Tons of misconceptions about Van Gogh. Tons of things we don't know for sure. Also tons of things we do know and don't seem to talk about even though it's fascinating. One of them, the wind.
He lived in southern France for a while, as have I, and he also subdued Le Mistral. Le Mistral is the wind that blows through the region. It's sucked by pressure from the North, funneled through the gap between Le Massif Central and Les Alpes, and released onto the South. It's a constant presence. The reason for the ubiquitous lines of cypress, so scenic and striking, is to shelter crops and houses from the constant assault of the wind.
It's been like that out here this spring. This ride I took a few days ago, it looks so beautiful in the pictures. And it was. It was great. A helicopter doing deer counts ghosted me all day long, tons of wildlife, great roads, little traffic.
But what I'll remember was the wind. Constant at first, then worsening. And I swear I'm not making this up: headwind both ways. Seriously. I even felt it shift.
Anyway, looked good though:
