We crossed the Rhone and rode up the west bank as far as Tournon-sur-Rhone which was setting up for a festival on this Saturday of the summer solstice weekend. The area is filled with "Cotes de Rhone" vineyards. We left the crowds and headed southwest and up into the hills for the views, stopping in Lamastre to pick up picnic supplies. The tourist office informed us of a three day bicycle race for which our designated route would be closed for another hour. We hung around for half of that and then took our chances on the closure. Indeed no road was closed and no bicycles in view. Many of the towns along the route had decorated themselves with blue and yellow balloons, flags, and welcome signs.
kayaks along the Ardeche
We found a park in Vals-les-Bains (a former bath town we assume) to eat our lunch and then headed for the Gorges de l'Ardeche, the very popular gorge along the Ardeche River. Tourists and kayakers and campers were out in large numbers for the first third of the gorge, but traffic lightened as we made our way southeast along this scenic road. Kayaks in the river continued to the end. We exited the gorge and found a hotel in Pont-St.-Esprit near where the Rhone and Ardeche meet.
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