We are settled in at Camping Huttopia in Bourg-Saint-Maurice. We are expecting Kevin’s daughter Alex and nephew Sean on Wednesday for skiing. We start our skiing the day before on our wedding anniversary. We might have started before but a cut on Kev’s leg (just on the ski boot line!) which became infected has instead had him on antibiotics for the last week, but it is looking much better and should be good for next week. Obviously we are way too competitive for me to be allowed a few days head start on our skiing revival 😂
We have been making use of the facilities at the campsite. Started with washing, though I fell foul of the 4 hour lunch break at reception when I had not realised the machine in the laundry room did not dispense tokens you had to buy them in the reception. That misunderstanding and the fact there are only two washers and two driers and we are probably in one of the busiest weeks of the season meant I started trying to do the laundry at 11:30 and finally took the last load out the drier at 19:30 😨 We missed the Thursday parade in Bourg-Saint-Maurice but hopefully we will get it with Alex and Sean next week.
There is also some lovely dog walking in woods behind us and alongside the river Isère. It is so nice to get the dogs off lead several times a day and they are loving it, they go crazy in the snow and add to that all the sticks laying around to fight over it is often pretty noisy affair our walks.
We have been up to Arc 1600 resort after finding the funicular hidden behind the main train station. Had a look around with the girls and tormented Alex and Sean with a few photos. We found the ski school and enquired about where to meet. Found our ski hire spot, arranged for some lockers to help with logistics etc. Also had a burger to rival the famous Ferg burgers in Queenstown New Zealand which we sampled when we skied there some years ago.
We have though spent much of our enforced downtime on some 2024 planning. It is really beginning to take shape now and we are hoping that tomorrow we make some important progress. A little too uncertain to share any details but some very exciting plans if they pan out.
Today I finally got the bike out again. Most of the routes near here on my various apps are summer time routes up mountains to 4000ft+ which is now in the snow line. I decided instead to take the cycle route through the valley. It was really pretty. There was a very impressive hydropower station in the stream causing some bubbling rapids. However being in the valley the route was crossed by patches of ice / snow not ideal on my slick wheeled road bike. I walked over the first couple of patches before I got up my nerve to cycle over. As I headed toward Landry the snow was increasing so I took the road.
It was then that I was chased by two very large mountain sheep dogs! They were as big as my bike with light fluffy coats and big boned, and barking on either side of me. They did not seem aggressive but I was not sure I wanted to stop to find out. Luckily an electric mountain biker turned up and with the extra distraction we eventually left them behind. I opted for the main road back. When I got back I was told they were pretty friendly if you stop so maybe I will go back sometime as they are lovely looking.
In for a Penney 