Why do we do it?

Been a while since I "blogged", here goes.

Today I was asked, "Wouldn't you rather be in a car on days like this?"

To understand we must go back to how the week started, bear with me please.

I went to the casino in Blackpool last Saturday night with my brother, something we do now and again, just to keep in touch, you know, anyway, we had a good night, bite to eat, played the wheel and came away with folding in my pocket, £250 to be precise, I also retained 100 in chips for next time and Dave kept 50, we had gone in with 130, I'll let you work it out. Anyway, it's not about the winning it's about brothers, and there in is another story. I always put my chips on 4 numbers 1-3-13 and 31, why? if you have to ask you don't need to know, but again staying with the theme of the week.

Somewhere between coming out of the casino and getting to my hotel room I managed to misplace £100, yes I know, how can you do that, hope whoever picked it up needed it more than me, I was still up so heyho.

Sunday was the ride down to Felixstowe and collecting Dave Martins ashes to take to Belonga Mick, Monday being the anniversary of Dave's passing I wanted to mark it in an appropriate way, what other than riding a Valkyrie through France and with a little bit of the great man with me.

Steady and uneventful ride down on the Sunday left me feeling optimistic for the 5 days ahead, along with friends and family of Dave's we had a few drinks in the bar before I retired for a fit full nights sleep (note to self, always book a double room never a single, it costs the same).

Up early on the Monday and a ride around to Andy Damant's for a quick coffee, he'd been on nights so couldn't join us the night before but didn't think it right to leave without popping in.

With some of Dave's ashes in my left breast pocket of my jacket I set off at 07.30, nice steady and again uneventful ride down to Folkestone and the train to France, one stop for petrol just before I got on the train, I wanted to hit the road on the other side and not stop for a couple of hundred miles.

Dave always enjoyed, if that's the right word, visiting the war graves when we traveled through northern France, respect n all ya know, I made it a point to stop at a foreign field this trip and spend a few quite moments giving thanks for the sacrifices made.

I pushed on, couple of short showers but nothing to get me wet and I arrived at Rouen, found a Tabac on the outskirts and dropped in for a coffee, we had spoken about making Rouen a stopover on one of our next trips. It looks such a nice place and Dave always said it was a shame to pass it by, I rode though the town and up and down one or two streets, yes we should have spent time here and in the not to distant future I will, lovely city and worthy of far more than a half hour ride through on the bike.

I did try to take some pictures but my phone kept shutting down whenever I hit the picture button, I had bought a new phone, unfortunately it took a different sim so I couldn't use it on this trip, so making do with my old one that, well, has seen far better days.

About 20 miles after Rouen is the usual gas stop, usually our second with Dave, for me my first on the new 1800, fill her up and on auto pilot I went round to the supermarket and bought a sandwich, again it was what we did, Dave would stock up on whatever treats he took a fancy to and away we'd head.

I like to take the back roads to Evreux, having had a good stretch of dual carriageway to Rouen it makes a nice change, then I pick up the dual carriageway again and down to Dreux, rain started just as I approach. now a word of warning, getting around Dreux is not the best even in the dry, in the wet it has to be approached with care due to the number of Roundabouts and the French HGV's habit of dumping diesel on every last one of them. I did at one stage look up to the sky and check the weather, apparently I do that a lot, Dave commented that when he followed me and saw me looking up he knew we wouldn't be going the way we might have but rather following the sun, brought a smile to my face remembering how he'd point that out to me after nearly every ride, "I knew when I saw your head looking up and going from side to side we weren't taking the direct route" he'd say, happy days. 

Today it didn't look like it would clear so I approached with care and continued on my way, got though there no problem and pointed the bike towards Chartres down the N154, as I did the car in front slowed, just for a moment I let my mind wonder, twisted the grip and pulled out, the back wheel snapped to the side and I fishtailed the next 50 yards, I was in 5th and maybe doing 45, by right I should have been lying on the road, I wasn't, I pulled back in behind the slower car and decide, for now I will be content to follow, 45 - 50 aint such a bad speed in the rain. 

By the time we got to Chartres the rain had stopped, I had another visit I had to make, a shop that Dave would never pass without going in TYDARKTRISKELL https://www.facebook.com/tydarktriskell he usually came out with some little treasure, today it was closed, so I didn't get the chance to go in one last time, instead I rode around the estate, visited the diner we'd eat at and just contemplated the reason, no still can't figure it.

From here on the riding gets better to Belonga Mick, the roads sweeps away as only known roads do, only one more coffee stop to make, Saint-Aignan, another "usual coffee stop" and always welcome.

We are now on the Bis out to Limoges from Paris, scenic tourist route and well worth travelling, I've been this way more times than I can count, on the bike and in the car and I still find the roads and scenery rewarding, the roads continued to disappear and we soon arrived at our destination.

I lit the fire, took the top off a bottle and drank to a friend and Brother, gone but never to be forgotten, forever in our hearts and soon to have his own little corner of France.

The next two days were taken up with a couple of visits, a little shopping, French bread and cheese, along with one day stacking a couple of cords of wood, unseasoned so good to burn in winter 2018/19, I already have this coming winters in the wood shed nice and dry.

