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I had went to bed early, and did set an alarm clock for the first time in weeks, to 06:30. That gave me time to enjoy waking up lazily in bed, procrastinating getting up while enjoying my own company. Breakfast was the only poor one I had this trip, that went nicely with the theme of this visit to Fes, croissants were stale and worthy of one single bite, orange juice hadn't seen an orange since an industrial factory somewhere once processed them, and coffee tasted like Nescafe. In Morocco there's no excuse for non fresh orange juice and shit coffee, but it made sense as that hotel didn't even offer a breakfast free stay, they had to push people to eat it I was ready to go a little after 7, but as I looked around the streets seemed really wet and it was going to be dark for a while after leaving, so grudgingly put my plastic rain pants and jacket on. By 07:25, I was ready to go: Put navigation on heading to Ain Dorij, and rode off, google maps took me out via tiny streets that seemed more complicated than needed, but the low traffic showed me a less seen side of Fes. It was interesting. Getting out of town and rain starts to steadily fall, at 08:15 I had had my only really challenging moment on the road and stopped to enjoy the sunrise a little, on a particularly muddy and poorly surfaced bit of road tilting to the right, I was forced to brake a little and basically slid off the road, I spotted the gravel bit outside the tarmac and simply pointed to that and rode it for a while. I am most impressed at the Mitas E07 + Dakar, they're sound tires even if the manufacturer warns that they have poor performance in rain and cold. 08:15: Rain properly starts to fall shortly later, my phone is now safe in my jacket and I stop for a moment's rest after spotting shelter. Someone takes my picture as for whatever reason I was enjoying it quite a bit. The above was at 08:55, I then put the phone back in my jacket pocket safe from the weather, and rode all the way to Tangier with no need for it. Navigation was easy and although I was riding on less than main roads I knew I had to go pass Ouezzane and then Chefchaouen, it proved easy. Rain didn't stop for the rest of the morning, averaging from hard to very hard and very windy at the same time. I got stopped at a checkpoint and after the initial small talk the officer told me I had been spotted at 95kmh on a 60, I got off the bike with the helmet open, got my right glove off and introduced myself, told him I would be more respectful from now on, but that I was intended on catching the Ferry and wanted to not miss it, all while putting my biggest possible good guy big smile attitude. Then he asked me for my papers while looking at the back of the bike, and asked where I was from as clearly I didn't have a French or German plate, upon the answer of "Portugaise" he enthusiastically shook my hand and after becoming friends sent me on my way with a big smile and a "ride safe" farewell. Portugal is a good nationality to be in Morocco, our national football team shares the same colours, and we both like beating the French and Spaniards. From there it was very smooth to Tangier, if plenty of wet. The last miles before Tangier were dry and windy, which allowed the overalls to dry on the outside. I had money with me so stopped to top up the bike at a Shell station, rode into Tangier feeling like a road worn adventurer, and quickly got lost in lunchtime traffic Stopped at a cafe with outside tables on a common street and ordered a sandwich. While it took forever to arrive I took the overalls off and made myself comfortable. Turns out my overall pants aren't really waterproof anymore, my jeans were wet on the outside all over the waterproof stitches, and my chest and upper back was fully wet too. Good stuff! The bike looked proper and had just proven to be a trusty friend, a true work beast or a war horse: It was good to ride to the port without the blasted rain suit, hang around for a little getting in line for the bike to be x-rayed, it all went easily as if hipotetically crossing between any European countries. The crossing was a little choppy, the storms seemed to have angered the Mediterranean and the boat rocked heavily the whole trip. At first it was funny like so, look at the water level in the horizon: But after a while people started to get a little tired of it, I felt like having a piss but sat firmly in my seat at the risk of falling over when walking or throwing up if standing, two guys started praying to Allah, and a few people had hands on their faces like trying to prevent eyes from popping out. We made it ok though, lack of paperwork on the boat was a bonus, I don't envy people crossing the other way and having to write stuff down, I would succumb to that for sure! Got out of the boat in my due time, and pushed the bike along with all the line of cars that got off the boat before I did. Tarifa looked stormy, so I put the rain stuff back on, the time at Tangier and on the boat had dried my clothes so I felt comfy and fresh. It was past 16:00 by the time I rode out of Tarifa, I had looked at hotels around there and also the weather forecasts, it was rain for the next few days, so feeling fresh after the ride from Fes I decided to go home for the night, Waze sent me via Badajoz which wouldn't have been my preferred route, but as it was raining through Sevilla (or was it Huelva already? I don't know...) I was lazy and followed it's guidance. Storms were littered all around, with orange warnings for heavy rain so I figured there must be a reason for the longer route. Right before entering Portugal I stopped for a snack after riding all the way from Tarifa in heavy rains. 20km into the trip a water barrier descended upon me with such violence that water pushed into my overalls with ease through my neck and wrists. This stop made sense, and the tiny jamon con queso bocadillho provided me with a little comfort from the belly outwards. The beer is 0% alcohol, too. The snack and fuel stop was at 20:09, I made it home at 22:54 and the bike looked pretty much like I did except prettier, just as wet. That was an epic day riding, around 300/320km in Morocco's backroads and around 700km in Europe with port crossing and a choppy ride in the middle of it, I felt like it was a proper day to end a proper trip, and was comforted by a hot shower in my own house, that I grew to love from Maria. Heated up some of Sofia's shepherds pie and opened a bottle of red wine. I was feeling energized when arriving home, despite the long day, but as soon as food and wine hit my stomach and I settled from the excitement of riding through rain storms, I started feeling tired. That night I fell asleep moments after laying down, and the rain lashed the outside of my bedroom walls through the night. On this trip I travelled with Maria and Sofia, and have to thank you all for providing an audience, the taking pictures everywhere provided with a distraction to some of the very intense feelings I had. I got through it and the extreme darkness I feared didn't appear, only sorrow and the memory of loving times did. I hardly ever felt alone on this trip. It was a nice one, there will be more. Thank you for all the nice comments.

