Hotter than hell 100

Today I set off on a bike ride around 7:30 am when it was still quite pleasant and refreshing. My route was the following: Malaucene - Vaison la Romaine - Roaix - Violes - Courthezon - Chateauneuf du Pape - Courthezon -- Sarrians -- Aubignan -- Caromb -- Malaucene -- Beaumont de Ventoux. At Chateauneuf du Pape I stopped for coffee and waited for the others to arrive by car. I received a rather alarming text in response to my own indicating what shady terrace I had chosen: "Will abab" is all it said. It seems I am not the only one who finds it difficult to text while Rosanna (or possibly anyone) is maneuvering around these twisty sometimes cobbled lanes. They intended to take a walking tour through the vineyards (of a potential distance of 16km or 4.5 hours), but did not seem to me properly dressed for the activity or the heat -- no hats -- one in jeans -- one in sandals. It was 33.5 degrees when I left them around 10 am.

The truly unfortunate thing about our otherwise beautiful location is that going home is always uphill, which is not so good as the temperature climbs -- topping out today at around 40. Perhaps it was not the best day to choose to make a little diversion into Caromb to scout out a restaurant I read about somewhere, particularly since Caromb is accessible from any number of directions so I had to reconnoiter along each of them. Then when I found the place it turned out to be mere metres from what would have been my most direct route home, and it was closed to boot with no menu posted on the large iron access gate. How very irritating. After that I headed straight for home stopping only for a moment in Malaucene to fill my water bottles at one of the many public fountains fed by the Mount Ventoux runoff (delicious and cold). I got home around 1 pm and waited out the worst of the heat. Now I am at the cafe at 4:20 pm local time enjoying a pint of blanche, and watching some very very sweaty looking cyclists and hikers walk by. I am just shy of 100km on the clock for today, but will have exceeded that by the time I toddle up the hill and home.

It strikes me that I may not have provided geographic information to assist anyone reading this who does not already know the area to orient themselves. Here goes.

Beaumont de Ventoux is a small commune made up of 7 tiny settlements. The main town is Malaucene, approximately 3km or so away. They are on the north side of Mt. Ventoux in the department of Vaucluse, the capital of which is the almost unnavigable (think Poggibonsi, Guy!) Carpentras. It is located about 20km to the south. Another 20 or so km to the west of Carpentras is Avignon. Marseille is 1.5 hours to the south east. The whole area is 700 km south of Paris and about 2.5 hours from Lyon. Have I mentioned that it is very very beautiful and also very hilly? I hope to be able to post some photos soon if I can get Glenn to bring me the cable I need to connect my camera and computer (it's on the dining room table I think and has two little yellow and red cables sticking out of one end -- or maybe one is white -- anyway I am pretty sure it says Sony).

There are several things to look forward to over the next few days. First -- tomorrow is local market day. Second -- I am told the temperature will drop significantly by the weekend. That is good because really only a maniac could hike or cycle past 1 pm in the conditions we have been enjoying. Third, the Fete de Beaumont is coming on the weekend, and will involve boules competitions, live bands, a community dinner and something I think might be bingo even though it is happening at 9am, all of it occurring only about 100 metres from our front door!