Canal at Last

Tuesday, June 18, was the day we finally exchanged river cruising for canal cruising.

Lon enjoys a cup of morning coffee before our last bit of cruising
on the Saône

A few kilometers upriver from St. Jean de Losne we entered the lock to take us into the Canal du Rhône au Rhin. The canal was first envisioned in the mid-1700's as a way to provide a commercial transport link between the Rhine River and the Saône, and from there to the Rhone and the Mediterranean. Construction started at the end of the 18th century, was interrupted by the French Revolution, and was finally completed in 1834.

Preparing to leave the river and enter Lock 75 on the
Rhone-Rhine Canal

The Rhone-Rhine Canal runs through the Doubs River valley. It reaches a high point at 340 meters above sea level, is 236 kilometers long, and has 114 locks. For the first 140 kilometers the route alternates between true canal and stretches of navigation on the Doubs River. After l'Iles-sur-le-Doubs the waterway no longer enters the natural Doubs. The final 15 kilometers, from Mulhouse to Niffer, is canal that was rebuilt as a large-scale waterway that can accommodate the very large barges that ply the Rhine River. Our cruise plan at this point has us travelling as far as Mulhouse before turning around and heading back toward the Saône.

The locks are much smaller on the canal as compared to
the Saône. Smaller boats might have to "double up" in the lock,
but it's doubtful that anyone else could fit safely with us
unless they were very small.

The locks in this section of the canal are
automated. We were issued this device at Lock 75
so that we can signal the locks to set up and
function appropriately for us (filling, opening/closing gates, etc)

The first day we were so thrilled to be back on a canal that we only cruised a few kilometers to the village of  Abergement-de-Ronce.  There we claimed space for the afternoon and overnight at the "halte", a mooring pontoon (dock) put in place specifically for the short-term use of pleasure boaters.

Our mooring in Abergement-la-Ronce (look for the blue
umbrella in the distance). It was a mostly quiet spot, but
nearby church bells pealed on the hour until midnight--and
started up again at 6 a.m. the next morning.

We were back underway on Wednesday, with our destination the town of Dole, 12 kilometers (and 6 locks) upstream.

One of the hazards of canal boating--low bridges. Here Lon
perfects the "C.A.R.I.B. Crouch" to avoid knocking his head.

The city of Dole developed at the site of a fortress built in the 12th century by the Emperor Frederic Barberousse to oversee the river Doubs, and continued its development along the ancient Roman road connecting Chalon-sur-Saone and the city of Besançon. In the 15th century it was a political center under Burgundian rule. Its "golden age" occurred during the 16th and 17th centuries, a period of intense reconstruction and the establishment of universities and religious centers. The French conquered Dole in 1674, after which time it lost its position as capitol of the region.

Our mooring spot in the port of Dole. We had incredible views
of the town

The Eglise (church) Notre-Dame de Dole (1509-1574),
captured against a stormy sky. It is so tall compared to the
other buildings that it can be seen from just about anywhere one
is in Dole. Despite its size it is not a cathedral.

With things to see and do, we spent two nights in Dole. This gave us the time we needed to do the necessary (provisioning, other shopping) and the touristic, including the "Trail of the Perched Cat" (Circuit du Chat Perché) walking tour.

The necessary: Lon carts groceries back to the boat

Historic towns in France mark their walking
trails with symbols embedded in the pavement.
The "chat perche" of Dole is a reference to
the writer Marcel Aymé, who grew up in Dole
and wrote the book "Contes du Chat perché"

Lon  peruses an artist's conception of the "chat" made out
of branches

In the 13th century Dole was a center
of leather production. This is a view down the Canal
des Tanneurs along which many of the tanneries
were located.

It wouldn't be a blog posting with at least one selfie, this one
being taken in a park that overlooks the Canal des Tanneurs

A good perspective of narrow, medieval streets
as seen from the Place aux Fleurs

The Doubs on the outskirts of Dole

The oldest structure in Dole: a remnant arch of the Pont
Roman. Constructed in 1274, it was the first bridge to connect
the city of Dole and the road heading to Italy. It had a 500-year
run before collapsing in 1762. 

In addition to perching cats, Dole is also known for being the birthplace of eminent French scientist Louis Pasteur. Pasteur had accomplishments in several areas of chemistry and biology, but is perhaps best known to the general public as a pioneer in the principles of vaccination (and the inventor of the first vaccines for rabies and anthrax) and as the developer of a process for treating milk and wine to stop bacterial contamination (pasteurization).

Pasteur's birthplace and home for all of
about three years.

The great Louis Pasteur "don't get no respect"
from the local pigeons

Our cruise on Friday, June 21 covered 20 kilometers and 6 locks before we reached the halte at the village of Ranchot, our stop for the evening. Throughout the day the route alternated between stretches of canal and stretches of the natural Doubs. It was a lovely cruise, but the navigation was challenging at points as Lon had to guide an inflexibly straight C.A.R.I.B. III through a couple of narrow, curved "stop locks" (additional locks brought into operation during times of flood on the river.)

Approaching the stop lock in Rochefort-
sur-Nenon

Coming through the curve of the stop lock. Beautiful bluffs
as we enter a section of the natural Doubs.

Ranchot is in an area with several villages of various sizes. They all seem pretty quiet these days, but weren't always so. The neighboring village of Rans has a chateau that was a fortification on the Doubs in the 12th and 13th centuries, and became a point of contention between the French and the Spanish. Rans also had an active iron forging works in the 18th and 19th centuries, but time marches on, industries change, and communities are forced to change as well.

The ruins of the old forge in Rans

We will spend another night in Ranchot and use today for small projects and--later--a bicycle ride to explore what else is in the vicinity.