No not that 180 but it's been 180 days since i last rode a bike so today I needed to put that right. @Slowlycatchymonkey said the weather was going to be fab but it bloody wasn't when I left home at 11.30 am , i couldn't see in front of my face and it didn't get any better for a while.............. Anyway, perhaps her forecast was right because as I got nearer to her manor the sun started to poke it's head through the fog. By time I got to Chew Valley lake it was lovely............ and the various birdies were enjoying it as well................... I rode up over the Mendip hills and down through the old rode into Wells where it was starting to get positively balmy. From there I rode on to Shepton Mallet where I stopped to have a gander at the old prison, I have actually been in there about 38 years ago but not as a guest of her majesty you understand............ From there I took the Frome road but stpped at Doulting to have a sandwich and a coffee from my flask . While I was there I got a phone call from my mate Big Tone and we agreed to meet up for a coffee at Farrington Farm. I stopped to say hello to this lot on the way in ............. and then we sat in a strange sort of hobbit house for our coffee, Tone is one big hobbit at 6' 4'' tall From there it was a short 18 miles back home . It was great to be out riding again and I may get to repeat the exercise again on Saturday

No, it’s Portuguese for

You mean that with the deletion of Marcel's thread my masterly takedown of creationism has been lost forever? Took me ages to nick all that science shit off Richard Dawkins and make out that I understood it...

The sun was shining and the cold wind from the last few days had gone, so I decided that a little bimble was in order. I topped the tank at our local supermarket and headed up to Coursan. Then across to the Narbonne northern bypass and peeled off north towards Ginestas. The traffic was pretty light, so it was easy going. A guy on a T100 Bonneville caught up with me just before Saint- Marcel - sur- Aude. We tried having a conversation at a set of lights, but engine noise and language barrier put paid to that! He turned off shortly after anyway. I carried on North and eventually crossed the Argeliers - Trebes road. This is where the ride starts getting a bit more interesting, as the road was then heading into the Corbieres hills. After a bit, I turned off this road to head towards the medieval town of Minerve. This road follows the hillside on one side of the valley of the river Cesse, so it twists and turns around rocky outcrops. French drivers have the mindset that nothing should be coming the other way on blind bends, so extra care is needed to not meet one of them on your side of the road when coming around these bends. I stopped just before the town to get some photos. The town is perched on a rocky point where two rivers meet and have carved two valleys/canyons through the rocky landscape. I rode through the town and headed up to the carpark that overlooks it. There's not much of a view of the town from there, so I decided to carry on up the single track road into the hills for a bit. There didn't seem to be too much more up in that direction, but there were some nice views towards the Pyrénées. It was a bit hazy, so the snow on the peaks was barely visible. I headed back down to the town and set sail for home. I stopped once more to take some pictures of a village, sitting between a low cliff and the river, which has no water in it at the moment. I took a slightly different route back. Going through Argeliers and Capestang, before peeling off towards the south again, through Montels and Nissan- les-Enserune and back to home. Not a huge ride, probably around 100-110km, but nice to get out on the bike for a while.

just some pics from the 3 hours i was out for today. weather is, as usual this time of year, wonderful. Blue skies. 25deg and a light breeze. I followed a route I had not really planned some tie ago but had forgotten to tick the box "avoid gravel" on the gps route planner...

Out for a tour of the countryside with the Missus....near Sumpter... Blue Springs summit.... elevation: 5,864 ft.

