bigplatcool

South Bound Stand Out days and the very best of Norway

So we have now been in Alesund for two nights in a row and then onto Bergen, from where I am writing this. On Tuesday we rode to Alesund from Steinkjer (think Stinker and you will be pronouncing it correctly), via the famous Atlantic Road from Kristiansund. When you see the photo’s of the inter island bridges you will immediately know where we were. These are used extensively on the BMW Motorcycle web pages and are as good in real life as they are in the glossies.

Then on Wednesday we did a round ride via the famous Trollstiggen Pass and Falls and the Geiranger Fjord. Virtually every photo you have ever seen of a huge Cruise Liner in a Norwegian Fjord has been taken in Geiranger Fjord.

Today we rode from Alesund to Bergen, the second largest city in Norway, taking two ferry’s en route and once again enjoying spectacular fjords and scenery.

We are exhausted by exhilarated and these have been three days which will forever be etched in our travelling memories.

Let me give you some of the details.

On Sunday we left Mo I Rana for Steinkjer, a big riding day of about 500km, one that started off with full rain gear on a cold and miserable Norwegian summer weather. We had four ferry’s to catch during the day and it was essential that we made the first one from Nesna to Tjotta, as if we missed it the “ferry domino’s” would not fall properly and the day would be extended out even longer than an already long day.

We were in rain gear for the entire day, although things improved in the afternoon. Steinkjer is not the most exhilarating place I have ever been and has virtually nothing to recommend in it. So we were not unhappy to get a decent nights sleep and get on the road the following morning. Another miniscule single ply bathroom but at least the windows opened fully and it was quiet.

Unlike Wednesday evening in Bergen, where we are in the worst hotel of the trip. A room so small that the average two star Paris hotel room seems decadent. To top it all we have a room on an internal courtyard and the only view is of the kitchen dustbins and the noise that goes with them being filled.

In Alesund, as we were there for two nights I negotiated, at a price, an upgrade and we had a spectacular room with a view over the whole harbour, space in the bedroom and the obligatory tiny bathroom. Not only single ply but a sheet dispenser, taking these cost savings to a new level as each piece pulled only let out two squares of single ply paper at once. In a part of the world where there is unlimited wood, water and electricity the focus on saving money on the toilet paper really gets to me.

Alesund is home of Norway’s cod fishing fleet. Here it is known as Klipvis and is endemic in every restaurant and virtually every dish. More importantly it is the entry point for the huge cruise ships as they start their voyage into the Fjords. These fjords are not as I imagined just an inlet off the sea. In most cases the most spectacular of these such as Geiranger are many kilometers inland of the coast and this is what makes them so special. These huge cruise liners, floating cities can navigate this whole distance inland surrounded by cliffs of granite stretching many thousands of feet into the sky vertically around them. It is awe inspiring in the extreme.

As you would have gathered I am battling with my blog. The reason is very simple and it is called “company on the trip”. On my Alaskan adventure it was me, myself and I. So on most evenings, with the pleasure only of my own company I was delighted to be able to write. On this trip not only do I have the privilege of DB’s company, but there are a few other individuals with whom we are getting on really well. So it is get in after riding, shower and wash clothes and hit the pub for a beer plus dinner. This leaves little or no time for the scribe.

We have also been doing big distances every day on roads, which are slow going and packed with Norway’s diligent speed watchers. So whereas on the Alaskan trip I had many 500 + km days as a norm, here a 450 km + day takes over 8 hours to get through. On no day was this truer than on Tuesday when we undertook a round trip from Alesund to Alesund via Trollstiggen and Geiranger. The narrow road was swamped with tourist busses bringing the hoards from four huge cruise ships at anchor in the fjord. 11,000 tourists in one hit all wanting to see the falls. We were trapped for some time behind one of these busses as it a a truck trying to come down the pass from the opposite direction jammed each other in.

This is not a position that Jane is designed for. She gets very hot and flustered and it was a hot day to boot. She hates having her clutch ridden and given the 10% gradient of the pass this was inevitable. Hairpin bends the whole way up also do not help as when she is heavy and two up, she tends to over steer, something that means a very firm hand from the master is needed. In turn this is very tiring as I am never able to relax at all.

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway and well worth a visit, certainly at this time of the year. It has a great area around the yacht basin made up of outside fish stalls and eating areas. Everything is cooked in front of you and you sit at benches enjoying ocean fresh crab, prawns, mussels and other fish.

The most difficult thing in Norway food wise is finding really good coffee, but Bergen has a few places of note for this. This compensated for the hotel in Bergen, which set a new low even by Norwegian standards. Our room, the worst we have ever had since an epic low in Wellington New Zealand in 1986 made even the smallest room in a third rate Parisian hotel seem large. We had to continuously remind ourselves that we are on a motor biking holiday and not hotel experience.

Yesterday has seen the trek South continue with three ferries and the spectacular Langfoss falls en route. These cascade down over 600 meters and virtually hit the road on the way down. Unfortunately one reaches the stage of “wow, look at that fjord or river or waterfall” and it is another magnificent sight.

It is also difficult to keep track of the days and the date as we get up every morning, have breakfast and then ride all day. This morning is Friday. This I know because last night was our second last evening in Norway and has been spent in a small ski town called Bykle. For once, at a very nice small hotel. The young lady, who runs it, speaks immaculate English, as do most people we have interfaced with. She learnt it at school. All Norwegians have to take ten years of English at school and then from visiting her sister who was working in Manchester. With no other restaurant choices in town, this is not season here as opposed to the coastal and fjord towns where it is peak season, we ate in at the hotel for a group dinner.

Everyone is now tired. The riding has been relentless with long days. Our sub group being ourselves, Kevin and Julia Hinton from not far from us in the UK, Gerry and Brenda from Ireland and Dave Murphy, the guy who runs the Cambridge Arts Theatre, all sat and ate together as we do every evening. This has been one of the reasons that I am struggling with the blog. After a tiring day we are having tiring evenings as well. Too much beer, wine and lots of great laughs.

Kevin is virtually deaf and when his hearing aids are not on top notch he is oblivious to everything around him and his voice volume and tone goes berserk, much to everyone’s mirth. Last night was one of those evenings as he was being mercilessly ribbed for leaving his wife behind on the Atlantic Road a few days ago.

He dropped her off to take a few photos from the side of the road and then rode off without her, going some 10 km before realizing she was not with him and turning around. She had tried to call him on his mobile but he was hearing nothing. Brenda is Mrs. Restaurant and has done all the pre trip research. Trip Advisor is the reference point and go to sight. They have wiped out the Michelin Guide in this respect.

So this morning I am up early to get this on the cloud and to you. What I will do is update the blog with the photos from Cambridge on Sunday when I have a really good connection, as it is the inserting of the photos that takes the time.

