Barcelona – just scratching the surface

After a 7 hour layover in Dubai we arrived in Barcelona just over 33 hours after we left Canberra. Jumping in a taxi at Barcelona airport the cabbie quickly got us to the wrong hotel. After a number of apologies we got to the right one after an impromptu tour of the city. Not to…

On helmets and saving money.

Five years ago I got rear ended at an intersection and got catapulted over the bars and onto the road … luckily there was nothing coming. Other than doing about $5,000 worth of damage to the bike, I ended up with some hero marks on my leathers from a bit of tarmac surfing and a…

Going nowhere

I just want to say up front. I’m allergic to boats. Every time I get on a boat I find myself feeding the fishes. My catch cry has been, “the perfect cure for sea sickness – get off the damn boat!” So when Deb suggested a 3 day sampler cruise out of Sydney I have to…

Just Helping Out

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I help out with the occasional cycle road racing events as a motocom – ie a commassaire on a motorcycle. So I have had quite a bit of experience in and around cyclists. A month ago I had a call for help with an event (not a race) in…

Finding my way home

From Port Lincoln I continued up and around the coast popping into the various settlements along the way. It amazed me the number of these little towns on my trip that had quite prominent murals painted on walls. In endurance riding circles Horrocks pass is the welcome to the east, the first set of true…

Heading east – part 2

There’s something very beautiful about the Nullabor. Many just see the long drag that you have to take when going across the country. However, it isn’t like that. The landscape and vegetation changes many times as you move through the countryside, often with little or no transition. Trees, no trees, scrub, plains, rolling hills. And…

Heading East – part 1

Waking up to the sound of the ocean is very calming, in fact it made it hard to get going at all. It wasn’t helped by taking my cereal and coffee to the top of the dune and sitting and contemplating the world. Then with my tent still wet from the night’s dew I went…

Following the WA coastline

After the intensity of the first two days of this trip, followed by my brother-in-laws wedding in Albany I am now casually making my way back home. The plan is to head to the south west tip of Australia then travel as far north as Geraldton then go inland and down to Kalgoolie and head…

The 50cc – just don’t give up

The motorcycle community like all communities is made up of a wide range of different sub cultures. There’s the sports bike riders with their fast sports bikes and often bright leathers; the tourers with huge heavy bikes complete with surround sound and arm rests for the pillion; the adventure riders with big tall bikes and…

Just making it up

And then sometimes you just have to ride and make it up as you go. … There are days when the road calls and all you want to do is sit and watch the world pass beneath you. Just you, the road, and your thoughts. There are other days where it’s nice to share the moment,…