The Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Area

A paraglider at Mont Blanc

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc lies at the eastern base of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in western Europe. The summit of Mont Blanc is 4,807 meters (about 15,800 feet) above sea level.

Chamonix is a haven for skiers and snowboarders, mountain hikers and climbers, paragliders and hang-gliders, and, now and then, for motorcyclists.

We stayed two nights in Chamonix. The Mont Blanc glacier crouched just off our balcony while colorful paragliders drifted gracefully across the sky.

The Mont Blanc glacier from our balcony

Col de la Colombière where we came from

So we had a "rest" day at Chamonix. What do you do on a rest day? You ride, that's what!

We rode over Col de la Colombière. We came at it from the northeast. The circle shows where we were standing when I took a picture looking the other way, the way we were heading.

From left to right: Herwig (also known as Vic), Paul, Kathleen, Roger, and Randy.

Col de la Colombière where we were heading

An Edelweiss picnic

The destination of our morning ride—an Edelweiss picnic. Mario and Axel had come another way with the van and set up picnic tables alongside the road.

BTW, that's Mont Blanc in the background.