Trip Diary

6/22/99

washed bike, found master link clip missing! 2+ hrs in Ankara (2 bike
shops, chain store) = new clip (and two for just-in-case)




6/24/99 12:21 am

All packed! The movers worked so fast--and packed up such mixed up
boxes--that I now have much more sympthy for hurricane victems.

After that, packing the bike gear was easy--everything else goes. It's
pretty unbelievable. I	 feel as though there is a vacuum where the last
year was...moving out is like--and un-like--a film of moving in shown
in reverse.




6/24/99 4:03 pm

Gas/çay stop (168mi/172mi on the tank, just on reserve, 6M TL)
Bözöyük. Cold, cloudy, threatening rain; added more layers.

Construction near Bursa & city traffic = slow. More lights/road signs/lane
marking as you head west.

13 bridges--very pretty (trees, hills).

Land flattens--lots of wheat.  Lunch about 30mi past Bandirma. Not great
Turkish truck stop food. Getting warmer.

Gas (330mi/162mi-tank 5MTL)

Only problem for the day: intercom volume!




6/24/99 6:36 pm Çannakale

It's finally warm!

Police check before Lepsiki--just play dumb.




6/24/99 11:25 pm Çannakale 406mi daily/406mi total

pretty, seaside, touristic yet Turkish (vrs. Istanbul's tourist sections).

Cold (almost vests) and mist/drizzle in the AM. ~Long tea stop. Attractive
past Bursa. Views of the water surprisingly late.

Found reasonable hotel (12MTL).

met Elaine & Jane (Fulbright 5 week Turkey study)




6/24/99 7:41 am

Grey, cloudy, very windy. Good day to head to the sunny spots.

Turns colder, drizzle.




6/25/99 11:12 am Gas @ Ipsala, Turkey, before border (use up TL).

161mi, 5.8MTL

very windy, flat, boring Thrace




6/25/99 4:34 pm Greece!

Easy border crossing

fast riding/more passing

Greek rds. are wider than Turkish, better paved, much better painted
lines. 2+ cars per lane, but slightly less crossing over the center
to pass.

rain

lunch @ Kavala (gas 11.9l, 2500GD)

Nice twisty roads (good condition), great views of Aegean islands rising
as distinct bumps out of a flat sea, and lots of rain!




6/25/99 8:59 pm Keterini, Greece. 798mi cumulative/392 daily

Gas 17.7l, 3750GD, 176mi

tired... Relief at being out of/not having to return to Turkey

Meredith and I are both constantly, consciously, unconsciously comparing
_everything_ (people, roads, architecture...) to Turkey. Greece is less
chaotic, cleaner, less formal, wealthier...

Keterini--cafe-culturc, relaxed, easy-going, fewer phones, less instant
intimacy.

Long day riding, traffic through Thessolonika (w. 20mi mistake &
backtrack) was urban/heavy/dense. Motorcycles (& shops, & scooters) are
EVERYWHERE! Unlike Turkey, there are many more vehicles for pleasure,
many new.




6/25/99 8:55 am

On feribot from Asia to Europe (~20 min). 900,000 TL for 2 people & bike.




6/26/99 3:33 pm Meteora

Beautiful. Fun roads. Hot. All the monastaries are closed for lunch when
we arrive.

Very good mt. rds. up to monastaries. Terrific views.  Tourism way down
due to Kosovo war.




6/26/99 5:25 pm gas: 152mi, 15.7l, 3500GD

good roads toward Igoumenitsa. Fun mt. riding. Many trucks (etc. ,
etc.) toward ferries,  but good passing. The travel was due west, but
the road often headed north, south, or east!




6/26/99 8:44 pm Gas outside Igoumenitsa 109mi/11L/2500GD

Fun, fun, fun. Rain, rain. Fun, fun, fun.

Twisty, well paved mountain rds (more mts than I thought Greece
had!). Fast 1st/2nd gear riding. Great views.  ~50mi. Then rain--on the
same--now slick--roads. About 50mi of rain, then dry, great roads. About
265mi total, almost as tiring as 400mi of less challenging ridinq.




