Cols, Gorges, and a Combe

road up to the Col de Rousset

The area north of Die is filled with amazing roads and scenery and we spent the day riding and looking at as much as we could squeeze in.  First was the Col de Rousset (1254m) with a small ski resort at the top.  Clouds and some fog obscured a few of the peaks and the weather was chilly.  We later added a couple of layers to ward off the lower-than-expected temperatures.

The Gorges de la Bourne is a "balcony road" built in 1872 (took 11 years to build) which follows the narrow gorge of the Bourne River.  The views up the cliffs and down to the river are spectacular but difficult to photograph from a moving bike, and few view points are available along the narrow road. 

At the end of the gorge is the town of Pont-en-Royans with its famous hanging houses perched high above the river which is known to rise with snowmelt.  It was then 2PM and lunch called, so a restaurant across from our parked bike provided us with the best meal yet (topping Nimes).  We walked down to the river and back before heading to the last big ticket road of today.

Combe Laval is sometimes considered the most beautiful road in the French Alps.  It was constructed between 1861 and 1898, is another "balcony road" and was carved directly into the cliff with numerous short tunnels (for better photos than I have posted, check out http://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/france/302-combe-laval-road-france.html.  The views are amazing and the road is even more so.

hanging houses of Pont-en-Royans

It was after 5 when we finally headed west to Valance for the night. We'll spend tomorrow in the Rhone valley--perhaps tame by today's standards.