We ride from here to Kristiansand on the South coast today, sleep over and have an early and long day tomorrow as we catch the ferry to Denmark in the morning. This takes 3 hours. We then have to ride across Denmark to be in Esbjerg, where we started off from, to catch the ferry to Harwich by 16h00 that afternoon, so this is a big ride.

Our boat arrives in the UK at 12h00 on Sunday and it is then back to Cambridge, another 2 hours. So all going to plan we should be back around 15h00 UK time.

This is not the end. Jane will need to be fully cleaned and garaged as I am only back in late September. All the clothes will have to be fully laundered including the suits. You know it has been a great biking trip when you are feeling a bit “grubby”. The same as a camping trip and it is the tell tale sign that you have been away long enough. We wash our clothes in the basin every night, as the hotels here do not have the laundry facilities that the US hotels have. So no washing and drying machines available in Norwegian hotels for us.

Then the trek south continues further on Monday as we fly to SA and Môreson, our grandchildren, children and the dogs. Included in our schedule while there is some hunting (for me) and a camping trip to Botswana (us) plus lots of wine business as we are launching a new wine related venture.

So from Bykle good morning and good luck until I send the final blog and photo’s from Cambridge.

Trondheim to Mo I Rana and the Arctic Circle

Our last two days Northbound have come and gone.

Yesterday we made the long haul from Trondheim to Mo I Rana.

Mo I Rana is the administrative capital of the Norwegian Arctic Region and derives its name from the farmer who lived here establishing the first trading post in the area here many years ago and the Rana region. Probably before he set out in his long boat to raid England and claim some of the women for his own.

View from Trondheim restaurant at 22h00. Sun still well up

Once again the ride took us through spectacular inland scenery dominated by rivers, lakes and water pouring out of every hill and mountain. At one point whilst riding along yet another lake, not particularly spectacular, I said somewhat facetiously to DB (we communicate via a very fancy intercom system in each of our helmets) “that this was the most magnificent lake I had ever seen”. There was a stunned silence until I burst out laughing. It was somewhat like the comment in White Mischief about “ not another perfect day in Africa”!

Another perfect waterfall

It proved to be a very long day in the saddle. Close on 480 km, not in itself too bad, but at an average speed of just over 50km/h it is very tough going with lots of traffic. And Rain! Lots of it!

And nowhere really decent to get a roadside meal, something which tends to be a feature of travelling in Norway. The food on the road is really lousy and consists mainly of rolls and hotdogs. We eventually stopped off in Grong for petrol and found a Spar where we bought a fresh baguette, some cheese and some delicious salads which we turned into a simple but delicious lunch.

DB looking decidedly sexy in my wet gear (Packed in error instead of hers) with Brenda from Ireland

So after nine hours in the saddle we finally arrived in Mo I Rana and found the Meyergarden Hotell (Correct spelling), an establishment with a great history and actually the nicest place we have stayed in since arriving in Norway, but still one with the obligatory single ply toilet paper and tiny bathroom.

At least in this one we can turn in the shower and our bed does not touch the opposite wall. Established in 1890 as a trading store and inn, the original building still stands and so does the Meyer’s house, in which King Oskar II stayed with Meyer when he visited the area in 1873.

Original Hotel no attached to main building and Meyer’s house where the King stayed to the left. (The small brown building) 

Our idyllic views changed when four large coaches arrived at 19h00, while we were all enjoying a beer and deciding where to eat dinner as there are not many choices in Mo I Rana as you may have guessed, disgorging about 100 tourists for dinner and a stay over. Before we could move they were seated in the hotel’s dinning room and they hovered the smorgasbord up like locusts through a wheat field. So we were left with the a la carte menu. The prices of everything would make your eyes water and the a la carte menu set new highs.

The previous evening in Trondheim, on our way back from a simple pasta meal, R300 per dish I decided that I needed a McDonald’s Milk shake, much to DB’s disgust. Just to set the price tone a Big Mac in Norway hits your table at a wallet shattering R153 and the milk shake a more modest R50. A beer and a beer shandy leaves you shaking at about R200 and our R1000 meal (Salad starter and steak for me, Cod for DB) last night was topped off with a R180 cheese plate and a R75 double espresso. Cheap South African wine goes by the glass for about R75 per glass and is considered a good deal.

Shrimp Tagliatelle in Trondheim. Delicious but difficult to digest at R300.

So suitably financially lighter we took the soft option this morning with a short 85km ride to the Arctic Circle on the road north to Narvik. Narvik being well-known for the raid on it by the Allies in the early days of WW II. I suspect not much has changed since it was hurriedly rebuilt after the war.

Some intrepid riders, all one up I might add, did a longer 300 km loop. However given the summer weather here, 9 degrees and pouring with rain, we decided that we had to get to 66 °33’ North and stand on the Arctic Circle for the obligatory photos, which we did before returning to Mo I Rana.

Intrepid Biker Pilot and DB at the Arctic Circle. She in his wet weather gear. Still as lithe as ever underneath it all

North of Mo I Rana Norwegians undergo a personality change, out goes the law abiding speed limit obeying driver syndrome and a new fearless individual emerges, one who drives at 20 km/h over the 80 km/h speed limit. This meant that the intrepid foreigners could open the gas, twist the throttle and over take all at about 110 km/h, a speed at which I felt almost out of control. One note of caution was the wet road condition and limited visibility. Anyhow we are safely back in our room for an afternoon lie in and read. Perfect bed weather, with coastal rain bucketing down. Not such good motor biking weather however and we are very pleased that we decided on the short route option.

Customary for everyone to leave a stone to remember departed one’s. we did our bit too

Tomorrow we start the long road south, this time via the coastal road, a route which promises to be spectacular through the fjords, islands and inlets. We have to leave early as we have four ferries, all Ro Ro’s (for the uninitiated these are Roll on Roll off ferries, so you drive on one side and drive off the other side and there is no passenger cabin on the boat), during the day and nearly 500 km to do. We end up in Steinkjer, just north of Trondheim. Given good weather this should be a highlight day but a long one with at least nine more hours in the saddle.

Arctic Circle Summer motor bike weather. Yes, that is snow!

Looking at our program I will be unlikely to hit the keyboard until Tuesday evening when we have an easy day in Alesund and are at the same hotel for two nights in a row.

So from Mo I Rana good night and Good Luck!

North of Lillehammer and into the rain

We have been moving steadily northwards since landing in Norway on Monday afternoon. After my last report in when we spent the night in Aarlborg, we have taken a huge ferry across the Baltic from Denmark to Norway, leaving from Hirtshals and going to Kristiansand.

Our Color Line ferry arrives to collect us at Hirtshals in Denmark

On Board the ferry

This was seriously impressive boat, even bigger than the one we took from the UK to Denmark the previous day accommodating about 600 vehicles and their occupants on 5 Car decks. The trip takes about 3 hours and they do their very best throughout to part you from your cash with duty free shops, three restaurants, bars for the non-drivers and a casino on board.