6/26/99 11:30 pm

ferry mixup...my reservation was for the 27th. Meredith got us a
cabin/moto space.

Hot, tired. OK dinner before boarding.




6/26/99 12:46 pm

Great mt.  roads Katerini to Elassona! Many roadside
shrines...(memorials).

Not too hot, mild confusion in Larissa.




6/27/99 11:51 am (CET)

ferry: clean, sensory depriving-very dark & quiet.  Awoken by "docking
in 1/2 hr." Too much diesel exhaust.  Couple on F650 going fr. Greece
to Cape Horn!

Autostrada to Manfredonia, Italy! 40+ (too many) km off Autostrada.

beach town, parked w. moto club.

Saw parade (small, terrible HS band)

Hot. Time zone confusion (why are all the restaurants closed?).

Mt. rd. out of town to autostrada. Hilly, too many tour busses/cars to
Padre Pio's tomb.

More confusion, this time w. automated gas machine.




6/27/99 10:34 pm Rimini

After Manfredonia: autostrada (95+). Hot, draining.




6/28/99 10:41 pm rest day

very grey, rain in A.M. Stayed in Hotel Tiffany (yes) another day. Laundry
(too much wringing). Wandered in search of breakfast, found place to
check e-mail. Spent time annotating map over coffee.

Got warm and sunny. Rode to San Marino for lunch (~20km).  S.M. is like
what the old city of Quebéc imitates. It's duty-free, so the shopping is
out of hand, but the buildings, the city lagout, and the views are real.




6/30/99 3:39 pm

First mt. day. Passes from Cortina. "Late" start (~11am). Getting
re-acquainted w. turning. Rain/drizzle/rain/dry. Changing @ every turn,
gradually becoming steady rain.

Gas in Cortina before leaving: 100mi yesterday from Venice.  Adjusted
chain last night.

Hotel Montana--nice. Larger room/bed/shower/towels then expected.




6/30/99 7:45 pm back in Cortina @ ~5:00pm-rain stops by 5:30! Beautiful
sun, dramatic clouds. Cool. Tired, energy from coffee, "survivinq"
technical, wet riding.

nice loop--too much rain, riding getting better @ end. Rear brake getting
soft, more intercom trouble, annoyinq flat spot @ ~3000-4500rpm, but rain
gear OK. 80+ miles, 3/4 tank of gas! (1st gear almost the whole time).

After "lunch" much cooler, more rain. My riding (pace, lines, throttle
control--staying on the gas in tight turns to fight the flat spot)
got better in the last 40km to Cortina.

Many waterfalls, plumes of water cutting through remainq snow/ice
pack. Clouds down in the valleys look like rivers.




7/1/99 2:37 pm lunch in Cavalese

left Cortina--1804mi cumulative. Bled rear brake (DOT 4). Better @
hairpins, good fun series.

Jon's centerstand is bent...knocked over both bikes while parking.

After lunch-amazing 1+ lane rd. 15% grades up + down! Passo de Manghen.

Gas- Borgo...95mi 2-lane highways to autostrada (w. oil stop) to Modena.




7/10/99 7:28 pm steady AM rain in Arabba

went & packed bikes in Arabba w. intent of just going to Cortina for
the day. Sky cleared as we packed...we headed West. ~195+ miles later:
Flim, Switzerland.

Intermittent rain. Terrific "shortcut" through very narrow rocky gorge
(w. Big Bus!). Stopped on E27(?) just north of Balzano for gas/panini
fill up. Meredith removed rain gear. Mix of highway/passes.

More rain, chilly, but each time (of many) we started to get "too"
cold/wet, we'd go around another turn & dry out/warm up. The Julien
pass was _in_ the clouds: very foggy/wet w. a sudden, dramatic drop in
ambient light at the top. Descending rd. (heading west/north) was much
more fun--even wet.

Very nice hotel, great sheets, first tub since leaving Ankara.




7/11/99 10:16 am leaving Flim, Switzerland

29871.6m total 3169.6m cumulative

chain adjustment




7/11/99 1:22 pm lunch in Andermatt (& Meredith found a hotel)

Grey, cool, comfortable.

