July 2, 2025
To Orthez
Temperatures had fallen overnight but there was heaviness in the air when I left Pau that reminded me of the old saying “it’s not the heat it’s the humidity.” I was heartened by the fact that the first half of today’s route along the Vélosud would include large tracts through the forest.
I swung by a bakery for a pain au raisin, circled down the hill and said good-bye to Pau. I’d gone only a short ways when I noticed my phone was not charging and had only 40% battery left. And worse, my power back held no charge. I’m not sure what led to this unfortunate situation, only that the heat had rattled my brain and I was making the rookie errors in the life of a touring cyclist.
As I was already deep in the woods, figuratively as well as metaphorically, I had no choice but to set my phone to airplane mode, let the screen go black, and follow the Vélosud route in the hopes of reaching a population center before I was totally without power. Of course that meant that I had to pay attention at each of the signed intersections. Oops - I missed the detour sign! Curiously, the detour was on my RWGPS track but I’d neglected to turn on my “off-route” alert and so was unaware of my error until the cycle path turned into a hiking trail. Another rookie mistake.
I backtracked to the detour, which led to a field and then a small picnic area where I spotted a maintenance man. He’d just gotten into his truck and was preparing to leave but I flagged him down and asked if there was any electric outlet on the grounds. No. On further questioning, he directed me to a nearby village where he assured was a tabac or similar venue where I could charge my devices. I rode into the village of Artiguelouve and there was nothing to be found - perhaps I misunderstood and he was directing me to Arbus, a larger town but farther off my track.
I rode past the church to the edge of Artiguelouve where I spotted a building with a large sign indicating commerce and fresh products. I’d occasionally seen these types of one-stop stores on the edge of smaller towns and was hopeful as I walked VG to the front side of the building. Alas, I found only a large room where two painters were toiling away. Fortunately, they were more than happy to help out. I connected my phone and power pack to the outlet and found a bench at the church to enjoy my pain au raisin.
I wandered back into the “charging station” every so often, striking up conversations with the painters, Thierry and Beatrice. It turns out that they are enthusiastic cyclists (Thierry proudly displayed his muscled calf) and were in fact soon heading off on vacation to follow the Tour de France for ten day as it travelled through the Pyrenees and Alps.
When the power levels reached 60%, I deemed it was enough power to continue and gave big hugs to Thierry and Beatrice. I was so thankful that I’d overcome my rookie mistakes and stumbled into yet another of those meaningful encounters that make cycle touring so magical.
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After the morning’s excitement, the remainder of the ride to Orthez was pretty non-eventful. The track was largely on small roads - some paved, some not - that meandered through farmland along the Ousse River. It was nice to be out of the forest and on fairly flat terrain, save for one ~3 mile section on a somewhat busy road that took me through Mourenx and up to Lagor before a steep descent back to the valley.
I crossed the Ousse River into Orthez and found my chambre d’hôte just minutes before the appointed check-in time. I was warmly greeted by the owners, Kevin and Etienne, and after a tour of the garden I retreated to my spacious room for the usual chores. I’d booked the half-board and so spent a delightful couple of hours savoring a home-cooked meal and lively conversation with Kevin and Etienne. A special treat was the rabbit stew based on an old family recipe and accompanied by an enduring family legend. A perfect ending to a long and crazy day.
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1 month ago
1 month ago
Today's ride: 39 miles (63 km)
Total: 1,050 miles (1,690 km)
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