mello dude
Half genius, half dumazz whackjob foole
Fantastic and wow! Beautiful! 
If not now, then..... when?
- Thread starter HPPants
- Start date
I did enjoy the cable cars very much near Brienz. I believe the cable car to Falzerago is the one Bryan/Marissa did on the day I hiked Passo, etc.
There's so much to do - I could go back 25 times and still not see it all.
There's so much to do - I could go back 25 times and still not see it all.
Day 20
La Villa Stern, Italy to Falcade, Italy
Another good night as the cool breeze from the open window was blowing right at me.
More great news from Greg. Yesterday, he made it back to Heidelberg with his wrecked bike. He unloaded it and put it away for safe keeping. Knofpt will be working with him on insurance issues for that. Meanwhile, Stefan has pulled out a bike for Greg to rent and he outfitted it with his basic needs (phone charger, etc). We are told that he will head our way today and chances are good that he will find us this evening. Right freaking on, man!
Gary got to the medical clinic yesterday and they offered him a steroid prescription. He filled it locally and started taking it yesterday. This morning, things are no where near perfect, but he reports he is improving and perhaps most importantly, he can ride.
We still have PLENTY of Greg’s route that he left us with to go, and so Bryan/Marissa take the lead and off we go!
As it turns out, I rode a little bit of today’s route yesterday after my hikes, but let me assure you, I have NO problems riding these roads again!
After lunch, it rained a little. I can’t complain – in over 3 weeks, this is probably the 3rd time it’s rained at all on us.
Doing my part to contribute to The Dessert Tour!
My notes say that we rode about 300 KM today, but as the crow flies, we didn’t get very far. Bryan found rooms at a local hotel in the village of Falcade, Italy.
Perhaps MOST importantly, in the late afternoon, Greg found us! He’s riding an older BMW R1250, and of course, it isn’t his FJR. But he’s happy to be with us, and the feeling is most assuredly mutual. We had dinner at a local restaurant – the family owned business served us quite well.
Uncharacteristically, I didn’t take too many pictures today. The rain might have hindered me. Doesn’t matter - the team is back together.
That’s good enough for me.
Passes Today
Passo Falzarego
Passe Giau
Passo Valparola
PASSE FEDIA
PASSE ROLLE
PASSE BROCON
La Villa Stern, Italy to Falcade, Italy
Another good night as the cool breeze from the open window was blowing right at me.
More great news from Greg. Yesterday, he made it back to Heidelberg with his wrecked bike. He unloaded it and put it away for safe keeping. Knofpt will be working with him on insurance issues for that. Meanwhile, Stefan has pulled out a bike for Greg to rent and he outfitted it with his basic needs (phone charger, etc). We are told that he will head our way today and chances are good that he will find us this evening. Right freaking on, man!
Gary got to the medical clinic yesterday and they offered him a steroid prescription. He filled it locally and started taking it yesterday. This morning, things are no where near perfect, but he reports he is improving and perhaps most importantly, he can ride.
We still have PLENTY of Greg’s route that he left us with to go, and so Bryan/Marissa take the lead and off we go!
As it turns out, I rode a little bit of today’s route yesterday after my hikes, but let me assure you, I have NO problems riding these roads again!
After lunch, it rained a little. I can’t complain – in over 3 weeks, this is probably the 3rd time it’s rained at all on us.
Doing my part to contribute to The Dessert Tour!
My notes say that we rode about 300 KM today, but as the crow flies, we didn’t get very far. Bryan found rooms at a local hotel in the village of Falcade, Italy.
Perhaps MOST importantly, in the late afternoon, Greg found us! He’s riding an older BMW R1250, and of course, it isn’t his FJR. But he’s happy to be with us, and the feeling is most assuredly mutual. We had dinner at a local restaurant – the family owned business served us quite well.
Uncharacteristically, I didn’t take too many pictures today. The rain might have hindered me. Doesn’t matter - the team is back together.
That’s good enough for me.
Passes Today
Passo Falzarego
Passe Giau
Passo Valparola
PASSE FEDIA
PASSE ROLLE
PASSE BROCON
Moto-Charlie
Vendor
I've been going every year (during COVID solo) for 40+ years, and I still jot down a few new things to see every year - sometimes exploring on my own pre/post tours or sometimes slotting them in while on tour - it never gets old.
Passo di Giau is another one of my top 5 favorite passes. The road is excellent and the views from the top are expansive and breathtaking.
Day 21, Falcade, Italy to Melere, Italsy
It’s great to have Greg back with us. His sarcastic and dry sense of humor is fun, and I enjoy cutting up with him. In usual fashion, I have high hopes for today. And who could argue with me? Look at this weather!
