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Sunday, July 4, 2004
The day started with scattered clouds and sunshine. Today we happened upon an American memorial about an hour west of Reims. This was in the Bois Belleau area; the location of some of the most fierce fighting in W.W.I. It was quite a huge structure (right, pictured with bikes) dedicated the troops who fought in this region during W.W.I and is a lasting symbol of the friendship and cooperation between the French and American Armies. A nice peaceful place with a great view of the area.
Another day in our journey to across northern France to Roscoff. And almost all of it in the rain. We were very lucky in the morning. The rain stopped long enough for us to pack the bikes and visit the gardens at the home of Claude Monet. The infamous lily pond is shown at right.
which were we will spend the night in Portbridge, Devon. Near the hotel was this old stone bridge, Clapper Bridge (photo at left). |
Afterward we rode to the city of Winchester in order to visit Winchester Cathedral.
We then rode to Portsmouth where we found a B&B near the old waterfront and spent the night.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 150.1 KM
Average Speed: 51.9 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 4 Hours 08 Minutes
Lots of history in Portsmith and we wanted to visit the ship that Admiral Nelson was commanded when he won the famous battle of Trafalger. Unfortunately we were not willing to pay the 29.00 British Po
unds ($49.30 US Dollars) per person entrance fee to gain access to the historic ships. We took a few pictures from outside the area and moved on.
We visited the famous Brighton Pier (right) and had lunch while there. Then we moved on, stopped at a post office to mail some post cards and stopped for the day in a B&B in Bexhill.
We have decided to avoid London and not go there. We have been there many times and are at the point that we do not want anything to do with such a large city right now. We will continue to move east instead of moving to the north.
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 110.9 KM
Average Speed: 47.1 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 3 Hours 07 Minutes
A short ride after breakfast and we were walking on the grasslands above the white cliffs of Dover (left).
We got on the 3:30 PM ferry from Dover to Calais. Frankly, this was not a good week for us. The cost of things in Britain are higher than anywhere we have been in Europe lately. A night in a mediocre B&B now costs 50 pounds ($85.00 US) which we think is outrageous. In many it does not included a hot breakfast - you are lucky if you get cold cereal and a sweet roll and coffee/tea in the morning. And don’t even think about a hotel - we priced several and could not find anything for less than 80 pounds ($130.00 US) a night! This is insanity at its best. We have no idea how the average Brit is getting by these days.
And the price of the food was equally outrageous. Fish and chips is now between 5 and 8 pounds ($8.50 to $13.50 US) which is unbelievable. Other food is also priced very high and it is very difficult to eat lunch for less than $28.00 US.
And don’t talk about fuel prices. At $5.44 US a US gallon we found it unbelievable that the traffic on the roads was so heavy. The volume of traffic far outstrips the capability of the road system. We found ourselves splitting the two way traffic on roads with one lane in each direction for miles on end in order to keep the bikes from overheating because the traffic was at a halt - mostly because the round-a-bouts are not capable of handling the volume of traffic on the roads. Where are these people getting the money to pay for the fuel, food and lodging? Goodness knows that the wages have not changed much since we were living and working in Ireland. We found the UK to be more costly than Switzerland and this really surprised us.
It is good to be back in France this evening where we can get fuel, accommodation and food at a much better better price. We are really looking forward to getting back to northern Italy and Austria where prices are even better.
Thurssday, July 22, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 138.6 KM
Average Speed: 69.5 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 3 Hours 27 Minutes
Today’s travels have brought us into Belgium. The high point of the day was our stop at at the Bouckhuyt Motoren Center, Sint-Elooisstraat 135, Oostkamp (Ruddervoorde), Belgium. We were able to purchase and replace yet another defective piece of equipment on Jim’s bike - this time it is the speedometer cable (photo at right). Jim’s speedometer is now registering 5,000 Miles fewer than Verna’s due to all of the speedometer related equipment failures he has had. BMW’s - great quality products, eh? The entire stop took us about an hour. While Jim did the work on the bike Verna got to play “umbrella girl” - just like they do at the races - to keep the intense sun off of Jim while he completed the repair.
We continue to work our way east to Germany where we have a rendezvous with the BMW dealer in Dusseldorff and, we hope, a new pair of riding trousers for Jim.
Friday-Saturday, July 23-24, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 279.5 KM
Average Speed: 67.9 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 5 Hours 27 Minutes
We spent our day riding lots of small roads as we worked our way east. Tomorrow we will be in Germany.
This was a nice day for riding - warm but with the overcast skies it was not as hot as yesterday.
