We got up this morning, a bit bummed out by the bad weather of the previous day and the cancellation of our bicycle ride. But, Vincent had served up a magnificent Lamb Roast and Broiled Potato dinner that had lifted our spirits and stuffed our bellies. The clouds were still with us, the weather report called for the possibility of snow on Tourmalet with temperatures around freezing. After tentatively deciding we would have no choice but to again cancel our ride, we waited an hour and decided that Roy and I would drive, over Col d' Aspin, the first Class 1 climb towards Tourmalet, check out the weather and road conditions, and, if acceptable, would bike up Tourmalet from the East side and then come back down, returning to the van. The drive from Gouchan started out pleasantly, with the initial drive up into the mountains towards Aspin dry and cloudy. We passed 4-5 bicyclists climbing to the top of Aspin. But, as we got within two kilometers of the top, the clouds started to thicken, and by the time we reached the summit of Aspin, the air was wet with moisture, extremely cold, and visibility was in the feet. We had to go down into a valley to start Tourmalet, and it was obvious from the conditions at the top and the weather reports we had studied, that conditions in the valley would be very foggy, and the climb up Tourmalet would be enveloped in fog, possible drizzle, and extreme cold. Life is just too short. We decided to return to Gouchan and do some sight seeing in Arreau, a picturesque village to the north of Gouchan about 5 miles, and on the way to Tourmalet. We had a wonderful time, but were still trying to figure out how to do Tourmalet.
Tomorrow morning, according to Vincent, the best cheese maker in all of France will be selling his products in the market in St. Lary, just to the southwest of here about 4 miles, and only about 20 miles from the Spanish border. So...we will go there first, sample some of the world's finest cheeses, perhaps purchase a few, and then head for Salies-de-Bearn, the start of Stage 18 headed for Bordeaux and back into the heartland of France. If the weather cooperates, we will start off tomorrow climbing Tourmalet, modifying the Stage 18 route "slightly". But, sometimes one has to make adjustments in order to accomplish the important goals of the ride. And, climbing Tourmalet has been one of my major goals for riding the Tour. Assuming we do that, we can hop onto Stage 18 somewhere further down the line towards Bordeaux. Stage 18 is almost flat, and we would expect much of the scenery to be the vineyards the region is famous for.
Meanwhile, we will look forward to another fine dinner of lamb this evening. This area bordering Spain is well-noted for its sheep production, and so far, we have had two absolutely magnificent lamb dinners.
As an aside, last evening we stopped in a market to replenish our food stores for lunch today. We purchased five different cheeses to enjoy. And, today for lunch we did so enjoy them, with Bordeaux wine, apples and cherries. (Oh, yes, Fran had her cucumber, bless her heart.) We needed to rid our selves of these delightful but, as Vincent would say, "average" cheeses, so we could prepare for cheese feast that awaits us tomorrow when we meet the "finest cheesemaker in France", which, I would assume, would qualify him as the finest cheesemaker in the Universe.
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