Day 2 started dry, a good start but that wasn't to last. Within 5 minutes I'd taken a wrong turn. Grizzly the Wild Hogs self appointed weather man who swears by Windy.com and is Ireland's answer to Michael Fish, said no rain till 2pm. By 10am we had to pull over and get out the waterproofs.
Next issuette, slight cock-up on the planning front (who me?), meant we would excede the Shadslow's expected fuel range before our scheduled refuelling stop, so the last 15 miles were a bit fraught. We made it though. Fuelled up, sun shining, off came the waterproofs. And they stayed off for the remainder of the journey.
Our only POI stop of the day was in a small village called Domremy , about 105 miles south east of Reims. It's claim to fame, being the birthplace of Joan of Arc. Here you can take a look in her family home and a visitor centre. I hadn't planned on going in but we decided to and it was quite interesting. It's a remarkable story. Farmers daughter, through her actions as a teenager leading an army, helps bring to an end the 100 years war, then at just 19 is tried as a witch and burnt at the stake. Next to the house is a 13th century church with some very nice stained glass windows.
I really like riding in France and today was no exception. Even the D roads in 99% of cases, are billiard table smooth, no massive holes like our backroads at home. And I love the little villages too. Sure it slows you down but the ride is part of the holiday, not just a means to get somewhere, so we are steering clear of motorways and loving every minute.
We arrived at our hotel around 5:30pm, noticeably cooler than 20 or so miles back, as we are now at 800+ metres above sea level. Dinner was taken at a Buffalo Grill a few minutes away. After the greasy burger last night, this, we opted for caesar salad and a couple more beers.
I have covered 480 miles since leaving home, just over 1/10th of my expected total. This time tomorrow we'll be in Italy, having covered 180 miles more. At the last 2 fill-ups Ginny has averaged 55mpg.
That's it for now.
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