Saturday, November 29, 2014

Off the beaten track, watching autumn fade into winter


Two "animules" who were more than happy to pose 

Since my day off in late October when I decided to drive down a road seldom taken and drag my camera out of my purse, I have made several forays off the beaten track.

Last Sunday morning, a drive to the village recycling bin somehow led me to turn down side roads that I have never even thought of exploring in nearly 20 years of living in Gages.

The exploration was worth it if only for these two young donkeys who were sweet enough to be photogenic for me. 



A peek down a little-used railroad track

A couple times a day, a one-car regional train travels down this track on its way to and from Rodez and Sévérac-le-Château, about a 50-kilometer trip. I have seen the train go by and it is usually empty. There are quite a few buses that cover the same route, so I have often wondered how this particular train has managed to stay running when many other lines have been shut down. I have also often thought it would make a great commuter line.


So near, yet so far from my house

When I told my husband about where I had gone exploring, he said "Là, c'est un autre monde."  Standing alone in front of this vast field, it was hard to believe I was only a few kilometers away from housing-developed Gages-le-Haut, the part of Gages-Montrozier where we live.


A tree-lined trail for future exploration

There are lots of paths in Aveyron where one is not really sure whether they are made for driving or walking. I felt like driving down the rather wide, pebbled "road" on the left, but thought I might get into some sort of car-related trouble. So I refrained.

These photos were taken a week ago, and show some of the last vestiges of autumn color around our parts. 

4 comments:

Sara Louise said...

Those two little guys are adorable! :)

Betty Carlson said...

When I first saw them, they were standing at a distance from each other. I took one photo, and then when I came back down the same road they were nuzzling. So I got out of the car again to take a picture of that, they stopped their nuzzling, and posed just as if they knew what I wanted! Very sweet.

Sarah said...

I love discovering local walks. I bought the blue randonnée maps of our area recently so we could explore better.
Love your photos - it looks so peaceful. :)

Betty Carlson said...

It is indeed very peaceful where we live! I tend to prefer walks where I see some architecture, but I sometimes I manage to channel my inner nature-lover!

Those "Petite Randonnée" books have always interested me, but we never seem to find the time to even do a small one. They should come out with a "mini-randonnée" series -- maybe there is such a thing!