Nice small town.




7/11/99 5:30 pm back in Andermatt after 75mi (3+ hr, with photo stop).

Andermatt to Furka pass: clear, dry, good temp. Great views, photo stop.

Furka to ??-rain, getting heavy. Ascending-foq/into clouds. Limited
(15m) visibility. The road seemed like a bridge.

Heavy traffic up hairpins avoiding toll tunnel. Not an easy way to end
the ride.

Back in Andermatt-tired & wet. Roads in Andermatt damp, but no rain.




7/12/99 9:28 pm Etroubles, Italy

Andermatt to Martigny: Amazing engineering on ?? Pass (graceful hairpins
on stilts) (Switzerland).

~fast, slow through each small (old!) town. Houses on "stilts" with large
(garbage-can lid sized) slate pieces between the sections.

Strip mall/industry @ Brig. Meredith bouqht boots. GTS w. Givi
screen. Shop owner w. 400, 000k on his GTS. Hotel search in pretty,
French-like Martigny, then on to Great St. Bernard pass. Fun
rd. Italian side much better than Swiss. Monte Blanc tunnel closed
(Italy->France). Back to Etroubles.

2 Belgium couples (GTS, Honda XX).

Meredith picked good hotel.

Amazon parrot @ restaurant.




7/13/99 6:21 pm Thônes, France found a hotel avoided the TdF!

Pretty town, square (triangle) around 1697 church.  Torch-light and
band Bastille day parade in the rain during dinner, then _heavy_ rain
(doorway-to-doorway dancinq & drenching).




7/13/99 12:56 pm Bourg St. Maurice, France.

The Piccolo (Petit) St. Bernard pass: steeper hairpins on the Italian
side, closed, abandned border post.

French rds: more like upstate NY, Vermont rds. Concrete, patched...harder
to "read". No signed turns, guardrails, faded paint, no posts @ side of
rd. Harder to see curves.

Culture shock: it's not French-speaking Canada!




7/13/99 9:39 am Leaving Etroubles for France.  3483m cumulative.

Jon left for Germany.




7/14/99 4:20 pm Thônes, France sick day for Mark




7/14/99 11:33 pm Thônes, France dinner: soup/warm goat cheese salad
asparagus&salad (vinegrette
	or mayonnaise)
cooked veggies & pomme
	frittes
cheese plate dessert 2 glasses of wine 230F w. tip (~$35.50)




7/15/99 1:36 pm lunch in St. Pierre D'Albigny

circled Lac D'Annecy: pretty, not extraodinary riding

found D41 (luck!)  nice forested rd. Climbed into/though/down out of
clouds. Gravel, no lines, fresh pavement, surprise turns. Descent to
long valley: farm/river rd. Very Vt.-like.

Col du Frêne! Very fun. Tight hairpins, short alternating turns, very
little traffic.

Very small rd between ?? (Haute des Alpes?) and ?? TdF route. Worst
drop potential?




7/16/99 11:09 am leaving Monetier-les-Bains 3785 cum. 30486 total




7/16/99 8:55 pm Vence, France 3936mi cumulative

fun ride down from Monetier-les-Bains, highest pass in Europe,
2802m-9192ft, (accordinq to the French). Lots of poor, hard to read
pavement. Not very hard riding, except for the gravel, narrow roads,
distractinq views, lack of guardrail, paint, shoulder, etc. Pavement
quality like the worst of Passo di Stelvio (Vermont/Quebec seasonal rd.)

My survey reveals that 2/6 of vehicles in the French Alps are smoke
belching French diesels, 1/6 are oil-fume spewing French cars, 1/6 are
motorhomes, 1/6 are foreign cars, and 1/6 are bikes. The good news is:
no tour busses!

French drivers make the Swiss look good!




7/17/99 7:52 pm Noted the front tire was very worn @ the edges. Racing
compound + hard riding + variable pressure + ~5500m = toasted tire. Better
life than expected, and the rear is still good.

Back in Vence after a day on the beach in Cannes. Cannes: smaller, far
less crowded than expected. Hot, but not Miserable. Looked at yachts,
found the small sandy beach. Sat and baked.

