Blahg

Jet lag is tough, easier on the west bound leg of the journey than on the east but still tough. I have been a little out of sorts since our return, trying to get back to a reasonable sleep schedule and, in fact, a normal sort of life schedule. I have ridden my bicycle most of the days I have been here but after what I am willing to admit is a fairly intense travel blogging schedule, I have felt just a little blahged out.

My first motivation in doing this blog is to entertain myself. I am pleased if anyone else finds it interesting, but if I can't entertain myself I know that I will stop. The last couple of days I couldn't summon the necessary motivation to entertain myself.

Today was another hot day ending what the local weather sources say is the hottest July in this city in my life time. I am a little sheepish about all of that, having missed more than half of July. And it wasn't hot at all where I was except for a couple of days. I wore long pants every single day of the trip and it wasn't a Euro fashion choice, it was too cool for short pants. I wore my jacket at least several days and had a long sleeved tee shirt that saw quite a bit of service. But today was hot here.

So I rode in the morning. The lighting is different in the morning but many of the sights are the same.

It was a mostly north wind but when I was out there last week I discovered that a couple of the roads that I count on to visit Lake Vadnais have that oil and gravel thing going on. I hate that.

So today I started with a slight swing to the south to set up a mostly east west ride. The swing to the south led past those cows and also into the Fairgrounds. The Fair must be very close, the Pronto Pup stands don't come out unless they are going to use them.

I also checked in on that church dining hall that closed shop last fall to see what is up. I cannot tell for sure yet what is going to be at that site except that I am pretty comfortable in reporting that it is a sit down establishment of some sort. With the success of O'Gara's out there last year I am betting that it will be a place where you can get a burger and a beer.

I didn't blog the last couple of days but I did take a couple of pictures while riding. The City of Saint Paul has installed a bunch of rain gardens in the area around Lake Como to filter the rain water before it runs off into the lake. This one has some of those cardinal flowers just coming into bloom.

I rode down to the confluence as well. The river is still high for almost August but is way, way down from what it was earlier in the year.

It was hot that day too.

So July ends with not enough miles on my bicycle but I guess I am plenty OK with that. I loved Dieppe and the Alabaster Coast, I loved Bayeux and the Tapestry, I loved the beaches at Normandy. I wasn't crazy about trying to drive into the city of Rouen on either of the two occasions when I had to do that.

The trains work well, we stayed in an airport hotel which I booked through Delta for just over $100 for our one night stay. When we were standing around the front of the hotel the next morning waiting for the airport shuttle I noticed the hotel rates posted at the front door. The cheapest room in the hotel was advertised as available for 360 euros.

Nice hotel.

Lousy shuttle.

There's no place like home.