Lili on the move

2011-10-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

Nice roads for motorcycling

Midipyrenneen

Bagneresde Luchon to Moleon Barousse via Port de Bales – road has been upgraded, veryscenic

StGirons to Cazeres via Ste Croix and Merigon or head North to Montesquieu,Rieux, Carbonne to get to Toulouse – very pleasant

FromSt Gaudens to Boulogne s Gesse, several nice roads via Sarremezan, or Ciadoux,or Aurignac , or Masseube, Marciac, Eauze, hundreds of roads in the Gers, anarea with small population, therefore little traffic. Watch for deers even inthe middle of the day!

Pyrennees:From Frontignan (Near St Beat)Cold des Ares , Cold de Portet to Castillon - Easy, a bit bumpy, road can be wet in some places in autumn even on a sunny day.
Otheroption from Aspet , col de Larrieu to Arbas,col des Pres to Castelbiague

FromCastillon to Oust: Col de la Cote, quiet road, nice scenery

FromOust to Aulus Les Bains – nice – Aulus to Massat – beautiful scenery Col d Agnes – road narrow but wasfixed for the Tour de France 2011
Aulusto Col de la Trappe to Oust – very nice road

Massatto Tarascon – Col du Port – quiet, narrow, watch for loose cattle from Spring

Tarascon to Ax Les Thermes, Pas de la Case – Busy road

Pasde la Case to Andorra la Vieilla – beautiful road with lots of overtaking lanes

Axles Thermes to Quillan via Belcaire –nice and scenic

Quillan to Limoux – nice , before Alet lesBains, turn right D70 to Veleza, Terroles Arques, narrow road, very scenicalong the gorge, Arques to St Laurent,Ferral les Corbieres D613: very nice, good surface

Limouxto Carcassone, Limoux to Mirepoix : nice curvy roads, no traffic

Allthrough the Corbieres are nice roads going to scenic places like from St Paulde Fenouillet to Cubieres through Gorgede Galamus then on to Chateau de Peyrepertuse, Chateau de Queribus...narrowroads but very scenic.

To the North East of France

FromCarcassonne to Gorge du Tarn via Trebes, Puicheric, Laredorte,Labastide, Lacaune, to St Afrique, travelling through Parc des Causses, lovelyforests, lonesome roads , few small villages.
To Broquies, Tarn River
AUBERGE LE PESCADOU: Alain is a motorcyclist with acollection of vintagebikes and a workshop, nice hotel with pool, home cooking,a locked up yard for bikes.

Fromthere cannot remember which road throught the country to the Pont de Millau!!!!

Gotlost around Le Puy en Velay, the same around St Etienne, ended up in FeursD1082 North of Montbrison. To Civens:found a maison d hote on a farm, Simone et Bernard, Les Rivieres, 42110 CIVENS.......Home made cheeses, yogurt, jam,...wine served with meals.

Countryroad to Tarare, very nice, to Cormatin, Tournus, Loubans: lots of vineyards ,very scenic, Lons le Saunier, Champagnole, Pontarlier, Morteau.

FromMorteau, scenic roads to Switzerland ,to St Croix, down to Yverdon, great windyroad

AVOIDPICK HOURS FROM 4PM TO 7PM when the French workers drive back to France

Morteauto La Chaux de Fonds to , then very narrow road to Les Ponts de Martel, view tothe Alps
Morteauto St Hyppolyte, right to Signal de Roche D or, very nice.
Afterthe snow season, roads are covered with gravel for kilometres, a way to fix thecracks..., it is a bummer!

Montbeliardto Hericourt, Echavanne, Giromany, To Ballon d Alsace, down to St Maurice, backup to turn left down to Sewen, Masevaux to Thann, up the Route des Cretes

Severalroads go left or right from the route des cretes. Watch for paving in corners,other motorcyclists

Munster: the place to seeCigognes , in the heart of the city, hotel Au Val St Gregoire with a garage

Lotsof roads through Alsace through vineyards, colourful villages...nearGuebwiller, Cernay, Chevremont...

Pontarlierto St Croix, Yverdon to Moudon to Lausanne, a nice way to get to Lausanne downthe slopes of vineyards to the lake

Lausanneto Montagne 3 milles very scenic , you can follow the road to Austria

Annemasse,St Cergues, col de Cou to Habere Poche, down to Orcier,

Thononles Bains, back up to Bellevaux to St Jeoire, to Filinges: easy riding verypleasant

Provence: such a nice place with cigallessinging in July, fields of lavender blooming in Spring, it can be raining allover France except in Provence....so many roads to so many pretty places, youve got to see them all.

South of Avignon: St Remy de p[rovence,Les beaux de Provence, Maussane les Alpilles , Mouries, Eyguieres. Parcnational des Alpilles

Aix en Provence to Pertuis, Ansouis, St Martin de Brasque, La Bastide desjourdans, Manosque, St Martin de Bromes, Allemagne, Riez - from Riez to Puimoisson et la begudeBlanche very pretty –

FromRiez to Moustiers to les Salles Verdon. From there best to ride the Gorge duVerdon via route des cretes in the morning and return via Tunel du Fayet and Aiguines in theafternoon,

Thenfrom Salles down to Aups, Villecroze to Draguignan, nice ride to Grasse up toVilaute down to Comps, Montferrat.

Cheaphotel in Castellane with bike cover: Studi Hotel – fridge in room and balcony,they own the Plein Voile Hotel on the other side of the Gorges du Verdon aSalles sur Verdon

Mt Ventoux is a must ( I rode from Cadenet to Lourmarin – busy – toApt no traffic nice windy road, then to Sault, up Cold des Tempetes, down to Malaucene, back up via Bedoin to Le Chalet Reynard ).....

andso are the spectacular Gorge du Verdon.

