Every day is a little different but we never get tired of seeing hot air balloons floating by. Ballooning is everywhere these days but a little known fact that France can lay claim to its start. It started with the Mongolfiere brothers.
In 1782, Joseph Montgolfiere noticed how laundry puffed up over a fire and theorized that smoke contained a special gas he called “Montgolfier Gas” with lifting properties. This led to their invention of the Montgolfière-style hot air balloon, which used heated air to rise.
We love waking to the eastern sunrise to see if we would be rewarded with another sighting. Wind, fog, and rain determines whether each day is a go or no go.
Today it looked like this very colorful one would float right though our window.
Capturing in a photo never gets old. We even take a video at times for added enjoyment. The overcast backdrop makes capturing this image even more appealing. Once they passed over and out of sight it is time to get on with the rest of the day.
Along the way a quick photo of the Castle in Montford.
Today we will trek over to Carsac to pick up the cycleway the runs up to Sarlat. We tried this a few days ago but the damp drizzle cut the ride short. Today was a perfect day for our second attempt. The cool overcast skies called for two jackets until a bit of climbing warmed us. The cycleway was a repurposed railway (often called a rails to trails in the states) which is paved, relatively flat, and less busy than roadways. Walkers and riders filled the trail as we shouted "bon jour" to alert both walkers and riders in our path. Normally we bring a bell but somehow they got left behind with our Vail biking stuff.
France made an effort in 2020 to expand the network but the project got "derailed" by the outbreak of Covid. They are still adding move cycleways as these abandoned routes come into the public domain. The French pride themselves as being the cycling capital of the world. As new ones are added they make paving a priority although many gravel routes are waiting for this upgrade. Gravel is not road bike friendly so these are avoided lest we slip slide our way to unwanted punctures.
As a testament to their railway history many of the train stations (gare) are still standing and been repurposed into restaurants and other gathering places.
We joined today's section in Carsac and headed north to Sarlat. As we approached centre ville the congestion increased especially since a rental depot got more people on the move.
A nice feature was a place to lock your bike and proceed on foot to one of the shops. Eventually we would come to the Medieval old town but will save that for another day.
Nearing the end of the trail with roadways to cross we decided to turn around and head back.
On our way back we decided to stop for a few photo ops at these funky wooden sculptures made with tree limbs and branches.
This fella was a real stiff with a wooden personality. With little to say he kept on reading and I realized that our friendship would have to wait. Not even a measly 'bon jour"
Not sure the point he was trying to make but worth a photo, especially digital which is free.
Before leaving the cycleway and heading home a bread break was in order. This nice couple took the photo and since they were Brits we struck up a conversation.
They were heavily loaded but decided to have a banana break and pit stop at the local toilette. They are thru cyclist - a term used to describe riders who carry all their stuff from point to point. The route was created by someone who provided a support vehicle which would lighten their load but gave up the operation. Now they provide route maps and T-shirts for those willing to go on their own.
Their starting point was Saint Malo on the northern coast along the English channel. A ferry ride from England got them to their starting point on a 1000+ mile ride down to Nice on the Mediterranean. At 50 miles per day they plan to complete the trip in 20 days of riding. Each night in a different location but at least they were staying in hotels or similar accommodations. The younger set are more inclined to camp along the road or an adjacent field. Young and stupid but a great adventure. Not an option we would choose but at our age creature comforts and passing on rainy days is paramount.
