Things don't always go as planned, but things always turn out OK. We are in Champagnole, not Monnet-la-Ville as planned, primarily because we had some difficulty finding lodging. It is a popular time to be in the Jura Mountains! We tried to find something near Lac de Chalain but got no response from the many places we tried. We were not able to even get an answer, so had to assume that they were all fully booked and not bothering to answer the phone! Unclear, really.
But we found this hotel in Champagnole that was six miles (11 km) off our path but a place to stay! We will need to reroute a bit and approach the Jura Mountains through Ney rather than along the aforementioned lake, but after ten miles, we will reconnect with our original course. And it's an "easy" ten miles. No turns required! But all uphill nonetheless. But we had good practice for that today.
So we rose not too early, had a wonderful breakfast, and said goodbye to our hosts.
We then set off to recover our route! Coming to Asnans-Beauvoisin had placed us about four miles west of the course. And we were not actually in Asnan but further west and south. But rather than head due east, we opted to head south and east with the plan to recover the route in La Chassagne, about seven miles down the road, passing through Les Hays and Rye.
The countryside we were in was beautiful and much more rolling than late yesterday's.
We were enjoying our hosts so much that we left a bit on the later side, 11:00 AM, so decided on lunch in Chaumergy, partly because it was already about 12:30 when we arrived there, and we weren't sure where we might have the opportunity to eat again.
After lunch, we were sufficiently refueled to start the real climb into the foothills of the Jura Mountains. Our tour so far has been relatively easy and mostly flat. So I was looking forward to our upcoming climbing!
Château-Chalon is perched on a cliff facing west, which is the approach we were on, and became our first major climb of the trip and our introduction to the Jura Mountains. The town has been nominated as one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France. I won't argue that point. And the number of tourists indicated others thought so as well.
Partway up the climb, looking ahead and to the left.
It was a sweet climb, about three miles long and never getting worse than about 6%! And while we probably could have eaten in Château-Chalon, it was already past 3:00, and we would have had to do that climb on an empty stomach. Plus, I always believe you should avoid, when possible, tourist centers when eating. So we took in the views but did not linger long.
Beyond Château-Chalon we continued to climb a bit before landing on a nice plateau that was wide open. That led us to a wooded section that went around another mountain before descending to Pont-du-Navoy and the Ain River.
Of course, any seasoned touring cyclist knows that if you're crossing a river, you're most likely at the bottom of a climb. So we still had some rolling terrain to cross before arriving in Champagnole.
Crossing the Ain River. In the distance, the road to Champagnole.
