An Evening in Abrest

Or, as my old friend Bob Griffin would say, keeping you abreast of my time in Abrest. 

Abrest is south of Vichy (where I got turned completely around) on road D906. Not much is actually happening here, except the sun is finally coming out after a day of riding through wind and rain showers. Actually, quite a bit of both in Lapalisse, where I stopped at a boulangerie for lunch. The lunch place was right below the chateau there, which is a pretty formidable building. 

I started the day by riding through beautiful vineyards on the way from Beaune to the Chateau Le Rochepot. It doesn't open until April 30, so I didn't get to tour or even take pictures. It was certainly beautiful in the glimpses I got from the road below, it of course being on a hilltop surrounded by trees. 

From there I was interested in going to Vichy, and made my way there via Autun. In Autun I saw some walls from the Roman era, as well as medieval fortifications and structures. 

Apparently there is a motorcycle rally going on this weekend, and in Autun, there was a rally point. People kept trying to wave me in, and I should have dropped by to say hi. If I see one tomorrow, I will. 

I crossed the Loire at Digoin, and rode through mostly pastureland and forest. I seem to have left the big farms further north, and now I'm seeing mostly cattle, sheep, and horses. In one pasture, a large herd of horses started running along the fence, the reason for which eluded me until I reached the far end of the field and finally saw two women walking out into the field to meet the horses. Adjacent to the horse field was a pen with two donkeys and a mule. The donkeys reminded me of the attack burros in the pen outside Wimberley, Texas, which, the story goes, were let into the fields with the sheep flock to attack those pesky, marauding coyotes. (Personally, I think it was a tall tale.)

So after getting lost in Vichy, I made it to Abrest and called it a day. 1004 miles so far, at 48+ miles per gallon and one flat tire. Tomorrow I will start heading towards the Mediterranean and hope for better weather. And this is what camp looks like tonight:

Pretty sterile place, yes?  Bon soir.