Roadboy's South African Cycling Journey Part 2

The Little Karoo, the Garden Route, and the Delicate Majesty of Kruger

The second chapter of Roadboy's trip to South Africa began with a 6-hour shuttle from Franschoek's pristine vineyards to the interior of the nation. Specifically, the semi-arid desert known as the Little Karoo desert.

This region of South Africa is famous for its desert flora and its many ostrich farms. This region of South Africa is the actually the worlds largest supplier of ostrich meat, leather, and feathers. Our beautiful accommodations in the city of Oudtshoorn was the La Plume Guesthouse which was part of a family owned ostrich farm.

Welcome to The Little Karoo 

Here the staff took such exceptional care of us preparing bar-b-ques, offered behind the scenes tours of the whole process of ostrich farming (including getting to see very adorable little baby ostrich's). We felt like we were part of the family at La Plume.

  

Spending a Few Nights Living With the Magnificent Struthio Camelus

So, what did we learn? Well, despite being the world's biggest birds, ostrich's are also the fastest two legged creatures on earth. Just let that sink in! These huge birds routinely maintain speeds of nearly 40 mph for as much as 20 minutes. Ostrich's are truly dinosaurs based on ostrich skeletal remains uncovered dating back 10 million years. The ostrich is related to the Emu (Australia) and the tiny little Kiwi (New Zealand).

Swimming at Meiringspoort Waterfall

After a great nights sleep in the country, we enjoyed a big farm breakfast and set off to De Rust to collect our bikes and cycle through the gorge formed between the Cape Fold Mountains. The gorge was a perfect place to ride. Very little traffic and lots of scenic bridges. The trip included a stop at the Meiringspoort Waterfall to swim.  

The next morning we said good byr to La Plume and shuttled to the Indian Ocean to begin cycling South Africa's Garden Route. Biking included a long descent into Knysna's Lagoon. Dinner was at the home of a local family who specialize in vegan dining. 

The following morning we cycled to the Robberg Preserve where we hiked the peninsula trail. The weather was dramatic with a threaten of rain. As we hiked there were water spouts forming in the distant grey clouds over the Indian Ocean. We ended the hike with a group photo before cycling to lunch in Plettenburg. As we departed the rain arrived with gusto but dissipated quickly. When we arrived in Plettenburg it was just another sunny day at the beach and we ate lunch watching the surfers.

 

The Robberg Nature Preserve 

The final day of riding was spectacular. We were taken to an abandoned hillside road that clung tenuously to the side of a mountain. Here we crossed Bloukrans Pass. This road was slowly being reclained by lush jungle. Somehow I found myself riding solo for miles admiring the scenery and solitude. 

Then, just in front of me, emerged a very large baboon. Knowing baboon's can easily crush any bone in a human body I stopped to admire the creature at as much distance as possible. Not sure why but I found myself saying "well aren't you amazing?" and with that the baboon lost interest in me and disappeared into the dense foliage on the other side of the road. With the animals departure my heart rate slowly began to return to normal and I continued my ride.

The next photo was taken by someone else in our group on another leg of the trip. Here we encountered baboons at a much safer distance along the way. I can tell you they look so much larger when they are standing about 4' in front of your bike. 

      

Baboon Encounter Earlier in the Trip

As I exited the old road I eventually met up with the group cycling through miles of carefully planted factory forests. We finished the day cycling to Tsitsikamma National Park on the Indian Ocean. Here we enjoyed the roar of the ocean and a hike to the mouth of the Storms River. 

Tsitsikamma National Park

That evening we gathered for a final farewell dinner.

After a full nights sleep we shuttled to the airport in George and the biking tour officially ended. 

From George we flew on our own to Johannesburg and overnighted at an airport hotel. The next morning we boarded a short flight to the little airport in Skukusa for a visit to Kruger National Park.

The Baggage Claim at Skakuza's Lovely Little Airport

At the baggage claim of Skakuza's Airport we were met by our guide from the Kruger Shalati Resort. She loaded our belongings into her safari jeep and we departed for the hotel. 

As the jeep past the airport gets we immediately a family of giraffes crossed the road in front of the jeep. The spontaneity in seeing the first wildlife confirmed the next few days would be very special.

The First Giraffes

(A sighting just passing out of gates of the Skakuza's Airport) 

We selected the Kruger Shalati (the Train on the Bridge Hotel) because I'd seen it portrayed in an architectural magazine. Since then it was also featured in an episode of Eugene Levy's Reluctant Traveler television series (S1 E6). 