Theroute Napoleon is interesting between Cannes and Digne, on the way fromCastellane you can go through the Alps into Italy

FromDigne, interesting road to the lac deSerre Poncon a savines le lac, the Napoleon Road from Digne to Gap isuninteresting withtraffic and trucks and many radars. From Sisteron to go west to Serrres, Nyons, down to Carpentrasis nice.

Grenobleto Gap, to St Die : nice and scenic

Ardeche

Boleneto Pierrelatte : on the Rhone Valley South of Montelimar a field of nuclearpower station

BourgSt Andiol to Vallon Pont d Arc: nice and easy

StAndiol down the Gorges d Ardeche, very scenic

VallonPont d Arc to Ruoms, St Maurice to Privas, Les Olieres, St Saveur, StMartin, to Agreve, St Bonnet, all wild country. Watch out for storms.

Cevennes:

Uzesto Anduze, follow cornice des Cevennes, great road, notraffic, follow signs to Mont Aigoual, road uneven, cold and windy at the top,weather station museum, free entry

Downto Valleraugue, to Ganges, great road, other option road to Le Vigan or to Meyruen to join the Gorges du Tarn. Al very nice.

Followinga very hot summer, high evaporation overthe Mediterranee will cause heavy rainfalls over the Cevennes, Ardeche andProvence, watch out for flooding in September

Perpignan to Ile sur Tet: visit les Orgues

Maisondhote, Le Magnolia, center of town: large locked garage, beautiful home

Nicerestaurant on the Ram place, outdoor: Lacasa del Ram – vende biere locale artisanale l Alzina – very nice beer.

N116to Andorra: scenic but broken bitumen no fun on the bike. From the Spanishborder, Puicerda, very nice road to La Seu d Urgell, Sort, Esterri lots ofcorner but good surface, to Salardu, steepclimb , lovely....down to Vieillha, Bosost up the col du Portillon to Luchon

BagneresdeLuchon to St Beat, up to The Mourtis ski station down towards col desAres....very nice windy road.

Bagneresde Luchon to Col de Peyressourde toArreau, then Col d Aspin to Campan : easy and scenic

Campanto Cold du Tourmalet, very good road to la Mongie and Pic du Midi, then narrowwith lots of cyclists , very steep dangerous descent on the other side to LuzSt Sauveur. Very scenic to Cirque de Gavarnie

ArgelesCazaux to Col de l Aubisque, another renowned road, lots of hair pincorners, camper vans and cyclists..caution.

Larunsto Cold du Pourtalet: road is narrow, broken bitumen, pass the Sapnish border,great road to wherever you want to go in Spain!

NiceAuberge on the French side near Oloronat Gurmencon. Le relais Aspois. Closed onSunday. Top cooking, garage for motorbikes

Roadfrom Arudy to St Christau winds throughthick forests, narrow but scenic

Oloronto Col de Somport; excellent road with overtaking lanes, long tunnel 9km long into Spain

Arudyto Lestelle, Lourdes, turn right at the bridge to Omex, Seus, Juncalas, Artigues, Bagneres de Bigorre:narrow roads, tiny villages, very scenic

Bagneresto Capvern, nice views ov er thePyrennees, turn right follow signs to Gouffre d Esparros, narrow road , scenic, no traffic.

Thento Labarthe de Nesthe, Montegut, St Bertrand de Comminges to Moleon Barousse upthe mountain and down to Luchon.

Arreau to Tunnel de Bielsa: many trucks. Tunnelis one way,poor lighting, remove your sunglasses before entering; good opportunity to overtake the traffic atthe lights. Nice road in Spain to Ainsa, take minor roads between Toria,Biescas and jaca to discover old villages.

Pays Basque: mostly a wet area, whensunny it is magnificent.

Pauto Mourenx, Navarrenx , Mauleon Licharre to St Palais, to Iholdy, Irissarry,Biddaray

FriendlyHotel Noblia, home cooking

BetweenSt Palais and St Jean Pied de Port, Hotel Pecoitz in a remote village butclosed on Fridays!

ToCambo, over the mountain to Urdazubi via Ainhoa, nice road, scenic, toElizondo, can go back to St Jean via col d Ispeguy

Elizondoto Pamplona: great road, up to Roncesvalles, to St Jean; great corners andscenery

Orbefore Burguete, turn right to Aria,Escaroz, Ochagavia to Port de Larrau to France

Orfrom Escaroz to Isaba to Col de laPierre St martin, nice forests on the French side, dry on the Spanish side.

PaysBasque , the mountains are not as high as in center Pyrennees, the riding isquite pleasant.

RidingtheMassif Central and Haute Alpes was cancelled due to bad weather in July.