Decided to sod the front garden off for today and do my Annual Pilgrimage to Strata Florida Abbey instead. Most of you have seen these places before but if Pete can keep repeating himself them so can i LOL I set off a little late it was 10:30 by the time i was on my way the weather was overcast and cool, i had a nice slow road ride until i hit the road from Ystradfellte to Heol y Senny i always seem to get carried away on that road and it brought me to my first lane of the day where i ended up fixing the gate as it was off its hinges the dopey fucker who fitted it put the bottom hinge upside-down so all the weight is on the top hinge a rough fix it should go in the bodge section but it works fine don't know how long for though. While i was here i found one of those Geocache things it had a £1 coin in there a pack of fag papers and some weed so i nicked the quid and threw the weed i didn't have a pen to sign the register LOL I stopped to open a gate further on and when i turned around the bike was on the floor it had rolled off the stand and ended up breaking the rivet pin on the gear lever so this is what i had been riding with all day it was ok and it didn't make any difference to shifting and i saved the bits before they got lost there's been some tree maintenance on the next lane this was all enclosed, certainly was easier to ride not ducking under low branches Further up it's still overgrown The track goes down to the right in this photo and the easiest way to ride it is straight out into that fecking gate almost pushed my spine out my arsehole when i hit my head on it From here i headed over the firing ranges to Tirabad and through the Crychan Forest onto Cynghordy and this lane which is very wet and mucky though the winter months a lot easier to ride in the dry From here i was onto the Llyn Brianne road another one i seem to speed up on, no photos as the riding was fast and flowing and i didn't want to stop, the top end of Llyn Brianne brings you to the start of Strata Florida in the background is the road to Tregaron another great road When i got back to the bike i spotted a flat fox poor fecker Onto the baptism and there's plenty of water for it the river crossings were straight forward enough it was the puddles that would catch you out when i rode through two of them i knew they were deep because the bike went quiet as i rode though At the furthest point from home here just past Llyn Teifi and onto Claerwen Res Top end of Claerwen Res this kind of track is where the XR excels it is so nice riding it along here. Looking over the dam wall i'm heading for the track on the right of the river But there's another river to cross first i played it safe and swept around to the right straight through almost had me in last time A bit further along after Bobs step A long road ride from here to Talybont on Usk where i headed home over to Trefil and across to Merthyr Talybont Res i'm riding the other way just turned the bike around to take the photo same on the Pontsticill res photo Pontsticill res From here it was over my mountain and home, it was a ride I've needed for a while spent most of it on the pegs because my arse was sore. It was a 172 mile loop. I'm in the middle of changing the oil and filter now ready for the next ride.

As we are all coming from different directions we met at a Greene King pub near Portsmouth Port on Sunday evening. There was a lot excitement, roast dinners and chat. We board seamlessly at 23.00, exchange cabin numbers in case of emergency (no mobile reception) and get straight into our cabins, we dock at 6.30am french time (5.30am uk time), my alarm goes off at 4.30am and I instantly think - who’s stupid idea was this South West Caen (Ouistreham) Port obviously not in 7hrs 33 mins as it was an overnight ferry. Off the ferry and five mins to a cafe right next to the port for a quick croissant, a chat about the route, riding in France and to allow the ferry traffic to dissipate. Glad I had my ipad on hand to show the priorite a driote signage as only one person was familiar with it and they appeared often on our ‘no-motorway’ cross country route! It’s grey, rainy, not the most fun for riding and no matter how hard I try the pace is a bit too slow to be fun but it takes folk time to warm up to riding on the other side of the road when you’re not familiar with it and I’m kind of glad I’m not dealing with any kamikaze riders. Quirky little house over three floors, surrounded by grape vines, as you’d expect in the Loire Valley. We arrive in Sancerre far too late to tour the vineyard which is a bit of a shame but after so little sleep on the ferry everyone is exhausted. The day has stretched out far beyond all comprehension and with a supermarket stop to pick up some steaks we only make it to the house after 7pm. Another friend joins us at this point ready to party and finds us all in zombie mode I may have avoided taking everyone into Paris but the cross country route was not without a price to pay!

Some fine wine, hot food, good sleep and by the next morning most were raring to ride over the border to the Swiss part of Lake Genèva for a bit of lunch and snap a pic with Mont Blanc in the background. Of course it’s end of the ski season so a lot is shut and lunch turned into a vending machine affair Whilst enjoying the lake our ‘on the spectrum’ friend (there’s always at least one in every group isn’t there ) whacked out three different water colour paintings of my mates house in under two hours! It was gorgeous out there Still a bit chilly from the mountain air we opted for quick showers, warm jackets and Kir Royals to warm the cockles. This was followed by far too much wine, we were still laughing about what we couldn’t remember the next morning

I left about 10.45 this morning to meet up with @Skippy in the Natural Park Area across the border in Almeria. First proper run the bike has had for a while, and you'll be disappointed to know there's no abandoned villages this time. Apparently the last village I visited with Skippy traumatised him because he thought he was back in the Blitz! Also traumatised his bike and his jacket cos they both fucked up as well. So here we go......all upbeat, touristy type of shit. These are taken on the way to the Natural Park......a BOTM prospect there I'd say! Roads were jammed as usual! Conditions were amazing......about 20c there and going up to 26 later on. I had to find some grim, devastated shit just to cheer me up though...... And then it was on towards the Natural Park.......there's always bikes here! I parked up by Skippy's Tracer....... Went into the picnic area.......Skippy was already there! Along with 3 groups of Spanish bikers! Didn't take them long for all of them to fuck off when I got there though! So we were there for a while and then it was back to the bikes! The plan was to take him into the Granada province and show him some of the area up around the reservoir at San Clemente. Cos this type of Spain is the polar opposite of where he lives! Eventually we got to the reservoir.......he was surprised to see snow on the peaks! That doesn't happen on the coast! Less and less water all the time! Skippy then followed me back to the town and set his GPS to take the "Adventure" route home! He hasn't logged back in yet.......so maybe he did end up in an Abandoned Village after all?

Had another good trip out with the Welsh Wizard, no devastation, or destruction, no broken bike, brand-new jacket is still fine, I think he was quite disappointed that nothing broke or fell off. Got back to the Brit enclave about 4.15pm……….had some daft Spanish twat pull across me but I live to ride another day.

