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Follow my trip across France on my bike (Friday)

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Front lines

We made it up to what was the front lines north of Nancy. Luther mentioned Millery and Pon de Mons.  The church in millery was built in the late 1800's, so I am sure he was there.  Now there is little mention of the war.  There is a river in the middle of a very wide valley.  It is easy to see how the terrain would keep opposing armies funneled up.

Continued up the moselle river to st mihiel on a very hot Sunday.  I mention Sunday because many shops are closed, including the ones selling water. Finally found a cafe and bought 6 liters.  Enough   to finish the 60 mile ride, pulling our trailers.  Ouch. 

Just outside of Toul, we saw our first cemetery, with soldiers from both wars, both French and Canadian.

We are staying at the only hotel in town, and were lucky to find a food trailer just outside.  A big change from the 5star Michelin  restaurant we enjoyed in Nancy.

St Mihiel is another location of a large battlefield during the great war.

Friday, August 28, 2015

French countryside

France is a series of beautiful scenes after beautiful scenes. The drivers love cyclists and will never touch you.  Wrong way down a one way street is no problem.  Stay away from pedestrian zones and all is good.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Hospital

Most of the places we have visited of Luther's are rear areas.  A couple were a few weeks after the armistice.  They were on a train line so the men could be moved back quickly, but far enough to allow the men to relax. 
As we were leaving Choumont, I spoke to an older gentleman, eho informed  that many Americans were stationed as well as Pershing.
With much research, I found the hospital where he was treated as well as the rehab unit.  The hospital was in bazoilles sur meuse.  It was a 1000 bed tent hospital.  The area is now a hay field. 

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Canal

France is crisscrossed by canals that currently handle pleasure boats.  With locks it is possible to travel from the Atlantic to the alps.  The canals are lined with a paved, sometimes poorly, trail that bikes are welcome on.  We traveled from Langres to Chaumont, downhill on a trail.  With a strong tailwind.  Perfect.

Memorial

The French paid tribute to the servicemen that died protecting them by erecting monuments..  Most towns have them, either in the main square or next to the church.  Some list the fallen of both wars.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

A rainy day

As Sue was putting her bike together,she knew something was wrong.  The front tire would not spin.  After a few minutes, I realized that the disc brake rotor had gotten bent in transport.  Nothing I could do to get it straight.  I finally gave up trying and removed the brake side of it.  She would have to ride without a front brake until a replacement could be found.

Previous experience with Dijon was not good.  It is a maze of one way streets that all point at you.  The night before we left, I did some recognise on the main street that I wanted to take out of town.  There was a bike path along the tram line, so we were good to take my preferred way out.  I had studied each turn on  Google's street view, so I felt like I had been there.  We were out of town in 25 minutes without a wrong turn.

The weather from Dijon to Langres was gloomy with a light rain.  The good news is the wind was from our backs. Our distance for the first day was 53.74 miles pulling heavy trailers, with 2038 feet of climbing.  Not an easy first day. 
When we got into Langres, we stopped in a semi pedestrian zone an one way street to get our bearings.  Getting to this point I noticed two police on bikes.  By the time we realized we had gone too far, the police had caught up with us.  Soi showed them the address of the hotel and asked them where it was.  They told me in French, and I smiled. I pointed to the one way street, so he motioned for us to follow. 

We had a police escort to the hotel.

Planes trains and automobiles

Our two flights were smooth and uneventful.  Debbie scored first class for all of us,so we were very comfortable.  Getting out of customs in Zurich was about as fast as walking.  We finally remembered to walk across an airport street to get to the train station. From the time we landed to the time we were ready for the train, with tickets bought was 35 minutes.

We should have waited another 7 minutes, as we caught a different train then what we wanted.  I realized we did bad, so I found someone to ask.  She looked up the schedule on her phone and found out we could get off in town and transfer to our correct train.  Getting off at the main Zurich station was easy enough, but then what?  Stopped the first train employees I could find.  They were very helpful, and told us what track our next train was on, and when it left.  I love the swiss.
When we got to track, we discovered our train was ready. This was an earlier train then planned,  but more time at Neuchatel.

This gave a nice long stop in the cool morning.  Found what should be the next train, but it said nothing about Dijon.  When on board and asked some passengers. They also said yes.  But you must transfer to a tgv.  We sat near them, in an otherwise empty car.  The train made a stop with several tgv cars around us, so I asked again, they all said, next stop.  At the next stop, the train emptied, we stood in a rain for 10 minutes and got on the tgv. Easy ride to Dijon.
At Dijon, the cab stand was empty.  As Debbie was making the call, a cab showed up that would fit the 3 cases.  Short drive hotel in the old town. 
I realized that 5 years ago when I was terribly lost and trying to navigate the one way streets, that I had gone down the street in front of the hotel.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

If you have to travel

Do travel first class overseas when you can.  Debbie is enjoying some of the goody bag. Our seats lay almost flat and I am looking forward to a nice nap.  Much nicer than the back of the bus.  Debbie also scored a first class upgrade for sue.

Friday, August 21, 2015

Bikes are packed

Bikes are really in the bags. Thy turn into trailers and we pull them, and pull them.  The folding and collapsing bikes allow us to fly into one airport, like Zurich and out another, like Paris.  I love my bike Friday, great concept and execution.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

My grandfather

My grandfather, Luther served in the great war as a medic.  Growing up he never spoke of his experiences, and my mother was surprised that he was injured.  We have a few items from his service, a gas mask, a few pictures of the company.  The most interesting item is a diary.  The diary provides little detail of what he did, or what he  was thinking.  It is a terse document of when and where he was.  The difficult part of this is the English spelling of french towns.  I was never sure where he was. 

He was in the 82nd Division, and there is a report, written shortly after the war that details when and where the division and many of the units activities.  Using dates from the diary, the division's location was easy to determine.  A map of France narrowed the search for his location.  Most of the towns were found. 

He describes what happened on the days before his injury caused by shrapnel to the wrist as he was trying to evacuate some wounded.  After this, he got lost, spent the night under an apple tree, and found his way back.  There was no mention of a town. He did mention being attached to an infantry company, and the company was mentioned in the division's history on that day as having taken some action.  So I know within a few kilometers of where he was injured.  This is northwest of Verdun 'on the road to St Juvian'.

Other searches turned up the location of the hospital where he was treated, as he referred to the hospital number, and the french field hospital that did the initial triage. There were pictures of the 1000 bed tent hospital where he was treated.
We know that he stayed into 1918 serving at a hospital unit in Bordeaux, before his return to his home in Georgia.

So, after 9 months of planning, mapping, planning, and mapping, My wife Debbie, and my sister Sue are off to see most of the places that he saw 98 years ago.  We will cycle about 450 miles starting in Dijon, and finishing up on that road to St Juvian.