Arâches-la-Frasse to Lac du Passy

July 23, 2023

It was always going to be a mission leaving the big house. First we waved goodbye to the van and car loaded up with most if the bikes. Then we tried eith Dirk and Damay to do the last bits of cleaning and tidying and packing while also trying to stop our children from hurting each other. They mostly played together very nicely, just sometimes Bram would get loud and in Tobias' face which he didn't like but being 2 he's still working on saying "please leave me alone" instead of pushing him over. The electric organ finlly turned out to be a hit and they said goodbye on a good note.

Everyone had done a pretty good job of tidying up so we just had to finish packing and wait for the dishwasher before we set off just before lunch. We then had to tackle the driveway climb of about 150m over less than 2km fully loaded. It was a pretty rough warm up each time we headed out on the bikes last week but it definitely took less than the 20 minutes it took us today. From the top we only rode another few kilometres to our local boulangerie for lunch.

The whole ride today was on familiar territory. First the epic descent down to Magland where we stopped to pick up a package and some groceries while Tobias slept, then along the quiet roads/cycle path to Lac de Passy which we passed on our second day here. The touring bikes were for sure significantly slower and heavier, but still very comfortable. The head wind wasn't helpful and we are both exhausted from a week of huge rides and late nights. It felt a bit like your first day back at work after a vacation where everything goes a bit slowly.

Tobias woke up about 15 minutes from the campsite Mont Blanc plage. It might be just being happy to be back in our rhythm and routine again but Tobias seemed extra chill while we were setting up the tent today. The only drama was when he had a crash and cut his lip which bled quite a lot. He seemed much more perturbed by the blood than the pain. After setting up we headed to the lake for a quick swim before dinner.

James made friends with our neighbours - a Dutch couple with a teenager - so that he could charge his cycle computer. This is going to be his new tactic rather than using the toilets anymore. They were extra lovely and while I was sitting outside on the ground writing they brought me their amazing inflatable armchair to borrow. I nearly fell asleep.

The forecast is for thunderstorms tomorrow and there is a warning issued for the area. We're hoping its like the thunderstorms on Friday that didn't turn out to be much because we have an unavoidably big day of climbing tomorrow. And we had a free washing machine tonight so all lur clothes are wet and hoping to dry on the line. We will see what tomorrow brings.

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