Here we go again...

It’s on - now booked into Overland Expo 2020 in Flagstaff Arizona.

I am so looking forward to it...

The outlined plan is the fly to LA, then ride to Flagstaff via Route 66.  Whilst there I intend to visit the Overland Expo show, the Grand Canyon, Phoenix, ride the Apache Trail, and visit Tombstone.    Further north is the Valley of the Gods, Moab, Monument Valley and Arches National Park.

Later the outline plan is to ride down to Texas, New Mexico and ride the Natchez Trace from Natchez to Nashville.  I would like to take in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and possibly Florida.  Then Georgia, Tennessee and the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway through Virginia followed by Pennsylvania and New York State to Niagara and finish at Toronto before shipping the bike back home in late June.

To follow my progress starting in May 2020:  http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0QNBPpXhTe29VveaFrWCmdpqeBV9sDP7i

Visit to Overland 2019 and Sammy Millers Museum

Ian Coates and his Africa Twin RD04

Ted Simon and Paddy Tyson

Greg Turp meets Sammy Miller himself

Welcome home... all fixed ... ready for the Overland Event

Adventure before dementia.... I think !

It’s still in the Workshop - a bit of major surgery...

Just enjoying the ride......

14 July - War Graves at Englefontaine

14 July - France and UK

Good evening dear reader - if your still there...

Slept well last night and woke at 6am and after a good cup of coffee I was on the road by 7:30... from Soissons, and within 20 minutes I had to stop and put on a thermal layer and off we rode again.... An hour later down came rain, which lasted for about an hour....

It was about an hour later that I arrived at Englefontaine and after a little riding around I finally found the British War Graves I had been looking for. Paid my respects and took a few photos.... the miniature pony was guarding the path leading to the site.....

On the road again towards Belgium .... as my friend David would say "a plan is a basis for change", and so it was today. I saw the signs for Calais and thought why ride to Belgium, camp over night and then ride to the Chunnel.... stop Gerty, head for Calais ....

Arrived at the Tunnel, got a ticket, bought some perfume for Debs, and a well deserved sandwich for me....

Then onto the metal rabbit and hey presto popped out at Folkstone... and spent another two hours riding home....

The bikes is now in the garage and I won't unpack until the morrow.... a cup of tea in the garden and an ice cream and then a long soak in a hot bath ... arhhhhhh that's better...

5400 miles.....

Journey done

ENDEX

13 July - Soissons France

Dear reader,

Next time I am offered the choice of pitches, remind me to check them out before picking one. Although the pitch was OK, it was on a slope and behind the hedge was a waterfall - you can only appreciate the silence when you are at the other end of the site....

This morning as I was packing the tent at 8:45 the new occupants for the pitch arrived !!! They will just have to wait I'm afraid ...

The chap next door in a french registered VW camper called in. He was Greg an retired American from Washington DC US of A... what a nice chap and we talked a while as I packed. The van was 35 years old and I was invited to look inside.... the chap was a "hoarder" but in a van ... you just could not get much more in .... he admitted that he had stuff in there that he has not used since 1986....

I eventually got going at about 9:45... heading for Soissons about 5 hours away.... a very pleasant ride up through the hills for the couple of hours then we hopped on the motorway towards Nancy and then Reims....for the last 2 times I have got to Reims we, (that is Gerty Garmin and I) have always missed the turn and have ended up riding through the middle of town ... this time we avoided Nancy and Reims.... yippee

We stopped a couple of times for fuel and something to eat and arrived here about 4pm.... tomorrow I will be mostly riding North, first to visit a great great uncle of mine, he died just 2 days before armistice day in 1918, and his grave is at the Commonwealth War Graves site at Englefontaine. Then I will ride up to the first campsite I stayed at on the night of the 20th June when I set out on this trip.... just to sort out kit and reflect a while on the trip, before riding to Calais and the Chunnel on Monday.....

I then have to get the bike sorted before taking it for an extended visit to the Honda garage... new drive shaft, new sprockets, new tyres..... and a service... whoops....
I think I will have done about 7800kms from setting out.....

Now to cook and wash.

Nite nite

13 July - France

That’s all folks

12 July - Germany and France

All is well - that ends well.

Big thanks to the guys at Carol Nash Insurance and Breakdown.... after a little wait at the Shell Gas Station, Dieter arrived with his big truck.... he did some testing and took things apart and put them back together again and hey presto the battery was Buggered (no German translation available for that....)

