You're kidding, right??? No way am I peddling my bike over that sucker!!!: I am also not peddling up that 12+ % grade street that goes on forever!!

August 29, 2014

After much discussion, and help from our friend, Christian, we decided to bike to Le Harve this morning, and take the train to Rouen, rather than spend 2-3 days getting there by bike. Although it seems like cheating to take a train, we need to fast forward a few days to get to the areas that we really want to cycle. Oh, by the way, 24 hour cold is still here....but he is a trouper.

I had read that the best way to get to Le Harve from Honfleur, is to get a bus that takes bikes, because the Normandy bridge is unpleasant to bike, to put it mildly, but we were ancious to get back on the bikes, after all, it is only about 23 kms to the train station, so how hard can that be.

The bridge was completed in 1995, and it the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world. It is 7,025 ft long, and raises 165 ft above the water level. IT IS A NIGHTMARE TO CYLE ACROSS!!

There is a bike lane, but it is not very wide, and there is lots of traffic going very fast, and many transport tucks. I started out riding, but my nerves couldn't take it, and when the trucks went by, it felt like I was going to get sucked in under one of their wheels. Not a pleasant thought! There is also a narrow walking path, which has a concrete divider from the traffic. I finally decided to bail out, and push my bike all the way. I tried riding in this lane, but it is too narrow with the panniers. Ron opted to cycle across, and helped me get my bike over the concrete barrier to the walking path. I was glad when he was out of my sight, as my heart couldn't take seeing the trucks go speeding by him. He managed fine, but he was none to happy to get off. Sweet guy that he is, he parked his bike, and walked back to finish riding mine over, while I walked behind. There was, what looked like a bike path, that went away from the bridge, so we took that, which turned out to be a mistake. Rather than go back a short distance, and go on the road, we pushed and dragged them down a steep, grassy hill to the road. Up ahead was another section of bridge, with another very steep hill, equally as long. If I have to go over that, just kill me now!

I checked the bike directions I had to get to the train station, and thank goodness, we were to exit just before the next bridge, and bike along an estuary, also with lost of heavy truck traffic going to the port, but a least it was not a bridge. We finally made it to the train station with about 10 minutes to spare. Whew....It was so nice to get the bikes on that train and relax for an hour.

The rule on these bike tours, is that we do not pre-book, and Ron scouts out a room when we get to a town at the end of the day. There are a few reasons for this. One is that we never know for sure how far we are going to go, because weather, and getting lost. Also, it can be frustrating to try to find the hotel you booked, when you get there, after a hard day. Especially in bigger cites, such as Rouen, where we are tonight.

Well, I decided before we left today, that I would research a nice place for us to stay tonight. It would make it easier, right? Apperently, not!

The first thing we did when we arrived, was to stop and have a coffee outside the train station and look at the directions for our hotel. We even asked several people, some who were able to help, and some who sent us in the wrong direction. After we had climbed about 3 kilometers up about a 12% hill, (me pushing, once more), we discovered the hotel was actually about 3/4 of the way back down. The guy with the cold, peddled all the way up, by the way, and he never said a word about "the rule", although I will not likely pre-book for awhile. At least not a place at the top of a hill. I am having trouble getting on my 100lb bike, in the middle of a hill, if I have to stop. Something I will work on, or just avoid steep hills.

A long story, for a short cycling day, but it felt like about 100 kilometers to the both of us. Just glad it is behind us, and we are safe, and still happy to be touring.

We enjoyed the main sights of the beautiful city of Roen this afternoon, and we are heading to the Loire Valley tomorrow. I can't wait to see it!