Montbeliard sat 7 june

61 ks and pooped by 2 o clock as it is 31 and I raced it a bit to keep up with Andy Rivett?
Awaiting the Hotel balance to reopen at 3 in a petit parc.
Woke from a dream of snow to the toot toot of the baguette delivery. A pack of chained turkish hounds kept me awake so slept in the morning cool.
Re-met a silver haired bloke also recently retrait who was euroveloing it to Sicily. Cheery buonjornos all round. Found a super U which are great because their air is free....gonflage libere. Bought some soya milk which was to come in handy.
Felloff the signed route near isle sur doubs and who should emerge from the rapidly dissappearing forest path but a very well kitted out englishman on a very fine fixie.....yup and whats more had 140 miles yet to do in his ride home to switzerland. He is a vtt champ and his dad I think has been in TdF. So we start to chat. English is a relief and I wanted and received good info as regards the gotthardt pass through the alps. He reminded me of my freind and inspiration Greg Cunningham who thinks nothing of a 200 mile ride into the night. So I dutifully bust ass keeping up not wanting to delay. When Andy politely said goodbye wishing me well I realised I was sweatball and trembling for my pint o soyamilk and a long delayed pain o ch.
Then in the parc waiting along come two Vancouverans...very gracious and friendly Donna and Warner. We may meet again at the hotel or on the path as we are in the same direction. An excellent hotel with a very hot shower and 1600's oak staircase and a bike parking area.....so glad I stayed here after a rridiculously hot 63 ks. 

Post shower went to local chateau musee to find a very macabre range of images...floor 1 a series of old lifesize1890's photos with the signatures of the stiffly posed subjects above in neon and some plaintive music.... floor 2 I could not stomach a vast array of taxonomy.

Then down the road to the contemporary musee with a videa assemblage by Jean Pierre Bertrand around Borges Baudilaire and Pinochet victimes. Powerful and moving.

Baume-les-dames friday 6 June

A beautiful hot 27degree 96ks along the doubs river or canals. Began the day searching out Louis Pasteur's house upon which he'd had inscribed " to you father and mother to whom I owe everything". I wish I'd done that. They were tanners and slaved for his higher education.
Then increasingly steep sided Jura foret along the very well paved piste cyclable. Magnificent Besancon. No cedilla on my phone. I was here before but camped municipal out of town  and never saw its beauty. Gave us veloistes a tooonnell in order to skip the town and meditate on the river banks. Lovely.
I rode through two well named towns today...Beure where the Camambert coloured cows rang their bells as I passed clutching my heart...and grandbois which would have been good to wake up in.
To arrive at surprisingly pretty Baume les Dames. The tourist office lady spoke good english and told me of a monument to the inventor of the steam engine used in a boat on the Doubs here...Jouffroy d'Abbans. History has stolen his work and defaced his monument which rather aptly has a befunnelled boat atop. So I simply had to divert and add him to my lifelong tally of the underdogs and maligned. We all owe you Jouffrey.
This weekend is Pentacote and c'est beaucoup des gens en vacances. I hope to be in Basel by monday and here everyone will be cooling their feet en Doubs as it is predicted 30 degrees. Bottom bracket is making funny clanks intermittently so maybe 2 restdays en Basel. Made up 3 so far so on track for Rome and Pompeii.

Dole Thursday 5 june

97ks and finally in the Jura. The mountains are near. Today dawned cold 7* and after a nearly amorous chat with Sheila, I had a glorious 12ks shady canal start to the day. Simply lovely.
Breakfast at la ferte hotel (they'd have surely heard all the laughing retorts) was filling and entertaining enjoying a discussion about M Duchamp with a local artist. Comfortable place with a stable for a velo garage. Yes. I've been pushin it a bit on the eurovelo itinerary. It is easier to keep riding through lunchtime and get two days done in one. My itinerary is based on a publicized eurovelo event and there is a deluge of veloistes who have set off from Vienna against the tide of which I've based my daily regimen. 
Yesterday in the cold wind and rain I was very grateful to a french speaking rider who assisted me to find and then have confidence in the veracity of the little green panneau. He rode light on and I soon lost him into the developing mists. 
Then unexpectedly this morning au cote de Seone I pass him telephone to ear in animated francais. Pascal is quick and before I know it we are deep in conversation. Thankfully he seems understanding as I murder his native tongue.
A Parisian journo Pascal is actually being paid to ride his carbon forked velo to Basel. Also he has visited Australie to cover les Bleus in the Rugby.He has an appointment with a gentleman at an eclus or lock on the Seone and I plough on after friendly adieus and a rather formal card exchange....
To find within 10 ks an WA aussie Elizabeth Pye running a bar tabac in Lechatelet creatively cooking a cherry pie who  gave me a good hoy as I surprised her at the oven. The 3rd compatriot in 15 days she made me a very nice petit noir and Perrier which jolted me into the last 25k leg into Dole. Which is also a very wonderful place. Peter V my colleague recommended I visit and I will take in the best of it tomorrow.
There is a famous Franciscan monastery and Louis Pasteur, who I admire for his persistence in the face of complete disbelief,  was born and lived here. Steep streets over an important river junction. L'eglise looked rich and powerful.
It is hot now 25 and I'm camping 3 star on the Doubs. For so long on my eurovelo map as a junction between the loire and rhine and also ev6 and ev7. The hefty Dole bell is ringing out nearly seven, the indian minors are chatting to me, fellow park residents are talking and  crunching gravel on the way to the excellently hot showers. All is well in the world.

