0 My 60th Birthday

It does seem strange to have put that in print. It is still actually over two years away but it hasn't stopped me thinking about what I'd like to do.

For Claire's landmark we are off to Florida for two weeks in May '14. I guess to international jet setters it's a little "provincial" to be planning a transatlantic trip. 

Hell,  I know people that go every year to Orlando, sometimes twice; never tiring of going to theme parks.

So special then for me is not so special for others

On a biking trip. Route 66? PCH? Or maybe further afield. 

Or away from biking altogether and enjoy a cruise?

On the biking front I looked at a few websites that hire bikes, and others that do tours, both fully organised or self-guided. 

The PCH on self guided is £1950 per person, and that includes booked hotels, hire of a Harley and some basic insurances and a road book. On top of that we have about £400 to increase insurance to effectively be able to wreck the bike and walk away with no more to pay. And that's for a 2 week trip/rental. Air fares extra.

So, after seeing James Cargo in the last edition of Adventure Bike Rider, I priced up a trip using Döra as my bike of preference.

Air freight into key cities like Chicago and Seattle is about £1000. And here is the rub.  You can get in easily enough, but getting out more complex and so James suggest sea freight back!!

Maybe more planning?

Then again I do like the idea of the Polar Circle and Norway.....

So many places!!!

Detail: My 60th Birthday

0 Another good ride up

The weather forecast today was for dry and pleasantly warm weather. After the rain yesterday, that started about the time I was to head off for my Speed Awareness Course (see review elsewhere!), I took the car. Good job as it happened as it tipped down on the M20 on the way back.

So, when I threw the curtains open today I expected to see dry ground and the sun in the sky. At least I got the latter. Albeit it was somewhere over the Channel. The ground was wet and not because of the evenings rain.

I dug the bike out and togged up. The cloud strata was very strange. In Hythe it looked as though there was a full blue sky and sun, but someone had held up a blanket of grey above our heads. On three sides you could see the end of the blanket and there was a blue sunny horizon.

As I climbed out of the Bay and onto the downs it was clear that the blanket extended inland, way inland. The further I went, the blanket kept hanging there! To the south, there was the blue edge to the sky, same to the north!

It was only when I was a mile or so from work (some 75 miles from home) that I managed to get almost to the edge of the blanket. 

Okay, we all have cloud but this was so weird that at some points you could see the blue around the entire 360 degree horizon.

The weekend is supposed to be the same but slightly warmer. Who knows? 

Does anyone ever believe the weather forecasters?

It seems the mad old bloke down the road with the pine cone is more liable to get it right than all the computers at the weather services.

Such is life.

Detail: Another good ride up