The Roads: Looking at the road map

Red is a route national,often busy, trucks, not well maintained as they lack National funds

Orange andYelloware major country roads, often in very good condition, financed by theconseiller General of the area

White is a minor road at timesin a better condition than a route nationale, particularly in touristic areas or joining rich communes

Le Journaldes Motards written by the readers -give youpages of addresses for Relais Motards and hotels with a garage

Jointhe Chevaliers de la Route for 35 euros and you will meet members all overFrance, if you breakdown you can call members in the area who will assist you.

motards@journaldesmotards.com

BP28

83481 PUGET/ ARGENS Cedex

Attention:

Spring: wide tractors and trailers slow and taking thewhole road – Farmers own the roads

Vineyardsarea: crushed grapes carried on trailersare loosing juice , slippery roads and roundabouts

Autumn:hunting time, deer, wild pig attacking vehicles even cyclists. Do not go intoforests on Wed, Fridays, Sat , you could get accidentally shot

Carmoved to the side of the road to let you overtake, thank them by putting yourright leg out

Driversthink that motorcyclists don’t need much room and they have no idea about roadpositioning for cornering or about avoiding pot holes. As much as they give youspace to overtake when they come in front of you, they will take part of yourside of the road, at time most of your side, expecting you to squeeze close tothe edge of the road and push you into the grassy unknown terrain

Truckdrivers are not road friendly at all, they cut corners and sometimes need thewhole road + road shoulder to turncorners so are buses..

Give me a good reason to go back to Australia...

2011-10-09T06:31:00.000-07:00

when I have all this in France!

A Dream Home

I
I know, dunny is outside....a bit cool in winter

But, there is unpoluted water in the well

And a Bambouzerai

A choice of tractors

or ?

A lovely man

A reliable car

Lots of good friends

And a new Ducati!

in the shop.........

Back to the Pyrennees

2011-10-09T05:58:00.000-07:00

From Provence to the Pyrennees, I rode through Camargue, the Languedoc Roussillon, towards Andorra; stopped au pays des Orgues, the work of erosion through sandstone

The main road to Andorra was full of pot holes, broken bitumen riding safely prevented the fun, as soon as I crossed the Spanish border the road was heaven, excellent bitumen, wide corners and no traffic, a road that was presented as a minor road on the map happened to be a top road, riding to a small town, Sort, then up to the renown ski place of Salardu -where the Spanish King, Juan Carlos goes skiing-

I did not stop for a photo shot as my head was spining and my stomach was sick, a succession of hair pins and altitude, looking down the barren steep slopes.......a fantastic venture

Enjoying the September sunny days to explore more Spanish roads and col des Pyrennees, rode through the Somport tunnel 9km long, to discover more country roads on the dry side of the Pyrennees with the first colours of autumn

Riding back to France via the Breche de Rolland, who used his sword to make way through the rock for his troups, I followed a group of riders to relax my brains, beautiful forests along the side.

The next day I rode back to Spain to enjoy the lovely roads

The Basque Police was searching cars, dismantling doors for weapons or drugs?

mountain creek, where are the wires going to?

Modern Spanish village

A freeway with long bridges and tunnels is beeing built to join Catalogna to the West Coast, there is hardly any traffic on the current road.....it might promote tourism

This guy on a BMW, quickly slowed down thinking I was a cop with a radar....my small camera!

Le Col du Portalet, so barren, riding down on the French side, the road was narrow, busy with cars _ going to the Spanish border to purchase cigarettes and alcohol

On the way, I stayed in maison d hotes or relais de motards where you meet other motorcyclists and there can be access to a workshop in some places. They are reasonable from 37 euros to 60 euros a night and food can be great check this one:

Scallops and prawns

Provence Verdon

2011-10-09T05:06:00.000-07:00

A magic country, a paradise for motorcyclists.....les Gorges du Verdon

To get there, the Route Napoleon from the French Riviera to the Alps is a racing circuit

Villages high on the rugged mountains

Castellane is a hub for motorcyclists, there is a special free parking on the Place, restaurants and hotels catering, offering garages for the night

This Harley rider from Germany rode the route 66 in 1975 when he was a student...in 2011 he is still getting around!

Another rider from Germany, on a trike and a dismantable wheel chair

Full moon over Castellane

sunset over the lake at Salles sur Verdon

Provence Mt Ventoux

2011-10-09T04:43:00.000-07:00

Mt Ventoux is a windy place, took the opportunity of a still day to ride up, thousand of cyclists from all over Europe had the same idea

Busy at the top

The views are spectacular

Looking North

Looking South

Provence is the home of lavander, I visited a distellery after getting bogged in thick gravel in their yard, streets can be very narrow, bridges charming, markets interesting

spices

Vallee du Rhone

2011-10-09T04:35:00.000-07:00

Riding through the Valley du Rhone to reach Ardeche, I was surrounded by nuclear power stations, further up the contrasting wind mills covering the hills

Not far is Chateau Neuf where the famous Chateauneuf du Pape wine is made, during the crushing season, carefull on the road as it is very very slippery

The Old chateau

The new one

Haute Provence

2011-10-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

My cousin, Nicole, invited me to join her, husband and a group of 20 friends in Chabotte for some bush walking. a hell of a ride to get there, riding through mountains with heavy rain and freezing conditions, it was all worth it....we woke up the next morning with a clear view over the summits covered by fresh snow

after the rain, mushrooms were abound, we had a feast

walking up the mountains, lots of waterfalls, I bathed my tired legs in the freezing pool, a good recipee to avoid muscle soreness, it worked!

flowers, crickets, marmottes enjoying the last beautiful days before winter

marmotte

French army training in the Alps

Ardeche Profonde

2011-10-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

Ardeche attracts alternative lifestyle adepts, remote villages can be isolated by snow during winter

The Gorges along the Ardeche river are spectacular

I would like to purchase this castle

Wild Cevennes

2011-10-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

Kids are back to school; still some retirees travelling in their mobil home, beautiful sunny September with unusual hot temperature, time to carry on the adventure.
Cevennes has some great roads for motorcycling with little traffic, great scenery

oignons are the best in the Cevennes

End of summer

2011-10-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

Summer is ending, time to pick the wild mulberries to make jam, the fig trees are giving plenty, grapes are sweet, hazelnuts and walnuts are falling to the ground...
A visti to the Gaulois Village and the caves d Esparros

A few more rides in the Pyrennees sharing the road with keen cyclists

Bugger!

