Day 15 - 55 miles! Rochefort to Royan
Today stood out for a number of reasons -- not so much the scenery but the variety of experiences.
The route initially followed the Charente River then quickly disappeared into a wooded but paved trail through the countryside along a network of canals.
After we left the Canal trail the landscape changed dramatically into an open marshland. The popping sounds immediately announced that hunting season was in full swing and we were smack in the middle of the field!
As we left Marennes the trail then took us back to the coast where we rode through another protected forest. This time it was paved and "mostly flat" as we like to say!
We found a lovely plage to enjoy our recently purchased goodies.
Most of the crewed stopped to enjoy yet another ice cream but Lance and Steph rode on to Royan which meant there was ample time for a swim in the Atlantic.
First, the night before the Briefer informed the group that there was a navigational miscalculation (similar but different than a navigational malfunction!). Instead of a planned 40 mile day the route would be closer to 55 miles -- ooopppsss!
As a result, we all agreed that an early start was in order. We also agreed we'd do our best not to make any navigational malfunctions which could extend the mileage even more.
We had a quick breakfast which, for some of us, included the veal leftovers from the night before. Our accommodations were in what appeared to be a tenement building that masked an updated and clean apartment.
The morning temperature was brisk and some of us regretted the decision to leave our warm gloves back in the States. As we headed out of Rochefort the sun was coming up and blaring straight into our eyes which made spotting EV#1 trail signs, potholes and other obstacles extra difficult.
The route initially followed the Charente River then quickly disappeared into a wooded but paved trail through the countryside along a network of canals.
After we left the Canal trail the landscape changed dramatically into an open marshland. The popping sounds immediately announced that hunting season was in full swing and we were smack in the middle of the field!
Lots of Frenchmen running around with cocked rifles and their hunting dogs darting in and out of the brush in hopes of finding hidden birds of fowl none of which appeared to be present except two lone geese flying way above and out of sight of the hunters.
Just as we thought we had escaped the killing fields, we came upon a road closed "deviation" sign. Typically that means roadwork ahead and often cyclists can scoot on through. However, Stephanie had ridden ahead along with an athletic frenchwoman on a super fast bike accompanied by an older woman on an e-bike. All three arrived at a subsequent road block. The young woman then proceeded to get into an altercation with a burly man who claimed that we had stumbled upon the world's fishing championship (sort of like the Typoon Nationals) and by order of a mayoral proclamation no one was allowed to pass and thus we had to turn around to find another route. There was no pursuading this guy! One of the reasons why is that this kind of fishing (on a very small canal) involves super long rods that extend across the road. What kind of canal fish could warrant such an enormous rod? That shall remain a mystery.
Fortunately, the detour turned out to be a non-event and resulted in a rather pleasant detour into the town of Marennes where we enjoyed yet another café au lait and stocked up on boulangerie/patisserie goodies for our intended picnic. By this stage we were now 1/3 of the way into our long journey.
As we left Marennes the trail then took us back to the coast where we rode through another protected forest. This time it was paved and "mostly flat" as we like to say!
The trail passed by several lighthouses.
And then through several small coastal vacation villages where there were loads of tourists enjoying a gorgeous September Sunday afternoon.
Most of the crewed stopped to enjoy yet another ice cream but Lance and Steph rode on to Royan which meant there was ample time for a swim in the Atlantic.
The ice cream crew ended up running directly into a major Frisbee tournament which made navigating through the crowd difficult so someone came up with the idea of riding on what appeared to be hard packed sand only to find out it was impossible to ride so after a 55 miles the last 100 meters was pushing the bikes through sand!
We stayed at the Family Golf Hotel which far exceeded all of our expectations -- the staff was super gracious and the view spectacular! We were tempted to stay a few days but the EV#1 beckoned.
Of course our evening would not be complete without yet another tasty meal that went late into the evening.
Today definitely stood out not only for having the longest mileage but also the greatest variety of experiences. Another great day on the Vélodyssée!
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