This is one of those cases were a dash of local knowledge can be very helpful. Little did I realize that the road I had selected ran straight through the French Alps!!!! Now, the Alps are littered with quaint little villages and awesome scenery, but driving in them is a little like tacking upwind into a gale against a running tide. It takes about 40 miles of driving to make 10 miles of forward progress. I don't think I have seen so many first gear switchbacks in my life! My target was to reach Grenoble by noon. I got there at 1:30. But, oh! What a fantastic journey it was!!The drivers in this area are far better than Americans. I got behind one woman in a Peugeot 206 diesel who led me on a merry chase for better than a half hour as I struggle to keep up. I swear you could pluck ordinary citizens off the streets, stick them behind the wheel and they would beat les pantaloons off you and me. I was passed by electrician driving a work van at one point who sailed into the distance like I was tied to a rock.
The scenery was amazing. And so I had one hand on the wheel, one hand on the gearshift, one hand on the camera, one hand on the map and one hand in my lunch bag all the while. I apologize for the lack of artistic framing of the pictures I took along the way, but I knew by then that it was going to be a close race to get to Annecy on time and I didn't have time to stop.
All I had to do now was pickup the highway and cruise into Annecy. But somehow I got on the wrong highway. I was now headed to Lyon, which is about 100 miles west of where I wanted to go. I pored overmy map and decided my best alternative was to exit at Voiron and wend my way northeast to Chambery, where I could get back on the highway.
Now, the clock is ticking and I am back on a rural route through some mountains and lots of little towns with names like St. Guilliaume of the Fleur de Lis, St. Bernadette of the Blessed Valley and St. Henri of the Holy Sandwich. All cute as can be and all traversed at speeds approaching 15 mph. Tick, tick, tick.......
At last, I steer back onto the highway. I have 20 minutes left to get to Annecy. I push the Aygo up to 150 kph, which is as fast as it will go. Tick, tick, tick...... Then I see a sign: Annecy - 88 km. NOOOOO!!! The game is lost. All those hours of pushing to gain time are for naught. Curse words ensue.
But wait! Here comes another sign. Annecy is but 30 km. It is Geneva that is 85 km away! I can still make it if I really, really try. I have to get gas. A service area magically appears with no other cars at the pumps to interfere. I sprint to the office to pay and sprint back. I am back on the road and back up to 150 in no time. On the downhill parts, I see 160 once or twice. The exit takes me directly toward the bus station, which is where the rental agency is. I find a place to park the car and dash to the office.
I hand them the keys. They type some information into the computer. And they are smiling at me! They are happy to have their little car back. I am happy to give it back to them. Everyone is happy and smiling and I feel like Sterling Moss at the end of the 1952 Mille Miglia when he found out he had won the race. What a great day this has been!
The photos from along the way, such as they are, can be viewed at this link: Day Thirteen
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