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Back in France…
As announced in the previous post, we are back in France, on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees. We go to discover Navarrenx, a pretty fortified little town about 25 miles West of Pau.
1. One of the entrances of the city.
2. Patrol path…
3. A beautiful courtyard.
We had promised ourselves for a long time to share a campfire with friends from the Pau area, Fred and Martine. A few years ago, they bought a small camper that allows Fred, an accomplished landscape and wildlife photographer, to travel for his passion.
Passing through the region, I texted him and the stars aligned so that we could share a nice altitude bivouac. Fred sent me GPS coordinates of a spot easily accessible by a good trail where we could meet up.
4. In the middle of the afternoon, we are the first on site.
5. A few Pyrenean peaks surround us.
When Fred and Martine arrive, the last section was a little too rough for their little camper and we go back down a mile to meet them and find ourselves a spot easier to access.
6. After the aperitif and lighting the campfire, it’s time to prepare the dinner.
Photo FredW
7. On the menu: melon and ham starter, then lamb chops with ratatouille cooked over the wood fire. Yum!
Photo FredW
8. Cooking…
Photo FredW
9. What a great evening with friends! Martine and Fred, thank you for your kindness and for this great time.
Photo FredW
10. Time to go to sleep…
Photo FredW
11. The next day, I get up before sunrise to enjoy the morning atmosphere….
12. First rays on our camp.
13. The plain North of the Pyrenees. The city of Pau is hidden by the mist.
14. On the other side, the first peaks of the Pyrenees.
15. I go back down to our camp.
16. It’s time to pack up camp and say goodbye. We promised to do it again another time!
Photo FredW
More soon with the discovery of a rougier and an impressive bridge…
Thank you all for your loyalty to this little blog.. 😉
Getaway in France
As fall holidays are approaching, we camped south of the Ain to discover a beautiful natural arch that had been on my bucket list for quite some time.
1. Through the fog…
2. Spooky silhouette…
3. After finding our boondocking place, we follow the path that leads to the arch and we have a great encounter : a beautiful spotted salamander! Glad to be able to show it to Emile when it becomes more and more rare to meet them…
4. And here we are at this beautiful natural arch, created by a collapse following the digging of a trench in a limestone shoulder in order to pass a pipe through. Emile gives the scale ! 😉
5. In fact, it’s even a double arch; here the secondary arch of approx. 10 feet wide, smaller than the main one which should be around 25-28 feet wide.
6. The place reminds me of some of the arches discovered in America during VivaLaVida’s journey.
7. Last look before heading back to our camp.
8. On the way back, we somewhat searched for the path that fades into the vegetation, forcing us to cut through the woods to find our way back. We then enjoyed a lull that allows us to taste a succulent salmon & vegetables cooked on the campfire.
Return on Sunday by some logging roads under the showers. Now, I’ve to prepare VLV for the departure on vacation in a few days.
Thank you for your loyalty and see you soon here! 😀
Week-ends in Jura mountains
We enjoy fall doing some weekend outings.
1. Boondocking in the forest.
2. Nice morning view point.
3. In the Langouette gorge.
4. Billaude waterfall.
5. Another weekend, another boondocking in a beautiful forest clearing.
6. Emile always enjoys it!
7. The campfire is ready to cook diner.
8. Walk in the beech forest.
9. Way back…
In mid-October, VivaLaVida and its occupants left for a few days in the Hautes-Alpes. I will present all this soon.
PS: While the VLV route was no longer displayed on the map pages since Google Maps changed the terms of use of its services a few months ago, I have updated these pages with new maps that present the VLV route until October this year.
Week-end in Haute Savoie
At the end of August, Emile and I are going to spend the weekend in the mountains.
1. Hike to the Col de Balme.
2. We discover a pretty altitude pond…
3. … that cottongrass highlight.
4. Highland…
5. From a ridge, we can see VLV far below…
6. On the ridge…
7. The goal of the hike.
8. Too bad the clouds hid the light…
9. Altitude marsh.
10. On the way back, the clouds set the mood…
11. Reaching VLV for the night.
12. Campfire to prepare diner.
13. A last ray sets the Bossons glacier ablaze in the distance.
14. Red needles of Chamonix in the clouds.
15. Nice viewpoint over the Chamonix valley when we wake up.
16. Picnic near Emosson.
17. Aiguille Verte and the Drus from Emosson.
Some images of other weekends coming soon… 😀
Summer trip 2021, start in France and Italy
Both Emile and I were eager to hit the road after two years without traveling in VivaLaVida. However, while we planned to leave on a Monday, trying to crank VivaLaVida the previous Thursday, no way to start it! I do the diagnostics and identify that it was the injection pressure regulator that was out of order. I ordered the part in the United States with express shipping and received it next Monday. The time to install it and check that everything was fine, we finally left on Tuesday at the beginning of the afternoon …
1. First stop at Fairies lake, in Beaufortain.
2. The next day, we go to the Iseran Pass, more than 9,000 feet elevation.
3. Emile building a kern.
4. View of the mountains where Isère takes its source.
5. Emile in front of an orientation table.
6. We find a place under the pass to boondock.
7. There is a torrent, Emile throws some stones at it!
87. All happy!
9. The sun hides behind the mountain until the next day…
10. The next day, direction Italy in the Rochemolles valley via Mont Cenis.
11. The pleasure of the first campfire of the trip.
12. Dinner!
13. The following morning, we go up to the Scarfiotti refuge and its small lakes. I give up going up to the Sommeillier Pass because you have to pay to take this dead end track and there was a lot of people.
14. Waterfall behind the refuge.
Continuation of the story in a few days… 😉
Italian gateway
The VLV alpine trip continued to the Lombarde Pass linking France to Italy.
1. Going up to Isola 2000, VivaLaVida crosses a small reach to reach a pretty picnic place.
2. Having good time…
3. Emile loves to be in the nature…
4. Over the pass under a rain shower.
5. Small lake going down to Italy.
6. …
7. Switchback turns on the Italian side.
8. Arrival at the Tende Pass and its various abandoned fortress.
9. The view towards North is immense…
10. Some ruins are quite large.
11. We will spend the night in one of these abandonned fortress.
12. Inside one of those…
13. Sun is setting…
14. South side of the Tende Pass, in France.
15. Sunset behind the mountains…
16. Campfire under the stars. This will unfortunately be the only one of this vacation, the riss of wildfire being very high at the moment…
To be followed soon…
D5 Creation