We had lunch in the main restaurant, a Norwegian smorgasbord of epic proportions. Arrival in Kristiansand was uneventful and motorbikes were off first. A big win.

So from there, to Larvik via a magnificent and scenic inland road, we soon realised that this is a spectacularly beautiful country and a few other things about it as well.

·      Norway has no water shortage. Everywhere you look there is a lake with someone’s weekend cottage on it. This is why you never meet Norwegians in other parts of the world when you travel. They stay at home for their holidays at their lake cottages.

·      Norwegian drivers really do travel at the slowest speeds in the world. The general speed limit is 50 kmh. Outside built up areas this is 80 kmh and on the very rare highway 110 kmh. More impressive or annoying is the fact that they all stick to it religiously.

·      You would be hard pressed to realise that this is the wealthiest country in Europe and there are some big lessons to be learnt from the way they live. They are frugal to the extreme and all the wealth generated from their oil and huge tax revenues, including a VAT of 25%, is invested in a long-term fund for a “rainy day” and in their infrastructure.

·      All their electricity is generated by Hydro Electric and wind sources and given the abundance of water and wind this is easy to understand. They have therefore pegged their most expensive daily costs in a world of diminishing energy resources.

·      The water here is spectacularly good and clean. Drinking the water out of the tap is better than anywhere else in the world.

·      Blond is the name of the game. Most people are blond, tall and strong. A very fit looking population.

·      Everything is massively expensive. We were warned but it still comes as a shock. A beer and a Coke are about $20 each.

·      The hotel bathrooms are the smallest in the world, even smaller than those in Fowey, Cornwall where we had a bathroom which we thought set the record. Here the shower is based on the straight jacket principle and in a land of over abundant water, they do everything to make sure you use next to nothing!

·      The cow shit Norwegians spray on their pastures smells as bad as the stuff the Danes use. This is one thing that they do not seem to be frugal about using.

So apart from the smell of cow shit everywhere the “two up” trip is going very well. Very interesting this threesome, as DB and I are learning the ropes and in particular how to simultaneously deal with a demanding third party.

On the ferry getting ready to fire up and go. Norway here we come!

Previous followers of my trans USA and Alaska blog will remember that riding a motorbike well is like making love with a highly strung woman and Jane is up there with the twitchiest. She needs full time attention and constant hands on soothing. So imagine yourself in bed with two women. One hot and ready to go, and your DB behind you. Both in the same bed, at the same time. The trick being to coax the very best out of the young filly in front of you, whilst keeping the older brood mare feeling safe and content behind you.

I am very focused on this task and any movement by DB behind me results in an instant adjustment in my handling of Jane. This is keeping me on my toes and is pretty tiring as well. Two up is more than double the workload of just one at a time!

So our routing has been as follows:

Larvik.

The hotel’s name gave everything away.

The Quality Inn Larvik Forsalls.

On arriving I soon realised that Forsalls is a local business Group, obviously with a history. The reason that it was a Quality Inn would have been that Forsalls, in a moment when their business was pumping cash, had decided that owning a Larvik landmark was a good idea. They would have soon realised that running an hotel was not their forte and this is when the Hotel Management Piranha’s smell blood in the water.

Norway vista – water and great views. Taken by DB on the move. Me keeping Jane calm and on the line

Like all of these level of hotel management groups, Quality Inn have given it a quick coat of paint and nothing much else. The rooms were tiny and stinking hot. All designed to keep heat in and the cold out. We needed the opposite and our window only opened about 10 cms at the top.

So, on a summers evening in a latitude where the sun never sets, we had to leave what little we could open and let the light stream in with an occasional whiff of fresh cooler air.

Even the Pommies took strain overnight and complained about no sleep!

Lillehammer

Home of the 1994 Winter Olympics. This would have been its heyday. Nothing much else has changed since then but it is very pretty and after booking dinner at the chain restaurant attached to the hotel we took a stroll and had a few beers. That is me, and not DB. In fact having DB with me is proving to be a schedule altering issue. On the Alaska trip, being alone I could follow my own program and generally this involved getting my blog updated and then dinner.

DB wants to see the places we are in. The good thing is that generally these are more beautiful and interesting than Rapid City SD or Astoria OR. So we walked around Lillehammer and tried to get a decent coffee. This is proving to be impossible in Norway because their frugalness means that they are still drinking instant coffee with chicory in it. I think their Minister of Finance was trained by BMW purchasing!

So we arrived back at the hotel at 19h30 ravenous and went for dinner. to save even more money the waiters do not take your order, rather you go to the counter to pay and order at the same time. Our waiter proudly told me that they had recently introduced this “innovative new system”. I did not have the heart to tell him that the Brits had been doing this for years in every pub!

Lillehammer – Our window is the one next to the road. Not much privacy. Noise problem solved by running water in river next to hotel. No extra charge for that.

So off I went to order where I was told that there was a one and a half hour delay for cooked food as the “Grill had fallen in”. Incredulous I asked fro the manager to be informed again that the grill really had “fallen in”. Further investigation uncovered the fact that this is the literal translation from the Norwegian for “broken down”. So off we went for the alternative, a choice that turned out to be superb in an old converted brewery cellar.

Then to bed, with DB demanding her turn for my attentions, so no time for blogging.

Trondheim

Today has been another epic motorcycle day. Up north and then a cut eastwards across the Frisvejen from Ringebu to Alvdal. The Frisvejen is a moor like area at very high altitude. Quite spectacular, with virtually no human presence. Then on north up to Trondheim. The total trip about 340 km. The only issue being the rain clouds which eventually stopped threatening and delivered, slowing us down as the roads are narrow and I was very aware of my two bedmates and the necessity to keep them upright.

The Frisvejen vista

Trondheim is the third largest city in Norway and was founded in 997 by Viking King Olav. It is very beautiful and once again we are in a choice hotel, at least this time in a great location. Most notable is the bathroom which once again sets new records for size. At least here I will be able to sit straight on the toilet, but will have to wedge my legs under the basin and rest my head on it all at the same time. The toilet paper is once again the mandatory Norwegian Single Ply stuff. God forbid that anything is luxurious.

Bathroom a la Hotel Prinsen in Trondheim. No plug to be found anywhere for the basin. At least it is clean.

This evening I will finish the blog, post it and then DB and I will walk and have dinner at around 19h00. As always happens with these tours the group is starting to split into smaller dinner parties and we have found a very interesting and nice rider, David Murphy, who based in Cambridge where he runs the Cambridge Arts Theatre. He is married to a South African born lady and is a very good travelling companion. There are also three other couples and then two further guys, Nick and Phil who have been mates since junior school and biking together for nearly 50 years. A bit like my biking mate fondly known in our house as the “other Mrs. Friedman – Harold Bloch himself”. Clearly completely comfortable in each other’s company and good trip companions as a result.

