9/2 Auron rest day.

Well for Tammy anyway. I was antsy to move. The weather was good and at breakfast the mountains across the valley were cloaked in snow as clouds swirled and it came down here and there. So Tam hunkered down for a well needed rest while I decided to walk the GR back to St Etienne where we'd caught the shuttle thereby not having skipped this part. So off I went and the route climbed out of Auron the switch backed steeply down ( glad I wasn't going up) then just dropped down gravel paths usually steep through the woods finally to the road where a gondola sits at a road junction. The the path levels out and follows an old road into St Etienne.it felt so easy without the pack I moved fast and was in town in just over an hour. Sunday and everything was closed, still I spent some time with the camera. The return I took the Telepherique Pinatelle followed by the chair lift Lieuson to the top of Cime De La Bercha at 2274 m. The chair lift went over ravines and not one for heights, I closed my eyes with the nauseating feeling of hanging over nothing regardless of the safety of this.
The views were far and fabulous particularly back to the Pas de la Cavale, the windy pass we had crossed 2 days before. The pass and basin below it were covered in snow and we were so fortunate to have avoided this narrow descent in snow.
The return to Auron was beautiful with changing views and photo opportunities. You basically walk down a road but there is a side trail more direct to town I missed so ended up eventually connecting to the GR and following it back to town. At one point I came upon a huge flock of sheep and stayed well clear with the dogs barking.
Tammy and I had a nice dinner of salad and pasta. Cote dRhone is a very nice wine!