WeeFee Success, and an update!

Camp at the old military outpost
outside of Pluharnel (north end of the
Quiberon Peninsula)

Looking for shells

Portivy

near Quiberon

street of Quiberon

Victory Day (May 8) in Sainte-Anne-d'Auray

Time for a new map!

La Loire River

May 8
“WeeFee”, that’s what you call what I’ve been looking for.  I’m typing this now, in my tent, in the dark, because I don’t want to forget.  (I should note that I‘m keeping this blog as much for me as anyone else.  I think of it as live scrap booking.)

VERY helpful little green signs!!!

I fully explored the Peninsula of Quiberon.  Camping at an old military outpost offered me the perfect launching pad for riding down and doing a loop at the southern end of the peninsula.  During the night at the outpost, the birds called, the crickets chirped, and the rain fell…..all night long.  The next morning, the tide was out, and that allowed a long walk out on the flats to look for shells.  I then, pedaled along the Cote Sauvage or “Wild Coast” and hiked to a few panoramic view points.  The restaurant in Quiberon that served Langustine was totally full, so I opted to sit in a grocery store parking lot and eat my bread, cheese, and tuna with herb pâté.

After making it back north, I proceeded to get lost at least half a dozen times.  However, I zigzagged my way north through Auray to Sainte-Anne-d’Auray.  All the shops were closed along the way and upon asking someone, I learned that it was the French Equivalent to Memorial Day, commemorating the victory over Germany in 1945.  The square surrounding the cathedral was full of people relaxing and enjoying the weather.  I rode on and enjoyed Vanne with very little traffic.  An obliging soccer field in Noyalo offered a flat (and cheap) place to camp.
The next morning, I rode down to Saint-Nazaire (the starting place of EuroVelo 6) via Arzal, Feral, Herbignac, and the Briere Regional Natural Park.  Upon viewing the formidable bridge crossing the Loire River, I grew anxious as I wondered if bikes were allowed.  A local assured me they were and gave me directions.  What a view from up on the bridge!  After crossing the Loire, my journey definitely changed.  I switched from a 1:250,000 scale map that I was given in Lorient, to a bike specific 1:100,000 scale route map!  Whew!  Although I don’t always chose to follow the recommended route, it’s really nice to have such a good map.  Some of the bike paths are a bit bumpy and are better suited to a cruiser (or an actual touring bike).  It may be a bit abusive for me to be touring on my Tarmac, but when I’m on good asphalt I can really cruise.  …and what does Willie Weir say, “Just use what you’ve got and get out there.”

Add caption

May 9
Last night I slept in a field near the canal.  I took the free ferry across the Loire this morning after having coffee.  Now I’m in Nantes, the largest French city I’ve been to other than Paris.  It’s really beautiful, with lots of little shops on either side of the many small streets that spider web their way across the middle of town.  I’m sitting in McDonald’s as it’s the only place I’ve found with WiFi (or WeeFee as it’s pronounced in French).  However, my computer won’t join the network….only my iPod.  Bummer.  I was really hoping to set up a CouchSurf in Tours or Orleans.  I guess it will have to wait.

Nantes

Potatoes are a great source of potassium, so I gorged on two orders of “frites” and a kebab in Nantes.  Just what I needed to keep going.  I nearly bonked in Ancenis, so I stopped and ate 3 of the best nectarines I’ve ever laid teeth on.  (I also had an Orangina, half a baguette with butter and jam, a yogurt, a banana, and a cookie.  The appetite is getting out of control now with 8-12 hour days of pedaling.




I broke down tonight and forked over the 6 Euros to stay at a campground (I didn’t know it’d be that cheap).  I got a warm shower at the touch of
a button.  I’m set up across from a couple of retired Germans that have been on their bikes for 7 weeks (from Portugal to Germany).  I shared a glass of wine with them and spoke about language, travel, and cycling.  There’s no other company like bike folk (especially when touring alone.)

My handlebar bag came off today; I think I must have over tightened an attachment screw.  It‘s now bungied onto my trailer, so my map is no longer in front of my face.  My first wrong turn ended up being an unbelievably steep hill up to a small town with a walkway high above the Loire river.  I’m so glad I took that “wrong” turn!  What an amazing view from the garden up there!

My French is getting better.  Today I had my first full conversation all in French.  I was waiting for the ferry across the Loire and talked with a couple of gentlemen that were waiting in their car.  It felt like a major accomplishment.

The roads I’ve been riding on are like something out of a fairy tail.  They are so narrow that sometimes I think they are only for bikes (and actually, sometimes they are!)  I hit the brakes when I see a spot for a good picture and just laugh at myself.  I could take pictures all day long, but would get nowhere.  I had an incredible tailwind today and took advantage of it.  My favorite time of the day is between 6 and 8.  It seems like time slows down.  The light is gentle, the crickets are chirping, and the miles go by easy for some reason.

May 11
10:25pm in my tent.  It rained today….a couple of times.  But not enough to wash the stench out of my jersey.  This evening I washed my riding clothes and they are now hanging on a line between my seat post and my tent.  (I got my first hint at a saddle sore, so I figured I really had better keep the chamois clean.)

I got directions to a bike shop in the north part of Saumur today.  A guy there spent quite a bit of time with me getting my handlebar bag back on.  It’s nice to have some weight on the front wheel to balance the tongue weight of the trailer a little.

I’m definitely in a more touristy part of France now.  The villages are so picturesque, you’d see them on the travel channel or in a magazine.  Today, the signs for EuroVelo 6, took me through these caves and passageways in the interior of this one village.  It was unreal.  I would turn a corner, see another unbelievable sight and laugh incredulously out loud.  I got lots of pictures too.

Share the road!

One of my favorite parts of this trip are the language lessons I receive along the way.  The proprietor of a bakery in Vannes is to thank for teaching me the word for garbage (pronounced “poo-bell”).  I handed her some trash to throw away.  Then, after she said it, I had her repeat it a few times so I would be sure to remember it.

The Caves

At the end of each day, I’ve been asked by some random person “How many kilometers did you ride today?”  I have no idea though.  I’m not keeping track.  It seems like there are just too many other things to focus on than exactly how many miles (or kilometers) I’ve traveled.  In the end, it just doesn’t matter at all, does it?  (It should be noted that without a prescription level dose of Ibuprofen, this cycling trip would be a train trip.)

The first vineyard I rode through

A bientot!