The D217 and D1A, high above the valley, are silent, just the occasional bird chirp. The trunks and branches of the evergreens on the south side of the road are covered in undisturbed lichen. It's still winter, certainly, but hints of spring are starting to appear in the warmer bits of the gorges. Climbing out of Veaux, a small patch of purple flowers are just starting to bloom.
A contrast in major disasters versus minor disasters. The 1999 Aude floods washed entire villages down river. The rusting husks of vehicles remain piled at the bottom of the gorges around Tautavel. To the north, burn scars. The solitary yellow cylinder is a fire hydrant. As for minor disasters, a road closure diverted traffic into the villages between Narbonne and Beziers. A quieter route through the vineyards dead ended at a marsh, forcing a longer than expected day. The weather looks good tomorrow, but Sunday has snow forecast along our route. We need to be home Monday, so we’ll grab an afternoon train along the coast tomorrow.
One more time over the Coll de Manrella. Headed home into France. Lots of snow in the mountains, but the pass is clear, if muddy.
Look out from the top of Rocacorba. Find the tallest mountain without snow on it. That’s El Mont, and it’s a great climb. Unlike Rocacorba, the road is smooth, dry, and almost completely free of traffic on a sunny, 60F, February morning. Of course it wasn’t 60F at the top. It was 40F with a strong wind. I snapped some photos and layered up for the descent. Within a mile I had an ice cream headache from the cold. It didn’t last long, and after some tight switchbacks down the mountain it was a warm tailwind back to Banyoles.
A few loops up through the Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa and down into Santa Pau for lunch.
