Arriving at the edge of the Vosges Mountains at the end of day 8, taught us that riding the Vosges Mountains is something completely different than the Black Forest on the other side of the Rhine Valley.
Where German gravel made for smooth riding, the Vosges off-road paths were more like mountain bike trails with lots of steep and loose rocks covered ascending more so than we had hoped. So we decided there and then that we would not ride into the Vosges Mountains any further, but turn our wheels towards the grapevine-covered east side of the Vosges...

On day 9, we started our way up north, riding the Route du Vin in the Alsace wine country. Day 1 of 3 wine drinking days ;-)