The morning light near the hotel is really good. I had a great time just standing in the parking lot waiting for the others to get ready.
This morning, we have to bid Gary farewell. His flight is in 2 days, and he needs today and tomorrow to get back to Heidelberg. Gary’s foot sems to be holding on, but I think he might need additional treatment when he gets home. He was a real trooper pushing through his pain. I really enjoyed getting to know him and touring with him.
However, the show must go on. Greg doesn’t have his GPS loaded on the rental bike, only his phone. As such, he decides to ride sweep and Bryan/Marissa will take the lead.
This is another one of my favorite photos. There’s a lot going on in this shot.
I don’t think Greg is ecstatic with the old boxer, but at least he is with us. I’d be happier if the headlight worked. No low beam, no high beam, no tail light. He does have brake lights and the “flash to pass” works. I suggested he wedge something in that switch, but he decided not to.
On the other hand, that GS 1300 is quite the machine. It’s subtly very powerful – loads of torque. On the steep climbs, when he choses to, Bryan was walking away from me two-up with much more luggage/gear.
It should be noted – Bryan is an EXCELLENT rider. Always in the right lane position. Silky smooth on the throttle and brake. Quite nice to follow, if I do say.
I remember this is where we stopped for mid-morning coffee/pastry, but I can’t remember the name of the village. This umbrella display caught my eye – my wife and I saw something similar in Quebec City last summer. I also like the building art.
Another favorite photo – I have quite a few.
Charcuterie today for lunch – the cheese was very good.
And a complimentary after dinner digestiff – an almond liquor if I recall correctly. Salute!
And then after lunch, it’s more of the same. It’s uncanny and at times, truly unbelievable. The views keep coming after virtually every curve.
I really (REALLY) like this shot.
We zip it up one of the passes in either northern Italy or southern Switzerland (hard to remember), and it’s mid-afternoon, which for Pants means ….. sweet tooth!
These two are having a great trip as well. I have never seen a “wife/girlfriend/pillion rider” ride like Marissa. She must get uncomfortable at times, with limited movement possible back there, but the entire month, I never heard her complain about anything. Not once.
The riding today is a lot of fun.
I guess this is as good a time as any to make a statement:
I loved and enjoyed ALL of the Alpine mountains that I saw. But if you FORCE me to pick a favorite, I’d choose Switzerland for the riding and the quality of the roads. And I’d pick northern Italy for everything else. The Dolomites are absolutely stunning.
Bryan and Greg did what they do and found us really nice rooms in the rural area of Melere, Italy.
We got checked in and I washed some clothes and took a shower. The others went down the hill to a restaurant to eat, and I’m told they had some really good food. But I felt more like enjoying a quiet sunset at the hotel. I had some leftover groceries from the last place and the hotel had 2 biers on tap.
I called my wife. It was good to see her using the Facetime calling method, but I miss her terribly. This woman has put up with my crap for almost 40 years. I couldn’t even begin to describe the crap she has put up with. The voice of reason. Always calming. We talked for a while and, true to her kind nature, she encouraged me to enjoy the rest of the trip.
Good advice.
Passes today
Passe Vallez
Passo Duran
It’s great to have Greg back with us. His sarcastic and dry sense of humor is fun, and I enjoy cutting up with him. In usual fashion, I have high hopes for today. And who could argue with me? Look at this weather!
The morning light near the hotel is really good. I had a great time just standing in the parking lot waiting for the others to get ready.
This morning, we have to bid Gary farewell. His flight is in 2 days, and he needs today and tomorrow to get back to Heidelberg. Gary’s foot sems to be holding on, but I think he might need additional treatment when he gets home. He was a real trooper pushing through his pain. I really enjoyed getting to know him and touring with him.
However, the show must go on. Greg doesn’t have his GPS loaded on the rental bike, only his phone. As such, he decides to ride sweep and Bryan/Marissa will take the lead.
This is another one of my favorite photos. There’s a lot going on in this shot.
I don’t think Greg is ecstatic with the old boxer, but at least he is with us. I’d be happier if the headlight worked. No low beam, no high beam, no tail light. He does have brake lights and the “flash to pass” works. I suggested he wedge something in that switch, but he decided not to.
On the other hand, that GS 1300 is quite the machine. It’s subtly very powerful – loads of torque. On the steep climbs, when he choses to, Bryan was walking away from me two-up with much more luggage/gear.
It should be noted – Bryan is an EXCELLENT rider. Always in the right lane position. Silky smooth on the throttle and brake. Quite nice to follow, if I do say.
