Slog and Joy
Updated: Sep 30
Days 20-21. September 28-29, 2026
Monday, September 28. Bourges to Sancoins, France.
SLOG! That is what I call a ride like we had today: a grind of an uphill almost all the way against a headwind. It seems there is a large anti-clockwise cyclone brewing in the North Atlantic and it is pulling warm air off the Mediterranean Sea and North Africa northwards over western Europe. This was creating the strong wind pattern. I was grateful, however, for the sunshine and warm temperatures it also was bringing, but overall, I was not really enjoying the ride.
We rode the entire way through farmland and tiny 'ghost town' villages. If we had rode this pathway during the summer, I may have enjoyed it more, for I noticed a number of fields that had been planted in mustard and sunflowers. I would have like to see these fields in bloom! Today, they were mostly plowed under and brown.
I was happy to get into Sancoins, the town we were to stay in. We had an old-fashioned hotel with a restaurant for the folks staying there. We were surprised to find we were not the only ones there! The best part of the day was sitting back outside in the village center across from the old church at a cafe and having a golden Loburg beer.
Tuesday, September 29. Sancoins to Moulins, France.
JOY! That is what I call a ride that glides over great curvy hills where the downhill part propels you part way up the next hill. We call it "riding the snake". These roads took us along the Allier River and through gorgeous forests of oak, beech, locust and pine. The air was warm and soft and the wind was still blowing, but the hills and forests protected us from the worst of it and it did scatter the yellowing locust leaves so we rode through a golden rain at times.
The forests were alive with birdsong and we passed a number of ponds teeming with waterfowl: swans, ducks and egret. Even the towns we passed through seemed a bit more alive that those we had passed to the north. Homes had flowers planted around them and more windows were unshuttered. We even had a break next to a small school yard where children played.
Tonight we are staying in the larger town of Moulins, which has a great old town along the Allier River. We look forward to exploring it this evening.
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