So after I sign off it is washing. Travelling light so it is a shirt, socks and underpants only to hit the basin and a shower and shave before heading off for a walk and dinner. Seafood to be sure here.

Tomorrow we continue north to Mo I Rana, from where we launch our bid for the Arctic Circle the following day. This route takes us inland and is not the most picturesque as we save the coast and the fjords for the return from the Arctic Circle next week.

So from Trondheim, Good night and Good Luck.

Nothing tonight unfortunately. No really good connection and two very tired souls.

Our ferry from Denmark docked at 16h00 and we then had 250 km to get to Larvik.

We only arrived after 20h40. Too much time on the road at that late hour.

So a quick beer and bed.

Goodnight and good luck from Larvik.

So tomorrow BikerPilot hits the road again.

This time from Cambridge in the UK and heading off for Scandinavia. A very different trip this time.

Firstly my mount. The old Jane is no more, traded in for a new ride, a new exciting lady in my stable. Also a BMW, still named Jane as it is so British but this is Bavaria’s latest and best. A BMW K1600GT, the ultimate tourer.

I also have a passenger for the entire trip. My DB (Dearly Beloved) who has decided to come with Jane and I all the way to Norway. Encouraged by an “opt out at any time” guarantee which comprises a flight ticket back to the UK from anywhere along the way if she so desires. So I will have the ultimate experience, wedged between DB and new Mistress for two weeks, surveying the splendour of Scandinavia and in particular Norway.

Unlike Bonnie or Spot, Jane is a thoroughbred and the luggage space very limited in comparison, as she does not do waterproof bags strapped to the top of the panniers. Only what goes in the side boxes and nothing else. So DB has to leave all the high heels and fancy gear behind and rough it with the bikers!

We leave Cambridge in the early afternoon and head for Harwich which is on the east coast of the UK. From there we take an overnight ferry to Esjberg in Denmark. We are on an organised tour but there is no support vehicle so we carry everything ourselves but have all the accommodation booked and route worked out. The total trip should take 14 days and is about 2340 miles long. 

If you are interested Google “BMW Return to the Arctic” tour and you will see the spectacular route. We have three other couples on the trip and about 12 single bikers. Hopefully a good mix.

I am getting into blogging mode and lots will follow. Maybe a bit more subdued than the Alaska blog.

From Cambridge “Good Night and Good Luck”.

So the ten days back home in the US have been and gone and I am in the UK.

I have once again made the mistake of thinking that I will have time on my hands and my hands have come up empty. I have been frantically busy doing so many things that have been outstanding for all too long. All neglected in my previous life and now all begging out for attention.
Bonnie has had her major service and is in perfect running order. A testament to her breeding, that after all this riding through harsh and changing conditions, every one of her mechanical parameters was exactly as it was designed to be. No adjustments were needed.
I have added a few bits and pieces as a result of what I learnt on the trip. So she now has very sexy handle bar raisers which means that I can ride her in the standing position without my back feeling as if it is about to break. We will both be happier and more importantly, I will able to go at it for much longer in this position, exactly what every girl wants her rider to be able to do.

As importantly, my friend Mike at the BMW dealer, he is their technical guru, has found and fitted an aftermarket Tire Pressure Warning system, so hopefully no more flat tires without me becoming aware of it early on. That having been said, without the flat Walla Walla, the Penticton ladies and lithe Leslie would never have happened. So fate plays a hand in everything an as the title of Ernest Gann’s remarkable and must read book on aviation “Fate is the Hunter” points out, it really does influence everything in our lives.

Our condo has returned to normality. The laundry is all done. Riding gear that was hanging throughout the house to dry, it cannot be tumble dried, has been put away/ My camping gear is in its storage position. My credit card slips for the trip have been sorted and I have an Excel spreadsheet with all the costs now tabulated. They have been significantly more than I thought they would be, but overall I have had an experience that will remain with me forever and one which has fueled my lust for more of these adventures with my girls.

Two and bit months worth of post has sorted and filed. The only place that still looked like a war zone, after my first week home was my study area and that has also been sorted out. Minor maintenance done and the condo prepared for winter.
The key facts of the trip are as follows:
GPS mileage 11,250 miles or just over 18,100 kms

Time away was 57 days.

The number of days when no riding took place was 9, so I was in the saddle on 47 days.
Longest time in the saddle on one day was close on 11 hours from Whitehorse to Fort Nelson. This was 597 miles and the biggest single mileage day on the trip.

The shortest riding day was the day I rode from Rapid City to Mount Rushmore and then around the Black Hills at 134 miles.

Average speed over the trip was 53,4 miles per hour

Average fuel consumption was 37,4 miles per gallon or 6.27 liters per 100 km.

This is not as good as I expected it to be, but it was materially negatively affected by the trip back starting at Valdez on Saturday two weeks ago. I really “tonked” it on the way back. 3717 miles in eight days. Bonnie was heavily laden, we had a headwind for much of the way and from Edmonton, the new Metzler tires that I had fitted there also seemed to be heavier on the fuel consumption. There are a number of new small diesels that can beat these consumption figures, but not I suspect, at the speeds at which we were hauling ass on the way back.

I have worked out my rough costs. It has not been a cheap exercise. My fuel costs alone were in excess of $ 1250. Hotels ran at an average of about $125 per night and I only had the one nights camping in the Glacier National Park, after which I decided that camping would only be an emergency item. So the total cost of gas, lodging and fuel will be well in excess of $12k. For this I got as much pleasure as I have ever had in a two-month period and memories to last a life time. In addition I have made some fine new friends.

Camping when you are on the move every day is all well and good when you are in a car and you can chuck the stuff in the trunk and get going. On a bike trip it is not so easy, especially when you have a mountain of stuff like I did. I love camping, but on this sort of bike trip it was no fun. Different if you go to one place, set up camp and then do daily rides from there.

The other thing to note is that very few US and Canadian campsites have shower facilities so you need to find a nearby motel or hotel that will let you use a shower for a fee. This is also not my scene. Swimming in the lakes to clean off is freezing cold but at least there are no crocodiles to worry about and no one to steal your clothes and possessions while you are in the water.

I have been asked what the most memorable moment or place was. There were a few that stood out:

• Mount Rushmore for sure. It is spectacularly impressive!
• The Stewart Cassiar Highway near Stewart
• The vastness and beauty of Alaska
• The views of Denali and Tarkeetna.
• The ride into Valdez
• Lake Hood Seaplane base

The worst moments.
There were no really bad moments but

• every minute in Watson Lake was un-enjoyable ( only the signpost forest is worth a stop)
• The last full day of riding from Minnetonka near Minneapolis to Milwaukee because of the traffic and high prevalence of Nikita’s.
• Sitting at the Harley dealer and waiting forever for a tire, which ended up not being changed by them.
• Dropping my Bonnie in the parking lot in Watertown. Fortunately no damage to her only to my ego.