2011-09-04T01:46:00.000-07:00

How many times did I say Bugger!

When I bumped into hundreds of cows squatting the road in the mountains. the bitumen is warm and there is nothing in the world that can make them move. when a dog race in front of the bike....to catch a bus!

When I see the Virgin Mary locked up behind bars

Looking down the Col du Tourmalet

When I need to go to the toilet and cant find any because they are a rarity in France....if lucky, this is what you get, got to bring your own paper anyway....

Nelly and Gerard's wedding

2011-08-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

My niece, Nelly, had a wonderful wedding with 180 guests. Family members from both sides helped with the week preparation, decoration of the Salle des Fetes . A very hot day, fortunately the delicious chocolate cake did not melt!

Eauze, Roman left their prints

2011-08-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

History tells us about the Roman invasion, archeologists are working long hours searching for objects, houses and even cities buried underground. I happened to be staying with a good friend in Eauze; near Auch, when a visit of the fouilles romaines and of the museum was offered by the town. it was very interesting, I had forgotten how the Roman lived and built their home, for the time they were very advanced showing good engineering technics. great to have long summer days as we gathered in the evening on the city place where the Mayor offered a cold dinner and free drinks....a replica of the emperor costume found in the wall of the Cafe de France was given to the cafe owner ....the chief archeologist was honoured and named Citoyen d honneur de la ville d Eauze; we had a fabulous time!

I love this area of le Gers, there are a multitude of country roads with no traffic at all , going through hills, vineyards, pretty valleys

Marciac Jazz Festival

2011-08-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

August is the month for the renowned international Jazz festival in the small town of Marciac in the Gers department. Jazz supporters come from all over Europe and to accomodate the crowd, locals are renting rooms in their home , including breakfast for a fee between 35 and 50 euros for a twin, pretty good.

Filming and photography were not allowed at the big concerts, I let you google the big names I was so lucky to enjoy their show

Omar Sosa playing his south america flavoured jazz with the German national Big Band

Roy Hargrove , Roberta Gambarini
Wynton marsalis
Paquito D Riviera
Richard Galliano

Ibrahim Maalouf jazz with oriental flavour gives you goose pimples

Alexandre Tassel

Paolo Fresu

It is 2 weeks of jazz with flavours from music of the world. In the streets and on the city place free concerts are on all day till 2am. a great atmosphere with art exhibitions and stalls for all.

Le Tour de France

2011-08-16T12:28:00.001-07:00

We are all so proud and excited with the winner of the Tour de France, Cadel Evans! The French love him.

Corbieres

2011-08-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

Summer time is holiday time, the worse time to be in South of France, lots of traffic even on the smallest country roads, not worth hanging around, better head back to my base in the Pyrennees travelling through the Corbieres. To avoid Montpellier and Bezier, I get on the autoroute, it is very windy and a huge storm hits the travellers; impossible to see anything...

I made it to Narbonne where I catch up with a friend from Brisbane.

Travelling through the Corbieres is quite enjoyable, no tourist here; at one stage I must have taken the wrong road in a village , I find myself on a very narrow road along a gorge; it is so pretty that I decide to keep going as eventually it will take me to a place.... a more important road, a village.... no traffic at all... so good!

Provence

2011-08-15T06:21:00.000-07:00

Enough with the rain, got to cancel my trip to Vichy and the Center of France to head South for a bit of sunshine. To get out quick in between showers I use the autoroute - expensive but fast - finally I can take off the wet weather gear in Valence, and follow country roads towards Gap and Avignon where I stay with friends who used to live in cairns it is lovely to hear the cigalles singing (cycad), pretty villages...lime rocks standing on the garrigue....

La feria, catch the bull if you can!

A trip in a Jaguar is cooler than the bike

Great festivities in Avignon , street theatres and music....

Radar

2011-08-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

Automatic radars are everywhere .... the good news is that a large sign announces them so are the GPS; a large number of motorists are caught, you just wonder where the drivers are looking at if they cant see these signs!!! The French government was going to remove them but thousand of motorcyclists protested, the result is that the signs are going to be replaced by a new one that will give your speed; of course the radar will be further down the track

French Alps

2011-08-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

Riding through Geneve to return to France was a hell of a ride, beeing pushed out of my lane by flash expensive cars. pedestrian have right of way and they step on the road at the crossing without checking if the traffic has time to stop; I nearly collected a tall black fellow

view over the Lac Leman from La route des Cols

I rode many mountains near Annemasse until dark as rain was predicted for the coming days

Indeed, it rained, went bushwalking with a friend and we got soaked

Charms of Switzerland

2011-08-14T13:25:00.001-07:00

Cruze on Lac de Lauzanne
Morning View from my bedroom

Vineyards - what a driveway!

automate museum Gliding

mountain walking

Gentiane (to make liqueur)

These Roman stones were found when building a carpark

HIgh mountains

2011-08-14T13:11:00.001-07:00

Montagne 3000, walking on ice ...freezing!!!

Switzerland

2011-08-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

On a Sunday; hundreds of motorcyclists ride the Swiss roads.

