SOME PHOTOS

DOWNTOWN VENASQUE

CLOCK TOWER IN ROUSSILLON

STATUE

SAINT REMY STREET

WHICH WAY TO GO?

BONNIEUX

JUST ANOTHER HILLTOP VILLAGE

CASTLE GATE IN ANSOUIS

Since I take the pictures, you will see many of Cathie and none of me.

GORDES MARKET IN THE RAIN

MATCHING COLORS

MAKING NEW FRIENDS

ON TO PROVENCE

We leave Cons-Sanite Columbine and head south towards Provence. We have 330 km (200 miles) to travel and we stick to the secondary roads. The freeways here in France are excellent, but expensive to use. We don't mind traveling slow and it allows us to see more of the country. It's slow going navigating the towns and villages the route takes us through. To assist us in finding our way, Alice is with us. Over here she has a English accent and has the assistance of a young French woman who tells us the names of the roads and streets to follow. Alice says, "take the second exit at the roundabout" and then this French woman tells us the name of the road in French. Since I figure together they know more about the roads here than I do, I argue with them less. Anyway I would loose any argument because I am out number 2 to 1.

After about 7 hours we arrive at Venasque, a small hilltop village in the Vaucluse region of Provence, our home for the next six nights.

VENASQUE

You climb the narrow road as it twists and turns up into the village. The road is two way with only enough room for one car at a time.

We enter the village. We are used to signs telling us the height, but here they also tell us the width. So we must do a quick conversion. The height is 9'10", for us not a concern, but the width is 9'2". This would be OK if the streets were one way, but there are not.

LE MAS DU KAIROS

This is our B&B which is run by Josy and Charles Saulnier. We are upstairs, the two windows on the left with the blue shutters. There are other guests here also. Each morning we have breakfast with Mark and his family. He is a businessman from Paris and appears to be in his late 50's. With him is his young wife from Thailand and their two small boys. He is here to oversee the renovation of a vacation home he recently purchased. He has been here for about a month and he tells me that he has no idea when they go home. He says tradesmen the the south of France tell you they can do the job at hand, but then you have to stay on top of them to get them to finish the job. He has been a wealth of information for us, providing ideas on places to go and things to do in the area. He warns us not to leave anything, and he means anything in the car when we are out. He tells us the Arabs have taken over the south and crime is on the rise.

VENASQUE TOWN SQUARE

It's been cold and raining for most of our stay in Provence. Just like we tell visitors in San Diego when it's cloudy in May, we are told we should have been here last week. The weather is unusual for here and has made the news. It hasn't stopped us from exploring though.

SENEANQUE ABBEY

Everyone who visits this area as least drives by the Seneaque Abbey. You may have seen photos of this abbey with the lavender fields around it. Of course we pick a time when the lavender is not in bloom so it looks somewhat plain. We did how ever on the urging of Mark, attend a mass in the chapel. The mass is conducted by the monks and is attended by whomever wants to go. The impressive part of the mass is when the monks sing or chant. The acoustics in the chapel are amazing. There were only 7 monks singing at the mass, but it sounded like 50. It was really something to hear.

www.senanque.fr

ROUSSILLON

GORDES

Both Gordes and Roussillon are hilltop, or perched villages close to where we are staying. They are very touristy but still worth a visit. We went to Gordes in the morning for the town market but in the pouring rain it wasn't a very pleasant experience. The photo was taken later in the day when the sky cleared. It is really a sight to behold from a distance, and when not raining, a great village to explore with it's narrow winding streets. Roussillon nearby is again on a hilltop, but quite different because its buildings are tinted with ochre, mineral in the soil on which the village sits.

PONT DU GARD

A well preserved Roman aqueduct built in 50 AD. Quite impressive as it spans the river. The site was crowded with school children. We also paid a visit to a Roman Coliseum in Nimes. We were told this arena is the best preserved in the world. They us the arena today for bullfights and concerts. Stevie Wonder will preform next month.

