The sun sucks, being forced to shower like every 4 hours just to not feeling sweaty, the fucking mosquitoes, the fact you can’t wear anything that you want anymore due the heat, the people outside… The fucking beach. I try to avoid it… The fucking sand, not a fan of it. Is scratchy, harsh, annoying and it infiltrates in...
I got quite a large Bedroom Window that I like to keep open during the Night and I thought it would lend itself super nicely for some Strong and Nicely smelling aromatic plants just outside it, so that by proxy the room itself always has that lovely plant flavour....
Bought one about two weeks ago. Usually i like having a paper map on my cycling trips, but on long ones it’s getting too many maps, so i didn’t bring any. Then i met some italians with a map and next day i bought one myself. I think it’s much better to see where you are at and how you move than on a phone.
Also kinda like the “scenic routes” marker in the michelin maps (although that’s also on their online maps). It was a midi pyrenees map, but i have already ridden out of it, going to send it home.
The clouds looked a bit scary as i went up but it was fine. Just heavy wind gusts sometimes. I was cycling along this long dirtroad that kept me above 2000m there for about 20km, was amazing. Picture is taken at Creu d’Eixol, from where that long stretch started. Downhill was a banger too though :)
Just as i had set up my tent she came in, was raining outside. We’ve been hanging out here for half an hour already. I hope she won’t spike my sleeping pad. Necklace says her name is Kyra. Love it 🥹
I have seen a lot of the village signs being upside down here in the french pyrenees. I was wondering if that was just some guy having fun, is it a national sport or some village rivalry? I think i have seen this elsewhere in france too, but here it seems very prevalent.
This topic is meant to be a low threshold possibility for all kinds of discussion. It is not meant to keep anybody from creating a new topic, the idea is that it may enable some discussion that would otherwise not happen at all.
Thanks. There is no bot / troll activity here, all my mod actions have been stickying/ unstickying posts. I will make anothrr quarterly post then next month. I just don’t like having the mod status, haha.
Hell yeah, birds. When you get to know the songs of birds it opens up a deeper way of hearing too. And you get a lot better at spotting them. Birds are amazing.
Oh wow Rodellar looks also epic! I missed so much. There is also another desert, the bardenas reales bit west from huesca that looks real cool.
My plan was to head for the alps when i hit the mediterranean, but in the back of my head the thought of traversing the pyrenees in the other direction is building up :)
And yeah i think it was right with the river crossing. I mean it went well so wasn’t all wrong.
I think it’d be really worth it to try and find a nice route over the pyrenees, even if you’re no fan of too much climbing. The problem is probably that the easiest crossings have the biggest roads. The portalet would be an alright option, but maybe you can find some smaller roads over more days or something. I guess will be some memorable day(s).
I am about to pack my tent now and head over on the spanish side again. :)
I wake up to rain, but it stops and i get to start with a dry tent. Will be the last pass of the popular pass chain, the col de peyresourde. I sit down in a cafe for breakfast and then buy a map of pyrenees midi. I was envious of the south tirolians map. I really like having a map, i had been thinking of buying a pyrenees map before, but it would have been three maps to cover it all so i didn’t.
The climb is calm, even though it’s the weekend, but there are some motor bike gangs, they all are coming towards me though, they obviously start their pass chain from here. The pass has a sweet col cafe. 12 crêpes for 7€, haha. Deal. Also two sweet dogs up here, client dogs.
A super nice downhill, there’s paragliders around. I roll into Bagnères-de-Luchon, nice little town. I sit down at a cafe by the market square. It starts raining again. My app says it’s gonna rain all day. I chat with a guy about the weather, the best pizzeria in town and other important topics. Really liking the vibe of the people here, very relaxed on this saturday. I check in on “camping des thermes”, 8€, usb charging station, super nice hostesse. And as i have set up my tent i make friends with one of the campsites cats. That was so amazing. I just hang out and get to sleep late.
As i leave i see the cat again and manage to take a photo with the obligatory bike included
I sleep long and levae the campsite around eleven, head back to the market place cafe and then start heading over to spain again via the col du portillon. Pretty steep, i did not expect that, but it’s short and calm for a sunday. Not much view on the climb, mostly in trees, but on the downhill are some nice panoramas. In Bossòst i eat sone tortilla and think abou my options. Weather app says drizzle all day, but it’s not drizzeling, just cloudy. I was feeling lazy today, but i wonder if i should still make another big climb to over 2000m, there’d be a refugio there which looks located really good.
I ride the main road towards Arrós, go into a hotel restaurant to buy some water and drink a coke. I chat with the receptionist about the weather, it looks like it’s not going too bad and the clouds seem hanging quite high. So i will do the climb. I walk through the lobby super cool with my shades on and run into a glass door as i try to exit, haha. My glasses pinch my nose and i’m bleeding. The receptionist gives me some ice and paper, all worried about my wellbeing. I sit on the terrasse of the hotel until the bleeding stops, which takes annoyingly long. On the way out i take extra care to not run into the door again.