The most fantastic thing was the number of interesting people I met over the period. Had I been in a car I would never have been so lucky. People noticed that Bonnie was different and because of the way she was packed, I was inundated with people wanting to know where I was going to or coming from. Once they found out it was from Alaska, they became completely animated. It is a much bigger deal than I gave it credit for.

People were helpful to the “enth” degree and particularly in the small towns and in Alaska and Northern British Columbia, the inhabitants are worlds apart from their city counterparts. Very conservative and distrusting of government

In the next few days I will be writing to a number of them personally to thank them.
The US and Canada are vast, and then there is Alaska which is even vaster. The distances are staggering. However unlike in Africa where, when you are in the bush, you can always make a track or get a vehicle through the bush, in BC and Alaska this is not possible as the “bush” comprises trees that are less than half a foot apart. This makes it impossible for any vehicle to make its way anywhere off road. There is therefore no such thing as Bundu Bashing. Hence the reliance on Float Planes and Helicopters to get anywhere off the beaten track.

The roads in Alaska and British Columbia are generally good to very good. However and this is a big however, when they turn to dirt or gravel they are shocking, mainly because of all the ongoing rain and damage done to them in the winter. In addition the heavy trucks that are used in the mining and logging industries inflict immeasurable damage to the roads. A motorcyclist’s nightmare scenario is on these roads, because there are very deep ruts made by these huge trucks. Once in one, it is extremely difficult to get out of the rut whilst moving. In fact it almost guarantees a fall. The nightmare gets real when one of these monsters come at you in the opposite direction and he has his outside tire in the same rut that you are riding in. It becomes a case of can you stop fast enough and get out of the rut. He for sure is not.

Everyone working in the northern areas only has three to four months of work a year so it is highly paid and there are no daily or weekly hour maximums. You work all day and the days are long! You get paid by the hour and if you are a truck driver slowing down for a motorcyclist costs time and money.

The US west of Minneapolis and east of Portland is extremely conservative. No ways Obama is going to win much support here. Agriculture was and is the name of the game. The drought is very evident. When I rode outbound the corn was low and green. On the way back, other than in the Dakotas, Alberta and Saskatchewan, everything was showing desperate signs of lack of water. But in the crazy world we live in the farmers receive all sorts of subsidies and will muddle through. People in these areas have little or no interest in the world afar. I suppose this is no different to the country districts elsewhere in the world. There is absolutely no news on South Africa and even the Olympics received scant attention.

The native Indians and first nations as they are known in Canada get a rough deal and they all have alcohol problems. Lots of subsidies to smooth over everyone’s consciences. The Canadians do not really like their southern neighbours and distance themselves from the US at every opportunity. The Canadians are very friendly and much softer than the Americans, but one thing that really surprised me was the level of body mutilation displayed by Canadians. Almost every person has as a minimum a tattoo, some part of the body pierced or destroyed. This applies across the social strata, it seems, and is really ugly.

The big question I am asked is “would I do it again?” The answer is undoubtedly yes, but with some variations as follows:

• I will not necessarily ride all the way across the US, but will probably ship my bike to Vancouver or Seattle.
• I will then ride on the Highway to the Sky, which I did not do. This goes from Vancouver to Whistler and from there on to Prince George and up the Stewart Cassiar Highway to the Alaska Highway.
• I will not stay in Watson Lake, not even with a honey in the honeymoon suite.
• From Whitehorse I will ride over the Highway over the top of the World to Tok and then on up to Fairbanks or down to the Kenai Peninsula.
• On the way back I will route through Haines Junction and Haynes, from where I will take the ferry to Bellingham near Seattle, like Kelly and her father were going to do. This is a four day trip that is meant to be fantastic.
• From there I will ship the bike back to Michigan.
• The other parts that I want to revisit will be the Glacier National Park, the Black Mountains near Sturgis and northern Idaho in the area known as the Pan Handle.

All of the above presupposes that there will be a Honey with me, someone to enjoy the moments with me.

I learnt a lot about myself, as one does when one has only one’s self for company over an extended period of time. I have no problem with my own company and had some very interesting one on one conversation with myself. However all said and done it can only be better with someone along with you and best that be a honey!

Bonnie was the perfect bike for the trip. I took too much gear with me as one tends to do. Far too many clothes. I would not waste my time with more than three pairs of underwear, socks or T shirts. One pair of jeans and one pair of light weight trousers. A few layers of tops for when it gets cold. Everything can be washed in most of the places you stay at, certainly all the chain middle level hotels have laundry facilities and sometimes I simply did my underwear and socks in the basin. The best T Shirts are the new age materials although under your riding gear cotton may still be better as it absorbs the sweat rather than just transmitting this to the jacket.

Camping kit would be extremely limited and only for an emergency. The same with food. Medical and emergency spares would not be cut back on, nor would my SAT Phone or EPIRB Beacon, even though they were sparsely and not used respectively. The SPOT beacon was a godsend. This is a little satellite beacon on which you push a switch when you arrive at your destination and it sends an sms and e-mail message to recipients of your choice advising them that you have arrived safely and the GPS position at which the message has been sent. They can log in and see this on Google Maps.

Of the other equipment in/on the bike and with you, the following is essential

• A sheepskin saddle cover or Motohawk cover. These are much cheaper than a custom saddle and the factory standard saddle is a killer on extended days and trips.
• A tank bag. I had a debate out this with Charles Tasker before I left. He is one of the best bike riders I know. He was not in favour of tank bags. Having decided to take mine, it was the correct decision as it enables you to store stuff you need to access rapidly and easily such as your camera, cell phone, snacks and a knife or basic tools. It also has a clear panel on the lid in which to place one’s maps and notes. Despite having two GPS’s I still like a paper map as it gives one a much bigger area of situational awareness and the notes are often essential.
• Music or audio books. These and great in ear headphones. I have found the best in the world and will tell you more about these once I have secured the agency for SA.
• A good plug in electric pump for the tires as these should be checked every morning and the pressures adjusted. Also when riding on the really bad and wet stuff you need to drop the tire pressure much lower to increase the cross sectional size of the tires road contact area and hence for more stability. As soon as you get back onto the tar you must pump them up before you ride at higher speeds.
• Good cloths and a cleaning solution for you visor and windscreen. Bug murder takes place and the above need to be cleaned regularly.
• A good anti bug spray for yourself. The best being OFF Active by Johnson and Co as it does not have the repulsive smell of the others but appears to work just as well. In addition sun block out for your face is also essential as you are in the sun and wind for many hours each day.
• A good selection of healthy snacks. When you get a bit cold and tired these are critical. If you are feeling a bit sleepy the best is chewing gum as it is impossible to nod off whilst chewing.

