11 Sept
We woke to
clear blue skies and a ride back over the pass and into France (home). We
stopped not far into France for a photo. Clint brought Minerva out for a little
fly. She’s a bit out of sorts and needs to be interfaced with the laptop which
we didn't bring. She wasn't responding properly so it was only a short flight
and a couple of pictures.
Back on the
bike and it was time to make our way up to the highest of the French Alpine
passes. But first a fortifying hot chocolate before ascending to 2,770m. We
stopped part way up for a photo and could hear a marmot whistling. We could
just make out the little fella’s head poking up from the rocks below. At the
top the temperature dropped to 6 degrees.
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| Great place for hot chocolate |
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| Can you see the marmot? Me neither. |
We completed
another couple of passes, one at 2,180m? It was time to fuel the bikes and to
fuel us. In true French spirit, we bought bread, cheeses and salami to eat in a
nearby park. The only thing missing we were assured by Michel was the red wine.
Probably, not such a bad idea considering we still had more riding to do.
One of the
afternoon passes, St Bernard had us concerned about the weather. Dark, heavy
clouds were threatening, turning the temperature even colder. We had seen fresh
snow on the peaks in one of the earlier passes. This change in the weather
could make for interesting riding, if at all. We didn't hang around long after
taking a photo at the summit sign. We rode back down as to continue on would
have had us back in Italy.
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| He was there to be ridden. |
A couple of more
passes to fill the afternoon. Each one a little lower than the previous until
it was time to hit the highway at Albertville to head for home.
All up we
crossed nine individual passes, with one being done twice, that makes ten of
the best riding experiences. We missed out on a couple due to the rock slide.
There's always a reason to return, right?
We arrived
home safely, tired and happy with it only being a little wet for a few minutes
on the freeway.
Clint and I
would like to thank Michel and Christine for planning and providing us with a
wonder experience. These are memories we will cherish forever. The second main
objective of our holiday has been successfully completed with the extra added
bonus of being able to spend time on a Goldwing with our friends.
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| What a great couple of days with these great friends. Thanks Michel and Christine for a wonderful time. |
Magnifique, favoloso and a bloody rippa!!!
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