When we arrived last night, we were tired from the rough trail riding and happy to be out of the storm. We had been surrounded by dark skies and humidity most of the day, but the deep rumble of thunder and the brilliance of lightning across the sky made for an exciting finish to the day. I wish I could have taken a photo as the lightning was truly spectacular, but of course, the camera was safely put away by then.
We had a most peculiar ride in to the town of Leucate as the secondary road we had on the GPS still existed, but for some reason, the pavement was cut away several feet back from the connecting road and not accessible. So as luck will have it, at the height of the storm, we had to ride a very busy D road up in the hills and on a circuitous route. Yikes.
Leucate didn’t appeal to us so we carried on to Port Leucate and it was much better and more reasonable.
We both woke up this morning feeling like we had been hit by a bus. It was tough to get going, but at least we will be moving forward. Not sure how far we’ll get today. It depends on the weather and if our legs start working.
As we are leaving France soon, we wanted to mail some postcards. Well, it took almost an hour for this simple transaction. It was a strange set up as they had no system for queues and the crowd would gather waiting for an opportunity to jump forward. An elderly woman who was waiting next to me, standing supported by her cane, chatted with me about her frustrations in French. I responded with my thoughts in English and we became allies. She took me under her wing and made sure that I followed her. We shared as well, indignation when a male clerk closed his desk just as we were next...and then, 5 minutes later opened for a young, cute woman in tight jeans. If I needed reminding that I have grey hair and am not as young as my internal mirror thinks I am, well this was it. Needless to,say, my new friend and I glowered at this fellow, but he was not interested and promptly closed up again when the young woman left.
Frustrating sure, but I left with a warm feeling as my friend gave me a smile and supportive touch on my arm as she walked slowly out of La Poste.
Highlights of this hotel were a big tub for soaking, super quiet, a balcony over looking the Port and it protected us from the weather.
The Mediterranean is popular with surfers along this stretch. We love the aqua colour of the water and the crashing waves. This is where we will make our lunch.
We like these laundry facilities on the street -accessible 24/7. We desperately need to take some time to do a proper laundry. Maybe Barry has the right idea - just jump in and get it all done at one time..
Well, when you least expect it, EV8 signs appear. On that note, this area has spent much money improving the cycle trails and signage. We really appreciated the new bridges that have recently been built which let us stay on the trail and not circle back to the bridge on the road.
EV8 signs 👍 - we ride on it some of the time but our Koln Barcelona route mostly goes it’s own way - and we are really liking it. Barry found the route and GPS track on the website: biroto.
Well, the weather was crazy again today, but this evening it has cleared which lets us enjoy the full moon. The wind is quite strong and Is giving the palm trees a real workout.
Today's ride: 31 km (19 miles) Total: 1,927 km (1,197 miles)
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Steve Miller/GrampiesWe have found that places that sell post cards often sell stamps, even for overseas. Buying stamps there can head off finding and dealing with La Poste! Reply to this comment 5 years ago