Finally you just have to decide to do it.

So I am now back in Cambridge and have been reunited with three of my children and Jayne. On this coming weekend I will be back with DD, the jealous mother, the two Mugwumps who are about to be horrible spoilt, my dogs, with Spot and, of course, also with Lesley

I thank you all for reading this nonsense. I have enjoyed writing it and keeping in touch with you all through it. I hope that no one has been offended and you have been entertained.

Below are a few additional pictures from my trip. Enjoy

So until January next year, from Chile and Argentina when the adventures of Biker Pilot will resume,  from Cambridge UK a final, Good Night and Good Luck.

Biker Pilot on the move

Alaska Pipeline

Glacier View

Float Planes Tarkeetna

Dalton Highway wrong turn. Not many choices but guide chose badly

Biker Pilot waiting for the Harley’s

Taken from a Harley trying to keep up. Biker Pilot leads the pack.

Bush Pilot Heaven

Scully I cannot wait

Copyright 2012

Today being Sunday, was meant to be a day of rest. I was going to ride DD’s bike to Maybee (A small town South of Ann Arbor) for breakfast, but in the end decided to ride it on the dirt back roads near our condo. It was perfect weather for this and DD’s bike, a BMW (of course) F650GS, Bonnie’s baby sister, is lighter than Bonnie as she is not packing any pounds and is very maneuverable, so good fun particularly when you get her out of town. As long as Bonnie did not get to hear that I was playing around with her sister, there should be no “Strike Out”! Level 9 remember!

I ended up doing about 50 miles. After what I have been through, this is like enjoyable foreplay. No sooner had it started than it was over. I found a great  place in nearby Northville for breakfast and then came back for the big, big job – Giving Bonnie the lick and promise she has needed for the past few weeks.

Once in a while, I really like getting to grips with my girls and giving them a real spoiling. The full treatment, think of this like a full session at the beauty parlour. The one that includes the facial, manicure, pedicure, eye lash tint, waxing (Legs, Brazilian and Crack) –yes the full Monty. This is a very personal and intimate affair and it takes a few hours. To do the job properly means that all of those small hidden and intimate folds that a woman has, have to be accessed and caressed clean. No big pressure cleaner can do this job correctly. A delicate touch is needed and great attention to detail.

So I took her outside. Got myself ready for action, undressed except for my shorts to start with, a bit of modesty needed you know? Slowly but surely I methodically did what men and lovers have to do. The result is, well pretty spectacular. After her trip she cannot be restored entirely to her former youth. In fact a bit of minor wear and tear showing is very attractive. Like a woman after her first child, sexier than before.

Whilst I was enjoying being in the sun and being with her.  I was thinking about certain aspects of my trip and the plans that have been going through my head. For a while I have been mulling writing a book and the blog has been an attempt to get the creative juices flowing. What follows, was written by me after leaving Portland Oregon. I had some of these thoughts in my head and pulled into a Starbucks in Tillamook, where I grabbed a coffee and hooked up to the Internet.

Some of what you are about to read on the subject of Biker-Pilots has been incorporated into various later blogs. The stuff in italics is what I wrote on that day some five weeks ago. I hope you enjoy. Steekoog, please note that it is not a licence for further porno blogging about me!

So I am going to write a book. I wrote the bulk of this blog the night after I read  my Poppie friend’s blog. In it she was having a go at the latest rage, 50 Shades of Grey. I first heard about this book a few months ago and decided to buy it as a present for DD. Traveling husbands do this sort of thing and then leave these bits of erotica around, hoping that darling will pick it up in a moment of weakness and read it. Then Bob’s your aunt. When you spend lots of time apart, as we do, the danger exists that you become like ships in the night, passing each other without even knowing that you have done so.

After 31 years of a marriage that has included long periods apart, I figured 50 Shades was a good road map for relationship realignment. Unfortunately her take on the book was similar to Poppie’s. However the success of this book has had me thinking. Not that I have read it. I confess that it is on my Kindle along with a whole bunch of low-key romantic pseudo erotica.

Before you think that I have lost it, let me explain. When I upgraded my Kindle I gave my old one to our youngest daughter, Baby Platcool! She orders her books on my account and they live in the cloud along with all my purchases. So I can see what is going down in young woman’s minds.

Given the raging success of 50 Shades, these thoughts are also going on in more mature woman’s minds. The reason for this frustration is blatantly clear.

These women have not had a Biker-Pilot as a lover!

Girls until you have had a Biker-Pilot you will remain frustrated. Not just a biker and not just a pilot. He has to be a Biker-Pilot and therefore the hero of my book will be a Biker-Pilot.

I know you are on the edge of your seats wanting to know why the perfect lover hero has to be a Biker-Pilot. So let me tell you.

Only a Biker-Pilot has the following critical attributes. Of course he has to be a good or even great Biker-Pilot. A “nog schlepper” will not do. Great bikers and great pilots have the following critical attributes:

• Situational awareness.This is essential as there is no use in even planning a frontal assault on a bad day. You have to aware of the lie of the land at all times. When the weather is below minimums at your home airfield , you need to plan to hold for a while and have enough reserves for an approach and if this fails, a second shot at it. If still unsuccessful you need sufficient fuel in your tank for a quick approach to an alternative.Great bikers and pilots have situational awareness in sack full’s and can operate in most weather conditions and in heavy traffic.
• Tempo and Timing.Biking and flying are touch, feel and hearing dependent. You have to be in tune with your mount at all times. Riding and flying are all about getting your tempo and timing right. Never rushed, always the right line. Pace is critical. A light touch necessary most of the time. When you ride the optimum position of your hands is the right hand lightly on the throttle and the first two fingers on the brake, ready for an instant response in a change of situation. Your left hand also has two fingers lightly on the clutch, ready to change gear whenever the situation demands it. So more torque needed means clutch in, change down, release the clutch and twist the throttle. Both thumbs are free to flick the buttons as needed.

  The engine’s sound is always the critical guide. A slow contented purr means your tempo is right and the gear is perfect. An agitated rumble means a different gear is needed and probably more throttle. A banshee wail means that the limit is close and either you need to get into a higher gear or something is going to give.Pilots manage their aircraft using similar skills. Generally using a light touch on the joystick. But sometimes when the aircraft gets out of trim, or on older heavier models a firmer, less delicate touch, is needed. Its just that everything gets a bit sloppy with time and stretches which makes the feel part a bit more challenging. Adaptability to instant changes in weather, temperature, runways and loads are the name of the game when flying.

