I have been moving fast, so unable to write much. I have plenty of stories, and some photos. Have not really been taking a lot of photos since the scenery is so fantastic that the photos just do not capture enough. So, I am just taking photos with my eyes.
For those that have not been keeping track:
July 2nd I ran away from home and up to Montreal, where I put my Triumph on a plane to Frankfurt. For the month of July I rode through the black forest of Germany, then into the Swiss Alps. Then just a bit of the French Alps, then some of the Italian Alps (Dolomites), Austrian Alps, and, well, more Alps. Every time I went to lower elevations it got too hot and crowded and I headed back to the hills.
I had originally intended to head to Scandinavia in June, but then changed plans to go there in July, but later decided to head up there in August, when everyone else was vacationing in lower Europe, as heading up North in July would have had me back in Europe with the hordes of tourists and heat.
Early this year, a woman named Nancy on the ADVRider.com adventure motorcycling forum (Special Agent Nancy) posted that she was looking for riders to accompany her on some portions of a trip that included Scandinavia. Her plan was to go there in June, then July, then her plans changed to August. She also rides a 2011 Triumph Tiger. She found a fellow rider to accompany her for all but the northern Scandinavia portion, which she planned on doing mid-august.
With the schedule changes, our schedules ended up coinciding, and I planned on meeting up with her for the Scandinavia portion.
Then, at the end of July, it was getting too hot and crowded in lower Europe, so I planned on escaping to the north. I was trying to figure out how I was going to spend two and a half weeks prior to meeting up with Nancy, when her fellow rider was forced to bail due to a family emergency. Since I needed a plan, and Nancy had a plan, I decided to ride along with her for some portion of her trip. I had to get tires in Germany, as Scandinavia is absurdly expensive and my tires would not make the entire trip in the north country. Then my radiator failed due to some damage it received just prior to the trip. Then on the way north through Germany, my tube in my rear tire failed becuase the idiots at the shop used the old tube instead of putting in a new one.
I finally met up with Nancy in Sweden, and found her travelling style was pretty much in line with mine. Basically, a lot of miles, with the occasional short stop at something weird and interesting. Her plan, which was now mine, was to take the ferry to Lithuania, hit southern Lithuania, then north through Latvia, and Estonia, then into Finland, and a ferry back to Sweden then up to the Lofoten Islands of Norway, then back down the coast of Norway before hitting some of the interior of Norway for some great riding.
I said that Nancy's travelling style is in line with mine. Not completely accurate, at least to the way I currently travel. Nancy prefers camping and home stays or Air BnB to hotels. I prefer decent hotels to all of that. The problem being that it is hard to get hotels with two bedrooms, and can even be a challenge to get ones with two beds, so we mostly got Air BnB's with a few camp grounds, and one home stay where we had use of a Boat House (story to follow) on the water. Great view at the boat house, but we had to park the bikes a bit away from there as the mud and cow pies were a bit slippery for fully loaded bikes (mine with street tires). Even though we had a chemical toilet, and a tiny wood stove, this may have been one of the best places we stayed. At some locations, we had to find separate Air BnB's since there were none available with two bedrooms.
All in all it has been working out well. We have been either riding, sleeping or planning the next day's ride, hence the lack of posts. Our plans today went to sh*t as our planned homestay cancelled, our planned route had to change due to excessive winds and very cold heavy rain, and the one place we really planned on stopping (a Saw Mill Museum) was not open on Sunday's. We should have just stayed two nights at our last Air BnB, but that was not the decision we made, so I have a little time to write an update.
From here (August 19th), I am not sure. There are a lot of great roads south of here. I expect I will continue to ride with Nancy until she heads off to Oslo, but as with all plans, these are also subject to change.
After that, I might hit a few interesting things in Sweden, then into Denmark, then Germany. I will be long past due for an oil change then, so will be forced to pay the absurd prices here. Good synthetic oil is running at least $20 a liter. I can get 6 liters at home, delivered to my house, for $46.
From Germany, I will likely head to England, Scotland and Ireland. I can stay in the Schengen area, which includes most of Europe, and a bunch of other areas, for 3 months out of any 6. I will have been there for 2 months the end of August. The UK is not included in the Schengen area, so I can go there for up to 2 months. I will then have to decide if I go back to Europe for 2 or 3 weeks then home, or if I head through Europe and go to the parts of Eastern Europe that are not part of the Schengen Area. I can store my bike in Dublin or Heidelberg easily. And I don't have to go home. I was thinking of flying to someplace for a long diving adventure, or new Zealand. It will be too hot in Australia at that point so that is out until their fall. I suppose I could go back "home" for Christmas, but, you know, snow....