7| Camping, 2

I found the hotel, where the desk manager gave me a ground floor room, with a door to the outside, much like a motel, though it was not. The door was perfect, because I could take the bike in and make a minor derailleur adjustment.  It was a simple adjustment, but I was proud to figure it out, since I am no bike mechanic; my skills are pretty well limited to fixing a flat tire, bike adjustments and breakdowns are one of my stress points. Some day, I told myself, I will find a bike repair course and take it. The hotel was adequate, affordable, with a restaurant; it provided a safe, easy place for my bike, and had a good breakfast. Never mind that the door had no handle on the outside, the bulb was burnt out in the bathroom and the reading light fell off the wall when I turned it on! Everyone, every single person that I saw, was wearing clothing. Perhaps the room needed renovation, and the manager had told me that: I didn't understand all that he said to me, my French was inadequate. Yes, a third time in one day. (Touring Idea: 5) While I ate my supper I watched a hawk hover, motionless above the field, for a good 60 seconds, then without seeming to move, make an abrupt 90 degree turn and fly off. Having no binoculars with me, I can’t tell you anything about what kind it was, and I was sorry to have left them home. My birding friends are all cringing now.

The next morning, after a filling (and so unusual) breakfast, I headed north to St. Guilhem-le-Désert, riding northwest on the D27, then turning up the Gorges de l’Hérault on the D4, crossing over the river. This would make a good road to continue on, reaching the Cévennes from a different direction, but that is for a future trip. This day, I’m headed just as far as St. Guilhem, to see the medieval town, and then will return down river before turning north towards the Cirque de Navacelles.

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