Pedro

So, today I rode to the supermarket .... proper casual, I know! I was going insane at home and had to go out, was in danger of running out of wine, had had run out of olive oil, can't have that so any excuse is a good one for warming up the bike. Stopped by my local favourite shop for a coffee, what a nice place this is, Dainese outlet, plus coffee shop and wine shop. Bought 4 bottles of my favourite local Syrah, said hello to a couple of friends, meanwhile the sun came out and the weather turned glorious. Heading back home Took a little excursion off the main road It's been raining a lot over the last few days, and this is quite sandy terrain, turned back when it got too soft for my liking Properly green in the Ribatejo now Brief stop at the supermarket, apart from the groceries I decided to buy some toilet paper in the spirit of the season

Like insurance companies need any reason to try and get away from covering what they're paid to cover

Stairway to the sky (or to heaven), and that's 20km away from you? I like that a lot!

Managed to make my boiler give me hot tap water again. @yen_powell’s valve is indeed stuck but I think does not open. I unstuck it with a couple of whacks, but then it sticks again. Will get it stuck in tap water position because I fear it’ll eventually break if I keep hitting it. Next will see if I can get it replaced easily by myself, for now it’s lunch with my neighbours

Plan today was to sleep in, maybe go out on the XR or wash the GS, maybe have lunch with my neighbors if they decide to invite me. Woke up lazily at 09.00 to the sound of heavy rain. Don't feel like going out in torrential conditions and certainly won't wash the GS if I can't ride it dry after. So instead had an invigorating cold shower courtesy of my boiler, and now am standing outside having a hot coffee in my new cords shirt Will see if I can make the damned thing work again, and take it from there. It'll be a lazy day inside while the rain falls.

Not wanting to bother with taking stuff apart and risking flooding my kitchen tonight, I just turned the heating on, and switched the tap on and off forcing the system to switch by itself, and I think that has done the trick so far. Now enjoying a cup of barley coffee while watching Sean Connery's "You Only Live Twice". Winter is coming

That makes sense, thanks! I'll see if I can make any sense of it tomorrow.

I don't even have a top box

That's also what happens when a GSA goes off course on a mountain road

That’s old news @Tym, even in Portugal

Cheers

I was doing exactly that. We get a lot of limestone in the water here, and what was coming out of the radiators looked quite white. I drained them all while feeding more fresh water to the boiler to keep the pressure in normal levels. Eventually I get a little warm and clear water through, I think it is working nicer now, will let it do it's thing and see how it goes tomorrow. Heater starts and shuts down a lot quicker than normal, indicating water temperature as being high enough, while in reality it's not flowing that hot to the radiators. I gave up and dedicated myself to heat up some frozen meatballs using wood That's Pete, I'm Pedro, I know it all sounds the same but...

We have storms too, Pete, hence the jacket

Rode home today, tested the jacket I bought in Spring in heavy rain for the first time. It only lasted for half an hour but I am glad how it coped. Got home to find some rain here too, for whatever reason my boiler isn't heating up the radiators. I know nothing of boilers so will give it time to get over itself before worrying about it. Still have steaming water for the taps and shower so I'm ok. Fire is now starting.

I’ve been in Ericeira, tomorrow will ride home, which only an hour and a bit. May encounter rain and chilly weather but I bought a woolen sweater today! ? Work is still shit and the country is going into partial lockdown, so I’ll go home for a couple of nights of red wine with the fire burning.

Same as what I was thinking. A short ride with a mate to meet for a coffee is fine, but on several day rides two bikes put too much of a strain on things. You're never ready to go in the morning at the same time, almost never really want to ride at the same pace, get tired at different rates, etc, the freedom of going out by yourself in the morning is invaluable to me on trip. Having said that, there are people that just click together perfectly, be it couples or friends who are very much in tune and even when they're not in tune it's still cool, but that's rare to find. Going for a ride with absolute strangers is a nightmare to me, having said that, I might be planning to lead a mototour through northern Portugal next year and see how that business goes

By alone, I meant no other bikes. I do like company for dinner and a few laughs, but the riding is better with no other bikes.

I much prefer riding alone, simple as that. More so when we're talking about a trip.

Hello and welcome!

Catholics are guilty by nature, always feeling sorry or asking forgiveness, they don’t do happy. It’s not a national holiday, though, yesterday was. And I’m all for national holidays, mainly when there is no confinement in place.

Great little road, that’s where our kinds of bikes make the most sense.

Great looking road and vistas, i like that. Make a note of it, I want to see that when this shit opens up and I go for a visit ? Everyone’s going the extra mile for BOTM November: