Mons, Vallée d'Orb, April 26-29, 2022

Episode 1: Dehydrated on the 30th Birthday

We spend the days around Janine's birthday in the parc naturel régional du haut languedoc in southern France. The campsite is located in a loop of the Orb river, which has carved a beautiful gorge into the hilly landscape here. The place promotes tourism with activities such as canoe trips, mountain bike tours, and various wineries. We think we have found a good place to celebrate a birthday.

We have planned a mountain bike tour for Janine's birthday. And as we usually do, we chose the most challenging one in the area. 1050 meters of altitude gain, with the bike having to be pushed half of the way on loose ground. Our water supply barely lasts until the summit.

The fantastic view rewards us for our efforts.

After taking a few selfies, we bump our way down the hiking trail towards the valley. It shakes us up vigorously, so we make slow progress. Even the flat tire halfway doesn't speed up the descent. Despite everything, the descent was fun, although next time we would take more water with us.

Episode 2: The Beautiful Orb River

In the afternoon of April 28th, we booked a canoe tour on the Orb river. Our guide Silvan gives us the choice of a short or a long wetsuit. When asked how cold the water is, he just shrugs. He is also reluctant to provide information. We opt for the short suits and decide not to capsize.

The section of the river that we were allowed to paddle is beautiful. We enter the river via a canoe slide, a structure that allows paddlers to overcome weirs without having to get out of the water. Then we navigate through a steep gorge, with pools alternating with slow flow and rapids. The water is turquoise, the poplars are in bloom, and the birds are singing. A very beautiful trip.