For those of you that don’t speak French, it’s a beautiful day here in the high alps, if a little chilly. Sitting here eating breakfast I can feel the sun getting warmer, it certainly is going to be a nice one.

The plan for today? Well, enough of the mile munching for a change; we are going to have some more fun in these magnificent mountains. I plan to head up the Gorge du Queyras on my beloved D902 then go over Col d’Izoard and drop down into Briancon before the fast(ish) dash to Col du Lautaret. Back onto the 902 and climb the magical Galibier, which is the Col that divides the North and South Alps.

My apologies to those of you that were blogging with me last summer, yes I know I did these passes then, but I bloomin’ loved them so much that I had to come back again! Also, apologies in advance, do not intend to keep stopping for photos; yes I’ll certainly grab a few but today I just want to take in the ride! Yes, totally more self indulgent than normal…and that’s saying something!

These mountain roads, with the very tight hairpins, present a bit of a challenge on Harley, it’s called ground clearance! She is quite a low slung bike and if either I’m not careful, or we have to go tight because of other vehicles I run the risk of grounding something on the Tarmac. Exhaust pipes, brake pedal, transmission cover all have the scars to prove it, if you know where to look! So sometimes our progress is a bit on the cautious side, it’s cheaper that way!

Our hotel tonight is in Gap, as we start to leave the Alps. I haven’t decided whether to go straight there from Galibier or dally a longer route, see how we feel later.

In the mountains:
My shangri-la beneath the summer sun, I will return again.

Dookes