Tomorrow we should know if the pants have arrived at the dealer, thanks to Andreas Ludthardt; alas, they have not arrived. What to do? Head for Idstein for a few days of rest and relaxation and hope that the pants arrive early in the week.
Sunday-Wednesday, July 25-28, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 242.8 KM
Average Speed: 85.2 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 3 Hours 39 Minutes
The Eifel and the Tanus - our two favorite areas to ride the bikes in Germany. And today was a great day for riding. For some reason there was not much traffic on the highways we were on all morning and the early afternoon. We have ridden this section of raod many times - Highway 258 from Achen to Koblenz - and never tire of it.
It wasn’t until we got onto the Autobahn for the final leg of our days journey that we found all of the traffic. It is the start of the holiday season and the Belgian’s and Dutch are all (so it seems) headed south on the A3. Very heavy and congested with lots of slow moving cars towing trailers for their holidays. We were glad that this was just a few kilometers ride for us.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 267.0 KM
Average Speed: 71.2 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 4 Hours 57 Minutes
After three days of rest and relaxation in Idstein we rode north today to Dusseldorf where Jim was able to purchase his new riding pants - these match the jacket he purchased last summer when we were in Hungary. A big Thank You to Andreas Ludthardt for getting the pants ordered and also for following up on the order to make sure everything was done.
While we were in Idstein we spent some time in the internet cafe getting the web site updated with a newer version of the menu system that should improve response times.
Now we will point ourselves south towards the Alps to ride as many of the passes that we can.
Friday, July 30, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 267.4 KM
Average Speed: 65.8 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 5 Hours 10 Minutes
Our objective for the day was to reach the Mosel River. Not a long ride from the Duseldorff area - but we did it by going through Malmedy, Belgium. Malmedy was full of tourists - mostly from the Netherlands. As was the campground we stayed at along the Mosel River.
As we were setting up out tent one our neighboring campers stopped by to chat and offered us a cold drink which was really appreciated - it was hot today and there was no shade where we were assigned a camp space. A very nice man (whose name we did not get - perhaps he will send us an email and we can replace this with his name.
The ride through Belgium was very nice. However, before we could do it, we had to stop and reload the GPS with the Belgium maps (left) when we stopped for gas. Here we met a very nice woman from Belgium who wanted to know about our adventures and thought it all very interesting. All in all it was a good day.
Saturday-Sunday, July 31-August 1, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 317.6 KM
Average Speed: 68.0 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 6 Hours 06 Minutes
After we got the bikes packed we got our usual early start - on the road by 10:30 AM. 
Our plan for the day was to leave the campground, cross the bridge to the other side of the river and turn left. After that, we had no idea where we would go. We spent the first part of the day riding along the Mosel River. Then we pointed ourselves south and east. We need to be in Karlsruhe tomorrow or Monday to pick up some snail mail that arrived for us about 30 minutes after we left Karlsruhe last month. We had no intention of going all the way to Karlsruhe today but we ended the day about 20 kilometers north of Karlsruhe at the hotel where we stayed when we attended the Europrez Mini EPIII meeting in 2001.
Monday, August 2, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 203.0 KM
Average Speed: 83.2 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 3 Hours 34 Minutes
We met Sascha Leitz in Karlsruhe this morning, collected our US Mail and rode to the town of Hagenbach to visit Römer Team Motorradtechnik, GmbH. This shop is well known for constructing off road and street sidecar rigs. We have been giving a lot of thought to selling our current bikes. Why? Too unreliable for travel in parts of the world where it is not easy to have Crown Wheel bearings, broken valves and other such items replaced. We are really interested in getting two older (1980’s) air head BMW GS’s that we can use in our travels. The cost of operating two bikes is one of the things that would be eliminated if we go to a single bike with sidecar.
It was an interesting visit and now we have to make up our minds - two bikes or one with a sidecar. Email us your thoughts.
The end of the day found us in Colmar, France. Tomorrow we want to explore many of the roads in the mountains east of Colmar.
Tuesday, August 3, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 219.4 KM
Average Speed: 50.2 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 6 Hours 12 Minutes
We left Colmar and headed east into the mountains. At 1000 meters (3,700 feet) the weather was very pleasant. It has been hot the past several days (35+ degrees centigrade) we were happy for the cool air in the mountains. This area is very picturesque. At the lower elevations the hills are gently sloping (photo, left) and the roads are full of sweeping turns. At the higher elevations there are more forests and the turns get steeper.
We stopped for lunch in a nice restaurant where many bicyclists where also having lunch. We later stooped for something to drink and met two French couples and their children - the husbands were on their sport motorbikes and the ladies were in the car with the kids. They, like the people we met in the morning when we took a break at a picnic area were amazed to learn that we have been on the road for four years.
