June, 2009 Finding Estelle G Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 After breakfast I walk over to our friendly Dutch neighbors and offer them our three leftover eggs. The sun is beating down and by the end of the day they will likely be rotten or at least inedible.... Too Hot G Monday, June 29th, 2009 Last night as we arrived in camp we were unable to check in. Like at so many French campsites we've encountered, the reception office was closed when their signs clearly indicated it should be open.... Mountain Climbing G Sunday, June 28th, 2009 I am getting pretty good at hill-climbing these days. The sight of a looming hill is demoralizing at times, but at least it's familiar. After all, it isn't like we're in the mountains… right... Resupply G Saturday, June 27th, 2009 After our non-stop adventuring yesterday, I was ready for something simple and familiar. On our way out of camp we both commented that we were looking forward to an uneventful day of pedaling. Our ... Too Much Of A Good Thing G Friday, June 26th, 2009 Normally I am the designated alarm-clock enforcer, making sure we don't hit snooze too many times before actually getting moving at a nice early hour. This morning, though, I was exhausted and could... Unexpected Guests G Thursday, June 25th, 2009 With three blissful days of rest behind us we bid farewell to Bluesoleil Campground and started our trek southeast to Estelle (just outside Millau). We are hoping to reach Ingrid and Yvves of BikeAw... Our Panniers G Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 With a wonderfully empty day ahead of me, I decided to do something productive before settling in for a relaxing afternoon of reading. Our panniers have started to get slightly funky and today was t... Not Riding G Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 Today was the second in our three day rest at Bluesoleil campground in Rouffignac. While I feel incredibly fortunate to have gainful employment on our trip I am really, really looking forward to hav... Thank you, Dad! G Monday, June 22nd, 2009 We have been biking 80-90 kilometers a day lately; quite a bit more than our usual 50-70. When the phone rang last night, we picked it up and were greeted with the cheerful voices of my parents want... Camping Fermé G Sunday, June 21st, 2009 Spirits were high this morning. With another budget-boosting free evening under our belts we cheerfully broke camp excited about the prospect of finding a nice place to rest for few nights. It is i... Role Reversal G Saturday, June 20th, 2009 Sticking to our early rising plan we set the alarm for six o'clock. By seven we were up and moving, albeit very slowly. We sometimes joke that we feel like Wall-E in the morning, stumbling out of b... Early Camping G Friday, June 19th, 2009 Sometimes the hardest part of cycling around the world can be simply getting up in the morning. Actually, I think this is true for accomplishing just about anything in the simple sense that you must... Rest In Peace G Thursday, June 18th, 2009 As I was making crepes this morning, Tyler was bustling around, busily stowing things away in our panniers. Normally I stuff my bolster-sized clothing bag and one of the Downmats into my own clothin... Sunburn G Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 We somehow neglected to wear sunscreen yesterday. When we awoke this morning we were both very… crispy. Subconsciously hoping to somehow make up for our folly we both applied twice as much a... Cheeseburger in Paradise G Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 We shook out our sand-infested belongings and left camp this morning to explore the island we had just spent two nights on. In search of almond croissants for breakfast, we headed to the bakery with... Sandy Camping G Monday, June 15th, 2009 I think it was around 4am when I clumsily stumbled out of the tent. Half dressed, barely conscious and feeling like an overtired toddler home from a long road trip, I grabbed our rain fly and strugg... Ile de Noirmoutier G Sunday, June 14th, 2009 We didn't roll out of our loud (but fun) vacation park until noon. The plan for the day was to bike for a little bit and then set up camp right away, having all afternoon and evening free. As usual... French Coast G Saturday, June 13th, 2009 The alarm sounded at 6:30 AM and Tara bounded out into our 'stealth camp' to start the day. Ever concerned about someone showing up and saying "You can't be here", she wanted to make it look like we... Exped Downmat 9 G Friday, June 12th, 2009 Update Here The Exped Downmat 9 (our sleeping mat) has a foam(?) insert that provides a barrier between the down inside and the air nozzles used to to inflate it. Over the course of the last week t... Wine & Pizza G Friday, June 12th, 2009 We left to cycle the last bit of the canal into Nantes today. As we rounded our first corner the path abruptly stopped. A man operating a nearby lock laughed at us and said there were two ways to N... Return of the Sun G Thursday, June 11th, 2009 This morning brought a welcome change to our lives—the sun! We quickly uprooted our tent and belongings from the spot we'd chosen last night under the trees (hiding from the rain) and moved in... Early Rising G Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 The alarm went off at 6:30 AM. Its incessant beeping mingled nicely with the sound of rain falling heavily against our tent. Oh rain. We've been meaning to start earlier for at least a week and to... Even More Rain G Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 Once again, the day began with rain. For a change, we were dry and so was our gear. Thank you Pierre! We spent the morning taking advantage of the many amenties we have taken for granted all of ou... Chez Pierre & Julien G Monday, June 8th, 2009 We awoke to the standard drumming of rain against our tent this morning. Yesterday Tyler steeled himself against the downpour, getting soaked to pack the bikes, while I stayed dry getting things org... The Canal G Sunday, June 7th, 2009 We awoke at 6:30 AM to the sound of a downpour pelting our rain-fly through the cover of our forested free-camp and the beeping of my optimism from the night before. I reached out from the warmth of... Free Camp & Fire G Saturday, June 6th, 2009 We went to bed feeling sick. Huddled together, we tried to fall asleep but were unable to drift off over the cacophony of our own hacking, coughing, sneezing, and trumpet-like nose blowing. Our nos... Sick Day G Friday, June 5th, 2009 This morning Tara and I woke up feeling like death warmed over. My throat was so sore I could hardly swallow and Tara's nose continued its crusade of running like a leaky facuet. We laid around for... To Market G Thursday, June 4th, 2009 There is nothing like fresh french bread with butter and honey or a big glob of nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread) to start the day off right. This campsite is so great, we decided to stay another ... Bee Museum G Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 While breaking camp we decided today was a good day for music. At home hardly an hour went by that music wasn't playing unless we were asleep. Out here we rarely listen to anything but the endless ... On Planning G Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 Last night we stayed in one of France's wonderful municipal camp sites. It is such a relief knowing that we can find a campsite in almost any town! This particular site had just opened for the seas... La Sieste G Monday, June 1st, 2009 This morning we had fresh bread delivered to our tent! We hungrily tore pieces from our "miche" and dunked them in butter and honey while Tara explained to me about the regulations in France for bre...