The first thing that struck me was the better developed roads on the French side of the Col de la Lombarde. Isola, better Isola 2000, the first stop, is a typical winter sports resort. While there are some summer tourists, the ski slopes, lifts, and ambiance screams ski-resort.
The descent with the Dog.O.Mobil into the Tinée valley was breathtaking. Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée was the first larger town where I tried to find a supermarket. I failed to find both a supermarket and a parking lot that was 7-8 m long. Up to this point I had no idea how many vans and motorbikes were on the road.
However, my frustration disappeared on the climb to the Cime de la Bonette.
I didn't count the number of times I stopped and took pictures. The Cime de la Bonette is located in the Parc National du Mercantour and has a core <Coeur du Parc national> in which there is not much to do except hike and drive through. Camping, etc. is strictly prohibited.
After a stop in Bousieyas I realized that my pitch ideas were outside the core. Lucky me!
The pass itself is a bottleneck. Difficult to describe, the rock breakthrough has not enough space for 2 vans and before and behind the breakthrough there is a fork in the road. 2 streets go up to the Cime and only one goes further towards Jausiers. I had chosen a place to boon-dock at 2'550 m with a brilliant panoramic view and perfect for a short walk in the mountains at 2'750 m.
I spent the evening taking usable pictures of marmots. Less than 30 m from my parking space, 2 of them kept me busy for 2 hours
And in the morning I tried my luck again for an hour.
I loaded drinking water at a kind of cattle trough <no comparison to the Balkans, where I always found a place to load water>. The small depot in Jausiers wasn't big enough for me, so I stashed everything I needed for the next few days in Barcelonnette.
Driving along the Route des Grandes Alpes made me realize 2 things. (A) how big my Dog.O.Mobil is and therefore how difficult it is to find a parking space in a mountain town and (B) how many vans and motorbikes are on the road in the valleys.
My visit to the Fort de Tournoux was a toilet drain. Closed for construction work. I couldn't get any closer.
And so I made my way to my next pitch at the Grand Bérard. If you turn onto the pass road, there is suddenly less car traffic. I had my lunch at 1'750 m. A picnic spot at the end of the paved road.
I thought long and hard about whether I should continue. Because finally I realized that the upcoming road was for 4x4 vehicles. Talked to a couple that came down from above in a jeep. My pitch should have been at 2'500 m, but they advised me against it. The road actually became after a few hundred meters much more 4x4-like and I chose an alternative pitch that only required me to drive another 1.5 km on the gravel road. I got there too <with one more dent in the Dog.O.Mobil> and stood at 1'870 m for a few minutes, but the place was full.
I explored the road on foot to find out that this was the end of my journey to the Grand Bérard. I turned the van without having achieved anything and stood for the night in a pine forest on the Ubaye river.
I actually wanted to take a bath in the Ubaye, but I couldn't get more than my feet into the water, the river had so little water. The next day I came to Lac de Serre-Ponçon <an EDF reservoir> and was shocked. Parts of the reservoir were dry and the lake had so little water. I hope that comes across in the picture.
After a picnic on the shore I continued towards Mt Vontoux. I didn't want to drive up the mountain itself in the main season, but I already liked the area further north in 2021. Since I had never heard anything about the Gorges de la Méouge, I chose this route.
At the bottom of the Gorges, coming from Laragne-Montéglin, I couldn't find a parking space. In August I found a lot of families and hikers, or better their cars. Although the water is chalky and cloudy, people chill out here on the shore and the children bathe. I didn't want to put more than my feet in. After a break, I drove to my last stand in eastern France, the Col de Muze
The region is called Drôme and is a little paradise. Drôme is a transitional region between the Hautes-Alpes and the Provence, located at the foot of the Mt Ventoux, but here you can experience the Mediterranean flair. Pine forests alternate with lavender fields. It is a magnificent region, with enchanting scents, magical places far from the crowds and natural rivers
I was alone at my pitch.
The hike to Mt de Chamouse took me to 1,500 m <Komoot provides more pictures and the details> in bright sunshine and offered me a great view of the Drôme region.
I wasn't back at my pitch for an hour when the rain and later a storm hit me. The bad weather didn't bother me and I was rewarded with the best sunset of my tour. Here just one picture
The colors changed every few minutes.
On Sunday I could only drive the Dog.o.Mobil at a slower pace, so many cyclists struggled over the many passes of the Drôme.
I left eastern France via Nyons, Grillion and Grignan and drove across the Ardeche valley into the Parc naturel régional des Monts d'Ardèche.
I tried twice to visit a castle or an old town. However the temperatures were simply to o high