Chagny wed 4 june

Rain as predicted all day. Warm not cold rain and mostly from behind. Took the easy route along the canal centre rue D197. Decided to keep riding and have saved a day now en francais. The canal paths are easy to ride especially if as today they are roads.
Staying 2 star. Met a dutch couple who'd ridden 100ks today in the rain and planned to reach Avignon by next week. Amazing must be crack o dawn types....anyway very friendly.
Long day's ride for me just shy of 90ks in the rain...glad of a hot shower  I can tell you.  Mostly dry thanks to M ortlieb. Sun predicted tomorrow and maybe even blue elephants who knows?

Digoin tues 3 juin

Today was a total surprise. Flat in the front of rain clouds with increasing patches of forest till mornin tea.  Green signs appeared again the lovely reassuring things they are.
Then an afternoon treat... la haute nautique. Ball busting to be frank. 2 chevron hills _/=10% with the  menacing rain  forcing me to race a bit. One after the other 2k up a bit level for the church bell tower and tabac and then down again only to return to the hills again. Ah the little mountain tops usually a clear view after lovely profound foret. Surprisingly beautiful Burgundy. Very farmyard landscape not too much in the way of great art here. Bucolic with steep little hills to practice before les grandes alps. Today, while tiring, was reassuring that my old legs can still achieve a steep 70ks day avec baggage average 13.9.
Staying at a 40€  hotel chez lily to remember I'm on holiday. Very large room,bath and a whole lotta hand washin drying over it. There is a very very  old peugeot velo in the restaurant. Rain is predicted though somehow I've managed to remain pretty much dry .

Decize mon 2 june

70 odd ks to Decize. Uneventful cycling in front of a grande rain cloud. Stayed dry but. Resolved to stay in a hotel after last night's noisy and demented neighbours kept me worried about my stuff. Including my shoes as they had a rather feeaked out dog which they fed before themselves at least. They were poor and a bit mad. Then the quietly pissed teachers from Nowra on the eternal teaching travelling voie. No trees and noisy bridge nearby.
One chateau old and rundown to keep my antiquated senses alive on today's ride through the foret.
Now in la bel air very nice 1 etoile with dinner vegetarian omelette and breakfast thrown in for 43€. Washed me my clothes and then the blue elephant appeared especially good as I'm to fit the bike in to my room tonight. Recharging and relaxing a bit after missing everything aussi. Downtime is hard to judge without info as regards the quality of a town or the accommodation. I even tried to go to a coal musee today. Saved je suis perdu...maybe noone else knew either....and the travelling circus is in town.
Oh and the signs ran out today. The general area has signs saying cicuit etc..but the little green ones ran out at Cufy. Gone without warning. Anyway things are good got me maps and still on la Loire. ....near Autun where Sheila's mum went to sing....

Nevers sun 1 june

60 odd ks today in the open and along canals. The 12 k into Nevers was quite pretty with tall maples. Some aussis on a programmed bike tour were refreshing.
Staying at Sancerre was a couple with their 3 year old child. Like me they were up early had the tent packed and the child in the kids trailer and on the road by 9. He was towing the child and carrying a huge backpack while she had a smaller backpack and a bedroll and the map. Young strong and into it I thought.
Then a polished one year old pottery museum with some odd stuff. An enormous bowl with 3 huge chicken feet. Little dolls house religious scenes. A nice garden formal with the belle de londres rose which I thought rather good. Am camping again as it is probably going to rain tomorrow. Off now across the bridge to town to have a real dinner for a change. Am so missing Sheila's wonderful way with food.