Pedro

8 minutes ago, Lone Amigo said:

The CRF 250 Rally looks like an updated version of my old NX 250 Dominator.

Old Honda chief mechanic once told me that was his favourite Honda engine ever, from a quality point of view.

 

Great riding, Bob, little bit too muddy for my taste but quality stuff. How much do you weigh? Do you like the CRF's stock suspension for that stuff?

19 minutes ago, XTreme said:

Where are you staying now @Pedro?

Freixo de Espada à Cinta, check on google maps. Spain is on the other side of that river right there.

I like it too.

Don’t know about all that wet dirt on those tracks, though

That’s what everyone needs! 

I don’t know what a spagbol is, but good food is good regardless of meat and vegetable content. You eat, smile, and say thank you 

11 minutes ago, Earache said:

Nice! I need a house on the banks of that lake.

It’s not a lake, it’s the Douro river.

As a curiosity, it’s the world’s oldest wine making demarcated region. Like, proper old, before Rome I think

Thanks, to be honest I stopped a lot more to take pictures than I would have if not for this forum 

 

A great ending to a great afternoon

 

The ride today, if you want to check it in google maps, it's lacking a little detour but pretty accurate

So, day one:

 

Day one started late, because yesterday I had a great dinner, me and little bro had too much wine and things got silly

 

Today, got up at about 9, by 10 Costa was walked and I was out of the house. Got on the motorway for the only 10 or 20km I expect to do on a motorway in the next few days.

 

 

Made my way to the Douro river, and started to retrace the ride I last posted in Douro wine region.

The 108 is a great little road, there was a big car meeting , maybe 30 cars or more, tuned and driving like idiots. Made it hard to pass them because a lot of the cars were quite fast, but very slow in other areas, started to piss me off until an old dude in a tractor caused a traffic jam and I passed them all in one go.

Douro, along the 108 between Porto and Pinhão:

 

Stopped a little for lunch, at a scenic place with a lot of shade:

 

 

Lots of bikes there, a couple of groups making picnics, I had my leftover roast and spinach sandwich:

 

 

 

Got back on the road heading to Pinhão

 

After Pinhão, crossed the river and rode a little bit on the south side of it, a little away from the water. Temperature immediately increased as I went over the tall hills inland. Also, views started to get bigger, I needed big vistas:

 

Road was quite nice:

 

 

 

 

Got quite high

 

Stopped to call firefighters, someone must have thrown a cigarette from a car and started a fire right on the side of the road, it was consuming a tree when I got there and about to get big. By the time my call made it through to the local department it was substantially big, but they told me they had been called and a car was arriving to deal with it. With everything that Portugal has been through in the last 4 years, I can't understand how some people can be so careless.

 

Got lost crossing Vila Nova de Foz Coa, a few old, maybe restored houses, using the typical schist building.

 

Stopped, to figure out what to do regarding sleeping arrangements by 4PM, didn't think there would be so many tourists and by that time most of the places were already fully booked. Finally got on the phone with a little place that only had a 5 people room/cottage, I cried the price down since I am by myself, and they were gracious enough to accept. A course was plotted to Freixo de Espada à Cinta, about an hour away. This would be less scenic but one hell of a road to ride, not wide, plenty of great mid speed corners and great rhythm. A sign warned "mountain road, use care", to which I think I ignored 

 

 

 

Arrived quicker than expected, feeling quite in need of drinking fluids. I neglected stopping to buy water in the afternoon and was feeling hot and a little thirsty. So I ignored the castles and touristy stuff since that's not really my scene, here's a picture in the distance for you 

 

Instead, found a place to park the bike with a view, under a little shade next to my accommodations for the night

 

Enjoyed the great view, and went straight for a dip in the pool, drank half a liter of water and am now finishing this orange juice as I type this

 

Temperature got to about 34º today (93ºF for the yanks, you are welcome) which surprised me since over the past days it's been cool. Next, will go back in the pool for a while, and relax. Then a little later will have dinner here as well, I'll keep you posted , but I feel like cold white wine to drink along with dinner 

 

Good stuff, Pete, I love those old functional buildings, lots of character.

In the upcoming ride report, about to be posted from a swimming pool.

 

 

 

Well, you'll be surprised to know the Panigalle lineup is the strongest seller: https://riders.drivemag.com/news/ducati-2019-sales-reach-top-with-over-53-000-units

 

Props for Ducati!

36 minutes ago, XTreme said:

then hit the back delete button and it'll clear it.

That's the thing Pete, most of the times it won't clear it and you'll be stuck with it on.

It is a pristine oldschool ZRX750, cool thing! There was also a GPZ900 that I didn't catch on the photo, just like on Top Gun 

3 hours ago, Tym said:

Bob im drying rose pedals because my mother likes dried flowers...shame on you...

They eat anything in England, @Tym, can´t have anything on a table when those guys are around.

 

Only name I could come up with, Pete

3ºC is not a little bit chilly, it's fucking cold!

Dio

I'm right with you, Ian, I think there is a special way to select the preview image or video quote thing altogether, and sometimes when you get it all selected with a click, you can delete it. Sometimes you can't, though, I can't imagine why...

Great dinner tonight. Some spicy Croatian chorizo brought over by my brother in his luggage, followed by a great oven cooked seabass with taters and carrots. All washed down by a nice pair of bottles of chilled white wine. got a nice buzz going now.

Luggage is half packed, tomorrow I'll just put the laptop and a couple of things in after walking Costa in the morning, and hit the slow road inland. 

I like his taste in ... bikes?

I like a cold coke, but have given up altogether. Unless I’m in Morocco, for some weird reason.

you’re thirsty, drink water

you want the coke fizz kick and throat refreshment, drink a cold beer, it’s better for you and your kidneys, plus it’s better

want something sweet, drink juice

want to enjoy a nice beverage, drink wine
 

There is no excuse for coke, unless it’s Morocco or desert

Work sucks, but low clouds are always cool

I bet the Multistrada is their best selling bike, followed maybe my the Monster, but that might be in Portugal though.