As we were moving east to start our decent from the mountains we noticed lightning and thunder directly in our path. When we started to get into the rain we reversed course and found a different way down the mountain to avoid the lightning and rain. We missed most of it but did get a bit wet. We stopped in an abandoned gas station with three other bikes (right) to wait out the worst of it. Soon we were back on the road and within 20 minutes we were completely dry and much too hot once again.
Wednesday, August 4, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 240.2 KM
Average Speed: 66.8 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 5 Hours 35 Minutes
We continued our journey south today and rode some of the best roads we have been on. Not much traffic, great scenery and not much in a straight line.
Around 2:00 PM we found ourselves near the Langouette Gorge so we decided that we would alter our route and take a look. It was interesting and there were several people who decided that the side trip was worth it. You cannot actually go into the gorge as it is so narrow with a river at the bottom, but standing on a bridge above, you can get a good view into the gorge, with the waterfalls visible at the top of the photo and down to the river at the bottom (left).
Shortly after we arrived we were discussing the need for our rain gear when some of the heaviest rain we have ever been in pelted down on us. Jim was frantically trying to get into his new Gore-Tex pants liners when the really heavy rain began. Once we got back on the road we were surprised to see so many cars that that pulled off to the side of the road to wait for the rain to ease a bit.
We think that the south eastern portion of France (well north of the Mediterranean) is one of the best kept secrets of France. We have read very little about the area and have never seen any tourist hype about it. But, it is very nice with good roads and based on our experience, not too much traffic.
We stopped at the Col du Faucille for the night. Not much there but a couple of hotels. We normally have a light dinner, but since no supermarkets were in the area, we weren’t sure what we could find. Well, not to fear - a tiny shop selling Swiss chocolate also had some country bread (quite hearty!) and some local cheese. We got some wine from the hotel bar and were set. Wine, cheese, bread and chocolate (dark with hazelnuts) - what more does one need?
Thursday, August 5, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 189.2 KM
Average Speed: 51.3 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 5 Hours 27 Minutes
Today’s trip took us around the outskirts of the city of Geneva, Switzerland. After skirting much of the city we spotted a nice curvy road on the GPS just to the east of us in the mountains - so off we went as it looked (and was) much more interesting than the valley and the traffic we were in. From the top we could see Geneva (and its unique fountain in the harbor) nestled in the valley below:
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We ended the day in a ski area in the town of Morzine. This place is much too frenetic for us - holiday makers everywhere but it was late in the day, the thunder storms were about to begin (we got into our rain gear before the heavens opened and showered on us today) and hotels are abundant.
We will continue our ride south tomorrow; the plan for the next three or four days is to ride all of the roads that surround Mount Blanc as well as many others that just look interesting on the map. So many roads to choose from - it’s a tough job but someone has to do it!.
Friday, August 6, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 177.4 KM
Average Speed: 44.6 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 5 Hours 18 Minutes
The French Alps have many of the best motorbike roads we have ever seen. Looking at the map all we see are small roads that twist and turn up and down the mountains. Each of them is highlighted with a green line indicating that they are scenic routes.
As the Italians say, “tornanti”! And there were lots of them. For those not familiar with the term it refers to turns in the road where the road turns 180 degrees back as you go up or down the mountain. Not like Stelvios where you get a bit of a rest between them but many of them one right after the other. In one stretch there were about eight of them - very technical riding. You must get the speed right or you may not make it in the “fully upright and locked postion”.
We did not encounter a lot of traffic today - we decided that most people in cars just did not like driving on roads like this. Oh yes, did we mention that the roads are mostly wide enough for two cars and that there is no space for anything else. And, when the pavement ends on the edge of the road that is away from the mountain, it is straight down. There were very few protective barriers to help prevent a vehicle going off the road and down - a long way down.
We have a great deal of respect for the bicyclists we encounter everywhere. These people are working very hard and most of them are loaded with camping gear, clothing and protective gear - not traveling light. We see many families with children aged between 9 and 15 riding with these typical loads.
All we did to day was ride down the mountain where we spent last night and up and over another pass. Then down that mountain and up and over another pass. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
We had a very good lunch today for a reasonable price. Not at all like the grossly overpriced lunch we had yesterday in which the meat was not cooked (yes, one piece was raw) and it was like eating shoe leather.
The weather cooperated today and the rain arrived after we stopped for the day.