Each day takes us to different locations in this area of Provence, where we explore towns and villages. We also explore menus of the local restaurants. Sometimes it is a guessing game as to what's on the menu. We eat our main meal at midday and it is always adventure trying to figure out what is being offered. We are trying to be adventurous in our selection but at times you stick to what you know. Cathie as an example ordered red and green bell pepper salad with olives and tomatoes. Everything was going according to plan until she discovered, too late I might add, that the salad also contained anchovies. But, hey, it's not called Gassaways Adventures for nothing.

BREAKFAST ON THE TERRACE

The morning greeted us with bright sunshine and clear skies. We were served our breakfast on the terrace with the view of the Alps that surround us. One usually thinks of a French breakfast as small, but at most B&B's this is not the case. Although there are no eggs and bacon, there is plenty to eat. Orange juice, milk, coffee drank the French way from a bowl, assorted cereals and granolas, cheese, yogurt, fresh French bread with thick crust and soft hot interior, butter, honey, and four kinds of jams.

With Caralies's husband Laurent off to work and her three daughters off to school, she tells us about things to do and see in the area. She says that rain is expected tomorrow, so she suggest we go to Chamonix Mont-Blanc, the winter resort at the foot of Mont-Blanc, the Alps tallest mountain, while the weather was still good. We take her advice and drive the 60 km to the resort. A portion of the main road is closed for some reason unknown to us, so we must take the signed detour. This puts us on narrow mountain roads which greatly enhanced the scenery and the danger. Very large semi-trucks must use the detour also and on many hairpin turns they use the entire road. Now that I'm writing this and we are alive, I can say it was great fun.

After the 2 hours drive, we arrive in Chamonix Mont-Blanc. There are several options for cable cars and trams up the mountain. There is no way to ride to the summit, but you can get close on a tramway. The tourist office tells us the highest tramway is open, but the top is covered with clouds, so we opt for a cog wheel tram to Mer de Glace, one of the glaciers on the mountain. We buy our tickets and climb aboard. After a 25 minute ride, we arrive at a station overlooking the glacier in the valley below.

Next we board a cable tramway for a ride halfway down to the glacier. The rest of the way you walk down a series of catwalks and stairs to the glacier. Once there, you can walk through the Grotte de Glace, a man made ice cave into the glacier. Because the glacier is slowing moving, each winter a new Grotte de Glace is carved out of the ice for the season. After a cold walk through the glacier, we warm back up by climbing the catwalks and 350 steps, yes count them, 350, to the tramway. We have a leisurely late lunch in Chamonix before returning to our B&B via the same detour as before. We Survived!

A note about driving in France. As a tourist, we tend to drive slow and make sudden turns. The French, whom most seem to drive above the speed limit and who secretly want to be race car drivers, especially on twisty mountain roads, consider my ability to drive with distain. It goes something like this. I going along at my tourist pace when a car approaches from behind.

When they arrive at my bumpers, they use my vehicle to "draft" for a while and to see if I'm going to speed up or get out of the way. They are so close I can see the driver in my rear view mirror mouthing the words, idiot and stupide, two french words I learned on our last trip. Once they know I'm not getting out of their way by driving off the cliff, they pass. It doesn't seem to matter to them that there is a curve or cars coming in the opposite direction, as one must arrive first. It was great fun.

The next day May 1st and a holiday in France. We went to Annecy and walked the promenade beside the lake and into the old part of the city which was crowded with locals enjoying the holiday with their families. Restaurants were doing a booming business, so we picked a busy crowded one thinking the food would be good. We were right. We each had the plat du jour, which consisted of salad, lasagna, and dessert. Cathie had beer and I had too much wine. Cathie did the driving after that. Museums and the tourist sites are closed because of the holiday, which was fine. We just walked around the old town for a couple of hours

The next day we awake to rain. After a slow breakfast, we headed out about 1 pm for the ATM and bakery. We stock up on cash and bread and then it's off to Chateau de Menthon Saint-Bernard. By the name of the Chateau, you might guess it has something to do with the Saint Bernard dog and it does. The Chateau has been inhabited since the 12th century and is the birthplace of Saint Bernard the patron saint of mountaineers. Saint Bernard de Menthon (1008-1081) was the founder of the hospices which bear his name and are widely known for his famous rescue dogs. The Menthon family still owns the Chateau and lives on the grounds in a modern house. More recently, Francois de Menthon (1900-1984), father of the current owner, was one of the founders of the French Resistance during WW-II and was a minister and prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trails at the end of the war.



