Today we left camp and headed for Versailles.  It is outside of Paris, about 20 miles.  It was mostly going up several steep hills which would have been very difficult for me on a regular bike.  I got a running start at the hills and went [...]

France is divided in the middle by a river called the Loire.  It is used to divide the country.  People will say south of the Loire if they are talking about southern France or north of it if they are talking about the north.  Along this [...]

One of the benefits of biking in the summer is the beautiful gardens and flowers you see along the way. The Chateau de Villandry has the most amazing gardens. It is said that these gardens could be the nicest in France. There were several different kinds [...]

One of the main events at the Chateaus was hunting in the forest surrounding them. Hunting dogs were a key to successful adventures.  Chateau de Chevery still has over 60 hunting dogs they feed daily. It is quite an experience to see the feeding of [...]

If one wants to experience the opulence and luxury of the past there is no place better to go than the Loire Valley.  There are hundreds of Chateaus to see and visit.  As one rides down the bike path in the valley at any corner, one [...]

One of the great joys of biking along the Loire Valley is the fun surprises you discover. My favorite has been the beautiful flowers. At the top of that list are the fields and fields of sunflowers. I saw a photo of sunflowers in a book [...]

Years ago, I flew through the airport in Amsterdam and saw all the pretty tulips.  The Netherlands is the tulip capital of the world.  I decided then that I wanted to return and ride my bike through the fields of tulips. My dream came true a [...]

Here in the Loire Valley, mushrooms are grown in dark and humid caves.  I would ride my Juiced bike to the caves for several days to see the beautiful mushrooms. Over millions of years, there has been limestone buried under the ocean. As the ocean receded, [...]