Month: May 2013

Hard to believe we have completed our first Eau de France. Today we crossed the divide between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The most obvious change for us along the canal is that we now get a short downhill coast at each lock, instead of a climb.

The two locks along the highest part of the canal were named after each ocean, and on the Atlantic side (the lower plaque) was a dedication to Thomas Jefferson, who apparently had made some contribution in the history of the canal.

But as exciting as this was, it paled in comparison to our best news of the day. At breakfast we met some cyclists coming from the west who told us that 13km past Castelnaudary we would have a paved trail the rest of the canal!

Of course from their perspective the news was, “starting 13km before Castelnaudary the trail became HORRIBLE!” We wonder what they think now, since that section was only a taste of the last 200km we had already cycled.

Jon was excited enough to kiss the pavement when we arrived. We went from a struggling 58km a day, to 80km our first day of partial pavement.

It was only tarnished by our first experience of “French” attitudes about food – or a lack thereof. It was our first day (since our 2005 tour of France), that we were totally unable to find any food between 11:30 and 4:00. One restaurant was still open at 3:00 but refused to serve us anything. The one we found at 4:00 would only serve dessert. But as we learned in 2005, we always carry emergency rations now. Despite their reputation, we find it can be very difficult at times, to find food in France when you’re on a bicycle.

Sorry about the title. Rick isn’t killing the sycamores, but the two were a part of our day today.

We arrived in Carcassonne at midday and made our way across the city to it’s castle. This year we have been seeing a lot of castles, yet this is definitely one of the best preserved and most interesting.

We understand that Rick Steves visited here as a child and he enjoyed it so much that it was the inspiration that launched his career in European tourism.

The sycamores, unfortunately, are a much different story. Most of the Canal du Midi is lined with tall gorgeous sycamores. But they are dying. MC’s research indicated that we should hurry to come to the canal, in order to still see them. You can see the devastation in the following photo.

On the left the row of trees end where they have already been cut down. On the distant right bank you can see the ones that are currently dying.

This is going to change the entire experience of the canal forever. These trees have formed a canopy over the canal that protect the boats, cyclists, and hikers from the heat and wind, offering a green passageway that is magical. We feel so fortunate to have gotten here to experience it before it’s too late.

Our travels continue to be challenging, but improving. We left the canal for the first quarter of the day, only to be blasted with headwinds. We remained on the canal from then on, mostly shielded by the sycamores and banks, but still having sections of path that were nothing more than mud and water where we must walk.

But fortunately, more often now we are traveling on something actually resembling a bike path.

We find that Michelin maps of France (and only their French maps), are excellent for finding cycling routes. The maps are accurate in distinguishing gravel and pavement, secondary from primary roads with heavier traffic, and they show bike paths. We have high hopes, because in a few kilometers from today, Michelin indicates that most of the remaining canal ahead has a path along it. Until now, we agree that they have been correct, that there really has been no path.

MC reports that the hotel staff also confirmed that the path behind us is a “technical ride”, not for traveling. It’s tree roots, mud, and pot holes have overly tested our new pannier system, and skills at staying upright together on the tandem. We can appreciate why no one makes a tandem mountain bike!

The “canal” starts out by crossing a 40km long inland lake. We stayed on the south side next to the Mediterranean, taking a bike path along a narrow set of sand dunes, and where our first night’s campsite was. It was a very popular path that unfortunately ends too soon, dumping you out onto busy highways with no shoulders. But we worked our way into central Adge where we rejoined the route just before it connected with the actual canal.

Our first discovery was a 3 way lock. At this point boats could choose multiple directions at a T intersection. And it was only the first of many unusual combinations – including a 7 lock ramp that has become overrun by tourists! Unfortunately, many photos – which we take using our regular camera, will have to wait to be added later, when we return home and have a computer to do the transfer. While on the road, we have only an iPhone, and can only post the photos we take using it.

Our excitement in finally starting to ride on the actual canal – was quickly dashed by the quality of the path. Our guide book had warned us it was narrow and unpaved in places, but we didn’t know that after rain it was completely impassible by our bike, and we had to walk often.