Saturday-Sunday, August 7-8, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 215.1 KM
Average Speed: 49.9 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 5 Hours 29 Minutes
We spent more time on the bikes today than we thought we would. We rode over the two St. Bernard passes (petite and the “big one”. Then we rode on thinking that we would find a hotel after we entered France; today was a three country ride. We left France when we rode up to the Petite St Bernard pass(right) and entered Italy. We rode some small roads and found a small country hotel where we had one of the bet lunches we have had - great salad and the best spaghetti, next to Verna’s, that Jim has ever eaten.
When we arrived at the top of the “big” St. Bernard pass (2469 meters, 8,100 feet) we entered Switzerland. This brought back some memories for Jim as we rode down the Swiss side of the mountain - he drove this road in 1969 when he did a bit of touring in Europe while stationed in the United Kingdom during his military service.
Then it was back into France where we started our search for a place to spend the night. Due to the thunderstorms that form every afternoon we were a bit reluctant to camp. So we started looking for a small hotel. For the third time in our four year journey we encountered “motorcycle prejudice”. We stopped at a small hotel in a rural area that belongs to the Logis de France organization. These small hotels are known for their excellent restaurants. The proprietor told us the cost for a room would be €110.00 - double what the advertised price of the room is. When we were in Newmarket in the United Kingdom in 1999 and 2000 we were refused a room at a B&B - that’s twice at the same place (we went back the second time just to see what would happen). It would be so nice if the would just put up a sign saying that motos are NOT welcome.
As a result we found a nice room in a different Hotel that belongs to the Logis de France organization in Chamonix.
Verna took this picture of Mount Blanc Sunday morning. Once again, we were not disappointed with the afternoon thunder storm on Saturday afternoon. The mountains were all in the clouds when we arrived and by the time we walked into town the black clouds had gathered and shortly after we got a seat at a sidewalk cafe the rain began. The cafe’s were empty prior to the start of the rain but they all filled immediately. After about 45 minutes the rain eased and we did our shopping at the local supermarket and walked back to our hotel.
We liked our hotel so much that we decided to stay the second day. Given the nice weather on Sunday (as evidenced by the picture, above) we were very happy that we did stay.
We found Chamonix to be a very nice town - not at all pretentious like St. Moritz. But, we would suggest that you look for a place to stay on the outskirts of the town rather than something in the town center.
Monday, August 9, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 143.2 KM
Average Speed: 50.5 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 3 Hours 47 Minutes
We completed our ride around Mount Blanc this morning and pointed ourselves south in hopes of missing a huge storm that has reached Europe as a result of a hurricane from the east coast of the United States.
The highlight of today’s ride was the ride up to the Col de la Madeleine (left). We say up to because we have not been down the other side. We found a cheap place to stay on the south side of the summit and called it a day.
For lunch we ate at a small hotel/restaurant perched on the side of the mountain about 13 kilometers from the north side of the summit. There was a German fellow staying at the hotel on a 1988 R100GS who we chatted with for some time. He told us a famous American passed this way a few weeks ago, albeit riding in the opposite direction because that is the way the organizers directed that day’s ride for the Tour de France go. To see the slide show for the Massif de Vanoise area click here.
It was interesting seeing what had been written on the roads by the many spectators. Obviously there are some who are not Lance Armstrong fans given the expletives and negative comments we saw. Happily, those were in the minority. We do not see many Americans being happy if someone from another country had set yet another record with a win in any event that Americans consider their own. It appears that things in France are no different.
Click here for the Mount Blanc slide show.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 106.6 KM
Average Speed: 36.9 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 4 Hours 16 Minutes
Today we rode more roads that the tour de France used this year. All of this has been quite by accident. We had no idea where the race was run even though we watched a good bit of it on TV but it has been very nice to see many of the areas that the race covers. We also have much more respect for the cyclists. These roads will wear you out riding them on the motor bides - doing 125+ kilometers on them on a bicycle, in the heat, day after day has to be exhausting. These guys must be made of steel.
We finished the day riding in an area known as the Alpe-d’Huez where one of the many cyclists volunteered to take a picture of the two of us while we were perched on the side of yet another narrow winding road, at right. Click here for the Alpe-d’Huez slide show.
We stopped for the night in the town of Mizoen. A very small village perched on a hill side much like the pueblos blancos in Spain. If the weather holds (it has been pouring rain every afternoon and on some days all night) we want to explore a road that goes up the mountain behind the town. If it rains all night we will have to try another time for this ride because the road will be solid mud based on what the locals have told us.
Wednesday-Thursday, August 11-12, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 48.5 KM
Average Speed: 40.0 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 2 Hours 03 Minutes
Today was an adventure. Not the kind that we recommend to anyone.
