tuesday august 7, 2007

Gorges, lots and lots of gorges, this region is lousy with gorges. This one leads to...

The start of lavender country. We got here at the perfect time, as they are starting to harvest it.

One of the pros of the gorges are the views down to the lavender below. Getting to the top, and the view, could be conceived as a con by some, but what do they know?

This is the view as you arrive in Sault, the headquarters town for the lavender.

We are not the only ones, down through history, who have had problems with insects. This street is named the Rue of Fly Squashers. By the way, did I mention that weeks ago I bought a fly swatter and it has come in handy many a night. In fact, I was made an honorary resident of this street in recognition of my squashing prowess.

While in Sault, we were treated to a thunder and lightning storm and Susan was able to capture a bit of the fun. Off in the distance is Mount Ventoux.

In Sault I went to the doctor to have my ear checked and she said (in French) that she couldn't really do anything and sent me to a doctor in the nearby town of Apt. He was an ear unstucker specialist and stuck in the thing in his hand and kept pushing until it came out the other side. That really seemed to clear everything up. Also, he prescribed some drops, which, Susan discovered while reading the label, contain steroids. So, I will have to give up the yellow jersey I have been wearing since day 2 of our Tour de France when I easily dusted Susan in our first individual time trial. She is a little uneasy about winning the yellow in such a manner, but has gradually begun to accept it.

And finally, we encountered this sign in Cucuron, a little town we stayed in a few days ago on our way back to Aix. The only problem is, the sign has totally confused the dogs, who see it and think: I don't expel ping pong balls from my anus, so what the heck do they want out of me - and then go about their business. The odor of dog poop does somewhat diminish the more enticing odor of all the lavender. **Why back to Aix? To rent a car, of course. That's right, we're renting a car. It is unprecedented in all our years of French bike travel. It took three places before we could find one that could supply a car AND a bike rack, but we got it ... and will have a car for 11 days, starting Thursday morning.