This feels more like a miracle than a result. I have new hearing aids and I can fucking hear!!!!! Mr Slowly started talking to me as we went through some doors and usually if someone’s behind me I can’t hear what they’re saying, maybe a muffled noise but no actual words. I hadn’t realised I heard all of it when I replied and he said you just heard what I said even though you couldn’t see my face. He then suggested I connected them to my phone and put some music on. I love music. Going deaf and not being able to hear music has been most painful so I was reluctant to spoil such a win by highlighting a loss. Curiosity got the better of me and I played a tune with a prolonged percussion section that contains cymbals, hi-hat cowbells etc all mixed in. I haven’t heard a cymbal for about 10 years but I could hear it all. Every instrument was distinct, the clarity is fantastic, I cried for so long my head started to hurt. I can’t believe it. I know it’s temporary and eventually I’ll get deafer but right now I feel so happy I could cry. Oh look at that I am

Saturdays ride was going to be just a reccy ride for me on my own to check out a few dirt tracks i hadn't ridden before just outside the Llandovery area, i advertised the ride on the TRF forum to see if one or two fancied a day out and before i new it there was seven of us so ended up having to plot a route i already new. Start time was an early one for me 08:30 and we were meeting the seventh member on route. Plan was a road ride to Sennybridge area which was about 30 miles or an hour away on the roads we were taking. Two of the lads that turned up were on two strokes i didn't fancy the road work on those i had explained before hand how much there was they said they were ok with it so after introductions and a few rules of the ride explained off we went. Headed up the Cynon valley to Penderyn and then Ystradfellte and onto the devils elbow to meet up with the seventh member of our group Here's a stock a photo of the devils elbow A couple of miles after this we were onto the first of the trails and the road work was soon forgotten This is a bit of a tough one plenty of fails here i was lucky enough to see it all Jason here having a breather very new to this stuff he went home early on the last ride with me but he was i'll LOL Steve concentrating hard But not happy with just riding the bike he throws it to the ground and decides to do some weight training as well Even the two stroke boys found it a challenge Steve gets going again for the whole of 5 yards and he's down but still smiling Andrew on the mighty DRZ400 And Paul bringing up the rear finding it much easier on his CRF250L than his CRF450L Stopped for fuel in Sennybridge as the KTM two stroke needed fuel every 40 to 50 miles, done a few easy lanes after but no photos on those . The next eventful lane i know as Lampkin lane named after Dougie Lampkin an ex world trials champion due to how difficult it is but we were going down it so no problem. At the bottom is a small river crossing with a very slippery base Steve finds out just how slippery it is and Unfortunately Steve breaks his leg in the fall Luckily there was a mechanic there with a set of Allan keys to fix it So after the laughter stopped and with Steve rebuilt we took on the exit from the lane Almost got run over trying to video fucking two stroke riders don't give a shit LOL Next up was a steep climb, last time i done it it was wet today was easy compared to then everyone made it ok which was disappointing LOL From here there were a few more lanes with no photos taken, then into Llandovery for the two strokes to fuel up and a sandwich for ourselves Heading out west of Llandovery and done a few lanes I've not done before and onto another little stream which i forgot to mention was a little deeper than it looked LOL Stopped for a breather here Jason thoroughly enjoying himself testing the water resistance of his new boots There was a few more uneventful lanes with no photos before we were on the route home Stopped here on the roman road waiting for the others to catch up Steve still full of energy, when they did catch up the lad on the KTM two stroke had binned it twice behind us luckily only had some sore ribs After the roman road a few of us decided to check out the famous motel hill by going down it isn't any better than i remember this was taken just after Andrew had picked his bike up just doesn't show how steep it is No more photos from here, stopped to fill the two strokes up again in Sennybridge before the road ride home. I think everyone enjoyed themselves they were all still smiling and alive when i left them so that's a good sign

Today I made the cakes ( yes, 2 different ones) more drunk, and being a vet I have the right tools to get the booze right in the middle!!

Was??? Still is!!! Turned 20 this year, I have had almost from new. We have been together for that long!! Best car in the World!!

Yer a Polish woman told me you're good for that.

As the second week of my journey starts I have had a chance to look back at the first week. We were in the backcountry fast and without cell reception for most of the week. I have just now had a few days with the internet to touch base with the world. We have already seen some amazing places but one of my favourites was a place called Marble Canyon. We camped beside Turquoise lake in the middle of this beautiful canyon. We stayed there for a few days and just enjoyed this magical place. If you look real close in about the middle of the photo you can see our little red tent....