I remember this is where we stopped for mid-morning coffee/pastry, but I can’t remember the name of the village. This umbrella display caught my eye – my wife and I saw something similar in Quebec City last summer. I also like the building art.
Another favorite photo – I have quite a few.
Charcuterie today for lunch – the cheese was very good.
And a complimentary after dinner digestiff – an almond liquor if I recall correctly. Salute!
And then after lunch, it’s more of the same. It’s uncanny and at times, truly unbelievable. The views keep coming after virtually every curve.
I really (REALLY) like this shot.
We zip it up one of the passes in either northern Italy or southern Switzerland (hard to remember), and it’s mid-afternoon, which for Pants means ….. sweet tooth!
These two are having a great trip as well. I have never seen a “wife/girlfriend/pillion rider” ride like Marissa. She must get uncomfortable at times, with limited movement possible back there, but the entire month, I never heard her complain about anything. Not once.
The riding today is a lot of fun.
I guess this is as good a time as any to make a statement:
I loved and enjoyed ALL of the Alpine mountains that I saw. But if you FORCE me to pick a favorite, I’d choose Switzerland for the riding and the quality of the roads. And I’d pick northern Italy for everything else. The Dolomites are absolutely stunning.
Bryan and Greg did what they do and found us really nice rooms in the rural area of Melere, Italy.
We got checked in and I washed some clothes and took a shower. The others went down the hill to a restaurant to eat, and I’m told they had some really good food. But I felt more like enjoying a quiet sunset at the hotel. I had some leftover groceries from the last place and the hotel had 2 biers on tap.
I called my wife. It was good to see her using the Facetime calling method, but I miss her terribly. This woman has put up with my crap for almost 40 years. I couldn’t even begin to describe the crap she has put up with. The voice of reason. Always calming. We talked for a while and, true to her kind nature, she encouraged me to enjoy the rest of the trip.
Good advice.
Passes today
Passe Vallez
Passo Duran
Day 22
Melere, Italy to Forni de Sopra, Italy
It was kind of warm last night and I didn’t get the breeze I was hoping for. We are still seeing regular news of a heatwave running through Europe, but haven’t really seen overly warm temperatures yet.
Greg gives us a new route to load up, and right out of the gate, I like it!
Relatively early in the morning, in the middle of nowhere, we see a sign for “signal ahead”. Normally that would mean construction but not in this case. There is a part of this road that only allows one way traffic, and so you have to wait until your direction is clear to go.
Now I see why.
Those are 1st Gear, 10 mph switchbacks IN A TUNNEL! Unfreaking believable. Bryan was so impressed, he had to sticker this place.
That was pretty cool. Moving on, soon enough, we find a goat trail and try it.
Or…. Maybe it was a sheep trail…..
Kurviger found a good one here – this is quite pleasant.
Looking very good, Greg, albeit with NO headlight (grr)
Much cooler in these highlands this morning, especially with the clouds over our head.
We ate lunch at a roadside café (shocker) under a tent and as I recall, it was a bit warm. I had either lamb or goat sausage – can’t remember which, but it was very good.
I do remember the waitress dictating the dessert choices and when she said “chocolate”, I stopped listening.
Now in the afternoon, while the ride is no less pleasant, indeed, it is getting warmer than we are used to. As we see lakes or rivers, I’m thinking that a cool plunge would be pretty good right now. So – I let the others know that should we come upon such an opportunity, I’d like to stop.
Ask and ye shall receive.
(Translation: “Ahhhhhh…”)
The river was low, but the water was the perfect temperature. Allow me to offer my unsolicited rating of this activity.
While I was cooling off, Greg and Bryan were making lodging arrangements for tonight. Let me offer something useful regarding this. Even though we would find a place on Booking.com, we wouldn’t always book it right away. Sometimes if you call the hotel directly, you can ask them for the rate, and it’s quite cheaper, considering they don’t have to pay the 20-30% fee to Booking.com. Sometimes it’s the same (sometimes more expensive, but rarely) – it doesn’t hurt to try.
At one point on this day, my bike’s temp gauge was showing 90 degrees F. For some reason, we would have this daily discussion over the intercom regarding what temperature my bike is showing (in Deg. F), the temp Bryan/Marissa are showing (in Deg C), then Greg’s accurate or inaccurate mental conversion of Bryan’s report to Deg. F, followed by Greg’s unofficial (yet sounding official) determination of what the actual temperature was. It was kind of funny to listen to. For me – this is just a number to put on a mental scale. If the bike says ______, I know it’s “XXXXX” warm. If it says higher, then it’s hotter.
