Pals – May 24, 2024

  • Francès ~ Gebennesis Camino – #11 Revel-Tourdan / St Romain-de-Surieu
  • Distance: 12.4 miles / Total 149.2 miles
  • Ascent: 700’ / Descent: 1,136’
  • Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
  • Weather: 50-65°/ overcast; light rain during walk but arrived dry; blue sky with clouds (4th day of rain)

Pals for the day.

Lamb Chop.
Prey eyes are set towards the sides. They can have a wider view for predators.
Predators have eyes set close. They have a narrower field of vision than their prey.
A baby bird shot his head out of the opening with beak wide opened in hopes of dinner. One glimpse of me and he retreated.

Old Souls- May 24, 2024

  • Francès ~ Gebennesis Camino – #11 Revel-Tourdan / St Romain-de-Surieu
  • Distance: 12.4 miles / Total 149.2 miles
  • Ascent: 700’ / Descent: 1,136’
  • Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
  • Weather: 50-65°/ overcast; light rain during walk but arrived dry; blue sky with clouds (4th day of rain)

Lunch with some old souls at La Salute Chapel.

La Salute Chapel.
Old souls.
Those not chosen.
Saint Jacques.

Peggy C. – May 24, 2024

  • Francès ~ Gebennesis Camino – #11 Revel-Tourdan / St Romain-de-Surieu
  • Distance: 12.4 miles / Total 149.2 miles
  • Ascent: 700’ / Descent: 1,136’
  • Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
  • Weather: 50-65°/ overcast; light rain during walk but arrived dry; blue sky with clouds (4th day of rain)

Peggy C.’s Monticello livestream rebroadcast Roses at Monticello made for the perfect chill out after today’s walk. Now I can better see roses I had been merely looking at.

Clustering roses.
Delicate pink rose.
Single blossom roses.

No Beer – May 23, 2024

  • Francès ~ Gebennesis Camino – #10 Cote-St-Andre / Revel-Tourdan
  • Distance: 14.1 miles / Total 136.8 miles
  • Ascent: 703’ / Descent: 597’
  • Time: 7 hours 30 minutes
  • Weather: 50-60°/ overcast; after arriving rain sprinkles and thunder

No beer. At the only local bar everyone was drinking double shots of anise and smoking. When I came in for a glass of wine, windows and doors were flung open. Ash trays removed from the bar. Smokers were relegated to outdoors. In minutes curious locals were chattering in fractured English with me. Rather than feel as if I curtailed their evening, I felt genuinely welcomed.

Locals make me feel welcome.
I pause at every open church.
Walk on by…
It’s amazing how flat and broad the land is between the mountain ranges.
It’s prime for wheat agriculture.

Smile – May 23, 2024

  • Francès ~ Gebennesis Camino – #10 Cote-St-Andre / Revel-Tourdan
  • Distance: 14.1 miles / Total 136.8 miles
  • Ascent: 703’ / Descent: 597’
  • Time: 7 hours 30 minutes
  • Weather: 50-60°/ overcast; after arriving rain sprinkles and thunder

Smile for the camera.

Not camera shy.
Charlotte.
Best café for local ambience and tasty meals.
No Apple Wallet pay. No cash register.
Just toss the cash in a drawer.
Only French mice smile.

Rocks – May 22, 2024

  • Francès ~ Gebennesis Camino – #9 Grand Lemps / Cote-St-Andre
  • Distance: 9.6 miles / Total 122.7 miles
  • Ascent: 340’ / Descent: 726’
  • Time: 5 hours 0 minutes
  • Weather: 60-70°/ overcast, sprinkles of rain, blue skies with white clouds.

Rounded rocks seem to rise like apparitions from the ground. Natural building blocks.

Rounded rock.
The Camino.
These rounded rocks are more forgiving than
Virginia‘s Appalachian Trail angular rocks.
Rock walls.
Rock steeple.
Rock house.

Covered – May 21, 2024

  • Francès ~ Gebennesis Camino – #8 Valencogne/Grand Lemps
  • Distance: 13.9 miles / Total 113.1 miles
  • Ascent: 1,368’ / Descent: 1,635’
  • Time: 7 hours 0 minutes
  • Weather: 60-66°/ blue skies with white clouds

Got all bases covered. Bedroom patio with a view, a dog, and a pool.

View from bedroom patio.
View from bedroom patio.
Leaving Valencogne.
Leaving Valencogne.

Chow Time – May 21, 2024

  • Francès ~ Gebennesis Camino – #8 Valencogne/Grand Lemps
  • Distance: 13.9 miles / Total 113.1 miles
  • Ascent: 1,368’ / Descent: 1,635’
  • Time: 7 hours 0 minutes
  • Weather: 60-66°/ blue skies with white clouds

With feeding bucket on my lap, the alphas ate their breakfast. No attempts to feed the other beasts were made.

Girls with girls and boys with boys.
Three Billy Goats Gruff. Troll MIA.
Intense eye contact as I ate my lunch. They kept getting closer and closer. Maybe I was suppose to share my quiche.
Typical scenery.