It is expensive, all inclusive, and rates as one of the splurges in my life for which I have no regret.

 

The Train on the Bridge Hotel Viewed from Shalati's Dining Pavilion 

The hotel is utilizes a 1920's rail bridge where beautifully restored rail cars have been permanently located. They all feature beautiful unobstructed views over the river. And the river below is home to hippos. 

And hippos are not friendly to anyone that might choose to invade their turf. 

Or, as the porter taking our luggage reminded us, "please be extra careful and do not drop anything off the bridge as we do not go down to the river to retrieve anything." 

Then he gave us our room orientation. There were large windows, lots of treats, and liquor. We had a little balcony with a very durable monkey screen. We were cautioned to close it tightly when we left the room and when we went to bed. That night we realized why they called it a monkey screen and not a bug screen. All night long monkeys scurried across the roof of the train cars. It was a marvelous short cut for them from one side of the river the other.                                                                              

  

The Rail Car Rooms at Kruger Sahalati  

A the very middle of the bridge a place to swim was incorporated. So in the middle of the day between photo safari's you can cool off above the river and enjoy the ever changing view of the wildlife below.

 

The Pool on the Bridge is a Tough Act to Follow 

Of course the main reason to visit Kruger is not a hotel, it is the wildlife. And the park doesn't disappoint. We had the opportunity to take four photo safaris. They begin when as the animals get up  (4:30 am) and conclude after most have settled in for the night (9:00 pm).

During our safaris we had sightings of all of the major animals identified as the "Big Five" except for a rhinoceros. After many months of drought there had been rare rains before our arrival. They washed out the roads that are used to access where the rhino's are typically found.

And whether it was the hyena's lazing about on the warm asphalt in the morning, or the lions, elephants, or leopards, and every sighting brought excitement. 

One of the elephants we encountered still possessed full tusks. Our guide explained that he was almost 60 years old and was one of only 28 elephants in the park still possessing long tusks. In just a few generations the male elephants in Kruger have evolved to only grow short tusks. So he was one  due to the (still) rampant poaching by those seeking those tusks.      

 

An Elderly Elephant With Full Tusks   

The other major sighting for us (besides lions of course) was this very large and highly photogenic leopard that emerged in front of our jeep.

A Spectacular Leapard 

  

The safaris limited to just driving and sighting. During our safari's our guide stopped periodically to treat us to snacks and local libations. It was really wonderful. 

 

And, one of those last of those stops, we tasted and learned about South Africa's Amarula liquor. Amarula liquor is distilled from the nuts from the Amarula tree (a tree whose bark elephants favor for scratching their hides). The delicious liquor it creates is reminiscent of Irish Cream and is worth seeking out at your local liquor store.

On our final sunset snack / libation stop another guide slid his jeep in next to us while we stood and chatted. After speaking briefly with our guide she hastily packed up the snacks and we were asked to quickly get back into the elevated safari jeep. 

 

From the jeep we had a superb view of the three lions that were lazing about 20 few feet from us. 

The juxtaposition between the wild and the refined provided a definitive end to the trip to this amazing place. A place that now holds a special place in our hearts.

 

Sun Setting in Kruger   

Despite the many hours it takes to journey to Africa, with careful planning, an Africa trip is nothing short of life changing.

 

 

Roadboys Travels © 2026

Roadboy's South African Cycling Journey Part 1

Hyrax, Robots, Stunning Oceans, Baboons, Penguins, Electric Fences, and Palm Trees

Anyone with any sense of wanderlust will eventually visit Africa. It is planet earth's second largest continent and is home to 1.4 billion people. 

Africa's population is the world's youngest (averaging 19.7 years of age) and poorest on the planet. 

Africa is the last place on earth to experience many species of big game (including elephants, giraffes, lions, zebras, and hippo's) still living in the wild.  

But, for a first timer, the ability to organize a carefully curated first trip is daunting. The logistics of Africa's shear size, terrain, and climate are one thing. Africa's dramatic political situation is another. 

The upshot is this; Africa is not a place that can be appreciated without planning and time. My first realization was that my itinerary would focus on South Africa and would start in Cape Town. I knew I wanted the trip to include biking, and include a visit to Kruger National Park.

