Swapping 2 wheels for 2 legs

This seemed like a good idea at the time, but after 3,000ft of ascent straight up an apparently perpendicular cliff we were 't so sure. It was really hot but fortunately most of the climb was in the shade of the trees and by the time we finally popped out at the Col de Solude there was some cloud to cool things off - plus of course we were significantly higher up! I carried on up to the Col de St Jean (another 500 feet) while Chris staged a sit-in at the picnic table until I got back. After lunch we thought we had a nice downhill walk to Villard Notre Dame, but the path immediately headed back up for a further 300ft and then undulated along before finally descending to the village. From here we had planned to take a footpath back to Bourg d'Oisans but after taking one look at the nearly sheer track that was waymarked we opted out and walked down the twisting Tarmac road. It took an hour and a half and we saw three cars in total. I wouldn't have wanted to cycle down as the road is extremely narrow, has 4 unlit tunnels and the drop off the side is about 2,000 ft of vertical rock face. Even walking we were glad to get back. Our hosts were having the night off cooking so we ventured into Bourg to eat. The first thing you notice is the extremely high proportion of blokes around with testosterone fuelled bragging going on all around. There are a few couples, mainly older, sitting in the corners trying not to be noticed.  We fell in a sort of half way house, cyclists but neither young nor particularly loud (Chris might not agree with that).  The photos today aren't great I'm afraid - one tree looks much like another and vertical drops are hard to capture on film........

Not sure what we'll be up to tomorrow - the mechanic is muttering darkly about a rest day. Already????

What goes up continues to go up.........

So Day 1 of the Tour de Hume and, perhaps foolishly, we decided to do a route with 6,600ft of climbing. This involved starting up Alpe D'Huez to the 16th hairpin (starts at 21 and counts down to the top) then turning off and riding along the Auris balcony road which is a vertiginous road cut into the side of the mountain and twists round high up above the valley with fabulous views of the surrounding mountains. It eventually tops out, followed by the inevitable descent back down to the valley floor before we headed up a nine mile climb to the Col de Sarenne at 1,999m (or 6,600ft in old money). After the initial steep climb back out of the valley the climb was just long and steady (very long) until we finally managed to reach the top. The climb up had been virtually traffic free (as was the balcony road) with only a few cyclists to show we were on a recognised route. From the Col we descended to Alpe D'Huez which seemed a bit weird, but was very welcome after all the uphill stuff. Here we had an epic fail - approaching from an odd direction we did several circuits and were unable to find anything open, the summit of the TdF climb or the route down via the 21 hairpins. Trapped in a ski resort that was like a vision of hell, we eventually took a road signed Bourg d'Oisans and managed to join the main road between hairpins 2 & 3. We found the descent tiring as we constantly on the brakes and you could probably have fried an egg on the rims of my wheels - but we made it down safely with time to visit the local pharmacy to try and buy dental floss. Frankly I thought my mime of dental hygiene should have won an award (who actually knows the French for dental floss???) but it seemed to create some confusion amongst the staff and other customers.

Back here we have enjoyed tea and cake on the balcony and an excellent meal cooked by our hosts and eaten with them and the other cyclists, a really sociable way to holiday while being able to cycle on your own during the day.  Photos are various of the ride / scenery

Le Velo Jaune

Le Velo Jaune is where we are now established with 4 other cyclists (of about our vintage) from Middlesborough. We had a great night's sleep thanks to efficient air con and a quiet room, so woke ready to tackle more French motorways. We have now travelled around 575 miles in France, 550 at least on motorways. Verdict - very expensive with the tolls, very efficient with only 2 miles of minor roadworks and no congestion. Lots of rest areas (as opposed to service areas) which gave opportunities for leg stretching in rural conditions with far fewer car/ people. We got to Bourg d'Oisans (after an unscheduled circuit of Grenoble 😡) at lunchtime with high temps and full sun. We had a refined lunch of bananas wedged into a baguette, eaten while sitting on a kerb outside a closed restaurant........

Our accommodation for the next 8 days is Le Velo Jaune, a B&B with optional evening meals. Just 3 rooms and owned by a couple of British blokes who only bought it at the start of this season. We are 3 miles outside the village so eating here is the easy option, but we did cycle back in to stock up with fruit / snacks for the rides. The rooms here are certainly basic, but the lounge / dining area / balcony are to die for - all available to guests at any time. We are currently watching the highlights of the Vuelta with the othe cyclists. The evening meal was fabulous, all homemade and plentiful - just wish we had ridden further so we could enjoy it to the full!

Cycling proper starts tomorrow and we have a circuit of over 65 miles planned with 6,600 ft of ascent. Lots of photo stops planned.........

Below is a view on the ride back from Bourg, Chris in relaxed mode last night and our accommodation 

The Humes are on holiday

How else do you explain a collapsed motorway bridge on the M20 just a few hours before we try to get to Ashford, a Premier Inn where the room temperatures never dipped below 28.5 degrees C, the wrong debit card from our joint account being unable to access the self service check-in kiosks at Le Shuttle and all the directional arrows to France being blanked out at the terminal.   Brexit???? Once over here we have had a good run to Dijon despite several circuits of each rest area we have visited trying to work out the signage - on one occasion we ended up on the opposite side of the Autoroute (don't ask!!).  Chris has just managed to flood the bathroom at our hotel, including his clothes which were miles from the shower - suffice to say we won't be installing a wet room anytime soon😡

Anyway on the positive side we only saw lightning today and didn't actually get caught in it. Our extended rural tour of Surrey and Kent yesterday was long and slow but scenic, we got a full refund at the hotel from hell and are relived to report that cheap wine in France is just as bad as anywhere else. Chris reckons his glass of red has missed a successful career in paint stripping AND our room tonight is air conditioned - Hallelujah! 

