Up to Grenoble and the Alps

First I have to try and describe last night. 

It goes without saying you should feel free to skip this part and go to the pictures

I was dropped of by the train in Roussollon on the hottest afternoon imaginable with the sun scorching and a hot wind blowing. It was a small town about the size and condition of Pittsfield. I had one little slip of paper with an address on it. 

It was Saturday afternoon and almost everything was closed except a few tabac/bars. Starting with the ticket agent in the rail station on through 2 bars, nobody knew of any hotels in town or heard of the place written down by the nice lady at the tourist office. This wasn't the way it usually went. Finally a lady in a pan-aria (baked goods) shop looked at my little slip of paper and somehow found a phone number for the place on the sheet of paper and called up. 

All of this for a guy who couldn't speak French to people who didn't know a word of English. I was gestured to stay right there and wait, so I ate a few chocolate croissants while waiting. 

In a few minutes a guy who spoke very good English showed up on a really nice bicycle and told me to follow him home!!!!!!!

The jete was up on the hill a little outside of town in a very nice residential area built in the 70's. It was run by the absolutely nicest young couple with 2 lovely children. Christopher was about 30+ and an avid cyclist who worked as a service technician on equipment not unlike what I sell. His wife Oudd ran the jete with rooms for about 8 or 10, and took care of the 2 most adorable children.

Oudd fixed dinner for me even though it is not usually part of the deal. And we all ate together. The kids thought I was Santa Clause and I was so sorry I didn't have any presents. I will have to send some when I get home.

As you can see we had a lot of fun!!!!

The kids went to bed like little angles and Chris and I stayed up and laughed a lot telling stories of cycling adventures. He trained when younger to race and grew up in the same little town as Oudd on the French Italian border right on the coast. He grew up on skis and a bike.

In the morning Oudd made me a lunch for the ride and Chris had my route to Grenoble all planned for me. They all waved goodby as from the porch as I left.

From there the day only got better with a nice tailwind as I rode up to Grenoble. The scenery was beautiful, mostly agricultural and I took a few detours on small parallel roads.

There were lots of small quaint typical French villages

...... and all was going well until I took one too many side roads and lost the thread of the flat way up the valley. All the while I could see big mountains looming in the distance.

I did have to make on big climb .....

 ..... this shot is for Chris my friend to show the route I took to Grenoble ... The sigh says Col de Chatain 684 alt.

The climb to get back into the main valley was volentary but it was worthwhile as I got to drop back down and have an incredible view of what were not only big but sharp and jagged mountains unlike any of the mountains I had seen before this.

It was clear that these were different. Not old, green and rounded like the Appalachian mountains in the east or big, remote, sharp and new like the Tetons out west, or big, wide high and long like the Pyrenees but mean looking and dangerous almost angry and I was headed that way.

I found a modest but very nice hotel for the night and had a fabulous Chinese dinner before bed. I am so tired of rich French food. I wanted rice .... And more rice and something spicy.

Tomorrow I will explore the city and get ready to see if I will attempt to cross over to Italy.