Right from the hotel the climb starts. Small asphalt road but it gets really steep. I really need to start checking the grades more. Although all the steep climbs were really worth it too. At some point i turn onto smooth gravel and then turn onto a chunky gravel road that should take me up to the refugio. I get those lonely vibes again, there’s nobody around. I get all calm and just look into the moody mountains as i keep climbing up.
At some point i make it to the peek of the climb, there is even a small patch of snow that i ride throu, it has narrow snow free tracks that i can pass though. There is some sun coming through a bit on the other side, looks amazing. On the descend i pass a bunch of horses standing criss cross ob the road. They freak me out, just standing there all static. But they don’t attempt to kick me, phew. Bit further down i get blown away by the views and it is just a km away from the refugio.
I see the refugio and get super excited, this is the jackpot. I ride a single track with loads of horse and cow shit to the refugio, but it is locked. Fuck. I look around the hills for a nice camp spot but it’s just cow shit and mud really. I look on the map and see that there’s another refugio about 10km away. It has a description on osm, so surely that one would work. But it adds another good climb, i’ll descend and then go back up to almost 1900m. Fuck it, let’s do it.
Climb is chunky gravel and really tough. On the last bit i would be led onto the main road but i decide to just push my bike the last km up some single track instead. I am done with cycling for the day. It’s already getting dark and cloud dust sets in.
Refugio feels cold and shoddy, it has a bunk bed without mattresses but i rather sleep on the floor. I turn my phone camera in selfie mode, my nose looks terrible but it’s just blood smear from wearing sunglasses. Just a tiny cut. I’m cooking some pasta and a sound freaks me out, either a bat or a bird must be living in this refugio. Wing flapping sounds. I later see that it’s a bird, does a whole lot of flapping in the chimney, i guess it’s also freaked out. I like having the bird around better than bats. I thankfully can sleep without interruption, hope the bird as well.
In the morning the refugio seems a lot more friendly and appealing, sun comes through the window. As i am snoozing the bird starts flying around inside the refugio. I don’t know why it won’t leave through the chimney, that must be what it always does since the door was closed. Maybe my bike is in the way or it’s too scared to come close to me. I get up and open the door for the bird and it flies out. I leave the door open and cook coffee after coffee, writing this diary, sunshine and blue skies outside. The bird comes flying through the chimney again and leaving through the door. I will leave it’s home in a minute.
Summer is the worst season of the year, isn't?
The sun sucks, being forced to shower like every 4 hours just to not feeling sweaty, the fucking mosquitoes, the fact you can’t wear anything that you want anymore due the heat, the people outside… The fucking beach. I try to avoid it… The fucking sand, not a fan of it. Is scratchy, harsh, annoying and it infiltrates in...
What are some good Winter Hardened and Aromatic Plants to put outside my Bedroom window?
I got quite a large Bedroom Window that I like to keep open during the Night and I thought it would lend itself super nicely for some Strong and Nicely smelling aromatic plants just outside it, so that by proxy the room itself always has that lovely plant flavour....
When was the last time you bought a paper map and why ?
Just out of curiosity, are you full digital do you still buy map often ?.
Say no to crack (lemmy.world)
Perpignan, France
Alt Pirineu (lemmy.world)
In Catalunya, España
A cat entered my tent (lemmy.world)
Just as i had set up my tent she came in, was raining outside. We’ve been hanging out here for half an hour already. I hope she won’t spike my sleeping pad. Necklace says her name is Kyra. Love it 🥹
qu'est-ce que c'est (lemmy.world) French
I have seen a lot of the village signs being upside down here in the french pyrenees. I was wondering if that was just some guy having fun, is it a national sport or some village rivalry? I think i have seen this elsewhere in france too, but here it seems very prevalent.
Happy Cake Day, Lemmy.World!
Woo-hoo today’s my cake-day on Lemmy.world… actually I’m the first here but many will follow the next days. Happy cake day to you all!
Bench and Shake (i.imgur.com)
Casual Chat Monthly 06/24
This topic is meant to be a low threshold possibility for all kinds of discussion. It is not meant to keep anybody from creating a new topic, the idea is that it may enable some discussion that would otherwise not happen at all.
What is something that you pay attention to that most other people do not?
Pyrenees Traverse (lemmy.world)
Oh my gody guys and girls. I am beyond hyped right now, two days into riding the Pyrenees west to east....
Sparrows at my tent (lemmy.world)
Got some sunflower hearts to share. Also watching vultures cruising around those rocks. In the prepyrenees in spain.
Side Quests
Always like having a good side quest. I usually just stumble into them along the way, i have a few more, but here are some:...