Business meeting canceled, storm damage, a nice ride

[Pedro]

Hope this isn't becoming tiring, but the weather is amazing now, the bike is clean and ready to go in the garage, and I have nowhere to go and nothing else to do.

So, October 2018 and there was a big storm here, lots of damage all over the coast. After a few weeks without touching the bike, it's now a Friday, I'm about to go from Porto (North) to Azambuja (Center/South) to go home for the weekend, with a brief stop to visit a client halfway through. 

I get on the road, brief stop to check some emails and client calls me to cancel my meeting. Day is already lost and I'm suddenly on the road with nothing to do, so instead of taking the 2 hour motorway ride home I take the coastal road less traveled, it's a part of the country I'm rarely on.

If you feel like checking it out on a map, this covers the coast about 20kms south of Aveiro to around Nazaré.

First storm damage, this is a pristine tarmac road I am on:

 

Although all the branches and wet leaves are quite slippery, we are only about 3 or 4 km from the beach so I decide to carry on and ride through, only to come to this:

 

Well, guess it's time to turn back...

 

Another route ...

 

Few more kms and I finally get to the shore

 

Not one to take the good road

 

 

Arriving at Figueira da Foz, where I'll stop for a spot of lunch (spot of lunch! sounding british here)

 

Meal was not worthy of picture, but the place was nice

 

Going inland after lunch, and I come across some more storm damage, there's miles and miles of this

 

Eventually I get away from the coast, and start to head for the hills, and explore some hills that I always checked from the motorway but never really been at

Porto de Mós, it's got a lovely castle / palace with green roofs

 

Here's a nice Passat with the castle behind it

I am then going through the valley on the right of this picture, on the other side of the town

 

Looking back at it

 

Then things took a little turn, as I ventured off-road the track proved to be too steep and slippery, and as I was turning back I dropped the bike with the wheels up the trail and the bars down the trail, had to pivot it on the engine to pick it up and turn it back. 

 

Since I hit a rock with my shin, I decided to take a little rest. It's a pretty place, Serra d'Aire e Candeeiros:

 

Heading home:

 

I'll post another report about another ride to the same place, only with better pictures, I think. Trying to see where the dirt road that i crashed in led to.

 

[XTreme]

Great stuff @Pedro.........you get about a bit on that Beemer!

[Pedro]

Well, @XTreme, it´s not going to ride itself

 

[XTreme]

There's not many on here who actually do much, if any, riding Pedro!

So I think it'll be you and me keeping Ride Reports going!

When we're released!

[Pedro]

I have been on the bike often, can't seem to spend a day in Azambuja without getting on the bike to go to the hills for a coffee. It's not a long ride but settles my head and calms me. Pictures of these roads to come, soon enough as I'm bored out of mind.

 

[XTreme]

9 minutes ago, Pedro said:

I have been on the bike often, can't seem to spend a day in Azambuja without getting on the bike to go to the hills for a coffee. It's not a long ride but settles my head and calms me. Pictures of these roads to come, soon enough as I'm bored out of mind.

 

We all are......so I think this place has served a purpose!

And of course it brings a lot of people back together who'd lost touch.

[Pedro]

1 hour ago, BusBoy said:

Another excellent RR! Kudos. When / which was the storm that created that carnage Pedro?

I think it was hurricane Leslie, but might be mistaken