Marin mountain bikers would love this trail. 100s of kilometers of single track dirt that is so narrow you usually have to stop every few minutes to let those going in the other direction get by.

Fortunately, it has mostly dried up by the afternoons, and we’ve been able to find a few alternative nearby roads. Every once in a while we get a wider gravel path and even pavement – which we understand will become more frequent the further west we get. Those sections are fabulous, as the canal is lined with majestic sycamores – and the red poppies are in full bloom right now.
Even parts of the single track are lined with tall flowers, and while it can be difficult to find and keep on the narrow path – it’s like floating through meadows.

But photos can’t show the whole story. We have noticed that most cyclists are traveling west to east, and now know why. One thing a cyclist never wants to see up ahead, is the back side of fast rotating wind turbines! We battled 30km headwinds all day, and the weather report says we have 2-3 more days just like it coming up. It’s making for a tougher than expected first week. But we seem to be holding up very well, especially considering that the late Switzerland spring kept us from getting into the shape we wanted to be by the start of the ride.

Yes, we mean that literally.

• We began the day with a flat tire, before we even left the BnB.
• Then we had coffee and pastries in the town square.
• Next we were distracted by a Farmer’s Market where we got some fruits and nuts for the road.
• We finally arrived at the starting point of our 2500km of GPS tracks, and stopped for a photo op,
• And asked a woman if she would take our picture. She turned out to be a Jehovah’s Witness!
• After the propaganda, we headed down our route to find that it had been blocked by a large street fair for the holidays.
• That was followed by a construction detour that left us heading in the wrong direction.

We finally worked our way back to the GPS track, and were able to say farewell to Montpellier, about 2 hours later.

After lunch in Sete, at a sidewalk cafe along it’s canal, we arrived at the official start of the Canal du Midi. The route begins at the lighthouse where the ships leave the Mediterranean. Of course, this was another photo op!

All in all it was a great first day of cycling, and we made it to a campground just in time for Jon to take a swim in the sea, before it started raining.

There is a strange phenomena with the starting towns at the beginning of long bike tours. In the planning stages you put a lot of thought into where to begin. You have to figure out some kind of transportation for yourself and your bicycle. Then it seems like you actually do not spend any time there at all.

When Nathan and I began our trip across the US in Florence Oregon, we began on the beach, dipping our rear tires into the ocean. But within a couple hours we were already so far inland, it was like we’d never been at the ocean, and would not see the other one for several months. Perhaps that’s why the full Trans-America Trail starts in Astoria and has the first couple of days along the Oregon coastline.

When MC and I rode from Vienna to Amsterdam, we arrived at the West Vienna Train Station at 7:00am. By 9:00am we had assembled the bike and were leaving town, heading up the river. We had just spent several days in Vienna the previous year, and were eager to get on the trail, so had no need to stay any longer.

Today we arrived in Montpellier. We assembled the bike on the train platform, then realized there was no way to roll it out of the station. We finally ended up taking it up an escalator. By the time we got settled into our AirB&B, we only had an hour or so of daylight left to walk around old town.

So perhaps it is good that Montpellier is not really the beginning of the tour. It was just the nearest train station. The Canal du Midi starts in Sete, so we will get to spend some time in the morning cycling to Sete along the first of our Eaux de France, the Mediterranean.

We said our final goodbyes to Switzerland on Saturday, leaving in the rain. The Swiss springtime was nothing like we expected. We thought we’d have March and April to cycle on the weekends in preparation, but between winter weather and springtime colds, our bodies are really not ready. So one last ride to the train station in the Swiss rain seemed like the fitting send off.

We had to fold our tandem for the TGV, so we have only gone 7km so far. We have been touring the south coast of France with our friends Bob and Don, the past few days. Taking in the famous sites, doing some great wine tasting – you know, the real kind where you go into the caves and warehouses sampling the latest vintages. Not the circus of multi-million dollar tasting rooms that CA and NY have become.

Today we head to our starting point in Montpellier, and will try to remember to take photos with the iPhone, so we can include them in this blog.