June 9 - Courmyeur to Arvier

Wow! Sunshine and clear skies. It was cool but beautiful this morning. We had a great view of Monte Blanco (Mt Blanc if you prefer French). We left the hotel as a small group and promptly got lost going out of town. Not to worry, though. We retreated about 1km and we found where we were supposed to go. The route teased us for a couple of miles by going downhill. Then we started our climb up to Paso Piccalo St Bernardo. We rode through wooded mountainsides along raging streams. After a while there were snow banks on the side of the road. Because the temperature was so mild, I had shed the outer layers of clothes. Now, with the snow, I was getting a little cold especially in my hands. After dozens of switchbacks, I finally reached the summit at 7200 feet. I stopped at a restaurant and joined Art, Rose, Janet and the other Bob. Debbie, Marie and Henry soon joined us. I had a tasty bowl of pea soup with croutons and cheese. We decided that this was a French recipe because we had crossed the border into France.

After we were done, we loaded up our bikes, put on some outer layers to keep warm and decended on the same route. The downhill was long - all of the way to Arvier, our days stop. As we descended we saw some of our group going up. We also picked up more riders going down. By the time we made a refreshment break, we had a train - Bob, Debbie, Julie, Margie, Marie and Henry. Because it was downhill, we made good time getting to out hotel at around 3:00.

It was a wonderful day on the bicycle. The weather was perfect. The views were fantastic. And we climbed one of the epic passes in the Alps.

Dinner tonight was very filling - salad, pasta, veal, fresh fruit and lots of wine. It was one of our group dinners. Tomorrow night we are on our own. I might go back to the same restaurant.

A matter of housekeeping - my tools that I use to transfer photos and GPS tracks is not working. This means that I can't show any photos or ride statistics. I will try to get this fixed in the next day or two, maybe during a rain day.