France 2019: Arras Ride 3

"Oh what a beautiful morning,

Oh what a beautiful day,

I've got a beautiful feeling,

A great ride is coming my way. "

Thank you Rogers and Hammerstein.

Since yesterday's ride was cut short we decided to do the same route but cover it end to end. The day was so promising we were confident we would not be disappointed.

Retracing the route we started from the house we passed through now familiar towns.

And headed to the Hannelles farm - whoever they are and why do they have their own sign?

Which came first the building or the road? Not the first time we passed through an archway on our way to the other side.

No cars coming.

Now it is my turn.

But a short way beyond...

Oh No - Route Barree (Road Closed).

Follow the other cyclist. He must be a local.

Yup, the roadway is closed but they constructed a pedestrian (pieton) path just for us. How thoughtful.

A little past the midway point so time for you know what.

Frevent is now a favorite.

Wow. There has to be something good down this tree lined drive.

In France there is a Chateau at every turn... or so it seems.

The Cercamps were not home so we will have to get a tour some other day.

Hard to know when a chateau becomes a chateau. Not the grandest by Loire standards but worthy of a look.

Notice dog (chien) standing guard but thankfully on the other side of the locked gates.

Time for our coffee stop and look what miraculously appeared.

Our gratuitous offering.

Kim, bikes, and coffee - what a combination.

A sign for every direction with the Hotel de Ville (city hall) in the background.

Heading out of town after our coffee stop.

Now which way were we supposed to be going?

The aerodrome was in the other direction and up a hill. While always fun to explore we had been to a French aerodrome on our last trip.

Often the end of one town is the start of another.

Now that is close.

A multi story grain storage facility plopped down in the middle of a field.

Much of the farming is the production of hay which gets cut, rolled, and stacked into piles over 30 feet high.

I am sure that American farming is just as expansive but hard to imagine that there are so many animals to feed during the winter season.

Riding past the water (eau) tower heading into Ternas.

The French countryside is dotted with wind turbines - a sign of the changing times.

Like farmers in the US planting these behemoths makes good sense both for the planet and their pocketbook.

Although seemingly out of place they will become as commonplace as telephone poles and power lines in our modern world.

You can not imagine how huge they are until you get up close. Kim in the foreground is 5 foot something. The tower in the background is significantly taller.

We were able to walk to the base but had to move back to get this complete photo. The towers are assembled from multiple sections but the blades are transported in one piece.

In Belgium where blades are constructed they had to make temporary round a bouts so the transport vehicles can make the turn.

They do make a slight whirring sound which is only audible standing next to the base. Did not see any dead birds around but they probably are deterred by the noise.

Okay. We passed several piles of "these" along our route so we felt compelled to check it out.

The owner of the pile - but pile of what?

My guess was right but not confirmed until we got home and searched the image.

And the winner is "sugar beets" which are processed to extract the sugar ...

with the left over fiber used as animal feed. Guess they don't get to enjoy the sweet taste but are satisfied nonetheless.

L' Allee des Tilleuls - which translated to "the way of the linden tree" which is a walkway between our castle and the neighboring down the path. More on this tomorrow as we bike the length of the alley.

From whence we came and where we go.

You never know what you will find around the next bend. As we turned down the road toward our house we were overtaken by a long line of honking cars decked out in flowers. It was a wedding procession that turned into our drive. Ugh - another invitation we missed.