Stopped at a moto-shop (La Maison de La'Moto) in Mougins re. tire. They
suggested 2 places in Aix-en-Provence.




7/18/99 11:15 am leaving Vence 3999.3m cumulative




7/18/99 1:49 pm lunch stop in Draguiguan, France. Good pesto salad.

Good country/hill rds. from Vence. Very hot: hard to concentrate.




7/19/99 2:57 pm Aix-en-Provence.

Arrived last night after a long/short day. Interesting roads, probably
beautiful scenery,  but I was so hot that I couldn't focus. Choose
a mediocre hotel on the outskirts of the city (Mark's insistence =>
mistake).

AM: found a bike shop (3 were closed, recommended tire places were (1)
in Marsilles or (2) not to be found) with the right size tire (Dunlop
K455F) in stock. 30857m.




7/2/99 10:42 am

Ducati tour.  Hot (~31high) getting to Boloqna.

Factory tour (Andrea, one of 4 guides, w. Ducati about 1yr.) was O.K.,
but there was almost no production. Very imformative, enthusiastic guides.

Mix of old & new (CNC) machines. Lots of parts & sub-assemblies
(fr. forks, painted plastics) outsourced. 4,000 bikes/yr. 5% reject rate
on complete engines. Unknown on parts/complete bikes.

Museum (Livio, guide/asst. curator, real fan) was very good! Great
design. Emphasis on mechanics/racing.

Left in search of BMW shop to replace Jon's bent centerstand.

Very hot. Traffic in Boloqna to snotty BMW CAR/bike dealer. Then to
Modena shop (39C). No luck. Off to Lago di Garda. Mild separation on
autostrada. 3 illegal "U" turns later we catch up.

Hot & sticky, quickly cooler (a touch) in the shade of roads around
the lake.




7/2/99 12:25 am

Autostrada stop-added ~355cc oil (Shell Helix 10w40).  2,000mi cumulative.

separated from Jon ontering Modena. Found each other in about 40min.

Confusion, difficulty findinq a hotel, circling the slums of Bologna. Nice
hotel in the historic center, Bologna is much nicer from the inside than
the outside.

Saw a parade...from the rear, at a block's distance while Meredith was
investigating hotels.




7/20/99 2:22 pm Trigance, France

Lunch stop.

Hot (28+), but lower humidity. Good riding around Verdon Gorge, even
scrubbing in new front tire. Terrific scenery: Caribbean blue water,
narrow gorge w. climbable cliffs (big water eroded curved overhanging
pockets, long cracks). Tight twists in the road that seem to go straight
into rocks.

Caught up w. blue GTS, spoke w. owner briefly @ roadside.




7/20/99 11:10 pm Barcelonette

really good, upbeat long (196m) riding day. Definitely getting over
cold. Meredith plotted a good route, zig-zagging across a Natl.
Park. Small, rough roads w. terrfic views. Later, bigger rds, faster,
but w.  rocks (sand to brick sized) everywhere...for miles. Last
stretch-narrow road-cliffs on one side, river on the other. Fast, twisty
river-road sweepers, alternating sides of the river w. small bridges.
seedy hotel rm, last one left in the nice town

Vietnamese food, jazz concert @ church steps.




7/20/99 9:50 am leaving Aix-en-Provence 4160 cumulative 30862 total




7/21/99 8:18 pm Lanslebourg Mont-Cenis

(doin' laundry)

Day of Impassable Roads don't navigate backroads in Italy on a French map.

late (12:00) start after great breakfast, adding ATF fluid to ScottOiller
(36F for fluid + 5F for funnel), changing headlight bulb (highbeam--unused
for last 3+ weeks--burned out) w. spare 55/60.