I think I had planned 1500km for this trip and door to door was 1508km according to the trip meter on the bike. it also showed 24h50 minutes riding time ( a little less in reality as I don't always switc the engine off when stopping for a pic or slapping the sat nav or whatever but call that "saddle time" and it'd be about right) fuel consomption was around 5,8L per 100 km. I left home on wednesday morning under clear skies and temps of around 8 to 10 deg c. The first stage was south to Clermont Ferrand on roads that I have ridden many times before. Crossing the Loire, westbound at Pouilly sur Loire I rode south on the left bank of the Loire for a while further before stopping for a coffee break. Budget restrictions being what they are ( and I'm something of a cheapskate at the best of times...) coffee from a flask was the order of the day and I just stopped at a convenient spot at the roadsiide by the river. Tigger in full touring Mode: despite the sunshine, I still had thermal liners in jacket and trousers at this point. I picked up the A75 southbound shortly after this at Monmarrault and as the weather rapidly deteriorated I hunkered down and concentrated on "making progress", switching from the "scenic" gps app to "Coyote" which warns of any speed cameras or dangers on the road as well as basic navigation. I really didn't need any avigational aids as I simply had to run south untill junction 37. This was a boring, if reasonable short interlude just concentrating on the road ahead and despite the rain keeping the speed needle around 140km/h ( the French Autoroutes are limited to 130 under normal circumstances, but in rain are limited to 110 and 140 on the tigers clocks gives a real speed of around 135, hence the usefulness of advance warning of any speed cameras, mobile or otherwise. ( it's not an infallible system, but for 50€ a year it only has to avoid 1 10 km/h exess speed fine to be viable. ) Once off the Autoroute, the road eastwards from Marvejols to Balsieges, before joining the Gorges du Tarn proper was superbe. The weather was still cold and damp, with 10/10ths cloud cover but only actually raing in brief showers. These showers are much easier to deal with wearing waterproof riding gear rather than having to stop and clamber in and out of rain gear every half hour. then the start of the Gorges du Tarn proper. riding down the Gorges was stunning, I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like it, there's certainly nothing on this scale in the Uk. Having the road to myself, mostly due to the bad weather was a bonus cos I imagine it would be heaving with bikes and camping cars during the summer. The main problem was actually staying on the road which winds seemingly endlessly downwards hanging onto the edge of the mountainside, on a balcony to go around a buttress, through a tunnel from time to time, squeezing through a gap between the cliff face and an outcrop, never straight or level or of equal width for more then a dozen yards and all this on a wet surface whilst gawking open mouthed at the incredible scenery. Wow! just... Wow. Once it was over and I was nearly at the bottom I realised I had taken no pics, just too gobsmaked by it all to function normally. It was about 18:30 when I rode into Millau from the west. I had provisionally booked a bed in a local "Gite d'Etape" ( bit like a youth Hostel) which, using my sleeping bag and sorting myself out food wise, would only cost me 15€ ( remember what I said about being tight fisted?) It was raining steadily now and when I stopped at a supermarket to grab a salad and sandwich for my supper, I phoned ahead to tell him I was about 15 minutes away. I mentioned I was just getting some food and he said " you can't eat here." I new that they weren't doing food cas I was the only guest, but I had previously said that I would grab a sarnie on the way in. He now decided that he wasn't happy with me eating a sandwich in my room either! Bearing in mind it was now pissing down I told him he could fuck off and hung up. ooopsss... Google to the rescue ( much as I hate to admit it the smartphoe is a very useful tool in this sort of situation, it took me about 3 minutes to find the nearest hotel mercure / Ibis ( 800m away) and book a room for the night with free undercover secure parking for the bikeand breakfast included for 80€ ( tight fisted up to a point...) I already had food for the evening and the welcome and service at the hotel were excelent and I mad good use of the facilities which were far superior than I would have found in a gite d'etape. The view from the hotel room window It was too late to go and look at the viaduct / suspenders bridge and as I had planned a short easy run the next morning I decided to leave it till then.

Mine

Yes, in better times!

A couple of years ago. Not the finest photo but one of my favourites, cos I was so happy, dorky looking but happy, like top tier happy, felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz running through the flower fields in the sunshine except on a motorbike, dont think Ill ever beat that. Just me and one other guy and not another soul about.

From your emperor and TOTY for the second year in a row, a feat never before achieved. I already had overtures from countless fit bitches this morning as a result, now I am planning the celebrations.

After a bit of searching on Google Maps and Google Earth I found an old abandoned country house that I'd never visited. It wasn't too far away either, which was great because it was bloody cold. The building itself was part house and part cave.......so no telling how many rooms were actually built into the hillside. The main construction was in pretty good order, but all access points had been secured. Though I was able to get some shots through the broken windows. And after checking the house out I found another construction behind it.....and more caves! First off......a short vid! Now onto the house.......Bit of a rough track to get to it as well! There'll be some beak cleaning going on tomorrow for sure! As you can see, it's in pretty decent order! A few shots through broken windows! It's not the same when you can't get in......cos you don't get the buzz of walking into the unknown! Then it was round the side and onto the hill that it was built into! And you can see the building that was behind it...... ......so it was clamber down the bank to access it! Where you could see the cave built into the hillside! Once again, all secured! Then back onto the bike and away! As you can see, there's no van there! And no riding buddies to hold my hand either! It's as real as it gets! You Casuals could learn a lot from this you know!

Meanwhile in Canada ......it has been reported that overly cheerful bug-eyed humanoids are running amok along the beaches. DO NOT approach these beings as there is no telling as to what might happen.... HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!

