We arrived in Blois after three strenuous days of riding. There were many times I thought what the f*#k am I doing. Yet we saw some amazing sites, stayed in hospitable AirBnBs and finished each day with a huge sense of accomplishment.

The first two days wind and navigation were our enemies.  Paris seemed to go  on forever , from serene suburbs to big box wasteland. And then suddenly we were in the Forest of Fontainebleau, riding along forest trails along with everyone else out for a Sunday outing. After lots of consternation with Google maps and my Ride with GPS app (with an ever diminishing battery), we made it to Fontainebleau

Finding our way after Fontainebleau was a challenge.  We decided to stick to main roads; good shoulders but still scary for me.  In a step hill away from the Seine I didn’t get my foot of the clip fast enough and tumbled over, nothing too serious. After 85 km we made it to Nemours and a special place to stay.

The next was the most challenging physical thing I’ve ever done. We got lost, it rained, there were hills, and the wind! Another 85 km day ended in Orléans.  We recognize we have to take it easy, 65 km is probably the max we should do.

Orléans was a great destination, home to Jeanne D’Arc, an amazing cathedral (with a plaque honouring Canadians and others from the “empire” who died in WWI.

Today was another 85 km marathon to Orléans. The bike route is well marked so we were looking forward to a straight forward ride.   Just as we got the countryside I was a witness to a man clearly in distress who asked me for help. (Larry was ahead of me.). I thought he was just over-exerted, but then quickly realized he was having a serious medical emergency. I called 911, then Larry had turned around and took over the call for me. His French is better than mine, and the dispatcher did speak English. We stayed with him for about 30 minutes or so until the paramedics arrived.

The riding was great, mostly flat close to the Loire river. We stopped in a couple of villages associated with Chateau. But the wind made riding difficult.  We are now in a lovely townhouse apartment in the Blois city centre.  Tomorrow is only 65 km to Tours. We are planning to take a rest day there.