6:10 am at a dull parking lot near the Mall of Valentine (Aubagne, France), Antranik (alias Papatrail) and Francoise welcome us in their little van. We are carpooling to the exciting off in Camargue
(finely crafted by the (Master) skilled Lionel (alias Yoyo) from the UFO community (Ultrafondus)).
Camargue beware! If I tell you Camargue ? Flat race, monotony are the first adjectives that come to mind, absolutely wrong my friends! And just to mimic our french presidential candidate Segolene : "qui va en Camargue conquiert la diversitude" (i.e. who marches to Camargue conquers the diversitude) .The UFOs in "Unbelievable F.....g Outdoor soils" will be the title's story.
Lionel sent us a while ago the GPS route (during a first exploratory recon ride with Antranik and Francoise). The route describes an eight shape like form in order to leave some fresh supplies at the 5 and 34 km marks (out of 50 km total distance). And especially, the 34 km mark for the exhausted one would be a perfect exit strategy .
Passed the gardian's farms, we reach the "Estagnou dou Vaccarès" (Vaccares's pond). Who else than 'Alphonse Daudet , in his "lettres de mon moulin" can put the right string of words on this scenic view:
"LE VACCARÈS. Ce qu'il y a de plus beau en Camargue, c'est le Vaccarès. Souvent, abandonnant la chasse, je viens m'asseoir au bord de ce lac salé, une petite mer qui semble un morceau de la grande, enfermé dans les terres et devenu familier par sa captivité même. Au lieu de ce dessèchement, de cette aridité qui attristent d'ordinaire les côtes, le Vaccarès, sur son rivage un peu haut, tout vert d'herbe fine, veloutée, étale une flore originale et charmante : des centaurées, des trèfles d'eau, des gentianes, et ces jolies saladelles, bleues en hiver, rouges en été, qui transforment leur couleur au changement d'atmosphère, et dans une floraison ininterrompue marquent les saisons de leurs tons divers......."
Slowly and cautiously, everyone got out of the cars, regretting already the inner warm temperature. The temperature is measured at 3 Celsius degrees, not exceptionnal here, but a continuous blowing wind (named mistral here) remind us that a clear blue sky usually comes with the god Aeolus.
Click on the next two pics to know more about the racers (and point the mouse on the runners).
As multicolored penguins, we skip along hoping to maintain a decent body temperature . Everyone has a three layers clothes minimum, from my side, I must have been distracted because I forgot my gloves and my wind-blocker jacket. Fortunately, my beloved wife Jacqueline had some back up clothes.
Let's go ! We start by the dam's tour, nearby a rusted signal panel mentionned "forbidden for SUV" . Ecology here before the fad?
First encounter with the greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber).
I can not help showing my knowledge to Stef34 <<tdo you know why the grerater flamingos are rose?>>. He tells me that even his son knows that! Well... no bruises except for my ego.
Francoise likes the landscape. (Thanks Neo for lowering the head on the picture)
Yoyo is the first to experience the offroad on a dry area of the pond . It appears that the racers are staying meticulously right on the GPS route. Just leave them some time to enjoy the benefit of the offroad further in the race.
Jacqueline and Françoise follow the tribe with their mountain bike, in return Francoise, overloaded like a donkey, is in charge of the supply. Useful to be backed up by mountain bikes! In case of failure you can have instead a bike and run session...
Really flat but gorgeous !
Crossraod of our gps route , area of supply take down and foam draft.
Then we set up the supply hiding of the "coconuts cake" and beverages (see recipes here) in a waterproof bag (yeah, garbage bag).The greater flamingos are going to appreciate the carbo-shoot ! During migration, if you see some flamingos heading to Egypt above the south pole, you can tell from where the energy comes from!
Hum... Are they heading to the south pole?
It's like a french crème brulée, solid layer above, liquid-soft inside ... or the risk to be a photographer. I am happy to have shoes equipped with gaiter otherwise my quechua running shoes would still be in the mud.
Go south for the UFOs !
Near the village of Beauduc.