  Pilots also have to use both hands all the time.  One on the joystick to make sure the aircraft is headed exactly where you want it to go. The other on the throttles to set the speed. There is also a third variable on propeller driven aircraft, the pitch lever that controls the propeller’s angles Modern jets are like young girls, not too many levers to play with. Just full forward and flat out, so I will not go into the pitch control. Married men however will understand that this pitch lever is an essential control, one which gives them an added advantage in the game of life. They know how to deal with the screams of a runaway propeller!

• Dealing with different situations and emergencies.Both bikers and pilots have to be ready to deal with rapidly changing situations as part of their normal day-to-day operations. Girls, this is critical as it gives you the ability to be atypical and chop and change everything all of the time. This means that they will always find you interesting and challenging. Never boring when you act abnormally and indecisively.The ability to think on their feet and deal with difficult situations is a huge advantage. Emergencies do arise and their cool heads are essential. Especially if your husband or boy friend finds you with a Biker Pilot. Accountants and doctors are easy meat for them to deal with. Lawyers a bit more difficult, professional hunters extremely testing and even the most dangerous species, sisters, can be dealt with by Biker-Pilots. They can think on their feet and also when leaping off their mounts in an emergency.Remember that they are also trained to deal with loss of control and the occasional engine failures as well.
• Cheek and Bravado.These are also key requirements in a good lover. No one wants a boring lover. You need to be spurred to great heights and this requires a bit of a challenge at all times. Bikers and pilots are never boring. At least not the good ones.Imagine the following situation. Your man and his friend are in your lounge. They are drinking and the friend will not leave. Eventually you retire in disgust to sleep. The next morning you have to go to work. You are in the bathroom getting ready.Your husband, a doctor, staggers in. He apologises and looks for pills.Alternatively your husband, a Biker-Pilot staggers in. Sits on the loo and watches you for a few minutes. He then asks you what the chances are of your making him bacon and eggs to help get rid of his hangover?

  Which one will you love more. The doctor wanker or the character. For sure you will be laughing about the Biker-Pilot for many years to come whereas you will just have the shits about the doctor husband for years.

  You will always have more to talk about, good or bad, with the Biker-Pilot. Characters are what makes the world go around.

• Adventurous by nature but not warped.Bikers and pilots are happy to try all sorts of things. They are adventurous by nature. Different riding styles and positions are the norm. Bikers in particular have to be able to ride standing up and also, on occasion hanging on by their finger tips. This is really important in a runaway situation when control is difficult. Sometimes this also occurs when aircraft are near terminal velocity and they are bucking around, a pilot has to be cool and adapt his technique accordingly.Most importantly bikers do not like playing near or in the exhaust pipe as they have learnt from bitter experience that this a hot, dirty and high-risk area. Pilots also know that tail gunning has the highest mortality rate and so stay clear as well.This means that with a Biker-Pilot you can push the limit, knowing that he is in control to ensure your enjoyment without ever having to worry about a sneak attack whilst your guard is down.This last attribute will immediately eliminate certain characters from the lead role in my novel.
• All weather operations.Bikers and pilots need to be able to operate in all weather conditions, wet or dry. Slippery roads and runways. Morning, noon or night. Hot or cold.The morning I when I left Portland for the coast, and because I was having to operate in heavy traffic and needed all my situational awareness I decided not to put my music on. I wanted to be able to hear and feel Bonnie and the potential assassins around me.Within 20 minutes I was out of town and in the countryside.  Having got started on this train of thought this morning, after the blog about 50 shades last night, my mind was racing. I never got to put the music on and 60 miles to the coast rushed by.I lingered on this aspect of being able to operate at all times and under all conditions. Bonnie, my US bike, likes a short warm up in the morning and then a quick hard burst of activity to get the juices going. After that she can keep going all day.

  Jayne, my British bike, is like all Brits happy to operate in all weather conditions. She has to be as in the UK the weather is all over the place. In cold winters she prefers a cuddle and slow gentle start before I twist the throttle.

  Spot, in South Africa, is great for getting on and getting going in summer. Already warm by the time I get her out, no further warm up is needed.

  Lesley is, as I said very frisky, but is from a different era. Of my bikes, she is the only one whose name relates to someone once in my life. Normally my past is of the “ no names, no pack drill” or as Baby Platcool always tells me “what goes on tour, stays on tour” rules. But the real Lesley was long ago and has passed on into the after life.

  So bikers have to be able to adapt to these changes seamlessly.

  Pilots are all trained to do a full pre-flight before starting. This means that they are fully aware of their mounts wants and needs before they start the flight. Trained to ensure the oil and other operating temperatures are in the normal range and the other controls checked for full, correct and free movement before starting the flight, means that they can get on and go with everything properly prepared.

  So the said Great Biker-Pilot combination is absolutely perfect for every girl.

Back to Sunday evening. I am now getting my head around incorporating these bits and pieces into some sort of book. The issue I have with it all, is that as my friend Steekoog says, without names it is not a story. Every great story is based on some connection with real people and reality. Too many of the characters in my life, are still around. In some cases their egos are much too fragile to take any tangible and recognisable link, so I am trying to figure a work around.

Coming next will be my last blog of this series, at least until my next big motorcycle trip in South America next January. This will be, as I have said, a summary of my trip.

Until then, from Northville in Michigan, where Bonnie sparkles and has been put to bed for a while ( if I need to ride it will be, with Bonnie’s permission, on Little Bonnie), good night and good luck.

Copyright 2012

So if you are wondering what has happened to the budding author, he has collapsed in a heap under the weight of laundry, bike related cleaning and getting Bonnie to her service etc..
All my good intentions of exercise yesterday came to naught as I was frankly exhausted. I am not sure how I thought I could ride close on 3,800 miles in eight days and then get up and go running the next morning.
By yesterday evening the condo looked like a Chinese laundry shop with all my waterproofs, jerseys, riding gear and other stuff that cannot go into the tumble dryer strewn around the place to dry out. Slowly but surely I have been getting on top of sorting everything else out and making a list of exactly what I used.

I went to my favourite local restaurant last night, Flemings for a real steak and cheesecake. One scotch with dinner and I was man down. Passed out last night, was up at about 06h00 and could not move, my body had gone into rebellion. No more it was screaming.

So no more it was. I have had a lazy day, reading, movies, a bit of mail and some more washing and tidying. The contents of what will be my penultimate blog are forming in my mind. Steekoog is on hold and very unhappy about it. Dinah T is also less than impressed by I have the final say.

So from Northville Michigan Good night and good luck

Copyright 2012

At 13h09 precisely Bonnie and I pulled into the parking in front of my old US office. This is half a mile from our condo and so for all intents and purposes the trip was over. I popped in to say his to the gang in the office. There are many keen motor bikers and I have many friends amongst the team there.
The engineers and bikers are quickly outside. In true engineer’s style I am peppered with technical questions. They want facts and figures, not anecdotes. How far? How much does the load weigh? What is the bikes total weight? I have no idea. There ia a weighbridge a few miles down the road so why don’t I go there and weigh Bonnie and myself while we have everything on her?

