A Family Favorite

We rarely repeat rides except when home in Vail where we do the same ride almost every day. However, this was sort of a "goldilocks" ride - not too long, not too short, enough climbing but no killer grades that drive us to exhaustion. 

So off we went but with few photos of the same shots we took on the last ride. This hut was ideally located when most of the climbing was behind us and sweaty clothes needed to be jettisoned.  

The chair inside made it easy to take our pants off.

This rusty pastry scale made it easy to estimate the pounds of pastries we have consumed so far on this trip. Not sure what else it was used to weigh and why in this hut.

Our light weight wind breakers stayed on for the long downhills ahead.

At our coffee stop we met this family on vacation from London. Their 2+ year old was adorable in her sun glasses to complement her outfit. And by the way the coffee and pastry was a pleasurable interlude on this peaceful meandering up and around the local hills and valleys. 

Not to be outdone the evening deserts were also world class. Got to love this place. 

 

Foggy Start but Perfect Lunch With Chris and Su Everson

Today's ride will take us out and back along the river ending in La Roque to rendezvous with Chris and Su Everson for lunch.

We started along familiar roads then found our way to this velo route over a former railroad line along a very narrow but tree lined path. Since it was midweek the route was mostly empty but for a few cyclists and walkers.  

We tried to find a coffee spot in this typical town but not a Tabac or restaurant in sight. We decided to make this our turnaround location and head back toward our lunch spot. 

We did find this coffee spot but limited our indulgence to fresh bread knowing that a large lunch was in our future. 

A stone something tucked into the hillside was worthy of a photo. 

Far more majestic and photo worthy was Montfort.. which translates to "mountain fort", a popular tourist site. We have ridden by on numerous occasions but never had the urge to take the tour. 

The road along the overlook is a gentle climb and prone to heavier traffic as the cars, trucks, and buses cling to the side of the cliff to negotiate the turns and avoid pesky cyclists like us. We are always glad to have our front and rear lights to warn the drivers of the targets ahead. 

Greater downtown Montfort is nothing to look at and only warrants a stop to allow the traffic to pass us by. The rule here is that if there are five or more vehicles backed up behind, you are expected to pull over and let them pass. It is a proven fact that the farther back you are in the lineup the more anxious and aggressive the driver becomes. France is like everywhere else. 

A map shows how the river meanders down the valley and points of interest along the way. Although we have not explored the full length this appears to be the most popular section of the river. Probably explains why so many castles and forts popped up over the last millennium. 

Cliff dwellers hug the rocks although I am not sure I would trust the overhanging rocks even with the reinforcing posts. We watched from below as people climbed the rickety stairs to explore the crevices. My fear of heights and imminent death provided a sufficient deterrence to follow these lemmings.    

The view from riverside was more appealing terra ferma. 

Another leisurely lunch with the Eversons was our reward for another day on the bikes. Their choice of La Roque was an ideal spot since the two mile ride back home was all we could muster after our hamburgers and frites. Seems the French have a love affair with burgers and rare is really rare. Our kind of people. The uneaten half made for a satisfying dinner recap to a lovely day. 

On The Road Again

Let's share the road which is a wonderful suggestion for drivers and cyclist alike. 1.5 meters is a generous suggestion but 5 feet of space is an optimistic goal especially on narrow roads. We will take whatever safe distance we can get.   

When it is time to shed clothes any spot will do especially when there is a ledge to sit on. 

It is not often that we frequent coffee stops more than once but this very modern cafe is in an ideal location with plenty of seating, sun or shade, and great view. Unfortunately they will be closed for a week starting Saturday so this is the last time for this year. Maybe again next year. 

The French love to wrap their hay - so French. 

Remnants of old structure but good source of stones to be repurposed. Hope it is not an historical landmark.  

Many of our rides lead us through Daglan - which is okay by us. 

Dying on the stalks. 

Although not our favorite path, we have taken a liking to this cycleway between Castelnaud and Daglan. It is a scenic alternative which is much more peaceful without the cars. Since there are few other cyclists and walkers it is not as challenging as dodging cars. 

Last two miles that will take us home. 

An expansive camping area has many tents, trailers, and RVs. Cabins are available for the less industrious campers. Glamping is a big thing here as well with some sites providing full event planning facilities for weddings and the like. 

Happiness is seeing our Castle in the distance. Almost home.

Great photo op before our ride comes to an end. 

As if our ride was not enough activity for one day we headed up the hill behind our place to a walnut grove and walnut oil factory. We decided to drive the 1+ KM, a very smart move.  

The walnut grove covered 7 acres or hectares - which is a lot of trees that provide enough nuts to make this a viable business. 

