Roll'n series

Last night in Blois me and 50cl of red wine were working on a series of photos. Something for the wall at home. The series is called roll'n. They are from my crazy trip on the bike paths of Blois. They still need a bit of work but you get the idea.


-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rue du Louvre,Paris,France

Château seeing

It feels great to be back out on the bike, so far I've only done 40km but the weather is amazing and the bike paths are fun! Been lost so many times I can't count but I've seen some really cool stuff. Again, more then words can express and images can capture.
I made a new friend out on the road but he said I was making an ass of myself so I had to keep roll'n, oh well, such is life ;)
BTW, this region has great white wines. I am not a huge fan of white wines but they're good!






-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Route du Bûcher,Cheverny,France

Vauchē Choco Bar

Blois is an amazing city! The vibe here is very cool and very old. The history goes back to the 1200's. I can't wait to review the images. There's gonna be some keepers.
Blois reminds me of a small town in Italy called Luca. The kinda place you could own a vacation home, if not live.
I am sitting at this cafe called Vauchē, it's a chocolate bar. Holy hell this stuff should be illegal!!!! It's liquid crack. I didn't think you could really drink chocolate like this. I won't need dessert tonight. For that matter I should stick to a glass of wine for dinner. I don't really think this is part of a low fat low calorie diet. Just a guess...


-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rue du Commerce,Blois,France

Off to Blois

Sitting on the train heading to Blois (pronounced Blah???). I am actually listening to music and relaxing and not trying to learn anymore French. I am done! I am a stupid tourist that can't speak French. I am just going to own it...
I hope the weather holds out. I need to get back on my bike. I am pretty sure that I've gained about 40lbs since I been in Paris, eat'n and drink'n vine. I just need to do some riding to round it all out.

-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:On a train heading south...

6€ coffee

I just paid 6€ for a coffee. That is officially the most expressive coffee I've ever purchased. I had mentioned it to the waiter and he politely reminded me I am paying for the view. He's right... :)




-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rue de Rivoli,Paris,France

The Louvre

Having lunch at Café des Initiés. I just finished checking out only a small part of the Louvre. I heard that if you spent 30 seconds in front of each piece of art that it would take 6 days to look at everything. After checking it out for a few hours I could easily see that being the case. A few observations and recommendations about the Louvre:
- There are 3 entrances, don't use the main one it will take you for ever to get in. You'll be exhausted before you start.
- Don't try and see everything.
- There is no better day of the week to go to the Louvre, expect Tuesday, they're closed.
- Put down the camera, really. Do you honestly think you are going to take a better picture then the museum did? You can buy a book for less the 20€ and see all the pieces. Look at the art think about the art. How does it make you feel?

One more thing, the Mona Lisa isn't in the same place that the movie The da Vinci Code would have you believe.

-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rue du Louvre,Paris,France

Piss drunk in France....

Just finished a wine tasting called the Tour de France at Ôchateau wine bar, 6 French wines. I am toasted to say the least. I just ordered dinner and it comes with wine, really? Oh yeah, the big kicker, I have know idea where my hotel is. My iPad's cell service just stopped working. That means I've got to figure out where I am on a paper map, shit! This is getting interesting.

Side note - The chef is from LA. I come to France and I am eating at a SoCal chef's restaurant, go figure...


-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rue du Louvre,Paris,France

First day in Paris

Where to begin? Walking 15k is a lot harder then riding 15k, holy hell! The bike is coming out tomorrow. Walking sucks!
I did a fun bike tour of a small part of the city and got a good idea of where I want to go back tomorrow. I forgot the adapter for the DSLR camera so I can't upload any of those photos. Just as well, I am on a mission to find new art for my walls and I figured there would be no better place then Paris to fine the inspiration for the images.
It's about 8:00 in the evening, I am having a glass of wine at Cafe Moceru trying to figure out what to do for dinner. It stays light till well after 9:00 it's no wonder everyone eats late. Sitting here I can see the appeal of the city. There is lots of history and swagger to this place.
I should have practice my French more. I'd say that's been the hardest part of the trip so far, that and everybody smokes. Don't they know it's bad for them? Everything I've heard about the French being mean or rude hasn't held true for me.
Well that's all for now.



-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rue de Damrémont,Paris,France

A change of pace...

I don't even know how to put all of this into words. So much riding so many amazing experiences. Yesterday I finished my riding in the Alps on top of Col du Galibier. The demons where left on the Galibier...
Now I am starting a new part of my adventure. Sitting in the Grenoble Train station waiting for the TGV to Paris. Just finished a great conversation with an Aussie couple living in the UK. Gotta love traveling. ;)



-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Avenue Jeanne d'Arc,Grenoble,France

The kindness of a stranger...