Jura

2011-08-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

The jura s mountains are not very high but there are some awsome roads for riding on a sunny day, when it rains it is a very cold, cold country.....

nice curves

Besancon

Morteau by night

Alsace to Jura

2011-08-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

crossing lots of villages sur la route des vignobles taking me to Belfort to see my friend the lion

Le Grand Ballon et la Route des Cretes

2011-08-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

I feel all good after riding the Ballon d Alsace - 1247m- time to go higher on the Grand Ballon 1424m - in winter it is snow white - and the famous route des Cretes;
After lunch all the crazy drivers are on the road...including a motorcyclist coming out of a corner on the wrong side of the road, a BMW from Germany, I missed it by a twinkle, my heart is going boum boum ....more adrenaline pumping up as I reach corners covered with pebbles (for snow conditions)....later the front tyre is sliding on melting rubber used to patch cracks in the bitumen...it is getting hot and I am a bit frustrated with the afternoon ride.

I get into the paved town of Munster, and find a small hotel with undercover parking for the bike. Cigognes (same family as the oz jabiru) are squatting all over town

/

I find a shop full of local cheese, The Munster, eau de vie - brandy made from rasberry, pear, mirabelle, plums and the Alsacian pie. The owner is a motorcyclist.

In the evening an accordeonist entertains the hotel guests with his accordeon

Le Ballon d Alsace: my dream ride

2011-08-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

One of my dream rides was the famous Ballon d Alsace; today it is reality.
When I arrived in France, I was very frustrated to see that shops, offices close at noon and everyone goes home for lunch; but the day I realized this was the best time to be riding, I love it. 12h to 12h15 watch out, fast drivers cutting corners are going home 4 lunch, this includes the cop car....careful to from 1h45 when they are all going back to work paricularly the farming tractors...in between it is heaven, even the dogs are staying home waiting by the dinner table for the master to throw some saucisson or cheese crust.....

The Ballon d Alsace is busy with lots of visitors coming from every where, lots of motorcyclists from Germany, Holland and Belgium. The road has some lovely curves separated by a few long stretches, making it a nice racing track. At the top of the Ballon, restaurants where the grey nomads and their campers have stopped for lunch; the road is mine....I fly down the other side and ride up again to the top, down to side road taking me through beautiful forests down to a river....

Beaujolais to Alsace

2011-08-14T05:35:00.000-07:00

Travelling through the Beaujolais area on country road through the hilly vineyards by a sunny day was wonderful.On the way I met a group of local motorcyclists; we had a yarn; they laughed at the small wheels fitted to the side of my bike; they came with the bike and I left them on in case I drop the bike one day....

Le Puy en Velay

2011-08-08T13:21:00.001-07:00

Having trouble to edit my last post ....just wanting to add a few infos on Le Puy en Velay. The town is the beginning of the Chemin de St Jacques de Compostelle for pilgrims. Notre Dame de France, a 16m statue standing on a rocky formation of 700meters was made of 110 tons of metal melted from 213 canons taken from the russians by Napoleon III in 1860.

2011-08-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

Getting lost

2011-08-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

Avoiding the busy Valley du Rhone, I ride on the Eastern edge of the hilly Massif Central. Main roads crossing Villages are very narrow, the speed limit is 30km/hr and the unexpected is always waiting for you round the corner. A large dog suddenly come out of one door to run straight in front of me to enter the opposite house...I missed it by a twinkle. Some days I encounter up to 3 dogs per day, one of them turned around and looked at me like saying 'missed!' looks like the dogs favourite game is to run in front of a motorcycle. The roads are dangerous, cars cutting corners, truck coming at you on the wrong side of the road, slow tractors towing large machinery at slow speed without warning....
I miss the road I intended to take and end up at LePuy en Velais , great statue standing on a high rocky formation, but terrible traffic....before St Etienne, I keep leaving the highway in search of a country road to head North, at every 'sortie' I get lost and find myself back on the highway. I am tired and hungry..finally I find the main road to Roanne and its traffic jams. At the first opportunity I head North East through fields of colza. i find a 'gite' in an old farm for the night. I have dinner with my host, friendly farmers, they make their own cheese, we drink good wine...and I rest my sore muscles.

2011-08-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

Le Pont de Millau

2011-08-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

More small roads, beautiful landscapes, little traffic, corners covered with gravel and no warning sign..riding is slow but enjoyable...got to do a detour to see the famous Millau Bridge, I will be byist and say it is the longest in the world!

2011-08-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Gorge du Tarn

2011-08-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

I purchased a motorcycle magazine on the best roads for motorcycling in France, small hotels, auberges welcoming motorcyclists. Summer is wonderful as daylight reaches 10pm. A long ride through the Gorge, and kilometers of gravel takes me a l'Auberge d'Alain who rides a yellow Suzuki and hides a collection of old bikes in his shed. The yard surrounded by tall walls is safe for the bike at night. The room is 34 euros, dinner was 12 euros (local fish with pomme de terre sautees).
Down below, fishermen in a rubber dingy are catching the local perch.

2011-08-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

Going North

2011-08-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

A few family issues sorted out, beautiful weather, sunny with a cool northern wind; it s time to hit the road and go North. The idea is to explore small roads to see the best of the country
First stage travelling through Ariege department, lunch at Mirepoix, its ancient houses attract the travellers, so is the festival de la marionette. shady pavements to park motorbikes and for cafe terrasses.
Through the rugged Tarn region, I travel through small villages, dark forests....

2011-08-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

La fete du Brandon

2011-08-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

At the village, they burnt the traditional pile of wood to get rid of the bad spirits. it was a cold night but for safety reason, the mayor did not allow the crowd to get close to the burning log. They served a cake called 'croustade' like an apple tart and cider.

2011-08-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

La fete de la musique

2011-08-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

June is the month of la Fete de la musique, Chora from Western Africa and the Hang (invented in Switzerland in the 80's) it was a warm day in Bayonne and we had dinner in the street listening to musics coming from every corner....

