Hot and humid with evidence of riots

Dave’s dreamy post from yesterday is a tough act to follow, especially because today was kind of a slog.

There were certainly beautiful parts to our 37-mile ride, but it was also hot and humid and hard to stay hydrated. Right now at 7:30 pm it’s still 86 degrees, so that gives you an idea how much profuse sweating we did.

This morning we said goodbye to the Loire and began the journey north toward Paris. Current mileage is about 540 miles and we’re less than 100 miles from the finish line. We’re camped in Montargis, pop. 14,000. When Dave and I were grocery shopping downtown this afternoon, we saw shattered and boarded up windows in the shops, evidence of recent riots! I see from an article in Le Monde that Montargis is trying to get back on its feet after 62 stores were vandalized between June 29 and 30. Yikes!

With only 3.5 days of riding left I wanted to make a few practical notes about this trip. First, it’s been incredible having both Dave and Lyle equipped to navigate using the Ride with GPS app. They’ve done an impressive job of following the route without any major issues. We haven’t ridden through a single wheat field! Amazing. 

Other innovations include the Earth Breeze laundry detergent sheets Mom gave us, which are super light and practical and don’t take up any space at all. We carried enough for our whole trip tucked away in the toiletry bag and never had to worry about buying detergent. 

Other helpful things:

- Smartwool undies. The BEST. They dry instantly and never feel sweaty.

- Cocoon silk mummy liner sleep sheets. Also dry instantly and so helpful on hot nights and for keeping sleeping bags clean. 

- Benedryl anti-itch cream. Constant use for endless bug bites. 

Less helpful:

- I’m totally done with our old aluminum cook set. I can’t wait to get RID of it. The worst.

- We did not need to haul  rain pants or balaclavas on this trip. Maybe if we’d been in the Alps…

- The French have issues with baggy swim shorts. We’ve gotten away with wearing them in campgrounds, but we know better than to try to visit a municipal swimming pool. What is up with that? All four of us wear some version of swim shorts, and they are not tight.

-  Normally the kids fill stuff sacks with clothing to make pillows, but we forgot to bring stuff sacks on this trip. The pillow situation has been a little dreary.

One last thought: I can’t believe how much food this crew eats. We typically start the day with big bowls of muesli or granola with massive amounts of fruit for breakfast, and we finish the day with pasta or rice and beans and big salads with fresh mozzarella or feta, and big fruit salads. And then invariably the kids eat a jar of applesauce and a box of biscuits/cookies before bed, and I STILL wonder if we’ve gotten enough calories in them each day. And that’s not even including the bakery stops and lavish picnics, which have been abundantly documented.

Liv