Thursday and I'm back on the road but this time alone, one last walk around the place to make sure I've locked up and turned off what needs to be and I saddle up and away. I'd gassed up when I went shopping so wouldn't need to worry about stopping for a couple of hundred miles, I pushed north. First stop was about 11.30 low price garage for petrol just after Saint-Aignan, yes I stopped for a quick double espresso but didn't sit. I used this opportunity to go in the supermarket and grab a sandwich and coke, quick bite and drink and I was on my way again, figured I could make the hotel for tonight just outside of Calais for about six, I pushed on. 

One more stop for petrol and I'd be done, that time came again, at the same place I stopped on way down just south of Rouen, figured this will give me enough to get all the way to the UK. I was making a point of using cash to purchase petrol as I seemed to have landed with a little more in my pocket than I usually would, wood wasn't as expensive as I had allowed and they like being paid in cash, so I was carrying just over 250 euro. In France I'd rather use the French bank card, safer than carrying cash I always think and easier when it comes to buying fuel as most petrol stations are now auto, so card only. Another thing I had done was mix my wallets, I have a french wallet and an English wallet, helps keep cards and stuff separate so I don't use a UK card and pay daft charges, for some reason I had used my UK wallet for the French cash and the French wallet had £'s in it, anyway, reason to follow.

So pushing north and making good headway I start to feel a little peckish, decided to stretch my legs and get a bite to eat at a service station. As I pulled in and parked up I noticed two UK reg bikes, thought not much more about it and went in to get fed. When I came out one of the UK guys came across and started chatting about the bike, as you do, we had a natter while I ate and drank, then we parted company, they also were heading north but I resisted the temptation to ride out with them and waited a  time before I also left, next stop the hotel for the night.

I arrived at the hotel about 18.00 so bang on schedule, when you've done the trip as often as I have that doesn't really come as any surprise, went to check in and was asked the usual do I require breakfast, why not says I, nice easy ride tomorrow, no rush, leisurely coffee along with some stale bread and jam, and all for 5.50 euro, I reach for my wallet, you know I can't describe the feeling, pit of the stomach stuff, I drop my helmet on a table and quickly go out to bike, check bags, recheck pockets, no It's gone, mind races back to last stop, must have been there, I paid for a drink and chocolate, can't remember putting it in my pocket but it's something you do automatically I guess, must have been the distraction of the chat, anyway it's gone now, went back in and paid for breakfast with the last of my change bar a 2 euro piece.

I checked my travel folder and found the French wallet, looked through and realised I still had the French card and UK cash, well that was something, I could use the card to buy my steak and beer for tonight. I made a couple of calls without any luck but eventually MJ managed to get on to the bank to cancel my UK cards, nothing more to do than eat and sleep, see what tomorrow brings.

Thing is, that wallet I bought in the states, barb wire, matches my belt and is too big for my bike jacket, that's why I have a separate wallet for France and travelling, every time I got it out this trip I thought "must swap them over" lesson learnt, we move on.

I walked down to the Buffalo Grill had a steak and a couple of beers, paid with the card, left my last two euro's for a tip and retired for the night back at the hotel, but the story doesn't end there.

Had a restless night, think with events of yesterday and all, decided at 04.00 to make tracks and head for train, missed breakfast but thought it was not worth waiting around for over two hours for some stale bread and jam and I wasn't going back to sleep. £25 to travel early on the Chunnel is the norm, I begrudgingly used my French credit card and paid, straight round to train and away.

I made it to a Sainsburys just off the motorway for petrol, arrived at 05.20 and had to wait 10 minutes for them to turn on the pumps, reckoned this would do me with maybe a splash and dash nearer home, as it was I made it all the way, reserve light started flashing just as I pulled into Newton some 260 plus miles, not bad. another thing worth a mention while I'm praising the bike, the lights are the business, two lower spots and the headlight and at night middle of France dark as Dark can be and I turned it into daylight, can't fault them and made the last couple of hours riding down a pleasure.

The rain started as I joined the M25 and didn't give up, getting progressively worse as I approached the M6, I'd stopped at the services on the M1 to have a glug of coffee and change my gloves, grateful I'd brought a spare pair, by now they were wet again. I elected the Toll road, got to thinking, I was wondering what the car drivers might be thinking watching me pass by looking like a drowned rat, one hand continually wiping the rain from my visor in an attempt to see further than the end of my nose, I pushed on.

On arrival at the payment booth I struggled to remove my glove, so wet it was like peeling a second skin, As a rule I'd stop at the service station and get the change out of my pocket and slip it in my glove, saves routing around when I arrive here, today I didn't, just wanted to be home. I joked with the attendant about maybe someone should start a petition to make all tolls free for bike, would make life easier, he agreed, by now there were cars starting to queue behind me, all probably wondering what the heck pleasure I got out of doing this, as if he was reading my mind the guy says.

"wouldn't you rather be in a car on days like this?", I was by this time struggling to put my sodden glove back on, I looked up and smiled, he just nodded as I pulled away, I guess he got his answer as I got mine

So there you have it, 5 days on the road, rain and shine and close to 1600 miles, would you rather be in a car?