We managed to get the bike started and I followed him 20kms to a Moto shop ... no luck there ... he gave me the address of a large moto shop in Frieberg... as long as I kept the engine running I would be OK!!! The town traffic was awful but I found the shop and they had a battery.., Yippee - I pull up on the pavement and installed the new battery ... and after much chat about Brexit and the lunatics in our parliament, all was fixed and working... Nice guys in the shop - very helpful...

So back on the road and headed for Keyserberg near Colmar, by this time it was gone 7pm - I thought I would try my luck at a road side hotel (getting soft I am). €68 per night - are they mad... rode on for another 20mins and found the municipal campsite for €12..

Tent up, tomorrow's route sorted, supper cooked (pasta and Chilli Von Carne). and now to wash up and have a read in bed as it's now nearly 9pm... it's been a long and interesting day...

PS. Thanks to all the bikers that checked if I was OK at the garage ..,,

Nite nite

12 July - whoops

12 Jul - Shell Gas Station near Breitnau Germany

Dear reader,

The day started in a thunder storm and the bike sounded odd when starting... we rode in the storm for about 2 hours then stopped for fuel - again she didn't like starting but eventually she did. We rode another couple of hours in the rain until more fuel was needed.... but this time she was having none of it.... just clicking and eventually all the lights went out .....

I think it is the electrics and probably the starter Relay/Solenoid thing. Contacted Carol Nash in the UK and they are dealing.

Good job I am under cover as the rain stops and starts. Just awaiting some sort of recovery from Freiburg....... there is a Honda Dealership at Mulhouse....

All good fun.....

N

10 July - Memmeringberg

11 July - Slovenia,Austria and Germany

Dear reader,

Violent storm hits Greece https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48950755

Just reading about the storm that hit northern Greece and killed 7 people ... so sad... and I was there just about a week or so ago, one night in a tent and another at a motel.... shit weather usually follows me but this time I appear to be ahead of it.....

Anyway... I set off this morning early at 7:40am only to find that a couple of idiot Germans on GS's had put up their tent right across my down hill exit from my pitch... so I had to nervously navigate a steep downhill bank to get out ... ah well Tossers.....

It was overcast as I slipped out the back roads from Bled... but soon the weather closed in a the rain started... I stopped for fuel and purchased an Austrian Vigette (sounds like lunch doesn't it)... onwards into Austria - then it brightened up as a passed through some very dramatic landscapes and around and through mountain tunnels... one was about 8kms long ....maybe the Austrian could be asked to dig one under Stone Henge!!!!

Started raining and so I decided that it was better to ride on rather than head for an early campsite... putting up a tent and then sitting in it for the rest of the day did not appeal at all.... so I set Gertie Garmin to a distant destination and would ride until I had had enough for the day, which turned out to be about 3pm... the rain was getting heavier now and I had had enough. I located a near by Hotel in Memmingerburg and headed for it. I pulled in with 512kms on the clock.... the hotel was very good and used to be the hospital when this was a Luftwaffe Airbase... well appointed and very clean and I parked the bike in a large garage for the night. Had some strange pizza-like dish and now it's time to kip.... The forecast for tomorrow is no good so it will be the waterproof socks again tomorrow....

But for now it's under a duvet and sleep ...

Nite nite

10 July - Croatia and Slovenia

Dear reader,

Well it rained and thundered most of the day yesterday and all of the night... but still it was good not to be riding in it...

I hit the showers early, mainly due to a foreign lady having a very load telephone conversation just outside my tent...., turn the f**** speaker off and put it next to your ear !!! That way you won't have to shout....

On the road at 7:30.... and it was still pouring with rain.... crossed through the border into Slovenia and onto Lake Bled.... "everyone and his dog is at Lake Bled this time of year darling"... she was heard to say.... I was here some 6 years ago and it was a quiet place then ...now it's like Blackpool without the lights....

The campsite was full but they were able to squeeze in a solo biker with a small tent....
Tomorrow we are into Austria and camping somewhere : Gertie knows where.....

I am getting a little worried about the vibration from the engine and I am hoping that the weld in still holding. I will be taking it easier on the speeds and will be riding a shortened route home - even if that means arriving home earlier than planned - I could take more non-riding days but that just mean paying a camp site so I can sit on my arse and wait a day....

I am now back at the tent and the tourists are still at the waters edge or in town. I will wander down later for supper or just a beer maybe...