All went well until Jim got the bright idea to ride up the Plan Lachat. This is a dirt/stone (not the absence of the word gravel) road that goes up the side of a beautiful mountain just north and east of the Col du Galibier. The Col du Galibier was part of the route for the 2003 Tour de France, by the way. To see the Col Du Galbier Slide show click here.
Once again Verna was able to demonstrate who is the better rider in this family as she watched Jim dump his bike on its right side as we were descending this very rutted road that was covered with stones that averaged about three inches ( 7.5 cm) in diameter. This was a very difficult road to ride with bikes as heavily loaded as ours. But, that is no excuse. We did OK on the uphill part but when we started going down Jim did something (neither of us is sure just what that was) that caused his bike to suddenly pitch to the right throwing him off. Jim was OK. The bike was basically OK as we looked at it lying on its side. But, when we got it back upright (thanks to all of the hikers who assisted) we discovered a large pool of oil on the ground. We quickly discovered the hole that had been punched in the right valve cover of his engine. NOT GOOD! (photo, above right)
This was near the noon hour.
Seven hours later and we are in a hotel in Briançon but still have a hole in the valve cover. All this thanks to the ADAC. The valve cover is sitting on the desk immediately to the left of where this is being typed waiting for the J-B Weld that has been applied to dry. We have high hopes that we will receive a new valve cover in the morning by special overnight deliver but we have made the repair just in case it does not show up. Did we mention that ADAC is paying for our hotel room tonight? They are. Too bad this service is not available in the bush in Africa!
So, with a little luck we should be back on the road tomorrow - with a new valve cover or a repaired one.
The next morning the ADAC called us because they wanted to make sure they had the proper information about the part we needed to repair the bike. After confirming the information they went in search of the part so it could be shipped to us at the hotel. Once again having the BMW ETK CD, which has the parts catalog on it in every language, saved the day. We were able to provide the part name in French as well as the part number. It is amazing how appreciative the ADAC people were when they found out we had this information.
They notified us later in the day that we could pick the rocker cover up in Gap on Friday. So, one more night in Briançon on the ADAC.
Friday, August 13, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 86.6 KM
Average Speed: 61.5 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 1 Hours 45 Minutes
“Friday the thirteenth come on Friday this month.” Well, that’s what Pogo in the late Walt Kelly’s comic strip used to say.
We rode south to Alpes Auto Moto, 15 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 05000, Gap to pick up Jim’s new rocker cover. We arrived at 12:20 - not good. All of France closes its doors at noon for a two hour lunch break. The traffic on the ride south was horrendous. We were told that it should take about an hour and fifteen minutes, unless the holiday traffic is heavy. This being August all of Europe is on holiday and the traffic was very heavy.
Any rate, there was a restaurant close to the BMW shop so we had lunch and then went across the street to visit the Office de Tourisme. When the shop opened we were able to purchase the new rocker cover along with the sealing grommets for the screw studs and spark plug hole for new rocker cover; we were able to reuse the rocker cover gasket. One of the mechanics was kind enough to dig into his personal stash of spare parts in order to be sure Jim had everything he needed. This was great fun for Jim - his crude attempts at speaking any French at all are met with stares of disbelief. After this we then found a place to stay and Jim proceeded to swap the old rocker cover for the new.
For more of the technical information and pictures about this fun event see the Equipment Report Card 2004 page.
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Today's statistics: Top of Page
Total Distance: 262.4 KM
Average Speed: 46.3 KM/H
Total Time on Bikes: 7 Hours 03 Minutes
We continued our travels in a southerly direction today and reached the southern most point we planned to visit for this portion of the adventure, the Col du Bonette - the highest pass in Europe at 2802 meters ( 9,192 feet). We picked a lovely day for it. Not a cloud in sight when we were at the summit.
The ride from Gap was wonderful. We went through a national park on one of the many little roads that we traveled today. Not a lot of traffic on the roads which made it a very pleasant experience.
We stopped for the day in a very small village after we decended from the Col at a hotel that looks as if it has been here for many, many years. It is run by three women and kept very clean. And, they let us park the motor bikes in their garage at no charge.
To see the Col du Bonette slide show click here.
If you have been following along with this page since we started it you will notice that we changed the name today. We decided that it was large enough because of all the pictures we put in it and people who have a dial up modem connection to the internet will have to wait to long for it to download if it get any larger. We will start a new page with tomorrow’s ride.
This concludes this portion of the adventure.
If you find typographical errors or have any other problems when looking at the site please contact the Webmaster describing the problem and the page involved.
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