After all these years of blaming @XTreme

No.....not the bike! Obviously I have no idea how to do shit like that. I'm talking about the reservoirs, because we've had years of very little rain. And there's now a serious drought situation. Now I'm not one who normally looks for more rain, but every year the price of straw for the horses has been going up. We used to pay around €400 for a year's worth......but last it was €1200 and we had to have it brought in from Albacete. Which is about 150 miles away. So an increase in rainfall and the filling of the reservoirs is critical.....not just here, but throughout Spain. So off I went to check the current situation. Luckily, the weather was great......around 20c! So it was perfect conditions! The approached into Castril.......and the wall of the Dam. This is The Style! I was amazed when I saw the levels in Castril because when I came here last Summer it was very low indeed. This is probably the highest I've seen it in 5 years! It's nowhere near it's highest, but the water line has gone up a lot. Two car loads of a Spanish family then turned up......three generations of them. So I ended up having to take a load of group photos of them. They weren't from Andalucia because they were speaking Spanish in a grammatically correct way rather than slurring words and leaving out letters in words. Lovely people......couple of hot girls in their 20's with them. I wanted to get a photo with those two, but I couldn't very well tell the rest of the family to get out of the way! Then it was on to San Clemente.......the levels there had risen a bit but nothing like the scale it had in Castril. Most of the land you see here was underwater when I came here in 2005...... Had to get the obligatory shot on the bridge.....obviously destined to be BOTM for April. Bike ran great as usual.......these rural roads are the perfect place for it. And it actually made me think......"Why am I considering selling it?" Well there we are! I got out and did something......and in doing so, I made a positive contribution to the forum! Some of you lot should try it sometime!

Bollocks to all this politics, you can look at my motorcycle instead! Had a little bimble over to Trebes, which is in the foothills of the Corbieres. It was slightly chilly when I set off, but it warmed up a bit on the way back. I didn't actually go into Trebes castle, I'm saving that for a visit with Mandy, and to do a bit of a walk in the gorge there too. The roads were pretty quiet once I'd got past Narbonne, so it was a nice ride.

Just heard from him, he is dealing with family stuff and his home PC is fucked, I think he accidentally shat on it.

As I was heading out after lunch, four bikes arrived, one of them worthy of a picture.

I’ve been hanging around one of Croatia’s national parks the wife is determined to wear my legs down to a knub

Got out this morning on Miss USA , I was looking forward to see how she would run after deleting the side stand switch. I rode up the A46 towards Stroud and gave it soome beans when it was clear, smooth acceleration all the way up to 80mph so all good there. Later I took it down the rough Fosseway section with the whoops and again it was fine, no coughing, bamging or cutting out. On reflection I think that switch had been going bad for over a year but I was mis-diagnosing it as a carb problem, anyway all good now My destination at Stroud was Capels Mill, a fascinating place and well worth a visit.

28th November, Monday, I wake up in absolute silence feeling what you feel when you´re warm in bed and it's clearly cold outside and it's been a quiet sleep, however, I mustn't lay in bed too late as there's a tasty breakfast awaiting and my plan for today's ride is to go on mountains, over more than 2000 meters through broken roads and challenging terrain, I've done that before but in summertime the days are a lot longer and the risk of being in the mountains after sunset isn't being really really cold. Also, particularly exciting and always in my head was trying out a pass that I did previously intended on doing but never did because of rains and whatever. Being alone gave me a freedom of choice that comes with not having someone precious holding on to you, and also a lot higher offroad capability from not carrying a passenger. Firstly, packed everything onto the bike and went for breakfast. I like to have the bike all ready to go before breakfast, just putting on the helmet and tightening the jacket without the fuss of luggage feels a lot more relaxed when you do go. Now, I drink wine frequently at home, and you would think that quitting that alcohol intake would make me lose weight when on the road here, but what empty calories I no longer ingest here are amply replaced and more with breakfast calories and sugar, Moroccan breakfast pancakes are a weakness that I indulge in, and when it's really cold in the morning and you're setting off just one hour after sunrise having a good warm breakfast in you is very enticing. So, msmen and eggs and orange juice and coffee: Starting up I usually don't warm up my bike, but after a cold night outside and the oil at 05 or 06 degrees, I do: From my hotel making way to Boumia and the mountains, if you want to check on google maps you go from Boumia to Imilchil via the tiniest numbered roads available, this is my stuff! The bikes rides really well in altitude, the speeds are low because it's really twisty and the surface is challenging, plus the people here are ultra friendly. When there's no effort being made to translate road signs, you are on the right kind of roads I came up to this school transport van, which are frequently the most modern and better vehicles in rural Morocco, in the mountains they usually have double wheels in the back and are driven quite competently over a variety of challenging terrains, I stopped to let it cross this oued because I couldn't ride as slowly as it did. All the kids inside were waving back. As I was waiting for the van to cross the water, I was approached by a young kid wanting to take a picture of me, after I said yes and struck a pose I offered to take a picture of himself on my bike using his phone, and he was delighted, this in turn brought in two of his friends and we spent a few moments there. That was very cool, kids are quick to come up to you and ask for stuff like candy or a dirham, but once you stop and engage them offering a sit on your bike they suddenly are out of their confort zone and instead become curious and treat you with hospitality, such as their elders treat travelers. It's a good thing to experience, they still asked me for a sweet but I only had a tiny piece of cake wrapped in paper from the breakfast, they promptly split it three ways which ended up being barely nothing for each of them, and gave the biggest part to the girl. That makes you appreciate things. Riding on: Again, once upon a time all this was tarmac: I stop for a few work calls, my phone re-entering an area with data coverage that it was monday and I had a few emails arriving. The fact that I was parked in the below location while everyone that I spoke to in Spain and Portugal pictured me in an office made me feel very cool and special. Gusts of dry dust over a mountain pass beat a desk everyday! While that was happening, Morocco was going on around me: I reach Imilchil at 14:00, and stop for hot mint tea, Imilchil is a small town that feels epic. You get there are are bombarded with smells from grilled meats, coal smoke from bbq wafts in the air, there's exposed animals hanging from the butchers, dust blows, it's high in the mountains so it feels like adventure, pure adventure! Also people will salute you in a respectful way to then leave you about your business, it's one of my favourite places ever to stop for tea while making you feel like Indiana Jones. From Imilchil I go South, and at Agoudal consider what gorge to take down into the plains, Todra Gorge is very scenic with a very easy road, the colours of the sandy rocks is gold and it's an amazing experience at the end of the day under sunset lights. However, I went via the Dades Gorge. The R704 is one of Morocco's great roads, in my opinion, it's in the map in yellow and has a speed limit of 80kmh for the most part. This is very Morocco as you'll see, it's a very dangerous road if you're caught on a storm as the drops are fierce more so if you are driving a truck as it's a narrow road, or it used to be. They are making it wider and tarmac, they're working from each end and at first I'm disappointed to find this: But then, all of a sudden, the new safe and wide road ends and you're back to the old mountain pass, that's a good thing because to drive at illegal speeds here means to ride properly: My iPhone's camera doesn't translate the depth of the surrounding views: Again, I strike a pose, it felt silly but made me feel accompanied This R704 is amazing, I might have to go back next year because this is going to end and wide safe tarmac just doesn't have the same appeal. And just like that, it's over and returns to a normal Gorge road, with concrete oued crossings and village kids playing after school The first time I was in Morocco, in 2014 on the 1150GS, I remember coming this way on the oposite side and being turned back because the rains had caused mudslides to block the road, it was much narrower and more dangerous back then, but the views remain impressive: The long shadow reminds me I'm about to run out of sunlight and go for my planned hotel, but first still have to ride down into the riverside and into the gorge itself Although the sun was going down and already 17:30, some locations are just mandatory stops. Plus now it's all pretty much nice tarmac through easy marked locations so it's no longer a problem if night arrives. The below picture is one of Morocco's most publicized bits of road, and it was shot from the hotel I planed on staying, it was opening in 2016 when I stayed there with Maria and Rui, but I arrived a few days too late and they had closed for the season. Instead I rode another 5 or 10km and stayed somewhere else, arriving just as the sun drops bellow the mountains. Parked the bike in front, and still had time to have a hot shower and to sit outside with my laptop for a bit, before dark and coldness really arrived. The complimentary tea and cookies were good hospitality, I forgot I only had that tea at Imilchil since breakfast, riding kept me busy since morning. Dinner was a little bit of a missed hit on them, it was included in the room price as sometimes it is around these parts as you can't just pop out down the street for a restaurant. The hot pumpkin soup was amazing, the rest was a little weird but A for effort anyway. I liked it was hot and comforting, but not really memorable. Bedding was comforting, two layers of blankets over the sheets in a firm mattress, it felt cozy under heavy covers sheltered from a cold sharp night outside. I fell asleep late but comfortably, and slept soundly as one does after a busy day of dust and big views.

