sharing my thoughts through words and images
April 3 , 2023 After getting all settled in at the Gîte d’étape Le Par’ici, my sister-in-law and I took another stroll around town to find the church and maybe a little café to enjoy a snack and a glass of wine. Saugues is… Continue Reading “Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Saugues to Chanaleilles”
April 3, 2023 As mentioned in the previous Camino post, we got a slight jumpstart to our walk today thanks to Andre. He dropped us off at the trailhead leading to the Chapelle de la Madeleine. It was a steep 3.7km climb from the… Continue Reading “Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Monistrol d’Allier to Saugues”
April 2, 2023 Yesterday, after arriving on the edge of town in Saint-Privat, I followed directions to our accommodations – Chambre d’hôtes Le Saint-Bernard. I confess I chose this lodging because of the name! I used to have a Saint Bernard many years ago!… Continue Reading “Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Saint Privat d’Allier to Monistrol d’Allier”
April 1, 2023 Our second day on the walk and we woke feeling refreshed and ready to go. We had reservations for an accommodation in Montbonnet but, since our 12km walk yesterday went well, we decided that it was too close and opted to… Continue Reading “Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Tallode to Saint-Privat d’Allier”
March 31, 2023 Finally, our departure day arrived! We are walking the Camino de Santiago – Via Podiensis, which is the route along the GR65 from Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Pyrenees. It’s a walking distance of 748.9 kilometers. The GR65 is one… Continue Reading “Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: On The Way”
March 29 – 30, 2023 On Wednesday morning, March 29th, we packed up our belongings to make our final accommodation change while in Le Puy-en-Velay. The Gîte d’étape Accueil chrétien Saint François was established in 1994 and is operated through a joint venture between… Continue Reading “Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Final Days in Le Puy-en-Velay, Part Two”
March 27 – 28 Over the next 4 days, I spent time continuing our preparations for the chemin interspersed with sightseeing, shopping, eating (delicious French food!) and getting some hiking time in on the GR 65. On Monday, we visited the pilgrim office to… Continue Reading “Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Final Days in Le Puy-en-Velay, Part One”
March 25 – 26, 2023 After our first night’s sleep in Le Puy, we had some decisions to make first thing Saturday morning. We only had a one night stay in the current lodging and needed to make a plan. Since we arrived in… Continue Reading “Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: First Few Days in Le Puy-en-Velay”
If you’re looking for something a little different and less travelled, the Blue Creek Trail has a lot to offer. The trail starts in the Blue Creek wash near the Homer Wilson Ranch ruins and climbs up into the Chisos Mountains – from desert… Continue Reading “Big Bend Hikes – Blue Creek Trail”
Our original itinerary for this current road trip did not include a visit to New Orleans. I was planning on spending a few days at a Florida national seashore and then heading west on I-10 driving straight through the city of New Orleans without… Continue Reading “New Orleans in a Day”