Col Du Galibier

Next up, on what had already been a pretty good touring day, was the Col du Galibier, a nearly perennial station on the Tour de France, and obviously more traveled by two- than four-wheelers.

Interesting rock pinnacles on the way down from Madeleine

Heading up toward Galibier and its monuments; bicyclistes everywhere

Very popular with moto-enthusiasts too

Note absence of guard rails

The place is a magnet for parasails too: drive to the top, harness up,
take a running leap into the void, and (hopefully) soar

Street scene

Switchback city

A one-lane 130 year old tunnel (re-done in 2002 or so) brings you finally to

The pass, Col du Galibier, and its monument to
Henri Desgrange, founder of the Tour de France

Ever onward and downward; the writing on the road offers 
encouragement to the Tour de France riders of yore

Bicyclistes whizzing by

Celebrating their achievement

The road went ever on from there, but, having now gotten the gist of
the Route des Grandes Alpes, we decided to begin our journey back to
Paris and to spend some more time in Burgundy along the way

And thus we spent the night in a sort of camping aire, with a scene
reminiscent of New Zealand, before turning back north

Concours d'Elegance Du Col De La Madeleine

When we walked over to the bar/bistro there was a smattering of fancy cars in the parking lot. By the time we walked back, there were dozens...McLarens, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches, Lotuses...with more arriving. We'd seen this sort of thing on scenic drives in the past, whether in France, the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Germany or Austria...six or eight similar cars traveling together. But never on this scale nor price bracket. There seemed to be no pattern nor organization...just individuals or couples or foursomes out for a weekend drive. I leave identification of the various vehicles as a homework assignment.

Mid-1980s Renault Bi-Turbo...high performance for its day

30-something Ferrari Testa Rossa; probably worth a quarter million;
and appreciating...

Note fine Citroen Jumper/Pilote camper on left; backing out, surrounded
by these exotics, and maneuvering the parking lot in an RV, is perhaps
the most financially risky thing I have ever done

Not exactly an exotic, but the Subaru could run with the rest of them

For old-fangled fuddy-duddy traditionalists like me, the Lotus 7
is the car to have; if you can't have the McLaren 720S

Parting thought...

And miles to go before the day's next pass

Col De La Madeleine

Undeterred by the previous day's landslide closure of the Col de l'Iseran, we pressed on, back up another mountain, June 24th, this time headed for the Col de la Madeleine, perhaps the most popular of all the passes. Popular with hikers, bicyclistes, motor-cyclistes, sports/exotic car enthusiasts, and, yes, even RVers. It was a weekend, and the narrow twisty mountain road was crammed with all the above, and more. Madeleine is perhaps most famous for its distant views of Mont-Blanc, and the great white mountain is visible at almost every turn for much of the way.

A cycliste hesitates before one of France's iconic road signs

Street scene

Passing through a mountain-side village

Hairpin after hairpin after hairpin...in the Dolomites
and elsewhere, the hairpins are numbered and signed;
we lost count...

Initially we wondered what the great white giant was, having never
seen it from this angle and distance

Hikers

Cows

Wildflowers at their height

Mountain brooks and streams

Team Porsche zooms by

Never-ending alpine views

Finally, the summit

And its excellent signage

Mont-Blanc, from the south

Of course there's a bar/bistro/gift shoppe

Not every meter of the Tour de France is painted, but some of the
main bits are, and the paint remains as a testament to the glory...

Distant glacier/icefield

Just enjoying my coffee

And the views

A long way back down to the valley