La « Communitas » de Beauduc
"Dans la partie sud-est de la côte camarguaise, sur la pointe la plus avancée du delta du Rhône, espace lagunaire d'étangs, de digues, de terres à peine émergées et en progression constante sur la mer, il est un village hétéroclite où les cabanes de bric et de broc côtoient des caravanes, des autobus, des autocars, des wagons, des abris de chantier : Beauduc.
Près de la mer, le cordon dunaire protège les espaces plus éloignés. La flore composée de pinèdes fixe le sable. Derrière les dunes, la lagune évolue au rythme des saisons : adoucie par l'eau de pluie en hiver,
la salinité y augmente en été avec l'influence marine. "
Despite the GPS of Stef34 we kind of lost it in the village. Benefit: it had a weird effect on the racers, they are running wild and decided to go offroad whenever it's possible.
The scenic views are beautiful.....
but are quite opposite in their appearance...feast or famine
In between blue sky and grey soil, the Ufos are standing at the frontier.
Cyrille seems to remind himself of a Neil Young's song:
"
After two days in the desert sun
My skin began to turn red
After three days in the desert fun
I was looking at a river bed
And the story it told of a river that flowed
Made me sad to think it was dead
You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain
La, la ...
"
This is not an optical illusion, these are sand dunes. As junkies addicted to climbing, the group rush with enthusiast into this unexpected present.
Stephane climbs eagerly the highest peak of the dune in no time.
the bikers are not at ease in this environment closer to the morocco desert than the salt marsh.
Like Di Caprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic, <<we are the king of the world>> I guess ... at 3.5 m height, however we were really dominating the whole area on this peak.
Papatrail and Déserteuse in action, good training for Déserteuse who is going to participate to her fourth in a row Marathon des Sables this year.
Yoyo is avoiding an imaginary beast ?????
Lionel, Antranik and myself breath taken away by this desert.
Under the waking sun, our shadows reflecting on the wavy sand stretch out.
The sun rays pave the way for Francoise.
Holy Sh...! Cyrille, the best of our little pack, is about to quit, feeling down in the dumps......
No Just kidding, this is only a splinter in his shoe ! Nevertheless what a stunning soil. We could say that the dunes are shampooed.
Close to the mediterranean sea.
Papet and Françoise are discussing the view.
As we are heading south, the shore is narrowing.
The pack gather again.
Back to the dam.
On the right side the sea, on the left the ponds.
the nature is magnificent, we are enjoying a truly blessed moment.
When the opportunity to go off road occurs, do not miss it!.
We head back to the north, from now on, the whistling blow of the mistral will accompany the group until the end. Here below flamingos standing still...
...not anymore.
Françoise is warming up, she left her cyclist shoes for a bare socket !!
review of the tribe: Stéphane, Thierry and Gilles
Jacqueline, Stéphane, Olivier
Lionel and Cyrille, not so far follow Papet and Françoise
Everybody hides behind Stéphane !
From the morocco desert landscape type we switch to a sahel landscape type, the sun is reflecting through the billions of salty crystal on the dry marsh.
The pond lily shape ground is reinforcing the place's oddity.
Like a metallic flamingo, a rusted mechanical shovel, throne in the middle of nowhere.
Wooden piles.
km 34, exchange of recipes miz (version 1 style stef34et 2 style Françoise)?
Lionel is assessing the progression. We finally decide to shorten the last lap, from 50 km we will reach 43 km, just above the marathon mark.
It is noon, and we can only allow us to remove one layer. The Mistral is still blowing, and during a pause we have to put back on the extra layer cloth. We are impressed by the resistance to frost of these birds.
Although these are so wild and difficult to approach.
From now on my battery died away, what a pity, because the coming scenic views leave me speechless
Fortunately, Oliver has some extra shots in his website ici.
In a jumble:
Olivier has tried to use his fly surf to help him during his run (uh...the girls are still laughing), "criiiicriiicriiii" sound of a rusted fan above us? no, a group of grey herons 10 m above...just so unreal , the anniversary cake for Olivier and Yoyo designed by Stef34, ...Oh! man you should have come with us ;-))
Akuna
NB it was not my batteries,I saturated my 1Go memory card , caramba ! I am really addicted to this.