In the end I found a South Africa cycling vacation offered by Vermont Bike Tours (VBT). Their biking tour cohesively organized much of what I had decided I wanted to see and organized it in a logical travel sequence. And, the package organized and included much of the shuttling to / from the places I wanted to see. 

As with many of my past VBT trips, I decided to organize my own airfare. Mainly because I wanted to bookend the trip with more time in Cape Town at the beginning, and a self directed visit to Kruger National Park (specifically, I wanted to stay at the Kruger Shalati's "Train on the Bridge") Resort within the park.

Using airline points to make this journey involved a degree of flexibility and a willingness to take some major layovers. First was a 4 hour flight to Philadelphia, followed by a big layover. Then we flew to on a 12 hour flight to Doha, Qatar, followed by another big layover. But, if one has to face a big layover somewhere, Doha's airport is a pretty amazing airport to spend time in. 

Doha's Stunning Airport 

Finally, the last leg was our 9 hour flight to Cape Town. The travel time with layovers ultimately consumed 36 hours, crossing the equator and the many time zones.  

South Africa is a nation composed of 9 provinces housing 62 million people. It is stunning, resource rich, and strategically located. Yet it suffers from a devastating 32% unemployment rate and, by many measures, remains the most racially unequal nation in the world.  

And, upon arrival in Cape Town we were vegetables. We took an Uber from the airport to our hotel in the Kloof neighborhood. The freeway to our hotel passed miles of "Townships" (slums) providing an immediate glimpse of Cape Town's poverty. 

Endless Townships

After a few miles we rounded a bend over a hill and Cape Town began to appear. In complete contrast to the townships Cape Town is modern and clean. At that point the jarring comparison between South Africa's "Haves" and the "Have Nots" is immediate. Beautiful residences in Cape Town are surrounded by high walls topped with concertina wire and electric fences. Residential security signs don't warn of immediate response, they warn of "armed" response. 

Essentially the whites still have most everything and, for the most part, blacks still don't. When we arrived into Johannesburg later in the trip the contrast is even more pronounced. The nation spent much of its last 300 years legislating inequality. Now it is trying to break that down and the process can get ugly. Everyone, white or black, that we talked to on our trip said the concept of abused white South Africans needing asylum per the propaganda espoused by our current president, is a complete exaggeration to suit his political agenda.    

Roadboy's Journey

Phoenix to Philadelphia • Philadelphia to Doha • Doha to Cape Town

Cycle trip to Johannisburg • Joannisburg to Kruger National Park  

Once arriving at our hotel it was time to grab some dinner, shower, and get some deep sleep. The "arrive early" strategy worked. Our great little "on our own" hotel was just a couple of blocks from our VBT hotel. It was quiet, clean, economical, and quite lovely. The next morning we did a little sightseeing and just finished getting acclimated from jetlag. 

We then moved hotels and joined the VBT tour.

Almost immediately we were amazed at how inexpensive travel is in South Africa. Whether it was the lovely hotels, wonderful meals, or Uber's, nothing made big dents in my pocketbook.  

However, the price of luxury accommodations and safari lodges can be breathtaking. 

VBT's Cape Cadogen Hotel in the Upscale Kloof Street Neighborhood

(Our VBT residence featured 3 bedrooms, a private pool, and a gourmet kitchen) 

Roadboy Tip 1: Avoid converting more money than you need to. South Africa's Rand currently suffers from high inflation, plan to use credit cards wherever possible. 

Roadboy Tip 2: South Africa uses a very unique plug. Maybe order a couple before you go.   

The next morning our formal VBT time in Cape Town began with a shuttle to ride the Table Mountain cable car. 

Cape Town from Table Mountain

(Robben Island, the island where Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years is seen off the coast)

Table Mountain's cable car has been operating since 1929 and was renovated in 1997. It has carried more than 22,000,000 people to the top of Table Mountain. The cars are circular and rotate as the rise to the top. So there is no good or bad place to be in the tram. 

Once you reach the top you can hike, admire the blooms, watch the cliff dwelling dassie's (hyrax), or just soak in the amazing views of Cape Town, its harbor, and the infamous Robben Island prison off the coast.  

Interestingly, it became clear that the mountain top has its own micro climate and unique flora. I later came to find out that South Africa has the largest concentration of non-tropical plants in the world. Although I'd never heard anything about Floral Kingdoms it turns out there are actually 6 worldwide. And, of the 6 floral kingdoms, South Africa is the only country to have its own floral kingdom. 

