Pedro

Didn't feel like making many stops for pictures or stuff like that, so most of the pictures were taken on stops I did anyway to do something or enjoy the moment. I really just felt like spending a few hours on the bike and not much else, so after waiting a while for the rain to stop I left around 11:30 and took to the Douro to get a little bit inland before turning South. The rain that passed by the shore was in front of me and going the same direction, I did stop to buy a bottle of water and an espresso to give it time to get away from me, and that worked as the following kms I was riding on semi wet roads and getting a few drops, but no more. I was ok with that, but it highlighted that my last year's Mitas are not really confidence inspiring in the wet anymore, if they ever were. The street scene in front of the supermarket where I stopped for the espresso and the water, the music... I am amazed sometimes, stopped to look at a small river that ends onto the Douro and saw a motorcycle specific parking, civilization! Tried to take no more than one space but the GS is a little wide in the hips: Will come back here, it's a pretty place to ride over for lunch and it's close enough to home. Next stop was a lookout over Serra de Montemuro, there are at least two Montemuro places in Portugal, but this one is quite special. It's by the Douro and hosts a lot of wildlife, it's also pretty will in weather as I saw a lot of signs warning to have tire chains and the use of snowplows, it must get really cold in the winter as those are not common signs in Portugal. It's also a very well maintained place, the weather didn't make for the prettiest of views though. That valley there with the low clouds is where I'm headed: Those clouds made for a little bit of a wet ride as I went through them, gave me a chance to test my new plastic rain overalls on top of the summer mesh jacket I'm wearing, I was dry and they passed the comfort / fitment test. Further on, already on Serra da Estrela, Portugal's highest point, it was getting cooler again as I climbed so this time stopped to put a layer on, didn't bother with the rain stuff as I knew that not long in front I'd go down the other side and it was bound to be warm there. Remembered to take a BOTM picture, in close proximity to the bike!!! At 16:00, stopped for something to eat. It's a staple of the region, a sheep's cheese sandwich, the cheese here is probably the most famous in Portugal, strong and buttery and soft, it's delicious. It was 12ºC and wet outside, so I enjoyed a moment inside. Don't usually drink when on the bike, but can't have proper cheese without a taste of wine. Exiting the shop I met a german biker, he and (I suppose) his wife on touring on two CB500Xs, he was looking for a place to buy a few bottles of beer to take to his hotel for the night, just down the street. I told him he was looking in the wrong shop for beer and also that he managed to find the only place in Portugal where it'll be wet through the night to stop, he seemed happy with it though. Further on, and the 1993 meter peak breached the low clouds, made for welcome relief from the dampness: The little road going down the valley behind my bike in the picture below is a gem, it's a shame only 2km of it are unpaved as I'd love if it went on for 200! But before I got to the unpaved bit, I was faced with a herd of cows being moved from the top of the Serra where they graze wild to their field by two guys following them on a pickup. They said it would only take a few more minutes so I switched off the engine and coasted behind them enjoying the show instead of going past: Suddenly a huge cow decided to pretend to be a goat and ran by the road on top of some big rocks, despite the shepherd's efforts for her to return to the road she went back home cross country style and dove to the right, made an easy job out of that rocky cliffside. It was most impressive to see a big animal like that have such agility. Even managed to get a little of it on video as she went down the rocky cliffside and the shepherd gave up: Further on, a stop on the beginning of the dirt bit to again adjust clothing and take off that layer I put on climbing the Serra before. Temperatures went from 12ºC to 25ºC in a few minutes, this Serra is part of the mountain range that separated coastal from continental climates, and it really feels like an extreme difference here. An hour and something later, not enjoying the warm 27 or 28º at 18:15, on a water stop. The mountains behind me and the center of Portugal's dense forrest hills around me, it's not my favourite landscape but there are nice roads around. I was covering ground adequately in order to reach my destination before sunset while keeping off motorways. Rode out of the forest and over the Tejo river, enjoyed that bit of the N18 riding briskly with no stops and then cruised the last few 40 or 50km onto my destination at a steady speed enjoying the low sun over yellow scorched grass and the Alentejo rolling hills. I love the smell of this place when you get where, it does smell intensely of earth (does that work in English?) Didn't stop for a picture, took one on the go Did stop for a picture for @yen_powell though, riding through the old part of town in Crato, an old historic town. Made it to my hotel, where I have stayed a few times before over the last few years before sundown, it wouldn't bother me to ride at night, more so when it was still so warm, but night time isn't really clever here with the amount of wild boar around. A short walk around town and by the time I sat for dinner, outside, it was still about 25ºC at 21:00. Tomorrow, I shall probably face some heat and some familiar roads.

I honestly don’t remember his face from back then, Pete. Most people in the Netherlands are tall as hell!

Ever since the attack in Brussels airport

Proper day of riding today, left home at 11:30, stopped at 20:00 went through 11 degrees at 2000m and wet fog to 27 degrees at sunset, including a cow traffic jam.

The other day I saw a youtube video of some guys making a custom Low Rider ST, and the front wheel had Made In China stamped on it hidden by the wheel bearings

Raining... I'll give it a few hours

Barely time enough to enjoy the place or catch up with your son, Pete. Are you planning on going back soon with a less hectic schedule?

If I was expecting 25° maximum temperature I would take my winter jacket

I like the colour on sportsbike kawasakis, but that front end…

For someone built like a racer, this must be a blast of a bike to ride, so ugly though.

Tomorrow earlyish I’ll be riding off and have a plan for the first 2 or 3 hours, then spending two or three days riding around. It’ll probably be warmer than I would prefer but it’s summertime.

You can certainly see Buell in there, though. It’s cool if you can look at something and know who makes it.

Couscous I bet

Hope you can both enjoy the trip, Pete. As a tip, not really knowing where you'll be staying, the coolest motorcycle dealership I ever visited was Ten Kate Honda, a good few years ago though: https://goo.gl/maps/TEsZ6pMF49oNXihs9

This is Tata, in Morocco: Bit warm

Absolutely no planning at all going on there, and a lot of stopping specially dictated by other people.

I did that two or three times, always in the back of my head is the thought that a lone goat shepherd is looking at me in a distance running back and forth from the bike and striking the same pose, laughing at the scene.

I would surely do it on a borrowed GS I don’t care about, just not my own. They are capable bikes on easy trails, but if you don’t care about them they suddenly get 50% more capable . I don’t fancy dropping mine on water, or flooding the shaft drive.

I would spend a full day on the GS cruising a road like that! None of the water crossings though, water crossing on my bike …

It’s been creeping up over the last year, Marcel

A bag in NL

I don’t get the sizing on those machines. I’m probably a lot smaller than him and couldn’t fit in one without being twisted up either.

Metallic blue gs with white frame might be pretty, but I would rather buy a lw miles usef 1200 gs or rt than a 1300. My bmw guy is looking forward to a new HP2 sort of thing, and that’s what I’m curious about too. I would rather it had my engine in it but still I really am curious about it.

At least 10 times

Was it the shoes?