The wild side of the river, that is. Surrounded by lush vegetation, covered with a canopy of trees, and not another human in sight.
Our only exercise, aside from eating, is walking. We try to find new routes as much as possible. Sometimes, as you have seen, that means driving to a new town and exploring it on foot. But we also take walks close to home. Above is a path that begins at our Port de Plaisance in Auxonne and continues north alongside the Saône. We walked a fair distance – but saw no sign of it ever ending. It may continue for the entire length of the Saône – stopping only where towns and cities have gobbled up prime riverside real estate.
The Saône is calm today. A few weeks ago (Chap. 88 and 90), it was flowing so fast, boats were not allowed on it. Below is a YouTube video of what can happen to a boat when a usually calm river becomes anything but. There was no one on board – the river had torn the boat from its mooring – and then sent it on its way to a watery grave. It wasn’t the only one. The Lot River ripped a full pontoon of boats – 21 of LeBoat’s rental fleet – and sent them floating downstream over weirs and into bridges.
With the Saône now back to normal, we should begin to see traffic back on the water. First will be the large commercials. And then, the “live aboards” from the marina will start their summer voyages. Some of them will take short trips of a few weeks; some will be gone all summer; and some will not return to Auxonne. They will find a new place to winter. Perhaps heading north to Amsterdam – or south to Toulouse. Both are welcoming to bargees and lovely cities in which to pass the winter. This summer, we hope to travel the full length of the Canal du Rhône au Rhin (237 km. and 114 locks – each way) to Mulhouse and back – wintering again in Auxonne. Maybe the following year we’ll make it to Paris and spend the winter there. It would be a dream come true.