For our last night at Les Columbines, we had dinner with our hosts. Coralie prepared dishes from the region which included leak soup, la tartiflette, a main dish made with potatoes, herbs, cheese and a cream sauce, thinly sliced ham, salad and cake. All of it was delicious and came with French wine. For all you wine snobs out there, the French also buy, "wine in a box". We had an enjoyable evening with our hosts and couldn't have asked for more.

OUR HOSTS THE MARLIER FAMILY

LAURENT, CORALIE, JULIE, CAPUCINE, AND ANAIS

HEADING ACROSS THE POND

YOU'D LOOK FUZZY TOO AT 5AM

BUT WE'RE OFF

After a long boring plane ride from San Diego to Geneva via Washington DC We arrived in France the next day about 8 am. Because the Airport is on the border with France, we exited onto French territory. We gathered our luggage luggage which arrived in tact and the same plane and headed for the ATM For Some euros. The machine kept refusing to give me money, so we decided to get some later. We then met with the representative from Peugeot who had me sign a couple of documents for the registration and insurance for our new car. He made sure I understood the car ran on diesel and handed me the keys. In about 5 minutes the formalities were over and we were off.

The cheapest place in France to buy gas is at the supermarket. All are self serve and many have no attendants. You pay at the pump with a credit card. European card have a chip rather than a strip which the computer reads. Some card readers read both, some can not. Of course my card did not work. First no money, and now no diesel. We finally found a regular gas station with an employee and filled her up. It was then that I discovered I had been using my credit card instead of the debt card at the ATM card and the dept card at the gas pump, which just does not work here. So much for no sleep in 24 hours. We stopped at a nearby bank and filled up with euros and headed out again.

We drove around the end of Switzerland not wanting to pay 40 euros or about $53 for a pass which allows you to drive on their freeway system. It did not seem like a good deal for a 15 mile short cut. We remained in France and we drove to the area around Annecy before stopping for lunch. Since we could not arrived at our B & B until mid afternoon, we drove around Lake Annecy enjoying the sights. After a stop at a grocery store for supplies, wine, cheese and bread, We arrived at Les Columbines, in the little village of Cons-Sainte-Colombe our home for the next 4 nights.

We were greeted by our hostess, Coralie Marlier, who showed us to our simple but comfortable room. Having been up for 30 hours, we were hardly able to function. Cathie took a nap while I explored the village on foot. The village is situated on a hillside overlooking the valley with the snow capped Alps towering overhead. The village is just about all residential, with the exception of the church, town hall, a butcher and cheese maker. The latter two operate out of their homes.

After a picnic dinner on our terrace, with a view of the high peaks above, we headed off to bed about 8 pm, not being able to keep our eyes open any longer.

OUR B&B FOR THE NEXT 4 NIGHTS

A NEW ADVENTURE BEGINS

Here we go again, only this time we’re traveling a little further. With fond memories of our 2006 trip to Europe, we’re heading across the pond for 6 weeks of exploring France, Germany and Austria. The last several days have been worrisome with the volcano closing down all flights to Europe, but it looks like we’re going to make it.

We leave in one week on the 28th for Geneva, where we will walk out of the airport into France. We have leased a new Peugeot which should be waiting for us upon our arrival. Here’s a link to the lease program. http://www.peugeot-openeurope.com/html/en/home/home.aspx On our last trip to Europe, we stayed exclusively in Bed and Breakfasts and we are doing so again.

For me part of the fun of travel is the planning. I’ve been planned this trip for two years now, having cancelled last year due to a terrible exchange rate. It’s somewhat better now and I’m hoping it will stay that way. Our trip looks something like this:

Four nights, south of Geneva near Annecy, France in a small village at the foot of the Alps. http://annecy.lescolombines.free.fr/ When I contacted the owner this B&B, she e-mailed me that it was very rare to have Americans stay in her home. Sounded like my kind of place, so it will be our first stop.