Andorra

2011-06-24T12:54:00.000-07:00

This tiny country is situated between France and Spain. There is no taxes and buses loaded of French people go past the border to Le Pas de la Case ot buy cigarettes and alcohool.

It was a beautiful day, little traffic, a road like a shoe lace climbing to the cool air of the snowy summets

Lots of shops selling bike gear in Andorra La Vieilla, a busy, noisy city...it took me all day to find a pair of boots that would fit me, all too big...

I met Dave and Richard from England, we stayed in a small hotel at Soleus, another couple from Finland stayed there too and we had a great evening chatting motorcycle life in our respective country.

Saint Bertrand de Comminges

2011-06-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

a crocodile caught in a nearby lake 300 years ago, is stuck to the inside wall of the Cathedral

2011-06-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

My new cross country bike

2011-06-06T15:03:00.001-07:00

Le moulin de St Lys

2011-06-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

My brother restored this mill and it is working, we made the flour and degustated a traditional dish 'milla'

ancient ice box

2011-06-06T14:31:00.001-07:00

before electricity existed and the freezer came into our kitchen, hundred of years ago, ice boxes were built underground like this one near a castle . In winter, ice was collected in the lake and stored in the box. it would last for months. The vegetation on top of the box keeps it cool

Les Pyrennees

2011-06-01T15:14:00.001-07:00

Riding the mountains on a sunny day is sublime; storms tend to hit the Pyrennees in the afternoons; as soon as it rains, it is really cold; I left the lining of my leather jacket in Cairns.... forgot to introduce Kitty, the best burglar alarm one can get!

2011-06-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

workers in a village had lunch by the river and drank red wine (see the red plastic bottle) no beer although it was a hot day

2011-06-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

On a sunny day I rode a few mountains in the Pyrennees and met Arsene from Luxembourg on his way back from Portugal. it was a beautiful day but roads are narrow with lots of gravels in the bends, and many wondering dogs....

2011-06-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

My new friends Jeff (R1) and Keshia (born in Sydney) who assited me in the purchase of the FZ6

2011-06-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

A friend from the 1968 French Revolution, who had a Honda 125 in those days, caught up with me and we rode to Spain via the Bielsa Tunel, small box stretching over 6km, we visited some old stone villages in the province of Aragon.

2011-06-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

My brother has a big garden with fresh peas, artichoks, asparagus....rasberries are just starting...if you want to know where he got the strawberry plants from...he found them in the rubbish bins at the local nursery. this week we collected from the same bins expensive rare bromeliads and anthuriums....so much waste...

2011-06-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

Beautiful spring in France, aromatic strawberries, delicious cherries..

Goodbye Cairns Hello Armsterdam

2011-06-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

beautiful sunrise over Cairns .....long flight to Amsterdam in a very very old Boeing shaking like hell on take off, but more leg room than in an airbus....cloudy over Amsterdam where the airport is squatted by a multitude of blue planes..

ON THE MOVE AGAIN

2011-05-14T03:33:00.000-07:00

March 2011: Recovering from cyclone Yasi and the floods. it is so wet that mushrooms are not only growing in the garden but also undernith the timber steps rotting the front stairs, lots of maintenance on the timber walls, overgrown garden....packing up to go to Europe for a few months. Was going to leave early April, had to postpone to undergo unforeseen surgery; the sun came back to shine over North Queensland; I was stuck at home over Easter recovering slowly....the bright side of the story is that I kept out of trouble and scanned old slides - a job I should have done many years ago as they deteriorated quickly in the tropics -
Had a ride on the Gillies -was amazed by the lenght of metal barriers installed all along; could not believe how quickly someone changed the landscape behind my back!!!
Last swim at Lake Eacham before taking off.

Its been a long time

2010-09-09T04:07:00.000-07:00

Too busy to continue this blog..this is what happened since my return to Cairns, a few unpleasant incidents in my life, will not talk about it as they are all buried ....got to concentrate my energy for new projects and adventures such as the movie project on a trike adventure....went to the Ulysses AGM in Albany, will include photos shortly....been to New Caledonia for a short holiday, met some wonderful people, ate too much French cheese, indulged in crab and lobster....appreciated the beauty and windy roads

Home, Sweet Home

2009-04-16T06:03:00.000-07:00

Arriving into Cairns, had to squeeze my brains to remember how to get to my street.
After beeing on the road for a whole year, I felt indifferent to the place. I just wished I could ride the bike for ever and ever....It took a couple of weeks to appreciate again my little paradise.

2009-04-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

Sunny Queensland

2009-04-16T05:55:00.000-07:00

They say in Queensland: beautiful one day, perfect the next....quite right..I had wonderful weather riding North (the rain was just behind me) even Mt Bartle Frere , Queensland's highest mountain, pushed a cloud away from its summit to salute me..getting hungry at lunch time, I remember the little Rail cafe at South Jonhstone, it was worth the detour and the scenic route for a good feed and to avoid the crazy traffic on the highway.

2009-04-16T05:52:00.000-07:00

NSW to Queensland

2009-04-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

Bellingen was like Kuranda, I did not imagine that the area had so much rainforest and twisty roads, very steep to Coffs Harbour, followed country roads to Grafton where the afternoon was lighted up by a huge storm.
Nice to visit Ninbim again, Byron Bay, over the range to Ipswich, Mt Glorious, Sunshine coast...my friend Vincent lent me his brand new Buell, really cool! corners so quickly and handles well on dirt....

