August 22-27 Annecy Part 2!
5 days in paradise. Perfect weather. And once we got the lay of the STEEP! Terrain, it was a perfect place to stay, with perfect trails once we discovered them off the beaten track. It was just luck. Even when I planned last spring, there were very few places available and this one was a lucky find. |
There was a long rainy spell before the suddenly perfect weather the day we arrived… and so did the rest of the world. So yes… it was crowded. And steep. And a little intimidating.
The other thing we learned is that Google maps is pretty clueless in this area with no sense of elevation or road/path width, so you can’t count on her not to get you in trouble.
All this led to an iffy intro. Trusting Google we first made the ultra-sharp turn up the ultra-steep cliff that ended with a solid building dead center at the top. The van is an older 5-OntheFloor and not the most agile beast on 4 wheels, but luckily Jim still has his reflexes honed on steep ski trails through deep powder and was able to negotiate the next sharp turn up an alley between two buildings only 2 inches wider than the van. We were wondering what we’d got ourselves into. We finally got to our place and … no parking places at all… yikes… we squeezed into a temporary spot on a steep side-to-side/fore-and-aft slope. With some cursing and shoving were able to unload our bikes. Only to find our place wouldn’t be ready until 3:00.
So we went for a scouting ride and when we returned a couple of hours later, the place was ready, there was a reasonable parking spot (that we never left for 5 days), we were learning our way around the incredibly steep terrain, and suddenly all was well.
Being slow-but-steady learners, we figured out that the best way to love cycling is to stay above the crowds by going UP the mountainside to the crests, only joining the hoards at the waterfront for a good reason like lunch. We mapped out some beautiful rides along the high crests and edges. We even found a way to get to the grocery store without touching the main road.
All the edge routes seem to be named after the mountain men that first farmed and wore a slanty path up the sheer mountains. Beauregard, Montpellaz – our early trekker was Morat. Now houses along the high routes have gouged a spot – even if it hangs out over another house, garden, or shear nothingness. Our place was lovely with spectacular views from every window and deck. The vines from the garden far below climbed up the cliff and around our tires in the 5-days the beast rested in place..
Day 2, when we headed into town we found wheel-to-wheel cyclists, fast moving racers in training weaving between tiny kids and moms with babies and kids onboard. We thought there would be blood on the trails, and for sure wear and tear on brakes and bodies. Once we were through town and enjoying open trails on the west side, we didn’t want to repeat the ride through town. So we decided to continue around counterclockwise around the lake despite the tourism person’s advice. This turned out to be the best thing because once we reached the south end and turned back on the uphill east side, the steepest parts had a semblance of a bike lane on the ascending right side while descenders rode in the lane with the 50-70 km traffic. Once through the places where the cliffs dropped straight into the lake, we took a sharp turn up the mountain face and miraculously the last 15km was a spectacular grand-finale scenic ride along the highline crest with sheer drop-offs down the cliffs to the lake.
It was only 40 km but with all the steepness we were seriously worn out when we got home.
Paragliders
There were masses of parasailers launching themselves off the mountain peaks and soaring down the valley and out over the lake, staying up for hours and finally landing at field at the south end of the lake. It was hard to photograph them in the sky, but I got some good landing shots. We thought of friends Ella and Laine and others fond of voluntarily hurtling themselves into the air – if from a perfectly good airplane why not a perfectly solid mountaintop?
We especially loved lunches by the lake. The fish – trout and perch – was excellent and so was the beer and wine.The views from our balcony and deck were amazing.
The views from our balcony and deck were amazing. Sunsets especially, but I also enjoyed the sunrise when the shadows of the cliffs behind us were cast on the mountains on the west side of the lake. And the way the reflections of the clouds danced on the water.
With such scenery and great trails once you know where to find them who could ask for more. We thoroughly enjoyed our 5 days in Annecy and were wishing for more. It’s hard to get to, but worth the journey