Col De Mont-Cenis from Italy to France: superb!  ~narrow, shaded,
dense, sometimes slightly rough road, tight hairpins becoming somewhat
bigger after the French border. Road continues to climb & climb. Wider,
mixed sweepers & hairpins, wondeful views of the road ahead, stone
walls outlining the next turn. Sudden cows in the road (thanks to
the woman flashing her lights!). Lots of big trucks (because of Mont
Blanc tunnel closing?). Passing the line of cars as the double-trailer
ahead negotiates the next hairpin...passing inside hairpins. The road
reaches altitude--2717m--unexpectedly. Views of a clear blue lake & it's
dam. Looking up, more mountains--toothy bare grey rock, sloping, snowy
peaks, and possibly Mont Blanc (~125km away, but the right direction,
and about 1300m higher than anything else). On the descent, miles of
fast sweepers, getting tighter as the road goes from the bare sunnit to
the forest below. A series of "flip-flop" sweepers will be followed by
a sudden hairpin. This pattern happens about 6 times down to Lanslebourg
Mont-Cenis.




7/21/99 9:37 am Barcelonette 4356m cumulative

Wonderful breakfast in Barcelonette (fresh sheep-mouton-yogurt, local
mt. raspberries, pain-au-chocalat, croissant, cafe-au-lait) with a view
of the farmer's & butcher's morning outdoor market against a mountain
backdrop.




7/22/99 1:39 pm lunch in Hauteluce (great onion soup) & amazing champigon
feuilleté

Col de Iseran: cold! Impressive. Fun. Much more barren landscape on
north side.

Repeat of roads from Bourg St. Maurice to (almost) Thône. No rain +
vague route memory + more experience w. French roads + ~no cold illness =
faster, more fun. Weater: cool, overcast. Fast bicyclists...hard to pass!




7/22/99 9:55 pm St. Laurent de Grandevaux

dinner w. Robert & Klaus-paired TDM 850's, sequential vanity plates...

North of Beaufort the scenery/roads changed: farm roads (PA like)
w. wide views of wooded, planted country.

D991-much tighter than the map shows.

Long day, cold @ end, riding W into the setting sun. Followed Robert &
Klaus for the last ~25km,  talked when we stopped in Morez to look for
hotel and for them to look for camping.

Hotel w. puzzles as paintings (~3'x4' in the hall).




7/22/99 9:21 am leaving Lanslebourg Mont-Cenis, cloudy at wake-up,
saw snow plow (moving for maint.?--no recent snow), sunny by breakfast.

4502m cumulative.




7/23/99 10:22 am leaving St. Laurent de Grandevaux

4727m cumulative

solid overcast, chilly, drizzle

e-vests at the first gas stop.

Rain for ~100mi, cold, never got a great rhythm.

Passed Klaus & Robert on the road, stopped with them for gas, later
extended coffee break. Split then, with our stated intention to stay in
Belfort & enjoy the Verdon forest twisties the next day.

Approaching Belfort, the weather cleared. The town didn't look
too attractive, so Mark insisted on going to look at "just the next
hotel"...for ~30km...up the hairpins to the Ballon...where we spotted
Klaus & Robert in the restaurant parking lot!

Back down to Belfort for the night.




7/24/99 10:05 am leaving Belfort, France 4876 cumulative




7/24/99 3:31 pm Lunch in Col de la Schlucht

super riding up from Belfort! Very wooded, lots of hairpins, fast paired
"flip-flop" sweepers, 100mi--290° views, good pavement, lots of motos.

Watch for the cobblestone-paving in the turns. So very "ye olde villagee".




7/24/99 10:01 pm Obernai, France  (barely) very German France. Different
architecture, names, food, language.

Helped change a tire outside Villé, got recommendation to go to
Obernai. D425 from Villé to Obernai...very nice, on east side of the
hill--out of the setting sun. Round one right-hander: the wooded hills
disappear, the landscape turns to gentle hills, heavily planted (grapes,
corn), with small villages visible at many crossroads.




7/25/99 1:29 pm lunch in Petit-Pierre nice forest/farm rds, surprise
hairpins. Hotel Lion D'Or is part of the "Motor Bike Hotels International"

Really fast sweepers on beautiful new pavement (flat, wide, good
visibility, long farming valley.




7/25/99 8:52 pm Frankfurt Meredith is hotel shopping...

It's been a hot, long, fun, bittersweet day of fun riding.