We found the place as the sign confirms. In addition to walnuts they also produce truffles but not part of the tour. Black truffle oil is a delicacy used to enhance many dishes or just eaten in the raw. As our friend Ali has noted it is very "earthy" in taste like eating dirt - yummy. The pigs seem to like it but now they use trained dogs to sniff them out. Although not mentioned anywhere, it is possible that they are found around the trunks of walnut trees. They may use the traditional sniffing method or just uncover them when they uproot dead or underproducing trees. When the yield does not measure up it is off to the sawmill but not until they have used the choice cuts for sculptures and furniture. 

A sign of welcome which literally translates to "Honor to bosses" which may not be what they had in mind but we are glad to be here. 

A sampling of devices to liberate the nut from the shell. Hard to see but the female shaped crackers uses the spreading legs to grab the shell and do its job. Clever people those French. 

After watching a short video chronicling the cycle from seedling to oil we got to tour the factory and observe every step of the process. Although quite labor intensive the modernized version of the ancient process uses tractors to shake the pods from the trees, gather the nuts, and  crack the shells with mechanized equipment instead of laborers doing the job by hand one nut at a time. Once separated the nuts are ground to a pulp in preparation for the oil pressing process.  

The pulp is heated to simplify the oil extraction. 

When the mixture is just right it is transferred to wrapped boxes and on to the press.

This mechanical marvel now uses an hydraulic piston to apply sufficient pressure to press the oil out the pipe into the bucket. Seems like it takes a lot of pulp to produce a meager amount of oil. Walnut oil is more of a luxury over more traditional oils like corn, olive, sunflower, and rape seed. 

After the oil has cured for a specific period of time it goes to fully "unautomated" bottling station. 

The nuts that survive the cracking process as whole or halves are set aside and escape the pressing process. We managed to snag a few handfuls as we passed by this enormous crate. I am sure they won't miss the ones we took as it appears that even such a primitive business is profitable. 

Keeping with the walnut theme they have carved these stones into their favorite nut and scattered them throughout the orchard. 

Sporty little run about. A Triumph TR6 of unknown vintage with stylish leather suitcase just big enough for touring the countryside. 

Wine and pretzels decanted from this artistically shaped bottle. Same wine and bottle Kim fell in love with during our stay in Pons ln 2023.

Market Day and Tour Castelnaud

Today is a rest day which is essential to both our physical and mental health. Most exercise pundits recommend a day off now and then and at our advancing age the break is increasingly important. The substitute is a trip to the grocery store as our supplies dwindle, especially wine and gin. Our first stop is the market in Cenac to see what goodies are in the offing before duplicating items from the Leclerc. 

Prepared foods in France are "par excellence" and one of our favorites is Paella. It is a biggie here even though it is a traditional Spanish dish. Sharing a border with Spain accounts for the mixing of foods across the Pyrenees. 

Other concoctions are tempting but with a limited number of dinners here in the Dordogne we have to settle for one. 

Maybe on our next trip we will opt for a terrine of something instead. 

After stashing the groceries and getting past lunch we decided that it was time to head up the road by our house and explore Castelnaud. Although a short distance it is quite a climb up cobble stone streets and byways. The surrounding town is quaint but very tourist ridden. We know this from the continuous flow of walkers passing our patio on the way up the hill. There are a few restaurants that would be enticing if not for the walk up and then down in the dark after dinner. 

There is a cemetery and church up there too and 

shops peddling all kinds of stuff we don't need. After all this is the stuff reduction phase of our lives. 

Catching my breath under a sign depicting a scribe or monk writing in a book. Not sure what it signifies nor the building it adorns. 

Looking up at the impenetrable walls although the castle fell upon a siege back in the 15th century. 

Every self respecting castle should have a turret in which any damsel can be locked away. 

Another view 

And another view 

In its totality as viewed by the attacking army. 

Grapes and vineyards were once the order of the day until wiped out by a blight. 

Castle receding into the distance as we descend the rocky path to the village below. 

Guess what Kim is doing? Did not think you could. Dinner is pan seared pork chops in a flour and Panko bread crumb breading. Unfortunately no Panko bread crumbs, or break crumbs of any kind could be found at Leclerc super market. Not to be deterred we purchased thinly sliced sandwich bread, toasted to a crisp, then hand crushed into home made crumbs. Add some spices and voila our dinner will be complete. 

Unlike the bread crumbs these pastries are the genuine article. Unfortunately our dinner guest, Shaun Smith, tested positive for Covid and had to cancel. Lunch on another day once his test is negative, but in the interim we went ahead with the menu as planned. As they say in South Africa when a problem arises "we will make a plan", and so we did.