A bit more about the furry hyrax's (also locally called dassies). They lounge about on the rocks and look like huge guinea pigs. Amazingly they are closely related to both elephants and manatees.  

The Rock Loving Hyrax  

After descending from Table Mountain we shuttled to Camps Bay to begin our cycling. This was the "warm up" ride. And, although there was some traffic, we pedaled aside the dramatic twelve apostles mountain peaks all the way to Cape Town Harbor. Along the way we passed Cape Town Stadium built to host the 2010 World Cup. We rode on the left (thanks to the Brits) and stopped dutifully at "robots" (the South African term for traffic lights). 

Camps Bay Under the 12 Apostles

Our first bike ride ended at Cape Town's waterfront near Cape Town Stadium. From here we parked our bikes and walked the waterfront visiting some local artist shops. Cape Town's beachfront promenade resembles almost any international oceanfront setting. Gleaming high rise condominiums line up and face the blue ocean. Beachfront spandex clad joggers, skaters, and dog walkers all compete for pavement with the cyclists.  

During the walk we began to further absorb Cape Town's history seeing its various memorials. As we would learn over the next week, this is a country struggling to unburden itself from the legacy of European Imperialism. In 1870 10% of South Africa was under European control. By 1910 90% was under European control. Cape Town's strategic port location led to development first by the Dutch - who built canals, and later by the British who paved the canals.

South Africa's turbulent history is defined by the brutal racial classification system known as Apartheid. From 1948 to 1991 institutional racism was the law in South Africa. and, during its four decades, it destroyed families, institutionalized grinding poverty, carried out mass evictions, and resulted in thousands of deaths. 

Just as America must live with a shameful legacy of slavery, and Germany must live with it's horrific legacy of the Third Reich, South Africa lives with the bitter legacy of Apartheid. The evidence was exemplified by an emotional stop at the courts building where people were racially classified during Apartheid. Here people were labeled as black, white, indian, or colored.

The term "colored" in South Africa I came to realize is different from the offensive slang label used in America commonly used when I was a kid. Under Apartheid colored was the catch-all to address multi-racial people. And, like anything based in racism, Apartheid's complex and tortured classification system was uneven and chaotic. If you were Chinese you would be labeled black, yet if you were Japanese you were labeled white or indian. Whatever label you were assigned dictated how life would treat you. It would dictate where you'd lived, your lifespan, the job you would have, and the education you could receive. 

Benches in front of the Courts building still define who could sit on them. Apartheid was Jim Crow on steroids. I highly recommend Trevor Noah's book "Born a Crime" as it presents in the starkest of terms  what those terms meant during Apartheid.      

"Whites Only"

Before dinner we had the honor of a presentation by Christo Brand. Brand, as a teen entering his government service, was given the responsibility to be a prison guard on Robben Island. He was assigned to guard Nelson Mandela. He spoke of the daily indignities Mandela endured. He went on to describe the profound respect and friendship he formed with Mandela. After Mandela assumed power he offered Brand positions in his government. 

 

Christo Brand 

Cape Town's brightly painted Bo Kaap neighborhood was another stop on our tour. Bo Kaap is home to a thriving Muslim population. It is filled with galleries that have (what I would call) outsider art. Think full size animal sculptures made from crushed nespresso capsules.   

 

  

The Colors of the Bo-Kaap 

The next day was much anticipated. We first shuttled to Boulder's Beach to visit its African Penguin colony. Boulders Beach is part of the Table Mountain National Park. It was so odd to see penguins burrowing in sand, shaded by palm trees. I just can't see Morgan Freeman narrating anything about the residents of this colony. Surprisingly, these penguins are new arrivals (1983). Their numbers are shrinking and they have been moving as a response to habitat destruction. 

Boulder's Beach Penguins 

 

Along the way we passed a number of suburban neighborhoods where our guides described how they have baboons "problems". Baboons have become acclimated to urban neighborhoods and routinely break into houses for food. Once inside they are destructive thieves. So many neighborhoods hire "Baboon Police" to patrol and scare them off with noises and bright lights.

 

Our next stop came at the end of a stunning bike ride to the Cape of Good Hope. Along the way was a really wonderful view of Hout's Bay.

 

Admiring the View of Hout's Bay

 

This was our final day to admire the magic of Cape Town.  

