Well tonight I'm gonna live for today

We cycled past a cemetery with a sign over the gate asking all who entered to be prepared to meet their maker, in French.  This seemed to sum up our days cycling by the River Drac, just south of Grenoble.

We had come to the campsite because it promised spectacular walking and cycling, including over the Passerelle du Drac, a 220m long suspension bridge high over the Drac River gorge.  We planned a cycle ride that included crossing the bridge, which proved to be a spectacular experience, particularly when, as we were half way across, the 40 strong French walking group behind us got on to the bridge and insisted on bouncing and running, so that the bridge swayed alarmingly; we were certainly glad to survive and return to firm ground.

After cycling through quiet French villages, woods and fields, we stopped for lunch in a small, remote cemetery.  These are often good places for a lunch break; in the van they usually have space for parking and we can stop and wander around the graves with a mug of tea; when cycling a cemetery is somewhere peaceful to sit and rest, there is always a grave or two for someone who died much too young and we can contemplate how every day we are alive is a gift we should make the most of.

Our cycle ride was only 30 kms, so should have been an easy day, but with 750m of ascent and temperatures of around 28C, we were barely functioning by the time we returned to the campsite.  Fortunately, tea and cool beer soon put the life back in us.

MMM pubished an article about our time in this area and our cycling trip in July 2013.  This link will take you to a pdf of the article if you want to read more.