Soft pampered lap dog, no fierce family saving rat killer. He caught a bloody huge rat in the garden this morning and dispatched it with aplomb. Back to soft loving family pet now but proud of him for taking the rat out. It's the second time he has done it, in the summer we had a rat get in the house and sorted that one to. As my daughter calls him Odious Maximut, as she thought it appropriate he have a gladiatorial name

Shock, horror......I actually got out on the bike this afternoon! Probably need a lie down now!

Went out for lunch today to this awesome spot by the water. It’s down a few backroads and in the middle of nowhere, but the food is great and the scenery was lovely.

I had a great ride up to the pub a few miles from Betws-y-Coed yesterday, its about 150 miles one way from my home which doesn't sound a lot but its 150 miles of roads with tight bends dips and humps with some of them quite narrow and covered in crap from farm vehicles and bad weather. I was waiting for the frost to lift but at 11am my car was still frozen solid so had to just leave otherwise i would be putting my tent up in the dark. I took the A470 to Brecon not the nicest of roads to start but its just a bit you have to do to get north fast. The temperature was just above 3°c the bike was running so smooth with the more road biased tyre on the back and sounding nice again, I had my bar muffs fitted with heated grips and heated jacket on, with a grin on my face i didn't have a care in the world then bugger i forgot my ear plugs something i never used in the past but i am trying to use now as my ears tend to ring a bit after a long ride but no chance of going back so i press onto the upper chapel road (B4520) from Brecon to Builth Wells, a great road for any bike. From here it's back on the A470 to Rhayader stopped for fuel, cash and to check the bike over to see if the load is still good That's the latest thing in tent urinals on the top of my bag Out of Rhayader i took a right off the A470 onto the B4518 to Llanidloes and past Clywedog Reservoir Have to use google for images here https://www.google.com/maps/@52.4847135,-3.5955438,3a,75y,208.11h,80.61t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sgXdvNRGi2coZ0fEfA5bhkg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DgXdvNRGi2coZ0fEfA5bhkg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D206.62186%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192 before i get to Llanbrynmair i hang another right onto an unclassified road now i'm on the roads i really like Next stop was to check on the fence where @boboneleg tried to reenact Steve McQueens great escape and unlike Steve McQueen Bob did get over the fence to freedom but his bike didn't make it only one post still leaning and the fencing vertical wires are still where the DR pushed them to This road took me to the Llangadfan where i then picked up the B4395 to the B4393 around Lake Vyrnwy Google to the rescue again https://www.google.com/maps/@52.778067,-3.4932284,3a,75y,356.18h,72.62t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipNFHzCZWdndfOaYtnlWVYgHY5xusSDhN_UiIYhE!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNFHzCZWdndfOaYtnlWVYgHY5xusSDhN_UiIYhE%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-10-ya40-ro0-fo100!7i8192!8i4096 At the end of the res there's two unclassified roads that go over to east and west sides of Bala Lake i normally ride the west side from Dinas Mawddwy but decided to ride the east side today here's a few photos of the road up and over the pass Got to the pub just after 3pm and had to work out how to put the tent up its been so long since the last time i done it trying out a light weight camp bed i bought many years ago but never got round to using it got to say i had a good nights sleep but woke up to a malfunction with the in tent urinal I think this was the cause of the urinal malfunction packed up this morning by 08:30 all dry with no hangover and all ready for the Dragon campsite felling great. Went in for breakfast and while i was in there the heavens opened and it pissed it down i thought there's no way i'm sticking the tent back up in that so i thought fuck it and headed home. i found a pair of ear pugs in jacket pocket so had a quiet ride home LOL, The rain wasn't too bad but the wind was blowing me about like a flag and on the narrow mountain roads it was bloody dangerous and i started feeling a bit queasy so stuck to the main roads home the bike ran faultlessly