Photos prove we have packed quite efficiently given there are 2 bikes on board and also our hotel for the night.

The Final Countdown

USo here we are, killing time in Dulles airport waiting for our flight home in an A380 (The Mechanic is well pleased). We got here far too early as we had to check out of the hotel and it was too hot to do much outdoors (I didn't want to travel back smothered in Factor 50 sun cream!). We had a slight problem at check in when the BA 'operative' said our bags were too heavy and we had to take some stuff out. Given we had lifted them easily on to the scales and they only weighed 13 kg coming out (limit 23kg) it seemed unlikely. However after a little debate I suggested that the scales were weighing in pounds not kilograms - which was in fact the case!  We were driven up by a suicidal taxi driver who spent the whole journey telling us about all his speeding / violations tickets, being in jail for not paying them etc, drinking coffee and then sorting out some paperwork on the passenger seat - all the time haranguing us about US policies on just about everything. I was very glad to get out alive........

I hope none of you have developed nomophobia in our absence, but don't worry if you have - I am considering opening a cyber wellness clinic as my new retirement project and I would be happy to enrol you.  A few pictures to end the blog - a giant pretzel, regarded as dinner in World of Beer, the splendid interior of Union Station Washington DC, a final glimpse of the Blue Ridge Mountains and (for those of you with four legged companions) the Dog Dinner Menu.

A real Dog's Dinner

Day started with a walk in Charlottesville before it got too hot, then a trip to the airport to return the hire car (remembering to fill it with 'gas' before returning it and having the usual battle with the self serve pumps).  The hotel sent a Shuttle bus to pick us up for free, unfortunately meaning that I had to forgo a ride in the 'Hallelujah Taxi' which was waiting for customers. Another walk saw the Mechanic strangely attracted by the 'Big Dawg Tattoo parlour' - professional body piercings, get one and get a second half price!  We then had to walk the bikes down to the Amtrak station to check them in before returning to collect the bags. It was stinking hot again so we just waited for the (late) train in the air conditioned station - which appears to have about 10 staff around to cope with a total of a maximum of 6 trains a day............

The journey was unremarkable, other than for the slow speed of travel - despite which we arrived earlier than our late departure might have suggested. It took three trips from the station to the hotel to get everything moved but we got here in the end. This is a posher place than we have been staying in since our first few days here (this is the place with the pillow menu) - it has a VIPaws Pet Program 'Our pet friendly hotel will welcome your guest of honour with treats, amenities and plenty of pampering'. This leads me to the post title. This place has an arty farty restaurant called 'Art and Soul' and (no kidding) it has a Dog Menu, featuring The Hungry Dawg, Gravy Train, The Raw Deal and to drink with their meal 'Bowser Beer' (non alcoholic beer costing around £6 for an unspecified amount). The world truly has gone mad!!!  Having said that, anyone prepared to pay $35, plus 11% sales tax, plus a minimum 15% tip for a Power Dinner presumably wouldn't blink at buying their dog dinner and a drink. The Power Dinner consists of soup or baby lettuce salad, a crispy cornmeal cake and a homemade cookie.........

Anyway, picture of the day is of the ubiquitous sausage gravy, served with 'biscuits' (unsweetened scones to you and me) at virtually every hotel breakfast. I have spared you the grizzly details of the eating habits observed, but today we had a good 'un.  Man helps himself to scrambled egg with steak and cheese, fried potatoes and biscuits, the whole lot liberally drenched in aforementioned sausage gravy. His wife then came up to him to ask him if he wanted any of the fresh fruit salad on offer, showing him her bowl. Off he charges and helps himself to a generous, juicy portion - spooned on top of the sausage gravy (and everything else). The only surprise was that he didn't add a dollop of the squirty cream provided for the waffles!

To the airport tomorrow, so fingers crossed the flight is not overbooked and is on time

Things you never knew before

We finally left Myrtle Beach today, after a final walk on the sand. We were on the road shortly after 8.30am and had another trouble free 400 mile journey back to Charlottesville - where we are lowering the tone of the hotel by being about the only guests scruffing around in shorts and T shirts. Everyone else staying here appears to be attending one of eight weddings that are taking place today (all looking terribly smart).  We headed back out to World of Beer tonight to have one final meal before heading bak to the UK (tomorrow it will be a sandwich in the railway station if we are lucky). The place was much busier than on our previous visits, with live music and loads of people. Our waitress (server!) recognised us from our last trip so we were well looked after, although I don't think the group are going to be threatening the charts anytime soon.

On our travels we were taking a look at some magazines and discovered 10 different magazines on quilting but over 15 on guns. My favourite has to be 'Handloader' - the official Ammunition Reloading Journal!  I am going to notify HIGNFY.........

Seen on a restaurant sign 'Every Man's Dream - Dogs and Cream'.  I'll leave you to ponder that one.

For those of you who hate the name ToysRus - how about 'Wee R Sweetz'.....

Finally a piece of knowledge you won't know how you lived without.  From the travellers who brought you 'Tuatepere - the Sausage capital of the world' I offer you the even more intriguing

'Dunn (NC) - the Dump Truck Capital of the World'.   The competition must be fierce.....

Pictures are sunrise, a giant pretzel and our night out