Today is the hardest day left before I finish the European leg of the trip (I think). I’m heading into the Vosges mountains just west of Colmar and again, I’m not sure where I’ll get to. It depends how I feel.
Colmar was pretty dead in the morning. It seems that most tourists are slow to get going. It really is a nice place here and it always seems sad to leave a town without really getting to know it. That sadness only lasts until the outskirts because there’s always the next town to see and the whole day to unfold.
I did the now usual thing of stopping at a boulangerie on the way out of town, and got my food for the day. After that, I was soon in the countryside following well signposted bike routes. There were quite a few too, maybe more research would have revealed some other destinations.
There were also hiking routes and it was good to see people out hiking and biking in the countryside. I stopped in a park on the outskirts of Munster and made coffee, ate second breakfast, and then, still feeling hungry, I ate half my lunch.
The climb would start a few kilometres later and boy, it was steep. It was hike-a-bike time for the first part and even that was sweaty work. The payoff was some magnificent views down the valleys below.
In most of these areas, there’s plenty of water with taps and spouts and troughs dotted around the place. I stopped and refilled at one of these. The water was cold and tasted great, so I poured a bottle over my head and shirt and stood in the shade to cool down.
Soon, I joined a larger road that would take me over the La Schlucht pass at 1150m. The summit was another ten kilometres up the road from where I joined, but it wasn’t as steep as the first part and the road was wide enough that cars could pass by easily. It was no walk in the park by any means, but with light traffic and beautiful pine forests overlooking the valleys, it was a great place to be.
After a stop to finish the remains of my lunch, I was soon at the summit of the pass which turns out to be a big ski area. I felt like a rest. It was the kind of place that you couldn’t just ride through after all of that climbing, so I stopped for a macchiato on the veranda of the cafe and watched the world go by for a while.
I also decided to stop in Cornimont. I found a reasonable BnB and booked it before starting the long descent. It was exhilarating for the first part and cool enough for a rain jacket. There were plenty of ski fields and villages on the way down but as usual, I was pleased to get off the bike after a strenuous day. I’m certainly feeling better but still not one hundred percent.
The BnB turned out to be a nice apartment but they charge ten euros on top of the rent, for bed linen. First time I’ve seen that. I dropped by the supermarket and grabbed some local sausages (or were they artisanal ? 😁) and vegies for a huge meal.
Plenty of flat roads and small downhills tomorrow!