Germany: fast, woods, very popular w. bikers, bigger expanses of sky than
we've seen (~level to horizon @ right angle to road) since Southern Italy
or Thrace. Intensive, mechanized farming. Big power-generating windmills.




7/25/99 9:51 am leaving Obernai 5045.9m cumulative 31747.9 total




7/26/99 1:30 pm Lufthansa Cargo "this is so easy!"

5319m cumulative

bags packed w.:
	2 helmets Aerostitch (w. hard armor
		hip pads & back protector)
	Motowear suit 2 prs gloves disc lock 2 intercom cords 2 prs
	boots 2 prs socks

308kg for shippinq




7/3/99 9:10 pm Salo. Lago di Garda

Rest day.  Quite warm, but not as hot w/o riding.

Pretty, found laundromat, then small, rocky beach (mainly locals).

Parade at night (drum majorette corps, marching band, scullers) then a
sculling regatta!

Still hot.

Re-wired intercom power (and fixed stop light lead I broke in the
process).




7/4/99 10:08 am leaving Lago di Garda

2227.6 cum. Miles 28929total




7/4/99 5:13 pm Switzerland!

Less technical rds. More traffic--veritable parade of bikes.  Lots of
aggressive passing in Italy. Quite hot in the morning. Cool tunnels
around Lago di Garda, but very humid.

Very different mts., glaciers.  Brief rain up Bernina pass, clear,
completely dry rds. just before the top.

The Alps landscape is so different than the Dolomites. Less raw, further
away, more "gradual" slopes, more green.




7/5/99 5:08 pm Passo di Stelvio 2757m (9045ft!)

fun, grey, uncrowded, not super-fast ascent.

Amazing view, mediocre food/service. Cool to cold air, fast moving clouds,
intense sun.

Route up: Brenina pass to Livigno (narrow road along steep sided,
narrow, rocky valley. Tax free--in Italy no less! Gas was 10/18 the
"outside" price.

marmot(?) sighting

after Passo de Stelvio, descent in heavy, intermittent rain, w. bright
sun! The south side is very much less paved-collapsing guard rails,
rock chunks in the road...

Ofen Pass: less technical, fast sweepers.

132mi total: 1:45-7:30 w. gas, lunch, hot chocolate @ Passo de Stelvio.




7/6/99 7:37 pm Pontresina

rest day--morning walk through the mt field of wildflowers, bridgeless
(incomplete) crossing, then lots of rain.

Wonderful (indoor, municipal) sauna.




7/7/99 11:36 pm Merano, Italy 2735 cumulative miles.

190mi of passes from Pontresina, Switzerland.

Offen Pass & Passo de Stelvio again (opposite direction)-bright, chilly,
sunny, turning warmer. Impressive views up Passo de Stelvio, but the
riding got less enthralling with repitition. Cool @ Passo de Stelvio,
drizzle. Rain down on Northern side. Lunch in Bormio.

Passo Galvia!! Stunninq! Tight, steep, excelent to fair pavement. Amazinq
views: long, wind-brushed grasses dotted with wildflowers give an
impressionest painted softness to the landscape; brilliant green-blue
lakes; a dog playing in the snow at 2???m; 1 1/2 to less-than-1 lane road:
16% grade; a stream of time-pressed antique British sports cars coming
at us up the hill during their rally. Very technical, not too fast,
terrific, beautiful fun!

Merano: very German (Austrian) city.




7/8/99 9:58 pm Arabba, Italy short day, ~125miles. Very technical,
lots of fun. Passo Sella,

Amazing appearance of the Dolomites.

great hotel deal!

The imediecy of the sensations and impressions during this trip are
rapidly filling in the space left by the gradually eroding day-to-day
memories of Turkey.




7/9/99 1:00 pm

"rest" day. Solo riding w. Jon.  Lunch in St. Vigil after off-the-map,
semi-paved loop.

Good weather: cooler, somewhat overcast, but little of the predicted rain.

2-storey barns on lower side of the hill with bridge entrance for tractors
to top.

leaning bikes into uphill side of the ground to let trucks pass on
narrow road.

Missed riding with Meredith while she stayed in the hotel and consumed
white chocolate with pre-meditated calumny & selfishness.