Saint-Siméon-de-Bressieux to Pont-en-Royans

May 23, 2025

First, about yesterday. I said neither of us had taken any photos, but I learned this morning that Al had taken one of me.

We’ve had many wet, cold days over the years but yesterday was exceptional (for me, anyway). I just wasn’t feeling well. Perhaps I’m fighting a bug or maybe it’s jet lag. In any case, future trips will include 3 nights of adjustment before starting to ride. That’s under my control; weather isn’t.

My fancy Garmin watch provides a bit of evidence that the effects of jet lag are real. We left Vancouver on Monday May 19.

Body battery is a measure of energy level and takes stress into account. My watch doesn’t know I’m cycling, though, and interprets increased heart rate as stress.

This morning I was very glad we only had a short ride, about 40 km, and that the weather looked like it would stay dry, if cool. I was exhausted before we started, but Al was patient, waiting for me more than usual without complaint. We even took some photos!

The courtyard of our B&B, Sous le Figuier. It’s a pano so the pool looks curved. Lovely garden but we were inside!

The bridge at La Sone. We saw several touring cyclists today; one of them stopped here also to chat.

We arrived at Hôtel du Musée de l’Eau around 1 but check-in would not be possible until 4 p.m. We could deposit our bikes in the bike storage so we did that and got changed into street clothes there too. Very dusty, though, and anything that touched the floor or a wall picked up plaster or concrete dust.

The little bakery on the La Grande Rue was still open, though it was between noon and two, so we bought a few things for a light lunch and carried them down to the park beside the river.

The famous “maisons suspendues” as seen from the riverside park

Eventually, though, we could stall no longer so returned to the hotel with ideas of hanging out in thd lobby. Instead, it was strongly suggested we check out the Musée de l’Eau. I kept sitting down and falling asleep, though, so I’ll have to try again another day.

Once (finally) checked in, it was laundry and nap.

View from one of our windows. The bubbly blurry effect is due to the glass—and no, this wasn’t a bathroom window.

For dinner, we walked up to the Beau Rivage, a two-star hotel and restaurant. Al remembers eating there on our previous visit in 2017. (The hotel we stayed at then, the Royan, seems permanently closed.). We both had big salads, though Al’s was definitely bigger.

Al’s had smoked trout, tuna, prawns, and shrimp. Mine had ham and melon

Today's ride: 41 km (25 miles)
Total: 125 km (78 miles)

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