Chamonix and the Mont-Blancs (you new band's name)

We just couldn't keep ourselves out of France. This time Ji, Ana, and I made Knut take a sick day so we could go play hooky in the French Alps but more importantly find a barbecue grill with the accompanying meats.  

Out of Switzerland and into France. If only the border crossing between Tijuana and San Ysidro was this simple.

We encountered farm country. 

See, you could live here.

Mont-Blanc sighting and I'm not talking about the pens.

Chamonix might as well be a larger Vail or any other popular ski resort town. Sure you can buy excellent chocolates, have lunch at an outdoor cafe and indulge in local aged salami. The advantage Chamonix has over the competition is the plethora of year-around outdoor activities...trekking, biking, skiing, climbing, and sightseeing just to name a few.    

I freely admit that I'm a chicken when it comes to heights and enclosed spaces. Knut and Ji bought us all tickets to ride the cable car to Aiguille Du Midi (3842 meters/12,600 feet). The ride is in two segments, the first stopping Plan De L'Aiguille to grab a snack and switch cars.   

The view from Plan De L'Aiguille at 2317 meters (6.700 feet) looking up 1525 meters (5,000 feet) to the summit. I barely overcame the first ride, could our team go on further? 

Don't worry, the mountains are only a cardboard cut-out.

A glance of our surroundings

Chamonix looks small from up here.

Looking for lac Bleu.

Knut and Ji weighing the options of taking the next ride up to the top. Will they do it? 

Knut and I thought we should send Ji and Ana to the top on our behalf, that sounds better than saying we were trembling with fear. I suppose I could have made the journey with the girls had a loaded gun been pointed at my head, but since there wasn't....Ana captured this image of two climbers on the way up. 

My hero at the top gasping for air. 

The summit of Aiguille Du Midi. There was an added option of riding a gondola above glaciers between France and Italy after reaching the top. Just dart me with a tranquilizer gun.   

After a panoramic view of the world and a successful mission of locating ribs, duck, sausages, and a vacuum we headed back over to Nyon for grill fest 2011. Wait, we still didn't have a grill. No problem, we found one down the street from Knut and Ji's place. The end.