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12 Nov 2015
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rondelli
They spelled my name wrong on that road sign!
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Ha Ha Ha. I'm glad you noticed Gino. That is why we turned around and went back to get the photo. We both thought of you when we saw it! Cheers.
Sara
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14 Nov 2015
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We had a rainy night and it was still lightly raining in the morning. We had been invited to stay with some friends in a Chateau near Bordeaux. Initially we had decided we could not make it there since it was “300 km in the opposite direction” from our target of Madrid, but after 30 more seconds of rational thought realized how stupid that sounded. What is 600 km to see fellow Canadians and biking friends? We had first met Anne and Peter at “the end of the road” in Ushuaia. We were leaving the park after getting our photo OP at “the sign”. I saw a huge Canadian flag on the panier of one of the bikes and yelled out Hey Canada! So we stopped and made friends. They have been touring in the UK and head home from Paris this week.
the end of the road 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
the end of the road 51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
DSC00737 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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14 Nov 2015
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We rode the secondary roads north, which for us was an almost straight shot to Saint Emilion and with very little slowing for towns. We thought we could make the 270 km in less than 4 hours.
Screen Shot 2015-10-16 at 8.40.35 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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14 Nov 2015
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About an hour out we stopped for a coffee. As Sara pulled in to park on the curb outside the café the “Yellow triangle of death” was flashing and the bike was promptly dead. Taking out the GS 911 we confirmed our fears that the stator was burnt again! The last time it was replaced was in Ecuador almost 90,000 km ago, but they always seem to die when we are meeting someone and it is raining. The job took longer than expected since we had to take off several extra parts including the foot peg and rear brake since we could not get the one bolt out of the “this is crap” Touratech crash bar. Dan is getting pretty good at this now after 4 times. It is still stressful to have the engine open on the “side of the road” and have only one shot to fix it. After putting it all back together the test of the 911 was ALL GOOD! This got us back on the road at 130 after 2 ½ hours. I need a drink!!!
saint emilion 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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14 Nov 2015
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Arriving at the Châteaux Peter and Anne were not too worried since they had followed our SPOT tracks most of the day.
saint emilion 42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Anne and Peter had been invited here by the owner Jean-Philippe. He had also had welcomed us to stay at the Châteaux.
saint emilion 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr and saw us finally coming.
DSC05894 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flick
saint emilion 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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14 Nov 2015
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We managed to get in walk about the village of Saint Emilion before dark.
saint emilion 33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
saint emilion 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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14 Nov 2015
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15 Nov 2015
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15 Nov 2015
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Heading south again it was 2 degrees and sunny leaving the Bordeaux region. We backtracked to Roquefort (like the cheese) and then veered west to Pau. From here we left the vineyards and headed up into the hills again. There is a 7 km long tunnel that starts in France and ends in Spain. Our idea was to get a far as possible today and be as near to Madrid as we could be for tomorrow.
Screen Shot 2015-10-16 at 8.43.45 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
IMG_4340 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
IMG_4339 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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15 Nov 2015
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Luckily the temperature did get much better after noon and was a tolerably 14. We stopped at a small village with 1 hotel just off the highway in La Almunia de Dona Godina. Today is the final push towards Madrid. It is just 200 km to Guadalajara (60 km north of the capital) and on the highway we made quick time.
Screen Shot 2015-10-16 at 8.45.06 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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15 Nov 2015
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We wanted to get the bikes washed and all our clothes and the suits cleaned. This was accomplished all in one location at the Repsol gas station in Guadalajara where they have a car wash and a free standing Lavandaria Automatico. This is a box like building essentially with industrial washers and dryers in it. This means we were done in just over an hour. That left the rest of the afternoon to relax.
DSC05954 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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18 Nov 2015
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Just 18 km north of Guadalajara is a small village called Torija. Here we met with several of our Madrid friends for a days ride out. Antonio and Natalia whom we had stayed with in Marbella and Modesto with whom we had stayed with in Madrid last time and who has been such a bit help with the bikes. Dan’s 800 also hit 170,000 km today.
Screen Shot 2015-10-22 at 6.20.56 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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18 Nov 2015
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Well the year has finally come to an end. We are headed home to Vancouver for the winter to see our families and make some money for our return April 7, 2016.We want to give a huge thanks to Modesto for allowing us to store the bikes for the winter. Also to Antonio and Natalia for hosting us and getting us to the airport with all our gear. We had left the old Touratrash panniers in Madrid last spring, but we are taking them home as our luggage. With all our stickers on them and a piece of glass they will make a cool coffee table.
madrid 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
madrid 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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10 Dec 2015
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We thought we we would do a bit of a summary of the last 12 months on the road....
1. Brazil
The three months we spent here were not nearly enough. This country should not be missed. Skip Ushuaia if you “don’t have the time” to get to Brazil. The riding is epic, the food is great, and the people are the most friendly and outgoing in the world.
Painiera 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
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Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook
"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
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