In the morning we'd board an hour shuttle to picturesque Stellenbosch for lunch. Stellenbosch is home to one of South Africa's oldest and most prestigious universities. It is filled with an abundance of oak trees, superb restaurants, fine gallery's, and beautifully built and maintained Dutch inspired architecture. 

Stellenbosch's Danish Colonial Architecture

 
 The Oak Lined Streets of Stellenbosch 

 

Cycling the Stellenbosch / Franshhoek Vineyards    

 

 

Wednesday Market / Winery Lunch 

The contrast between the pristine beauty of Stellenbosch and the overt poverty of the many townships that lined the highway from Cape Town continued to be staggering. Our guide, who went to college in Stellenbosch, carefully explained its history including its 1964 designation a "White Group Area". This resulted in the forced relocation of its Colored and Black residents. So, although justifiably attracting many tourists, it has yet to overcome an ongoing reputation for pervasive racism.

From Stellenbosch we shuttled to a beautiful winery where we collected our bikes and commenced cycling through one spectacular vineyard after another (including Sir Richard Branson's vineyards). The end of the biking was our arrival into Franshhoek. It was lunchtime so we stopped at the local community farmers market for some wine tasting and (for me) a delicious sandwich. 

My Gorgeous Hotel Room in Franschhoek

(complete with thatched roof)

After getting settled in we regrouped for a visit to a local vineyard (Black Elephant) for a music based wine tasting. Here each wine was paired with the music that inspired it.

 

 Roses (Natures Insect Alarms) in the Black Elephant Vineyards

This entire region was home to many Huguenaut settlers. These French protestants fled France landing at the Cape of Good Hope before settling into what is now Franshhoek (French Corner). 

In the morning we began a 6 hour shuttle to the Little Karoo desert to spend two nights on a working ostrich farm (La Plume). 

On the way out of Franschhoek we stopped briefly at gates to the Victor Verster prison in Paarl. This is the prison where Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990 after serving 27 years of incarceration. A statue commemorating his release was dedicated on August 21, 2008 with Mandela present. It celebrated his 90th birthday which was July 18, 2008.

The Long Walk to Freedom

The trip to Little Karoo was interrupted by our bus having mechanical problems. So our 6 hour trip turned out to be much longer than anticipated. But the drive was still lovely. 

Eventually we arrived at the La Plume guest house, get settled and then start to learn about ostriches. It turns out that there is a significant worldwide demand for ostrich leather, feathers and meat. And, much of the worlds supply of ostrich products is furnished by farms in South Africa.

The next installment will start in the Little Karoo, the Garden Route, and end with our visit to Kruger National Park.

Roadboy's Travels © 2026

Roadboy Cycles the Alps: Chamonix to Annecy Part 2

Saillon to Annecy: Spectacular Rides and Soaring in the Sky

Not long ago two quotes took up residence in my brain. The first from my favorite physician telling me I'd passed now from being "elderly" in middle age to a "toddler" in old age. 

The second came from my daughter. After hearing yet another of my complaints about some new ache or pain, said "Dad we all just live in burning houses".

I find my new toddler phase has brought declines in equilibrium, the onset of cataracts, and the constant aches of arthritis. 

My daily gym workouts are no longer about just staying fit, they are a battle the grim reaper.

The final stage of my life has made me rethink my attitude about travel. My active cycling trips are now equal parts flipping off old age and celebrating new adventures. 

I travel much more thoughtfully now. Every trip counts more. I also find that I'm more willing to consider doing things I'd never have done when I was younger. Staring at seventy, this is my last chance to go out on a limb.

On to the trip.

Day one began by leaving Chamonix to officially start our biking adventure via a repositioning shuttle to the pristine Swiss vineyard village of Saillon. The trip traveled through lush mountain passes filled with cows wearing those big wonderful clanky bells. While real life to the Swiss, to me it was pure "Sound of Music". 

 

The Hills Were Alive 

(and filled with very happy bovine) 

Our hotel in Saillon was a huge, modern, and thoroughly clinical, Swiss Spa Hotel. It came with Swiss staff; half of them all "nose firmly in the air" regal, the other half ridiculously friendly.      

But this hotel offered a dazzling array of thermal and spa services, great food and after the heat of Chamonix (in a hotel with no AC) we loved being in a modern resort with perfect AC.

Hiking to the Worlds Smallest Vineyard

After meeting our VBT guides were fitted out our bikes. And, after the bikes were correct, we tested our GPS maps with a modest warm-up ride. The ride took us to a lovely medieval hillside town to see the world's smallest vineyard. 