We've all held the door for someone or help someone pick up their change when they dropped it, but how many of us have ever really helped out a stranger? These gestures I mentioned above are nice but they are really of very little inconvenience when you think about it.
A few days ago on my ride I was the recipient of something I have never really experienced before. The kindness of a stranger...
While on a very long ride I was lost in Chambéy and I saw a woman standing by her car on the side of the road that looked like she needed help. I was thinking this should be interesting, my French sucks. I rolled up to her with her son in the car. She was motioning that I couldn't go this way, thinking back it was a freeway entrance, for lack of a better word. I pointed to a map and said Grenoble, then to my bike and said velo. She motioned to her car like she was going to give me a ride. I thought why not. It was late in the day, starting to rain and I was bonking for the second time. She got into her car then I realized she meant that she would show me how to get there by following her.
She took off and I started motor pacing behind her at 20mph. It hurt, but it was better then being lost. I was thinking I really hope she's not some nut that is just going to get me lost or worse. I followed her for over half an hour while she drove all over this city then through these vineyards and farmland. She even stopped and waited for me because I popped. Long story short I got back on the road and 2 hours later made it back to Grenoble.
The point of this isn't that I had a tough day in the saddle it's that a complete stranger took real time out of their day to help me, a foreigner, a stranger. I had to ask myself while this was all happening have I ever really taken time out of my day to ever really help someone, I mean really help them? I owe karma in a big way! I was in really bad shape, I was alone in a foreign country, I didn't speak the language and was 30 miles from my only refuge, my hotel room.
When was the last time you really helped someone? Something to think about...


-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Chemin des Effonds,Le Bourg-d'Oisans,France

Cold day!

Cold day today, low 30's. Tomorrow watching the stage then riding into Italy.



-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Chemin des Effonds,Le Bourg-d'Oisans,France

Photo from alpe d'huez

-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Chemin des Effonds,Le Bourg-d'Oisans,France

Day three

Just too tried to write today. More pain and beauty in ride then I could have ever imagined.
Tomorrow I start my tour with Ridestrong tours. I don't know if I am going to have Internet access from the château so I my be offline for the week. Look for me on TV in the Alps :)




au revoir

-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rue Général Mangin,Grenoble,France

Just a photo

-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rue Général Mangin,Grenoble,France

Day two...

WOW! That's all I can really say. I'll say it again, WOW!
Found out the fort I climbed to yesterday was fort de La Bastille, on Bastille day, just dumb luck but very cool!
So, today, first thing in the morning, I got schooled by an espresso maker that spoke French, I still don't know what it said but some poor kid had to come and fix the stupid thing and proceeded to burn his hand from the hot water. Désolé "sorry" new word of the day. Felt like and idiot, again... :-/
Road for 28 miles a climbed 5100 ft. which doesn't sound like much but holly hell, it was a climb!!! It just another caliber of riding here.

In this photo someone spray painted to grade of the road over the entire route.


-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rue Général Mangin,Grenoble,France

Day one...

So, I finally feel like I am in France. Like everything else there's two sides to the coin.
I am having a great time just riding around the city and getting lost. I still don't know where I was for this photo. I would have been so screwed without my iPad. I was really good and lost!
The down side is not speaking French, this could prove to be a bit problematic... I bought a sweet roll at a bakery (patissery) and all I had was a 5€ bill and I am pretty sure she was pissed about having to break a 5€ for a sweet roll. I just stood there like and idiot. I didn't know what to say, in French... LOL, it's all part of the experience.







Au revoir

-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rue Général Mangin,Grenoble,France

Time to kill...

So I am sitting here in Heathrow Airport waiting for my next flight, a 6 hour layover.
I've started playing with this new app I bought for my iPad called snapseed by NIK software. Way cool! Point and shoot camera and too much time on my hands :)





-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Walrus Rd,,United Kingdom

Waiting

So I am already here in the San Diego terminal waiting to fly out to London and then Lyon France. My camera gear is very limited because I am taking my bike and that bitch is big! They charged me and additional $60 for the bike bag and it's lighter then my backpack, really?
Whatever, I am on vacation!
So my Camera gear... I am only bringing a Canon 5d mark2 with a 24-70 lens, plus a point and shoot. I so struggled with this! I mean spent hours and a bottle of wine trying to figure this out. We'll see out the photobadassery holds up. I've seen amazing photos with much less equipment. Just like cycling, it's not the ride it's the rider.



-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Airport Terminal Rd,San Diego,United States

Testing, is this thing on?

Just testing my Blog Press app on my iPad. Heading out to France and should have amazing photos to share soon. I'll have some downtime while I am traveling to give ya the 411 on what I am shooting with and why. I had to make some tough choices on equipment for this trip.

Au revoir,


-nate

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad