Les Gorges

We sit at the western edge of the Vercors. Two enormous lines of  rocky aretes topped with vast escarpments running north- south from Grenoble.  The night before last we were on the eastern edge of the eastern ridge. In places the western ridge has been breached by rivers forming deep gorges. But not the eastern ridge so to get here necessitated a journey north via Grenoble.

It is the gorges that draw people here. Between the two ridges sits Villard de Lans and so all roads lead there. The roads through cling to the sides. The roads are littered with fallen rock. Perfectly engineered, they make great cycling routes. Beautifully inclined they carry you upwards and till eventually all lies below. Higher up the gorge opens out in a cirque of cliffs. The river in the bottom of the gorge provides trout which Is on the menu of the auberges dotted along the way.  So we took the Gorges de Bourne until we droid on the top of the plateau. Being evening it was warm rather than hot but the humidity was heavy and Stanley couldn't understand why  his bike felt as though it was sticking to the road, holding him back. A final zig-zag of bends lifted us above the gorge and crossed over into an adjacent one and down a long descent at around 70 kph. Through cool tunnels sometimes short and other times long enough to be lit. As you left each each one you were hit by the heat in the gathering dusk. It was awesome and Stanley loved it.

In the village in the evening was Foire au Bois.  We got there in time for Tue disco. Which we eyed from a distance before finding a bar with more traditional music.

Road if the day? Well it had to be the D532. It took us south from Grenoble alongside the Isere, the river from which the department derives its name,  through vast areas of walnut orchards. It gave us our first cicadas and when we drove to the local town of Romans sur Isere in a, by now, oppressive heat it was the D532 which brought us back and delivered us to the campsite when we had begin to wonder exactly where we were going to stay. In Romans we had stocked up on food from the boulangerie including walnut bread, some cakes and favourites and e sausage covered with a fungus which gave it a deep flavour.

This morning came heavy rain. The diecast however is good for this afternoon and we shall venture out again on the bikes. Stan slept late this morning. The ride had clearly worn him out. Whilst he fixed a.I got.some good from the lamentations generale and we have now eaten in preparation for this.