Late start as Sacha was so content lying in the grass in the sunshine. Decided to just tour today so went up Alpes d'Huez at1800 metres, which is the hardest part of the Tour de France. Well, my bike and I did it in record time! Yeah right - in the van of course. So many cyclists were tackling it in the midday heat. At the top there is a simple sign saying 'Arrivee' and just as I was leaving there was a lone cyclist taking a picture. I stopped and offered to take one with him in and he was delighted. Much to my surprise he came from Hong Kong.
Now I drove east to Briancon which is close to Italy and I was tempted to go on to Cortina in the Dolomites where I was last year. I didn't and just drove on. I soon realised that I had been in this beautiful area before, skiing in Serre Chevalier some years ago with Truro Hash House Harriers. Anyway it was a lovely day with stunning views.
On the way to an aires I saw a sign for a camp municipal du lac. The manager was exceptionally helpful and I chose a spot in a corner to be away from people Yesterday I was not happy being close to a volley ball pitch on one side and a party the other.
I had set up the van which means putting the screens up and setting up the table and chair. The kettle was on. Then two fellows came up and camped next to me. The campsite was empty! They were rock climbers from England.
Then they made a fire with wood that kept cracking so Sacha kept thinking it was a gun and just wanted to hide in the van. No peace for the wicked as they say.
There was the beautiful winding drive through the Parc National des Ecrins. At 918 sq kms it is France's second largest national park. The highest point is over 4000 metres. The snow capped mountains and the shimmering turquoise lakes are pure drama.
After Briancon I continued through the French Alps.
Reluctantly I carried on descending. There were still some interesting geological features of the eroding mountains. Passing some pretty hilltop villages, I drove through the du Verdon national park. Maybe I should have stopped to visit Gorges du Verdon but I didn't as I had my sights set on Aix en Provence.