We made a 0930h departure from Jassans and continued our trek north, with today’s target destination being Mâcon.

As we approached PK45, we saw another barge with a second one tethered to the side, again carrying gravel, and as we watched it, another appeared from the side of the river. I now understood the reason for the “Danger” and “Sound your Horn” signs that we had just passed.

As we went past the spot where the second barge had appeared, we saw a large “lake” that was actually a giant "wet quarry” where gravel was being excavated and loaded onto the barges. These quarries are quite common along the river valleys, where thousands of years of river flow (and probably glaciers before that) had deposited enormous quantities of river gravel, which were now being harvested.

As we cruised along, there were ample opportunities and time for taking photos. Most of the time they were of birds and animals, but sometimes it’s just something that looks photogenic, like this tan barn with two swans to the left.

As I said above, most of the photos seem to be of birds and animals, so here are some birds...

… and some cattle ...

… and some horses.

At the next lock we went through at Ecluse Drace at PK62, I finally remembered to take a photo of the wall bollards, and Rita (in lifejacket) handling the ropes.

After that, we cruised on for another couple of hours, until we entered Mâcon. The old bridge and the riverside townscape looked very inviting.

Beyond the town, we passed a long avenue of trees...

… before arriving at the Port of Mâcon, where we tied up near the Capitainerie, where the barge was to remain for the next week.

In the late afternoon, we went to the nearby port cafe and talked with the proprietor for some time, and later that day we again met up with Audrey who drove up from Lyon to have dinner with us.

She bought a nice bottle of Chateau Ampuis wine, from the same Chateau we passed just a couple of days ago.