Shit guys, I have just ridden 3717 miles (5982 km)  from Valdez Alaska in under nine full days and my condo is less than a mile away and you want me to ride back 5 miles each way, to weigh ourselves. I think we will leave it that we look like “the real deal”.

As soon as I have had a moment to catch up with all the “catch up” matters, I will sit down and send all the vital details of the trip out in one of the final blogs. The quick details are I was on the road for two days over eight weeks. It was 58 days in total and I covered 11,117 miles ( 17891 km) during this period. This was based on my odometer which has a degree of inaccuracy in it due to varying tire sizes and pressures etc.. The GPS, which is probably more accurate, had the distance at a little over 11,250 miles (18,105 km). To put this in perspective, this is about to London and back from Cape Town.
For the benefit of the engineers and others I will include average speeds, max speeds ( I know this one 93.3 mph on the road between Tarkeetna and Denali), average fuel consumption and fuel used etc..

I have achieved all my “big things” and more importantly “the biggest” when I pulled into our drive a few minutes after 14h00  for I knew that I had done so safely. Bonnie was magnificent throughout. She never missed a beat. Started every morning and every other time I pushed the starter. On the odd occasion she was a little rough but I suspect that was due to the quality of the food she was fed in various places. I think that more ethanol than is advertised is mixed into the fuel from time to time. She carried me and a camel’s load uncomplainingly. As my new friend Siegfried from Burwash Landing said ” You are riding the best motor bike in the world, built in Berlin”. Sigfried, if their ever was any doubt, it has to be out the window after this.

My bike fitness is supreme. I was up at 04h00 this morning and made my way to the Lake Express ferry terminal in Milwaukee by 05h15 in time for the 06h00 departure. They want you there by 05h30 and this morning they actually cast off ten minutes early at 05h50. The trip took the standard 02h30 and we were off and on the road at 10h30 due to the time change of one hour. In the rain just to make sure I had not forgotten all I had learnt in Alaska. So gear on and no problem. Helped to clean Bonnie as well, she know looks remarkably spic and span.

As I am riding along between Lansing and Ann Arbor I slow down, I want this time with Bonnie to last. I am in no particular hurry. I am feeling so strong that I contemplate stopping for a proper coffee out of our machine and then riding on to New York to see my friend Trevor or to Massachusetts to see Dianne Michelow and her parents and then riding back, only so that I can say that I have been coast to coast! It will only be another four days and I am at least that much ahead of schedule. But I know DD and jealous mother of the twins need me and the goodies for the babies.

Once here the big job began. First I give Bonnie a big hug and a kiss. A lovers thanks fro an unforgettable experience. every lovers time away should be like this. I then nnpack Bonnie and all my stuff. Piles in front of the washing machines. In fact the last load of normal stuff is now in the machine and it is 22h15. I am already in bed as I am now exhausted. I made myself a vintage Richard dinner. Those of you who know me well and have spent time with me when I am the caterer in one of my places overseas will know what this entailed. It is great to be able to start eating simple fresh food again.

Not that the food on the trip was bad. To the contrary, particularly in Bend at Granny Randy’s, in Vancouver, Penticton at the Enns’s  and in Alaska the food was terrific. But that was a few days out of many. Food on the road can never beat fresh salads at home and simple foods. I will be stocking up on goodness here ( not the Alaskan buttery, syrupy goodness) and will visit Whole Foods in the next two days. I will also be up early in the morning to start running again to improve my cardio fitness, as this has suffered. I may even ride my road bike. I have lost lots of weight and inches around my middle. My riding trousers keep on falling off and I need my one kidney belt to keep them on. It needs to stay this way.

There is lots that needs to be done. Bonnie is going in tomorrow for a full check up and service. They are lending me a K1600 GT to use while she is in the spa. This is the Nikita I was talking about. Bonnie is not about to be traded in, fear not. I also have US tax returns to be completed (A big job), a vehicle coming off lease to be handed back, a myriad of admin to be sorted out as I have done nothing about this over the past two months. Interestingly enough no wheels have fallen off.

I also need a bit of time to do some reading and I have a whole bunch of movies to watch in my Nipple Pink movie room. Tonight was going to be the first one, but over dinner I turned on Discovery channel. It is the 25th anniversary of the film “Jaws” and they have a series of documentaries they have made on sharks around the world. This evenings episode is shot in False Bay and is mainly about Colossus, he is estimated to be about 1100kgs in weight and they footage is stunning and frightening. They rig up a dummy seal with a G meter in it and measure the force with which he hits a seal as he jumps out of the water and takes the meal in his mouth. It peaks out at 29.3 G. To put this in perspective, an ejection seat in fighter, hits the pilot with about 5 G to 15 G, depending on the vintage and model. Over 15 G is invariably fatal, so most seals are dead before the bite in half happens.

To think that I have spent years swimming in that very same water and bay. In fact DD, the children and I saw what must have been Colossus’s mate about 20 years ago in Malindi in Kenya. This was female great white that had been caught in a fisherman’s net. It had dragged the boat for over 20 hours before finally succumbing. On the beach when we saw it, it looked like a baby submarine and the dorsal fin was higher than our children. That fish was also estimated to have weighed over 1000 kg.
So I never get to watch anything else and then, as the program finished my wheels came off. After a second clean up, another shower and all, I am in bed. It is way too empty!

I have had some interactions with Steekoog and Dinah T and have censored both of their latest comments as they are getting too carried away and into things here. I have had a number of people e-mail me to find out where they can access these comments. The one’s I have permitted are reachable by clicking on the Comments RSS link at the bottom right had side of the web page. If you register for the blog you will be notified as and when comments are posted once they have been OK’d by me. The ones that I have blocked are for my eyes only!

I have also been asked why no more GoPro footage. the reasons are as follows:

• My Laptop ran out of disk space after movie no 3 and I was only able to get a external hard drive in Vancouver.
• Then on the Stewart Cassiar Highway (All the roads in the northern part of BC, the Yukon and Alaska are called Highways. It just means that they are not complete dirt tracks, actually not always true because many of them are awful), I stopped for a break and dropped my helmet with the GoPro on it. In so doing the mount broke and had sent the spare back from Granny’s place to Michigan.
• Finally the GoPro has one major draw back in that it does not have a remote control that makes it easy to use on a motorbike. So, if it is mounted on your helmet which is the best place for it, you are continually having to take the helmet on and off to switch it/off.

Over the next few days I will be finishing off the bits and pieces I owe you, a trip summary, and all my thank you’s. These will go out in a blog post. In the interim thank you all for your support.

So from Northville Michigan, Good Night and Good Luck.

Copyright 2012.