From there it’s south to Provence for six nights at this B&B in a small hilltop village. Here the owner in the last part of her driving directions said, “turn right on the dirt track”. Again my kind of place. http://www.masdukairos.com/site%20gb/index.htm

Then it’s southwest to Carcassonne, France, an old walled city, for a couple of days. Turning north, we will stay five nights in the Dordogne Region of France at a B&B owned by an English couple. http://www.lerelaisdupech.com/index.html.

That’s the last place with reservations, so after that the road may take us just about anywhere. We will spend some time on the Rhine River in Germany, then onto Bavaria and Austria. When heading back across Germany we intend on stopping in Munich for a few days before ending up in the Black Forest to stay a few days with Hans and Silke, our new found German friends.

Last year friends asked us for our advice for their upcoming trip to Europe. When asked if they should take a laptop with them, I told them not to bother. Who wants to carry around the extra weight? Upon their return, they told me it was the worst advice I could give, as a computer would have been beneficial for making reservations and researching the area one is visiting. With that in mind, I went out and purchased a Net Book, or mini-computer, which only weights about 2 pounds. With any luck, I’ll have internet access on occasion and will be updating the blog on this our latest adventure.

CAMPING WITH NEW AND OLD FRIENDS

It’s been awhile since I last posted, but things have been pretty slow around here. We did manage to go to Quartzite in January for a few days and this past week we spent 4 days in Borrego with friends. If you are a regular reader of “Gassaway’s Adventures” you may recall that in Utah last year we met Hans and his son Frank in Bluff. Hans had shipped his motor home from Germany to the States and spent around 5 months traveling the U.S. When he returned to Germany, he left his motor home in storage at our friends Gary and Diane’s house, with plans to return in the spring.

Hans and his girlfriend, Silke, arrived from Germany this past week and after a resupply of their motor home, took us up on our invitation to go camping in Borrego. Joined by Gary and Diane, we camped at Arroyo Salado a primitive camp in the Borrego Badlands. We took great pleasure in showing them our local desert, which because of the recent rains was the greenest we’ve seen it in years. The wildflowers are in bloom with the peak expected in the next several weeks. We visited 17 Palms Oasis, the Pumpkin Patch, Split Mountain, Fish Creek, Sandstone Canyon and took a hike up Palm Canyon. Evenings were spent around the campfire, learning about life in Germany, not to mention a little bit of German. Both Hans and Silke speak excellent English as it is a required subject in every German’s education.

LOOK WHAT WE FOUND IN BORREGO

ARROYO SALADO CAMP


SANDSTONE CANYON

THE PUMPKIN PATCH

Last fall, the first time we saw Hans, he was floating down the San Juan River past our campsite. With the water temperature in the high 50’s, we figured he was just some crazy tourist. As it turns out, Hans wants to go swimming where ever he goes. Borrego was no different. He managed to find a deep pool on our Palm Canyon hike and didn’t hesitate to strip down to his underwear and dive in.

HANS IN PALM CANYON

After 4 days, Hans and Silke headed east and plan on taking 4 weeks to cross the country. They have a date with a freighter in Baltimore for shipping the motor home back to Germany. In April, Cathie and I are heading to Europe for six weeks and we’ve been invited to spent time in Hans and Silke’s home in the Black Forrest. We can hardly wait

ON THE WAY EAST

TILTING AT WINDMILLS

For the past eight years or so, I’ve wanted a windmill for my yard. Not one of those lawn art type imitation windmills, but a real full sized one. Why, you ask? Because I think they look neat and I want to watch it turning from my front window. Over the years I have looked for one on our travels in the southwest. We see lots of them standing abandoned on vast rangeland and next to old farm houses throughout the west, some still in use, but many standing derelict and in a gradual state of decline. When on the rare occasion, I’ve checked online to find one for sale, the price has been out of reach for me, as I am always looking for a deal. But I’ve always continued looking and on occasion photographing them.

