Rolling through France

Today was as close to routine as we seem to get.  Wake up after an odd night’s sleep in a campground where many people stay up later than we do, and all sorts and conditions begin their days stumbling about, some loading bikes, some their Vespas, others their cars. And then we ramble on down another canal on a dirt track.  Frankly we feel like we have already done the dirt track on canal tour, and are ready to move on to something a little different -

It was nice that we got an early start today because it was so dry, so we were rolling before the heat really arrived.  Sadly we did not happen upon an appropriate bakery until lunchtime, so there was a fairly substantial pastry deficit as the morning went on.  We have already mapped out our bakery for tomorrow morning just to make sure that we don’t fall into that same trap again.

We are now (finally) attempting to follow an official Euro Velo route (Number 15 FWIW) which goes from the head of the Rhine in Switzerland all the way North to the Netherlands.  It is usually well signed, except when it isn’t.

We have purchased and downloaded a wonderful guide that has turn-by-turn directions and maps for the entirety, but with our special navigational skills, we still seem to find ways to diverge from the route and then rely on our collection of digital devices to get us where we are going.  The guide does have a wealth of information on the places we are passing through that we otherwise never would catch.  Tomorrow’s leg looks like it involves no turns, and just follows a canal from here towards Strasbourg.  It will take effort and dedication, but we should still be able to stray at some point.

Tonight's campground is blessedly well shaded, with all kinds of special cyclist amenities like chairs with backs (I nearly wept when I saw them) and a picnic table in our spot, as well as a communal (cyclist only) fridge and microwave.  There also is a power strip (next to me, as I am using it too) with several thousand dollars worth of cameras and phones and batteries all charging away.  A very nice site.  The kids have enjoyed spending the afternoon just hanging out and playing their endless story game that Lyle continues to narrate for Ruby.

Today we went through another chunk of Alsace that has been fought over for centuries, most recently in WW2 when a large group of local French gave themselves to slow down the retreating German army.  Both sides paid heavily, and there is a monument to the French.  We then passed through the forest where these two groups slugged it out and fought and died.  So sad.  Traveling along surrounded by folks from both sides, all people, luckily living within the EU.  A chap from Berlin that we were talking with recently reiterated how important it was for people all throughout Europe to be able to freely travel to the other countries and vacation there, as it allows everyone to recognize the common humanity of us all.  Hopefully it is harder to get into shooting wars when everyone recognizes that commonality.  The forest today was a sad reminder of what happens when that is lost.

Tomorrow most of the way to Strasbourg, and then we’ll see.

-Dave