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Alps
2008
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I'm up early, excited at the
prospect of finally getting to ride on the German Autobahn - even though
I don't really know exactly where it is or what it is other than a highway
you can legally go very fast on. It's too early for breakfast and the
streets of Ieper are deserted. I've got some time, so I decide to resort
the radio and music hookup before we head out this morning. I had the
radio in the left fairing pocket, but the heat kept making it act strangely.
It fits nicely with the Autocom under the pillion seat which is out of
harm's way and the weather. I was also carrying the MP3 player in my pocket,
but decide it can ride fine in the trunk. This will prove to be the optimum
setting and allows me to only have one connection from my headset to system.
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As I am finishing up, Dave
comes downstairs. It seems there was an person on the staircase between
his room and mine who just couldn't quite make it back to his room. I
saw him when I came down but decided to leave him alone. Dave was less
kind than me and roused the poor guy up so he could get by him and down
the stairs. We guess that it was just a little too long a walk for a man
in his condition, so he had stretched out on the flight of stairs. Dave,
who is head and shoulders above me concerning photography, has come down
to get some more shots of the town. He tells me -
"You can usually get better
photographs early in the morning because of the position of the sun."
or something like that. Sounds
as good a reason as any to me for a stroll. So off we go toward the deserted
town square. It is amazing to think how many people were busy running
about yesterday and to see it completely deserted now.
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I guess it is sort
of funny, but I prefer to take pictures of scenes without people and now
is my chance. The city building (or courthouse as I would call it back home)
is an very visually interesting structure with a unique tower extending
from it's roofline. |
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I manage to get
a more complete picture of the museum which captures more of the ornate
spires with a church spire in the background. |
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It's getting close to the time
when breakfast is available, so we wander back to our hotel. It used to
be called the Shellhole (I presume because it was built over one) but
now it is called the Hotel Ambrosia by the new owner and the price matches
the name. Dave was gracious and let me have the double room while he took
the single room up another flight of stairs. It's a good thing because
I would not have fit into the closet they had him in!
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After breakfast,
we load up the bikes and Dave sets about loading in the route for the day.
It will be one of the longest days we ride but most of it will be on the
Autobahn. It's nice for me just to be able to kick back and play "follow
the leader". And Dave is awful handy with the GPS and a great feller
to be riding behind. |
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We check out and get on the
road to Moff and Pete's campsite for a last good-bye. We won't be with
Moff again until we reach Luc's back in Belgium near the end of the trip.
Moff was hoping to be able to ride at least part of the Alps with us,
but circumstances conspired against him so he will not be able to. I give
him a big hug before we leave and tell him -
"I reckon I'll see you
in Belgium. Give the Missus and the youngin's a hug for me."
I also wish Pete good luck
and safety riding behind Moff, which seems like a iffy deal to me. Pete's
nickname is Chicken, but I tell him -
"Anybody willing to ride
behind Moff sure can't be called chicken in my book!"
We both have a good laugh about
that and then Dave and I head off toward the Autobahn. What I know about
the Autobahn could be put into my shoe and still have room for my foot.
I assumed that it was a particular road in Germany but Dave lets me know
that it is generally thought of as the entire Germany motorway system.
It looks and feels just like the interstate system back home with 2 notable
exceptions -
1. The only thing the people
are doing in their cars is driving - no cell phones, no application of
make-up, no reading the morning paper - what a novel concept!
2. For the most part, the speed
limit is whatever you and your vehicle think you are capable of handling
as long as you are not in a 'marked' zone like a construction area.
We usually stay in the 'medium'
(middle) lane and motor along between 90 - 120 mph and are often passed
in the left lane like we are parked. But I have to say that I feel safer
at those speeds here than doing 55 mph anywhere back in the States.
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But at those sustained
speeds, the STs suck the gas up like a thirsty camel at a water hole. So
we stop often to put that fine, expensive fuel in their empty tanks. At
our first fuel stop, I notice a electricity generating windmill like the
ones I've seen out West and elsewhere in the States. I will come to see
them quite often over here as the Europeans are constantly (and understandably)
looking for energy conserving options. |
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After we fuel up,
we pull away from the tanks to take a little break. Nearby are a group of
local bikers with a mix of Beemers and other marquees. We can't help but
notice several of them pushing what appears to be a rather new Beemer to
get it started. We just shrug our shoulders and look at each other and smile. |
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We find ourselves
only able to get around 150-170 miles on a tank before we start needing
to refuel. I also learn another valuable lesson - some of the credit card
machines inside the stores have a green button. If you want to sign your
receipt instead of using a pin number, you've got to press that button.
The clerk tries to explain that to me in German but it goes a little slow.
Finally I get the gist of it and press the button and all goes well. From
then on, I usually make a signing motion to the clerks so that they understand
I need to sign the receipt not use a pin number.
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In one straight
section, I want to see if the high speed 'weave' exists on this late model
ST1300. What I notice is that as I approach and hold 120 mph, the front
end seems to lighten up and the steering is very nervous. It reminds me
of driving a pickup truck with too much weight in the back which makes the
front end light and the steering react in the same way. Regardless of the
position of the windshield, the behavior is the same. Just out of curiosity,
I lower the screen all the way down and tuck down on the tank. The bike
then passes the 120 mph and upward with never a bobble. To me, there must
be some aerodynamic lift that occurs with the windshield up at certain speeds.
Before long Dave radios me back to look ahead and see my first glimpse of
the Alps where we will be spending our coming days. |
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Soon we leave the
Autobahn for the day as we make our way to Lermoos, Austria. The closer
we get, the more breathtaking the scenery becomes. |
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We
arrive at the Hotel Pension Garni
Hochmoos, a lovely place in a lovely setting. We can park the bikes
right near the front door which makes unloading really nice. |
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Dave's riding friends
from Scotland, Allan and Dot, are also staying at the same place. He rides
an ST1300 at home and she rides a Suzuki Burgman, but here they have trailered
their smaller Hondas to enjoy the various local twisties. |
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We decide we will
do dinner in about an hour, so Dave and I have some time to wash the road
stink off. Our rooms have nice balconies, and I can easily see the mountains
that form what is known as the Zugspitze Arena. Lermoos is the in the foothills
and is surrounding by imposing mountains on all sides. |
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Zugspitze is the
tallest mountain in Germany and is a imposing silent sentinel overlooking
all of Lermoos. |
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Time comes for dinner
and am I ever hungry. I think my body has finally figured out what time
zone it is in and has adjusted its appetite accordingly. Allan and Dot take
us to their favorite restaurant down in the village proper call the Cafe
Grubig. It is appropriately named, as I transliterate it to Grub - Big. |
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Allan and Dot really
love the spaghetti here, so they each order it to their liking. At Dave's
suggestion, I try something called the Triple Skillet and I am not disappointed.
We entertain each other with tall tales and the adventures we have experienced
on the road. It is a wonderful way to finish off a long day in the saddle
- good friends, old and new, great food, all surrounded by unbelievable
scenery. The walk back to the hotel in the cool of the evening is framed
by a gorgeous sunset. |
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It looks like a
storm is brewing up in the mountains, so Dave and I sit out on the balcony
waiting for it to blow in. But the hour is getting late, so I decide I'd
better turn in before I fall asleep in my chair. Once I'm in the sack, I'm
out faster than the storm can come down the mountains. |
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Totals For The Day -
Countries - 4 (Belgium,
Netherlands, Germany, Austria)
Miles - 570
Passes - 0
Hairpins - 0
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