2009-04-11T05:54:00.000-07:00

New South Wales Alps

2009-04-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

Survived the 50oc in the shade in Mildura, the cold winds at Moriac and Geelong and rode straight to Wagga Wagga to warm up. Bathurst was very dry and the Blue Mountains very green...reached the North of Sydney to visit my long time friends Hiroko and David. Then to Singleton, Tamworth. Set base at Walcha and rode the bike in all directions where there were corners...loved the road to Port Macquarie. Lots of bikes on the road on the week-end.Waterfalls and rainforest, it was like be at home in North Queensland

2009-04-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

Photos from the Christmas Pageant at Albany have arrived

2009-02-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

44oC in Mildura, not good to ride the bike....here are some photos taken at the Albany's Christmas Pageant parade, the crowd loved the bikes...

2009-02-02T22:03:00.000-08:00

2009-02-02T21:50:00.000-08:00

To Mildura

2009-02-02T20:09:00.001-08:00

2009-02-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

Riding to Mansfield , a few showers on the way, picked a 'Blue metal' stone at the roadworks, it went right through the nearly new rear tyre...Happy me! fortunately I carry a puncture kit repair and a tiny electric pump.
The road to Mt Buller was nice and windy but it was freezing cold! The next day was warmer and we explored varisous road in the area with lots of corners.
Then off to Swan Hill and Mildura where I am staying with my friend Sy. In 1983, Sy and myself crossed the Gibson Desert on the Old Gunbarrel Highway from Giles to Carnegie with just 2 dirt bikes, no GPS, no back up vehicles. It was a great adventure.

Victoria

2009-01-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

The best day was the walk up a 47m high tower in the ottoway forest amongst the giants and tree ferns...nice ride along Great Ocean Road, visit of Queenscliff area, busy Geelong to Warrebee....RAAF Museum...a train ride into Melbourne to dream in the motorcycle shops....

2009-01-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

Apollo Bay Victoria

2009-01-08T18:39:00.000-08:00

After enjoying a good ride on Santa's tractor near Adelaide, off to Vicotria. Busy Highway, impossible to find a camping spot along the coast...went inland to Forest,cold, wet...then to Apollo Bay, freezing cold...stayed at Ian's caravan by the beach. quiet New year with the neighbours, fire works in the distance...
In between showers ride up to the look out, climbed up the Lighthouse, went to a waterfall , a mini Milla Milla falls but so much colder!

2009-01-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

Adelaide Hills

2009-01-08T18:25:00.000-08:00

Nice to be back in the hills, it is cool but dry. camped at Mt Pleasant , very spacious site, camp kitchen, good base to explore. visited the Birdwood car & bike museum.watch the parade at Williamstown, saw the amazing Christmas lights at Lobethal.

2009-01-08T18:18:00.000-08:00

Perth to Adelaide

2009-01-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

The bike is ready to go but the weather is wet and cold....finally the sun comes out and it is time to head off, departure coincide with the Albany Christmas pageant. I was going to ride directly to Esperance but Peter convince me to ride with his Ulysses group to Albany. Glad I went we had a great time. The Ulysses from Albany had invited members to join them to promote the 2010 AGM. They organised camping at the pistol club and a lovely BBQ, bfast for the riders. We rode at the back of the parade, the crowd was cheerfull and I enjoyed taking photos from the back of Pet's Valkory, more fun to be pillion and interacting with the crowd than riding my bike at low speed with an overheating engine. we did not have to wear a helmet for the parade, how lovely! the welcome we got is reassuring for the AGM, the population is behind it for sure.Unfortunately I have not been able to open the cd containing the pictures to include them on this site. hope to do it at a later stage.
The next morning Peter offered to escort me to Esperance. I am glad he came along, he is nice company and after beeing at his place for so many weeks, life was empty on my own. we rode together to Norseman; then I went East and Pet returned to Perth.
For the first 60km along the Nullarbor plain I did not see any vehicles or people...
Met a couple from Kalgoorlie on the way, the lady was in tears, she did not think it was going to be so hard to ride her yamaha cruiser, her legs were very sore. I tried to confort her. They were going all the way to Melbourne and Tassie on a very short time.I camped at the border village, camping very dirty and smelly but too late, cannot go back to Eucla as I carry fruit and got to go through fruit inspection....
the next day i wait at different spot for the cruising couple Steve and Tracey and lead most of the time to cover amaxi of kms. I leave them late afternoon at a motel and continue on to a camp ground at Wudinna,next to me Daniel from Perth has injured his knee as he lost his bike on the dirt at a parking bay. I gave him a tube of voltaren cream which helped to ease the pain through the night. we had some good storms but little rain. Glad I did not camped at Ceduna, the town flooded and roads were cut off. I was tired when I reached Port Augusta, bought some supplies and rode to the Flinders. Stopped at Wilmington caravan park and got stuck with 3 full days of rain. My good tent stayed dried and I was lucky to have access to a great camp kitchen, tv room. The owner took me in his car to the local shop and lent me books, magazines, gave carrots and free range eggs....paying only $10.00 a night.
On my way to Adelaide i stopped at the famous home made pie shop in a little town,pass Melrose, the owner, Patrick, is an Ulysse member, makes own jam from local fruit.
Not many camp grounds in the Adelaide Hills, overnighted at Mt Barkers, got a bit of grass between toilet block and caravan parks for $20.00 a night while a caravan power site cost only $25.00, campers are ripped off!!
Spent my first day looking for the place i used to live at Bel air, did not find it..but got lost onto a very narrow road with spectacular views to the city and corners down to 15km/h! rode through Meadows and Mylor...the roads are very bumpy with much more traffic than 30 years ago!!!

