France: More Than Just Lavender
It’s six o’clock on a July morning in the sleepy southern French town of Mirabeau. My wife Liz and I are creeping down the stairs in our rented apartment so as not to wake our neighbors. As we leave the building, dragging all our riding and photographic kit with us, the sun is just rising and the cicadas are already chirping.
It’s only 50 degrees at the moment, but we know that’s going to change. By 8:30 a.m., the temperature will be around 75 degrees and, by midday, up to 100. That is uncomfortable for riding—hence the early start. We plan to catch the nice light and long shadows, avoid much of the traffic, and return to our apartment before we overheat completely. At least, that’s the idea.
This region in southeastern France, known as Provence, got its name from the Romans, who called it Provincia Romana. It extends from the Italian border in the east over to the Rhône River in the west and down south to the Mediterranean coast. Provence is famous for its diverse landscapes, from the southern Alps and the Camargue plains to pine forests, olive groves, and rolling vineyards. It’s a region that can conjure up many images in the mind, but perhaps the most iconic one of all is huge fields of corduroy purple that adorns the lavender-producing region when the flowers are in full bloom. It is this wonderful vista that we have timed our visit to coincide with.
Motorcycles & Gear
2022 Kawasaki Versys 1000
2022 Yamaha Tracer 9
Helmet: Shoei Neotec
Jacket: Held Cool System Leather, Helite airbag vest
Pants: ProBiker Textile
Boots: Alpinestars New Land Gore-Tex
Gloves: Vanucci Viscolab
Luggage: SW Motech tankbag
Comm system: Sena 50S
We intended to be here just before harvest. However, there is no fixed harvest date, so it’s really a question of talking to the local authorities a month or so in advance to get an estimate. This has been a very warm year and the harvest has already begun in July. That’s perfect for us, as we’ll get to see not only the blooming flowers, but also the harvesting action and the freshly-cropped fields turning from purple to green and brown stripes. Provence is a large region, but only a small part of it is dedicated to lavender. Local tourist information offices will provide you with a map showing where the fields and relevant roads are.
Cadarache
We freewheel our bikes down a gentle slope away from the apartments before starting the engines. Our route takes us south on D996, and soon we cross the Durance River. The impressive turrets of the old suspension bridge (replaced in 1987) are still standing, hearkening to a checkered history of bridges going back to the 15th century, when the first Mirabeau bridge replaced cable ferries that had operated since the 1200s.