I am home now, having encountered some atrocious weather conditions on the way.

I will sum up the last few days briefly, as Im sure you feel as well as I do that the main (important part) is over, and I'm now just filling up space for no real effect.

I stopped one more night in a hotel, I was late booking in by virtue of the extended lunch break I had after finding a garage keeping French 'rural' lunchtime of 2 hours. :wacko:
The hotel was good, the food was good, the lack of a lift, and being on the second floor meant some stuff stayed on the bike for the night.

The toilet here deserves a mention, it was some kind of electrickery supplied device that must mash everything up before squiting it down a small bore pipe, in effect the reverse of what Id just spent hours doing to the food :rofl:
But the racket!! Never heard so much noise... The whole hotel knew everyone's business so to speak :clap:

I ate dinner, and wandered the street after. Apart from a dodgy looking Kebab shop, and a church, there was no other signs of life. There was either a service in the church, or choir practice, but it did sound nice.

And so to bed. Waking the next morning, I heard the person in the next room showering.. for ages and ages. The I realised, it wasnt a shower, but rain hitting the flat roof just outside the window. Looking out, it was heavy and persistent, and a mist was rolling towards me, actually swallowing up the trees and buildings as I watched it. Realising there was bugger all I could do except scowl and bear it :rain::rain::rain: I elected to have a leisurely breakfast and stretch departure time to the limit, defying the french hotel tradition of the room maids forcing you out as early as they can.. (Ive never found this to be true, but in our family we never let the truth get in the way of a good story.. apparently :cool4:

It was a wet ride, but the delayed departure initially looked like a good plan, but I soon caught up with some really heavy stuff. :rain::rain: So heavy, that I rode with the visor open, in order not to steam up. The dual layer on the BMW system helmet was OK, although Im sure not all the water got in underneath... worst thing though was that my glasses would steam up inside the somewhat damp helmet. Was ok , but a bit annoying. This was when I realised the N roads i love, are a whole new prospect when wet, the mud and :9898: gets spread about a bit, and harder to see, so speeds come right down. Thats when I decided to hit the motorways and make it to Calais.

When it stopped and I dried out a little, as I said earlier, a quick check on the zumo told me I was close to my original planned stop of hill 62 near Ypres (or even Ipres, apparently), so I changed my mind again (still loving the ability to just change my mind all the time :clap: ) and headed on over.

I wandered the museum, got into the tunnels and trenches, and had a good look around. As the weather was good now, and it was 5pm, I decided to find a hotel, and see one of the min craters the next day. I found a hotel right by one of the craters, and rest my head there.

Went out that night into Ypres, asked the hotel for a taxi, and some guy that worked there did me, I mean the trip, for 10euros. I dont know if thats good or not, I dont use taxis much. So, I went.. ate a meal, drank another beer, and watched the Menin gate ceremony of the last post, which they do at 8pm every day, and have since 1928. 300 people turn up on average. It was brief, but poignant. I then found a bar called the Times. Decided to try that one out very British sounding. I was the only Brit in there though. What a selection of good strong Belgian beers :)

After a very strong one.. and a not very strong one at only 9%, bier I decided I needed to head back. So, off to find a taxi. Well, if they have any taxis in Ypres at 10pm or so, they keep them very well hidden..

The sensible thing was to ask. But there is a mathematical link between alcohol consumed and the ability to walk distances in no time at all :smartass:

So.. in my boat type shoes (pack down well) I walked the 3 or 4 km (depending who you asked) back to the hotel.
The blisters on both feet, will go soon, and the slightly twisted left knee from kicking a coke can a few times and then giving it a really big kick and missing the flaming thing should settle soon too :rofl:

And yes it rained on the way back too.. but not too much

Slept well, in a beery sort of way.

Awoke to thunder, lightning and very heavy rain. Another looooong breakfast, and a delayed start. As it turned out, didnt save me at all lol

This was not a day to be in the bottom of a huge bomb crater, unless you were in swimming trunks! So it was a case of maximising the time I had in the room, then heading for home. Even loading the bike was wet, I would wait for a lull in the really big drops, run out, load a bit, and then back inside when the heavy stuff re-appeared.

Hitting the road, the thunder and lighning were gone, but the rain and wind were fierce all around. I dont recall such a miserable, and frankly, dangerous ride as that up to Calais. At one point coming off the motorway for a break, just because I really could not see where I was going, the rain was that hard. Changed gloves as the first pair were drenched (not waterproof gloves to be fair, not even proper biking ones), The proper biking ones kept out the water for less than an hour.

Got to the tunnel and bought a ticket. 110euros for a single, 72euros for a next day return. Obviously not paying 110euros, but I'm told they may come after me for any unused part. What kind of sharp practice is that I'm thinking?

The only good thing about the tunnel, was no wind or rain inside. Plenty on the other side though.

Should have been first off, but pressing the alarm fob produced no flash of the indicators signalling could start the engine. In the end I turned the key and off went the alarm !!!

Let the other two bikes go, and then paddles the bike out of the train carriage, where it started no problem....

Good old UK, windy, (although not wet) and so cold. Stopped at the services at Thurrock to put on my electric jacket, which I had carried with me for 3 weeks and never used. But it did feel food now, the medium setting just cooking me nicely ..

Things I learned
 

1. I really do prefer open face helmets
2. I dont need or want music on a bike (listened to the ipod for about an hour)
3. although 'no plan is a good plan', a little bit of forethought is a better one
4. I do need to go learn some funny languages :)
5. I will not ever tour in kevlar jeans again
6. Other biking, and non biking gear needs to be re-looked it
7. You can wash foam earplugs, but they grow to twice the size, although will revert to original size overnight
8. Belgian beer still has the potential to scramble your head if you dring enough of it ;)

And I found places I want to go back to. Spains Picos mountains, and the route of castles (my translation, so i hope its right), The mountains around the French Italian border, and Ypres.

HMS Usurper
 

As for Usurper. I have no idea how close I got to her resting place, or even her route. The southern most tip of Spain was probably the closest I got, but who knows?
And Leonard Jackson, perished with his mates, like so many people did, an do in War. I'd like to say I felt I know him a little better, but obviously dont. There is just not enough information. It was, in all honesty, a reason for a long ride. But I am glad to have followed the route as best I could, and had someone connected to me to provide it. I did feel relief, and like it was a good thing to make it to the Bay of Genoa, for the assumed 70th anniversary of her sinking on 3rd October 1943. And the stainless disk, although a tad 'heath robinson' is a memorial of sorts.

R.I.P. Grandad

:clap:
I've also learnt these type of things over years of riding; but for your number 1 - I have learnt to live with a full face.

Full face...
 

Yes, I can see the benefits, and I'm thinking maybe one of the Shark lids where the chinguard flips right over the back might be a solution... Bit weird looking though lol.

BTW. I did upload pics to picasa, but it doesn't want to work. I'm doing something wrong. And it's embarrassing cos every one else sends to have it sussed Lol.

Pete

Come to think of it, I have done short trips riding with Kevlar jeans, but only for a few days and only when I have been very confident of the 5 day weather forecast.

You'll never finish with number 6 in your list. doh

Hms usurper
 

COMMENT :
Please note HMS USURPER has been sonar-located off TABARKA , Tunisia. Full dossier available from missonjp@hotmail.com