Northam Motorcycle Show

2008-11-30T16:31:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning we rode early with Peter to Northam for the motorcycle show. Nice to be early before the arrival of the crowd, we got good spot to watch the stunts and jumps. Met Ian and friends from Geralton who were riding to Albany after the show. Which of the 3 bikes shall I get? the side car for a desert crossing or the Honda for the hills???

2008-11-30T16:12:00.000-08:00

Operation BCc

2008-11-27T22:51:00.000-08:00

I am very fortunate to have some good friends in Perth. Peter took me to the hospital early morning, the full moon shining over the city as we drove over the Swann bridge was a good omen. Unfortunately we could not stop for a photo on the Freeway. I was the first one to go under the knife, the anaesthetist was late, he had not heard the alarm clock, was he able to work on me? The surgeon, Barry, is a cool guy. He grafted some skin from behind my ear to plug the big hole he had to dig in my nose. Peter took me from the hospital to Christine and Jacques' from 'Le Forum'.
Their Freemantle house is situated in a quiet little street just a few houses away from the surgeon's; quite handy.
It was appreciable to have a comfortable bed and good food to recover.
Thanks to all for looking after me so nicely. I made some mosaics (see cool mosaics blog)during my recovery.

2008-11-27T22:41:00.000-08:00

I feel safe at Peter's Place

2008-11-27T22:36:00.000-08:00

Not only there are a multiple of locks on doors, garage, sheds...Cara,the mean dog is doing a great job keeping eventual burglars away and the chicken is looking after the bikes....

2008-11-27T22:21:00.000-08:00

Bridgetown Blues Festival

2008-11-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

Off we go to the Bridgetown Blues festival with peter and his camper van. It was cold but so many great bands, the 3 day week-end went too quick. We enjoyed the WA Blues Brothers, good to see that Bondi Cigar is still going strong, remember marc Evans (ex ACDC) and Dave Tice (ex Tommy Emmanuel) together they shook the audience.
Sunday morning Gospel with Wiley Reed was magic.

2008-11-27T22:00:00.000-08:00

2008-11-27T21:40:00.000-08:00

Bad luck!

2008-11-11T04:11:00.000-08:00

If you have anything growing on your nose like this photo, get it out quick! it is called BCc skin cancer....have to stick around perth until the maintenance on my body is done properly. It is funny to think that the bike, which got new michelin tyres and a new air filter, is ready to continue the journey but has to wait for the rider to be roadworthy!!

2008-11-11T04:08:00.000-08:00

Gnome World

2008-11-11T04:06:00.000-08:00

Peter took me to the Gnome world....we rode our bike somewhere south, then inland through forests...lovely country, not traffic, no cops...

2008-11-11T03:59:00.000-08:00

Who said the tyres would go around Australia?

2008-10-22T05:13:00.000-07:00

Nearly did not get out of Perenjori as Pete pointed out how badly the rear tyre was worn and explained that it could only go so far....I was going to kalgoorlie to buy a new tyre! Rode to Perth with Pete checking at the rear constantly the progression of the canvas....made it. Thanks Pete for organising new tyres front and back at a good price! Let see if Michelin are doing better than the old Metzler. Keep in touch...

2008-10-22T05:10:00.000-07:00

Hell in Perenjori

2008-10-22T04:57:00.000-07:00

not sure How I got the idea to mosaic the concrete table at the Caravan Park. What was to be a community project involving the locals ended being a flowery nightmare!
Looks like I was going to be in this farming hole till Christmas trying to finish on my own, with little local help. everyday was me and the millions of flies...and they did not do much except piss me off! Pete (from Geralton Odyssey)came to my rescue on his CBR black bird. Thanks God for that! In no time the bloody table was covered in wonderful flowers; we even managed to give a nice look to the seats with left over tiles. It is a free job...but the Shire believes I am Murdoch's daughter travelling on a motorbike doing charity work for the wheat farmers as they haven't reimburse me for the materials yet!

2008-10-22T04:51:00.000-07:00

Wild flower country

2008-10-22T04:48:00.000-07:00

This year wild flowers are spectacular in WA thanks to good rainfalls. The rare 'wreath' are plentiful....

2008-10-22T04:34:00.000-07:00

WA Odyssey

2008-10-22T04:27:00.000-07:00

250 bikes turned up from all over WA,only one from interstate, the one from Cairns...
big responsability laying on my shoulder when I was asked to do a skit to represent the rest of Australia club. Fortunately I met Pet and Col from Mandurah (see photo) and we joined forces to prepare a winning skit that blew the odience away. First time I sang a song written in a few hours in front of such a large enthousiastic group. Great week-end meeting lots of new people.

2008-10-22T04:03:00.000-07:00

Broome to Geralton

2008-10-22T03:57:00.000-07:00

Left Broome, very hot, long distances between fuel stops, glad to have a spare jerrican. Very windy and cold around Exmouth. Stayed at billi's place (see Harley) for a few days. survived the red back spiders and reset my luggage for better management of bike. Sent away my boots and the rear seat cover....
On the way to Hamelin Pool , first rain since i left Cairns! Loved to see the fascinating stromatolites...camped there for the night. great camp kitchen.
Too windy to go to Monkey Mia, rode to Geralton. Met Ian from Ulysses and decided to attend the WA Odyssey.

2008-10-22T03:49:00.000-07:00

2008-08-28T01:28:00.000-07:00

HAVING A BEER WITH SAMMY BEFORE DEPARTING BROOME...