My apologies to those of you who wake up in the morning, anticipating our daily blog. The past three days have found us unable to upload the blog from our computer. Evidently, some home internet servers don’t like the platform running on our American computer. So while we were able to write the blog, we were unable to post it. Therefore, today we are posting four days worth of our adventures. We are, indeed, in the land of the Alps. As I sit in my tent this evening, a train runs by every few minutes, a testament to the Swiss reliance on trains for transportation and for tourism. Bill and I have ridden those trains in the past, and it is a fantastic way to travel within the country, and the cog trains that take passengers ... read more

Austrians, French, and Americans sitting around the table, eating dinner and making friendships. What a terrific day here in Pontarlier. Though it was a dreary, rainy day, we enjoyed it thoroughly. After a typical French breakfast (bread with jam and yogurt). Christian and Annie drove us to the Source de la Loue, a magnificent cave from which flows a river; actually Le Doubs Rive disappears underground near Pontarlier and then re-appears, as if by magic, coming out from the base of huge cliffs. Indeed an amazing sight which we were able to hike to. Then, several kms. away from there, we visited the town of Ornans, where Gustave Courbet was born in 1819. For those of you who have not taken my Humanities course, Courbet is one of my favorite French painters. I particularly like his ... read more

Today. 115 kms. Initially flat, then rolling, then some more serious climbs -- or maybe they just felt more serious cause we were tired. Mostly back roads through French farm country. Wish I had a euro for every bale of hay we say today. Arrived in Besancon by 2:30, biked out to the campground, stopping at a bakery for our daily addiction. A little light rain around noon, some more just as we were setting up the tent, but certainly not the deluge we feared. From the campground, a short walk through the woods brought us to a Carrefour (a French Walmart of sorts) that had an all you can eat vegetable bar accompanied by one piece of fish or steak for just 6.50 euros. They did not make any money off of us cause we ... read more

Today. Perfect weather. 70 kms. next to the canal. Didn’t get lost. Saw lots of cyclists -- some touring, some training, mostly families out for a picnic. Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about the essentials. Several of our regular blog readers, I know, have dreams of doing their own long distance cycling tour. As you prepare for that tour, you’ll make all kinds of lists of stuff to take -- shorts, toothpaste, sleeping bag, and whatever. (One chapter in my perhaps-future book will provide a nice packing list.) But there are some items that Bill and I have found essential that rarely are included on any list. We did some brainstorming today of those essentials. Here they are in no particular order. 1. a small paring knife -- to cut ... read more

First of all, thanks to Lady for taking over my blog job yesterday. It was kind of a lazy day for Bill and me. And I apologize for any discomfort that Lady and the Tramp experienced in the rain. Today is July 14th, Bastille Day here in France, kinda the equivalent of our Fourth of July. Exactly five years ago we were in Carcasonnes watching the Tour de France in person, partying in the streets, and seeing the most amazing fireworks ever burst above the medieval city. Today we are celebrating a bit more quietly -- at least, so far. We did indeed awaken to sunny skies, skies that vacillated between clouds and sun all day, with the temps never really warming up. An easy exit from Montbrison, some initially flat cycling and then we hit ... read more