France with Beast 1: Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

Too many pics to choose from on our 8 hour epic to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. A new view at every turn.

We thought it we got really nice weather, we would buy a couple of sun hats. Purchasing hats, or anything at all, was not meant to be. So.... nitehoods to the rescue! 
 
 Single track, single track, single track!

 

 What is going on with the crazy limestone rock formations that make up the valleys we hiked through along the way!?

The lovely Sorgue river gave us a taste of what the spring might be like as it flows down the rocks and through this lovely tiny village.

Ahhhhhhhhh - we made it! The spring is 230m high, the largest in France (5th largest in the world!).

"It wasn't until 1985 that the mystery of the Spring's origin was partially revealed: in effect, the lowest point is at -308m - a depth attained by a robot belonging to the Spelunking Society of Fontaine de Vaucluse. The spring is the only exit point of a subterranean basin of 1200 km² that collects the water from Mount Ventoux, the Vaucluse mountains and from the Lure mountain."

The waterfalls tumble down the cliff to the left in the above pic. March - We were there right when they were gushing. Additional crazy fact I learned on wikipedia:

"In 1946, Jacques Cousteau and another diver were almost killed while searching for the bottom of the spring. An air compressor used to fill their tanks had taken in its own exhaust fumes and produced carbon monoxide--nearly killing them before they could return to the surface from a depth of approximately 100 meters."

 A stop at the castle on the way home. Shaky legs!!!


Nature pause - are these Salal berries? We have them at the cabin and walked through miles of them on our way to the Fountain. Rocket loves them. He can carefully nibble them off the branch for a snack.