on the river is actually blossoms that have blown off the trees. It is still windy, note the three trees on the right.
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The sketchy balconies again. They conform to no known building code.
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What happened to the sixth tarte citron? The symmetry is ruined.
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Steve Miller/GrampiesThe solution is simple: buy one, or three, or five.
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3 years ago
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Looking back across the river.
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Climbing away from Pont-en-Royans.
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We found the missing tarte citron in my handlebar bag. It was just as tasty as it looks.
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We had a delightful ride to St. Jean-en-Royans. Our route was a little further than expected when the bridge over the river on the bike route was closed but it didn’t matter. Everything about it was beautiful. 

The poppies are really starting to pop, but this is probably only 10% of what it will look like in a week, judging by all the buds.
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The girls admiring Keith.
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Our chambre d’hôte tonight is even more amazing than last nights. It is run by a young couple with three small children. Young Jean, at 6 months is a charmer. The house itself is old and beautiful. We were able to leave our bags in the room and after an amazing macaroon (or two) we started up the Col de la Machine. What an experience. 

Our amazing accommodation.
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The climb was 12 km and the first 8 or 9 were at 8% and then it leveled off at the top.
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About half way up looking back to the valley.
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Our first glimpse of the first tunnel on the balcony road.
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Looking down. Wow.
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We were passed by about two cars and three motorcycles on the entire climb. Just as we finished gawking at the views and were ready to start through the tunnel this happened. The car had almost made it through and was suddenly reversing. At first I thought they were going to hop out and take a photo but that wasn’t it hehe.
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Away we go. To our astonishment the best was yet to come.
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This road was built in the 1890’s. An incredible feat.
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It was jaw dropping gorgeous.
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An amazing experience.
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The views were astonishing. Other than the truck and car at the first tunnel we had the road to ourselves. We just kept stopping and looking and exclaiming. Our host at the chambre d’hôte had warned us that the wind at the top could be extreme, and it was. We had to be very careful. 

A rare picture of Keith.
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Down we go.
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Right here were the strongest winds I have ever experienced on a bike.
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Just as beautiful in both directions.
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I love being on a bike. You can stop and gawk pretty much anywhere.
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I managed to catch Keith coming through one of the tunnels.
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There are a million more pictures, but you get the idea!  Heading down was quick and we just went for it. In no time we were back at our wonderful chambre d’hôte. We showered, relaxed and enjoyed a fantastic meal prepared by our hosts. We had fascinating company at dinner and learned a great deal. Time for bed after a fantastic day. We are so very fortunate, and we are thankful. 

Stay here!
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Here is the video of the day: https://www.relive.cc/view/2366976723

Today's ride: 43 km (27 miles)
Total: 757 km (470 miles)

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Anne MathersWow, wow, wow! What a fantastic day. That is another Vercors ride that we need to do.
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5 years ago