After returning home from our last trip, on which I saw numerous windmills, I got a call from my neighbor Willie. Willie told me about a windmill in Sunnyside, just three miles from our house that was for sale. The asking price was something I was willing to pay and far less expensive than anything I have seen before. I went and took a look and discovered that it was down on the ground, saving a lot of headache getting it down. It also appeared that all the parts were there. According to the owner, he had bought it in West Texas in 1969 with the intention of putting it on his well. He never did, so it just sat in his yard for the last 40 years. The 30 foot tower seemed to be in pretty good shape, but the engine, the part the wind vanes attached to, needed work. After several days of consideration and in serious consultation with my engineer friend Duane, I decided it was a project I could tackle. I made the owner an offer he couldn’t refuse, shaving several hundred dollars of the asking price. The owner, who had been tipping a few at the time of our negotiation, made a counter offer and we had a deal. I was now the owner of a real life Aerometer model 702 30 foot windmill. Now I had to get it home.

Luckily, Willie happens to own a construction company, has a 30 food flatbed trailer in his inventory of equipment. So with sons, Gray, Eric, friend Duane and Willie and his trailer, we managed to load the tower on the trailer for the trip to its new home.

The windmill is now in my back yard, and Duane and I have begun the process of overhauling the windmill engine. It is nearly completely dismantled, with the exception of the final gears, which are rusted in place. With a little luck and a gallon of WD-40, in due time we’ll manage to break though the rust and begin the reassembly portion of this, my new project.

I don’t know how long it will take to get everything ready, but there will be a windmill raisin party when we raise the windmill at its new home in our front yard.

http://www.aermotorwindmill.com/

GETTING READY TO LOAD IT

IT'S ON THE TRAILER

OFF LOADING

THE ENGINE

HEADING HOME

We stayed three days in Silver City and one of those days we drove north about 60 miles to Glenwood, New Mexico and the Catwalk National Scenic Trail. The Catwalk follows the path of the pipeline built in the 1890s to deliver water to the mining town of Graham. Workmen who had to enter the canyon by crawling atop the narrow pipeline named the route the "Catwalk." In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps rebuilt the Catwalk as a recreation area for the Gila National Forest. The Forest Service built the metal walkway in the 1960s. Parts of the trail have been rebuilt several times since then due to the flooding of Whitewater Creek. The path leads to the unique feature of Catwalk. Metal walkways are bolted to the narrow canyon walls where there was no room to cut a trail. One expanse of the walkway is on girders stretched across the canyon. Between the creaking metal grates of the Catwalk you can see the swiftly running water below. In other parts the walkway hugs the canyon wall. The rock, worn smooth by years of erosion, arches over the pathway

There are times when writing this blog I make mention of great campgrounds we’ve discovered. I can’t recall a time that I’ve mentioned a private RV park as usually they are not very scenic or worth pointing out. In Silver City we found one that is. Manzano’s RV Park is owned by a semi-retired couple who take great pride in their small RV park. Sites are not close together and each is divided by the natural landscape. It's off the highway and very peacful. If you’re ever in the area, it’s a great place to stay.

http://www.manzanosrvpark.com/

MANZANO'S

We are now nearing the end of our trip, with the last couple of days spent in Bisbee, Arizona, an old copper mining town situated in a narrow canyon above a large abandoned open pit copper mine. Today the town survives because of the tourists who stop here.

BISBEE


BISBEE OPEN PIT MINE

Tomorrow we hook up the trailer for the last time and head for home. Once again we’ve had a great trip. The first six weeks of the trip was spent with Gray and Diane, their longest trip to date. We revisited some places and discovered new ones, but since we’ve run out of money, not to mention "Two Buck Chuck", it’s time to head for home.

Here's a link to Gary and Diane's Blog"

http://tinyurl.com/ygcy8jr

SNOWBIRDS

IT'S NOT MUCH, BUT IT'S COLD!

Well it was snowing in Albuquerque so we figured we should follow the snowbirds and head south. We had a great visit with our hosts Terry and Sharon and we will return the favor when they park their RV in our yard in December.

