Loading up in front of Hotel des Arceaux, I noticed that it was not really as narrow as it had felt yesterday. It was mainly the entrance that was super narrow. The grey shroud at the top of the photo is not an attempt at censorship, but, I think, a weird camera glitch.
In the clear light of day we could look again at Bayonne, though we did not go back up to the cathedral area. The town has a rather Parisian air, with four or five story, rather formal, light grey buildings. It is not the gay ambiance of St. Jean de Luz, but still nice.
Also across the river was this carousel, that bills itself as being from 1900. If so, it must have received some upgrades, because there is a little car on board (just barely visible) that has to be at least a 1915 model T.
Since we were following Eurovelo 1 we were prepared to feel betrayed when the sign directed us to a set of crazy stairs. Fortunately, there was an elevator beside!
The next cyclists along the path were a young mother and her son, Charlie. Of course, they too were not about to go through the lake. They offered to guide us around the obstruction, and went out of their way a bit to do that.
We were deciding whether to try the flooded route when some cyclists emerged from the path. I asked them in French if it were truly flooded, and they replied "Oh yeah", or the French equivalent, that's why they were retreating. At this point I glanced down at their gear and saw that their panniers were from MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop). "Canadians!", I exclaimed.
The cyclists turned put to be Jennifer and David, from New Brunswick. They were headed up the coast, with Jennifer stopping at Rostock and returning home to her work, but leaving David to carry on to Poland. Today was their first day out, since they had started from Bayonne. Needless to say a lot of fun chatter ensued, and we are sure our ways will cross as we all proceed up the coast.
We carried on along the road for a bit, but soon had another crack at regaining EV 1. Now it really did the trick for us. It is a combination of rail trail and marked bike lane, such that at no time during today were we battling with cars.
Several times during the day we had passed and been passed by a guy riding a hand pedaled recumbent. I tried to get a shot of him, but he was too darn fast!
At this point one could walk up the dune and have a look at the ocean. We found David and Jennifer there, doing just that. They said the 15 minute hike up was worth it, but for some reason we were eager to move along. Grampies 2017 also recommended this, but Grampies 2024 will maybe wait until an opportunity comes up tomorrow.
Now we entered an area of managed pine forest. This goes on for a very long time. It is easy to see patches that will soon be thinned, thinned patches, and areas of mature trees.
Bill ShaneyfeltNice shot! Commonly found on walls. Introduced to the Cincinnati OH area, where I have caught them. First time I did was late 1990s and it took a bit to find out they had been naturalized in the area for a while.
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/55990-Podarcis-muralis Reply to this comment 1 month ago
At last we came to Leon, our destination town for today. We were pleased to see the standard French layout, with church on one side, bakery on the other, of the central square. There was a bonus this time, with a bike shop beside the bakery.
Here then is Leon's main street. This follows up on the square with yet another bakery, and even another bike shop! We headed to the Carrefour market, where you can get good premade salads.
We booked a place just outside Leon, that attracted us with its name. Indeed, it is set up to receive cyclists from off EV1, and even has an Acceuil Velo sign.
We did figure out how to work the heater, so that is a big plus for the room. Also, the owner is German, so the beds have duvet and not annoying tightly tucked white sheets. With this, we are in good shape to cycle again tomorrow!
Today's ride: 64 km (40 miles) Total: 2,503 km (1,554 miles)