The little hillside vineyard (only 1.67 SM) has lovely views of the Rhone Valley. It was built as a tribute to the region's master crook / counterfeiter Joseph-Samuel Farinet. From 1870 until he was shot to death in 1880 Farinet minted almost perfect fake 20-centime coins. He spent some and distributed the rest to the local poor gaining a Robin Hood reputation.   

A modern group of Farinet's fans decided to create a legacy to the forger by creating this tiny "vineyard". Currently owned by the Dalia Lama, it is visited by 10,000 people a year. A few limited bottles of wine (containing some of the grapes from its three small vines) are sold annually as "peace wine" with proceeds going to charity. The visitors list at the site was a who's who of international celebrities.

Day two's ride was a beautiful 34 mile ramble past vineyards and farms along the Route Du Rhöne. The highlight of this ride for me was stopping at the UCI World Cycling Centre. There we could shop for for jersey's and admire its magnificent indoor velodrome.

 The UCI Velodrome

Day three's cycling was 23 miles of spectacular scenery along the shores of Lake Geneva. Along the way we stopped in local deli's for picnic fixings to eat along the lake shore with views of the elegant resort city of Montreux. This ride was pretty special to me as I visited Montreux 51 years ago at the impressionable age of eighteen.

 

Riding Along the Shores Lake Geneva

(Note the lakeside Castle of Chillon ahead)

 

 

The Castle of Chillon 

Entering Montreux we quickly joined the lakeside trail filled with seemingly all of the famous resort cities summer crowds. As we rode we zigzagged past workers frantically assembling the various stages for the 2025 Edition of Montreux's renowned annual jazz festival. 

I stopped at the sculpture of Freddy Mercury (who lived in Montreux, finding it a place of calm and respite). His sculpture resides near Montreux's "new" Casino. It replaced the previous casino after it lost in a fire. The fire that inspired Deep Purple to write "Smoke on the Water".  

As the trail was crowded and partially blocked due to the construction I went rogue and finished the ride through downtown Montreux. 

Freddie Mercury

(Smoke on the Water) 

After locating our coach we shuttled to our next hotel the Abbaye de Talloires on the shores of Lake Annecy. I've never been in a bus that fitting through spaces that simply did not seem passable. But Our amazing driver knew how to back up, readjust, then creap inch by inch (literally) between two buildings until he reached our spectacular lakeside hotel.

Just before our final drop to the lake the sky above us was filled with graceful paragliders. We got a closer look at them the following day when our ride around the lake rode us directly past the grassy field where the they all eventually land. I was mesmerized.

 

Paragliders Soaring Among the Peaks Above Talloires 

The Abbaye was initially built in 1681 and was used a monestery, a winemaking operation and a stable before becoming a hotel in 1862. Over its life guests have been a "whos who" of artists and celebrities; Paul Cezzane, Charles Aznevour, Mark Twain, and even Bruce Willis have experienced the Abbaye.

Touring Our Hotel the Cloister of the Abbaye Talloires

 

Hotel View of Lake Annecy

This evening while the others whet to find a dinner somewhere I just hit a grocery for picnic items and crashed on the lawn in front of the hotel with a sandwich and a beer. It was pure bliss.    

On Day Four we gathered in a garden for our morning route briefing. It was a lovely morning to meet outside. And while our guides sketched our route overhead some local celebrities flew by. 

It was an ultralight followed by a a flock of geese. Our guides explained that the pilot Dominique worked on a documentary entitled Winged Migration. After the movie he imprinted baby goslings that now fly along side his ultralight. 

Dominique's Morning Flight With His Geese

And as we cycled we cycled 24 miles completely circling Lake Annecy. Along the way we visited the Paccard Bell factory and stopped tour and eat lunch in the beautiful city of Annecy. This factory has furnished many of the church bells throughout the world. The bells that ring out from the towers of Notre Dame were cast at Paccard.

The cycling was pretty amazing the entire way. Everywhere there was the energy found in a summer resort town. The lakeshore was filled with families and kids splashing everywhere. This is Europes cleanest lake due to stringent laws that were put in place in the 1960's.

After watching all of those graceful paragliders in Chamonix and now above Lake Annecy I decided that it was something I really wanted to experience myself. It took a few calls to get a same day appointment but our VBT guide was able to set it up for me to fly with a instructor in a tandem paraglider. Not much in life gets my adrenaline flowing anymore, but I was pretty excited that I'd get to fly. 