From Albuquerque we stopped for three days at Oliver Lee State Park just south of Alamogordo, a really nice campground at the base of the Sacramento Mountains. While in the area, we spent some time at White Sands, walking and bike riding. With great weather with temperatures in the 70’s we are staying south with the next stop in Hatch, NM, the Chili Capitol of the World. Real chili lovers buy fresh or fire roasted chilies in 20 pound burlap bags, but we stuck to a couple of Chili Ristras and of course some hot green chili salsa.

Today we arrived in Sliver City, NM and plan on staying for the next couple of days. The city is an old mining town with lots of history and lots of place to explore in the area.

Here’s a couple of links if you’re interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Lee_Memorial_State_Park

http://www.hatchchilefest.com/

Also some recent photos:

NEW MEXICO SUNSET


NEW MEXICO MOONRISE

WHITE SANDS RESIDENT

WHO NEEDS AN ATV

HATCH, NEW MEXICO

NEW MEXICO

TAOS SUNRISE

THE TAOS PUEBLO

After bidding goodbye to Gary and Diane, we headed southeast towards Taos, New Mexico. With one detour due to snow over a 10,000 pass, we arrived and settled into an RV park just outside of town. We spent 3 days in Taos, visiting the Taos Pueblo and the Kit Carson Museum. As a collector of pueblo pottery, the Taos Pueblo is a great place to buy directly from the artist who made the piece. After helping out with the local economy and with the threat of snow we continued our journey south.

Our RV is currently parked in the yard of friends Terry and Sharon in Rio Rancho, just outside of Albuquerque. So far the weather has been sunny but cool. The forecast is calling for rain and snow in a couple of days, so we just might stay put until it passes.
Today we drove to the Jemez Mountains just north of here. Terry and Sharon like to hike as we do, so we took what was to be a 4 mile trek along the Jemez River. With a light dusting of fresh snow, it was a really beautiful and peaceful. Terry had heard of a “water cave”(whatever that is) a bit further down the trail and the 4 miles ended up being 10. We never did quite make it to the water cave as the trail became very steep and icy. None the less we had a great hike in the snow.

CATHIE, SHARON, TERRY AND LADY

SNOW SCENE

JEMEZ RIVER FALL COLORS

NEW FRIENDS

If you have ever traveled in the southwest and stayed in campgrounds and RV parks you notice right away a large number of folks driving rented motorhomes. In my own unscientific survey, I determined that most of the people driving these RV’s are European with Germans making up the majority. While camping in Bluff, I noticed a European style motorhome with German plates in a nearby campsite. In an effort to promote friendship between our two peoples, and to find out about their motorhome, I invited the occupants to join us around the campfire.

Hans, was traveling around the southwest with his 21 year old son, Frank and a rather large and intimidating looking Sheppard. Hans told us he shipped his motorhome to the states via container ship from Germany to Baltimore and has been traveling around the west for close to 5 months. He said he had to return to Germany on the 1st of November but intended to store his RV in Los Angeles. Then in the spring he would return for 5 more weeks of US travel ending in Baltimore to ship his RV back home.

In two nights of campfire talk, we learned that Hans was in the same business as Gary and I and worked in a small town in the Black Forest. He had saved up his leave time for his trip to the states. Hans gave us a tour of his very compact but well designed and built Mercedes RV knowing full well, that someday we will have to downsize for economy sake. He gets 20 MPG compared to our 10. Gary offered to find a place to store his RV when he returned to Germany and Hans took him up on the offer. With Cathie and I going to Europe in the spring, Hans invited us to come and visit him in the Black Forest, which, if he’s not in the U.S. at the time, his invitation will be accepted.

After six weeks, Gary and Diane have decided to head for home, this being the longest they have ever been away. The previous record for them was 2 weeks. We parted company in Cortez, Colorado with Cathie and I heading to New Mexico. The weather is turning cold, with snow in the nearby mountains, so it’s time to head south.

WHAT A CREW!


OBTAINING LANDSCAPING MATERIALS