I'll try this one with strategically placed gloves for now

Lands End just arrived from John o Groats overnight. June 2005.

Come on, show me your two stroke road bikes. Does anyone still have one?? I just dropped $180 on an NSR150RR. It needs some TLC (read, total restoration) but it's going to be a cracker. Can I hit 180kph with $180? A question which remains to be answered. Anyway if you know anything about NSRs please say hi, I'm going to need to crowd source plenty of advice on this restoration journey...

From before I could afford a top box!

Merry Xmas to you all from Mrs Paws

To get this car back on Abby's birthday is amazing, it was because she died the wheels were put in motion to get this car running again, and it is, on her birthday, mums 325 is back.

Done some more confidence building with the dog today, there's a TRF Christmas big bike ride coming up so wanted to check out a few of the lanes to see if they would be suitable after the storms we've had and there was a few i haven't ridden i'd wanted to check out as well It was a cold ride on the road to Llandovery went down to 2°c going over the top from Ystradfellte it's a good job i decided to wear the heated jacket and fit the muffs (thanks for the reminder @MooN) the salted roads were quite slippery with the new C02 on the rear as the salt seems to keep the roads wet so tried to use the non salted ones their usually the more scenic anyway First lane was just outside Defynnog never ridden it before it wasn't very long started back in the trees and ended where i'm standing, i was ridding it up hill looked easy until i got on it as it was very soft And was glad of the new tyre here as i had to stop to open a gate and pull of again on a soft steep hill as usual the photo makes it look flat Next one was via some nice country roads over to llangadog this was another i haven't ridden and wasn't going to as it was blocked with cut logs and left to get grown over I waked down it a bit and looked to be a good one i shall have to return on the smaller bike to check it out Next is a lane up by Llandovery i like to do it once every year or two as i don't think its legal and don't want to piss anyone off over riding it but the recent winds had blocked this one for me Getting a bit cheesed off i decided to move onto one i hadn't intended to ride as it was close by water wasn't as deep as the last time i crossed it but the ride in and climb to the end of the lane was just as slippery Now i was onto the lanes i was here to check out for the big bike ride just north of Llandovery First one big bike friendly check Second big bike friendly check Third one big bike friendly check Getting a little more difficult for the bigger bikes Ahh fuck em they'll be ok Forth lane looks ok to me as well Number five looks ok as well From here i done two fords near Llangammarch wells and decided to head home as time was getting on. the Christmas ride from here will be going over an ancient route called druids way which runs through the MOD training area i couldn't ride it today as it is only open during Christmas and new year apparently. I just took the main roads home with heated grips and jacket on as they were needed on the open road. The bike run faultlessly with no hiccup like it did first time out. Feeling a bit chilled to the bone on the legs been home about 5 hours and still haven't warmed up.

So earlier in the year I noticed surface rust on the tank of my Tenere 700. As the bike was still under warranty I took a trip to the dealer and he put a warranty claim straight in. Once the tank and all the small parts arrived I asked the dealer if I could collect the tank and fit it myself as my plan was to have it painted before fitting it. There were two reasons for this, 1. I figured that it would only have the same amount of paint on there as the original , 2. I wanted to change the colour from the manky grey O/E colour. The dealer was fine with that so I went and collected the parts. I am lucky that through work we have an ace painter, he does all our Ducati stuff as well as custom paint jobs on cars. He had done a Yamaha R1 a couple of months before and had found a colour from 'House of Kolor ' that was a great match and had enough left over to do my tank and the little side panels that were also manky grey. I managed to remove the tank from the bike a couple of weeks ago and then after I'd taken it into our workshop our mechanic removed the fuel pump and then it got painted. Old and new side by side............... and one of the small side panels........... On Tuesday my boss brought the finished items round to my house and I fitted it all yesterday. It's time consuming doing it all on one leg but it's not as if I'm doing anything else. Anyway, I'm really chuffed with the paint job and I think it looks much better that the O/E job............ Before ........... and after.............

Little argan tree is doing great, and enjoying the current heat