We set off to the top of a hill configured perfectly to launch gliders. It was sort of an astroturf shelf that ended at a shear cliff. 

My instructor then set up the flight by arraying the sail and the cables. When it was all set I was instructed to just to look straight ahead and walk forward (we would literally walk off a shear cliff). 

As we got close to the edge the sail filled with air and lifted (the result was the forward force tripped me as I was walking forward). So I took off by being literally dragged off a cliff 😉!

   

Controls in Hand I Get to Fly the Glider Over Lake Annecy 

 

 

The Selfie Stick Got a Workout 

 

 

Soaring Between the Peaks

As the sail lifted the design of the glider rotated and lifted me into my seat. And then we soared. The next 45 minutes of my life will be remembered as some of the very best minutes of my life. 

The gentle soaring was thrilling and the scenery was spectacularly beautiful. We caught winds and ascended to circle the mountain peaks above Talloires. 

At that point my guide Gil handed me the controls and gave directions how to ascend, descend, fly to the right, and then to the left. We changed direction and flew out over Lake Annecy as the sun was starting to set. Surrounding us were dozens of other fliers sharing the sky. They were above, below, and all around us. 

My guide could clearly tell I was having a great time and we flew a bit over my alotted time. The landing was just a slow descent onto a lawn.

For a little less than an hour in time I wasn't old. 

I was a kid again; filled with awe. 

The next morning Day Five we rode along the lake and then at its tip we turned toward Albertville and the Village of Conflans. At 39 miles, the ride was one our longest. But it did not seem long as we cycled on beautiful bike paths and along the Isares river. 

It was ironic to me that we'd visit (and stop for lunch) in Albertville. I have always held a totally unjustified animosity toward Albertville. 

It all goes back to when I lived in Alaska in the early eighties. At that time there was a "We can do anything!" feeling in the air up there. And one of the windmills we chased was to compete for the 1992 venue for the next Winter Olympics. 

To us it all made perfect sense. After the Munich games security for the Olympics was a very real concern and Anchorage offered very tight security. It can be accessed by only two roads, one rail line, and an international airport. 

By the time of the Olympics, hours of daylight in Anchorage would exceed any of the other venues competing. And, Anchorage's time zone meant that games could be live streamed in prime time to the East Coast maximizing coverage and revenue. And finally our major ski area started at sea level. So it This would have been the first winter Olympics where altitude would not affect Olympians.

But the "politics" of the Olympic selection committee kicked in and Albertville was selected. And that, as they say, was history. 

But I still arrived with a grudge.

We concluded our ride with a climb to our final hotel. It was a beautiful historic chateau converted into a hotel. Although well up a mountainside we got to see a continuous stream of fixed wing gliders launched from the valley below.  Upon arrival at the hotel we assembled in its ancient wine cellar for a tasting of local vintages. 

 

Wine Tasting in the Cellars Below our Hotel

Day 6 would be our last day of riding. Our route was 32 miles and we visited Lake St. Andre and then stopped in the town of Chambéry for lunch. There are a few sites to see in Chambery but it was summed up well by two enterprising teenagers that approached us to be tour guides. When we told them we didn't have time and would be off to Lyon tomorrow they shrugged and confessed that "Lyon is much better than Chambéry".  

On the way back we stopped to watch the gliders take off from the airport below our hotel. Some gliders were towed into the sky by a fixed wing airplane. But most were launched by cable. They were tethered to a cable embedded to the runway that would spin fast enough to launch the gliders. of the day we returned to the hotel for a farewell dinner. 

Our VBT Cycling Group  

The next morning we said goodbye to our trip leaders and boarded our shuttle to Lyon. In Lyon we had an overnight before catching flights early the next day. The Chambéry teens were right, Lyon was lovely. The highlight for me was scoring one of Lyon's famous pink praline brioche cakes. The French really know how to bake. Damn!

In the morning we said goodbyes at breakfast and took an uber to the airport. I arrived very early and was glad about that once we got to the terminal only to find it on full "machine gun carrying soldier" lockdown. 

The airport military explained the night before the US had attacked Iran and global threats to international airports were being taken very seriously. 

The reality then sank in. A week spent cycling had tamped down the constant din of whatever daily dose of gunfire, hatred, and crazy will erupt every day now in the US. 

 

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