Leaving St. Hillaire

Monday, September 20th

Deano, Phil and Caroline were off in the morning. I had a bit of a lazy breakfast and was waiting for the sun to try out the tent that Gans had used (yes, now the festival is over, it’s gorgeous blue sky weather). I bid farewell to Victor, who planned to enjoy the now peaceful settings of the campsite for at least another night, and headed down to the valley. I had an access card from the campsite that I had paid for a whole week’s worth of camping and only stayed for two nights so I hoped to finagle at least a shower out of the deal and Isobel, the camp manager, was more than happy to comply.

Feeling human again, I bought some groceries and got on the road about mid-afternoon. My plan was to head to a free camping site by a river that was near Le Grand Bornand and La Clusaz, two flying sites that I had visited back in July. It was a beautiful drive and I was a bit bummed that both of my cameras were acting up so I had to take a bunch of mental pictures...but those are a bit harder to post on my blog! Betty slowly climbed up the winding road through a mountain valley and soon we reached a small town and the Col of Aravis with an amazing view of Mt. Blanc. I saw a number of cyclists challenging the steep climb and was reminded of what my friend Jodi said of the French: “They get out and do stuff!” So true.

At the free camping spot by the river, I collected some deadwood and after dinner had a small fire on the riverside. It was definitely chillier here now than it was back in July. I have to admit, as mesmerizing as a fire can be, it’s a bit boring all by yourself...off to bed.