Nite nite

10 July - Croatia and Slovenia

Supper sorted - nite nite

8 Jul - Airbase near Bihaj

8 July - Still in Croatia

Good afternoon dear reader,

I had gentle start this morning with a good breakfast… we had a thunder storm overnight so the air is a bit fresher this morning.  In fact up in the mountain it was quite chilly - which was very refreshing at last.

Up, packed, showered and on the road by 8am.   We travelled over some mighty high mountain passes this morning with fantastic views of lakes and you could see for miles.

Down the other side and onto the plains heading for the abandoned Cold War air base near Bihaj…. Lots of police in area, but I found out that it was because it is a favourite transit place for illegal immigrants crossing from Bosnia into Croatia.  I persevered and I first found the Dakota hidden in the undergrowth and then just followed to Police patrol onto one of the five runways and there it was - one of the famous tunnels/hangers.   Very extraordinary and fascinating.   Such a shame that they have not maintained it as an historical piece of engineering - after all it call them a vast amount of money (see Wikapidia)

After a few photos it was off to find Camp Slapic near Generalski Stole's.   Made it by 1:30 pm inspite of Gerty directing me through some very rural countryside…..

Its all stop now - enough technology for one day…

Laters...

8 July - Vodice Croatia

Dave Head and breakfast ...

Having fun....

https://photos.app.goo.gl/5wLisBzNRCRaCBhF8

7 July - Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina and back into Croatia.

Good evening dear reader,

Whew what a hot night - even had to take off the tent flysheet. Up early and packed ready for the camp office to open a 8am and then we were away. This really is a fabulous coastline - used the GoPro a lot..., you just need to ignore the towns on route which are packed with concrete and tourist and they even sit by the side of the road waving "appartment" signs at everyone that passes.... not forgetting the suicidal pedestrians...

I got close to the border and thought 'where did I put my passport!!!!' I stopped and had to unpack the bags and search the panniers until finally located it locked in my top box for security - what a tit.... stopped for coffee at a roadside cafe...

 

Passed through Split and on towards Zadar - trying very hard not to end up on the Motorway.... well 2pm arrived and it was just too hot to ride anymore... so I started to look for campsites... there are a lot of them but most are clinging to the side of cliffs - I rode down into one site - rode around trying to find the reception - no luck - and trying to navigate some very steep gravel tracks with a packed site of campers watching , as if they had never seen a motorcycle before.., they were all crammed in side by side - it was like a gypsy encampment .... lots of revs and I'm out of there...

Enough us enough so I stopped at only the 2nd McDonalds this trip.... looked for a cheap motel with a/c and hit to go button...

Showered and planned the route for tomorrow to a campsite I have used before at Generalski Stol and hoping to stop at the Cold War airbase at Bihac.... and I am now watching the World Cup final NL v USA...

Must have a look at the results of the GoPro. 

Nite nite

6 July - Still Croatia

5 July - Montenegro and Croatia

Good evening dear Reader,

A quiet night at the Motel - far better quality than I deserve - but I was so knackered that I basically took the 2nd place I saw - the first being the Great Wester Premier… far too fancy.

I slept well and had a great breakfast before leaving at about 8am and heading for the coast at Budva.  I opted for the toll tunnel and it was far too early for twisty passes over the mountains, and it was only 1€…

Rode many a steep climb and downhills.. thank you Gertie…. Arrived at Lepetani and took the ferry across the inlet..   must has saved a few miles.  Had a chat with a Russian biker on a Honda Fireblade, one of the tee short and flip flop brigade. The coast road E65 E80 was one long traffic jam.  In fact most of the coast road is like that… just town after town, industrial areas everywhere.  If it had a view, then they have built high rise hotels and apartment blocks and basically buggered it all up.  

The real disappointment was the border crossing into Croatia… hundreds of vehicles queuing on both sides and only two lanes open.   Being English I just followed the queue the way only the English do, in high temperatures in full riding gear… I was just melting… After about 1 hour I was joined by the Spanish rider Lewis from yesterday, and we continued to queue…. After two hours we were joined by another 2 Spanish riders and when we reached to booth: they did not even look at our passports and just waved us through.     Next time I will queue the Germany way and ride straight to front… bollocks to them.

Then I stopped at the first petrol station and downed three litres of water… and rode on through Dubrovnik and on to the Camp site at Orasac, a few kms further on… I was going to stop at the site I used 5 years ago but they have hiked their prices up to 52€ per night for a tent !!! … WTF. Anyway the tent is up and in the shade and I am staying here for two days… Chillin…. I will visit the beach and the village shop to get some supplies later.

Nite nite