Regardless, I’m still pretty wet when I geared back up, and the wind running through my jacket and pants was very refreshing.
I love riding through these little villages. You always see something neat. Sometimes, the “road” is nothing more than an alleyway. In these cases, you can see the corners of the buildings missing. Either they were built that way, or KNOCKED that way.
We get to the hotel and check in. The desk clerk was a nice young man, and he enjoyed talking to us about our trip. He has a small motorcycle of some kind.
With a little time before we walked to dinner, I had a little Happy Hour in front of the hotel!
Soon the others came down and we walked through the village. Forni de Sopra is just lovely.
This is a high voltage infrastructure enclosure of some sort – I think Bryan (an Electrical Engineer) indicated it is an electrical transformer housing for the village. During this phase of the trip, we saw lots of really good art on these. What a great way to spruce up municipal infrastructure.
We found a good place to eat.
Even a crappy picture of the desserts here is still worth posting.
Only about 200 kilometers today. Now over 3 weeks into the ride, but there’s still plenty time left. Tomorrow, we will do it all over again.
Passes Today
Passe Rest
Passe San Boldo
Passo Convaldo
Melere, Italy to Forni de Sopra, Italy
It was kind of warm last night and I didn’t get the breeze I was hoping for. We are still seeing regular news of a heatwave running through Europe, but haven’t really seen overly warm temperatures yet.
Greg gives us a new route to load up, and right out of the gate, I like it!
Relatively early in the morning, in the middle of nowhere, we see a sign for “signal ahead”. Normally that would mean construction but not in this case. There is a part of this road that only allows one way traffic, and so you have to wait until your direction is clear to go.
Now I see why.
Those are 1st Gear, 10 mph switchbacks IN A TUNNEL! Unfreaking believable. Bryan was so impressed, he had to sticker this place.
That was pretty cool. Moving on, soon enough, we find a goat trail and try it.
Or…. Maybe it was a sheep trail…..
Kurviger found a good one here – this is quite pleasant.
Looking very good, Greg, albeit with NO headlight (grr)
Much cooler in these highlands this morning, especially with the clouds over our head.
We ate lunch at a roadside café (shocker) under a tent and as I recall, it was a bit warm. I had either lamb or goat sausage – can’t remember which, but it was very good.
I do remember the waitress dictating the dessert choices and when she said “chocolate”, I stopped listening.
Now in the afternoon, while the ride is no less pleasant, indeed, it is getting warmer than we are used to. As we see lakes or rivers, I’m thinking that a cool plunge would be pretty good right now. So – I let the others know that should we come upon such an opportunity, I’d like to stop.
Ask and ye shall receive.
(Translation: “Ahhhhhh…”)
The river was low, but the water was the perfect temperature. Allow me to offer my unsolicited rating of this activity.
While I was cooling off, Greg and Bryan were making lodging arrangements for tonight. Let me offer something useful regarding this. Even though we would find a place on Booking.com, we wouldn’t always book it right away. Sometimes if you call the hotel directly, you can ask them for the rate, and it’s quite cheaper, considering they don’t have to pay the 20-30% fee to Booking.com. Sometimes it’s the same (sometimes more expensive, but rarely) – it doesn’t hurt to try.
At one point on this day, my bike’s temp gauge was showing 90 degrees F. For some reason, we would have this daily discussion over the intercom regarding what temperature my bike is showing (in Deg. F), the temp Bryan/Marissa are showing (in Deg C), then Greg’s accurate or inaccurate mental conversion of Bryan’s report to Deg. F, followed by Greg’s unofficial (yet sounding official) determination of what the actual temperature was. It was kind of funny to listen to. For me – this is just a number to put on a mental scale. If the bike says ______, I know it’s “XXXXX” warm. If it says higher, then it’s hotter.
Regardless, I’m still pretty wet when I geared back up, and the wind running through my jacket and pants was very refreshing.
I love riding through these little villages. You always see something neat. Sometimes, the “road” is nothing more than an alleyway. In these cases, you can see the corners of the buildings missing. Either they were built that way, or KNOCKED that way.
We get to the hotel and check in. The desk clerk was a nice young man, and he enjoyed talking to us about our trip. He has a small motorcycle of some kind.
With a little time before we walked to dinner, I had a little Happy Hour in front of the hotel!
Soon the others came down and we walked through the village. Forni de Sopra is just lovely.
This is a high voltage infrastructure enclosure of some sort – I think Bryan (an Electrical Engineer) indicated it is an electrical transformer housing for the village. During this phase of the trip, we saw lots of really good art on these. What a great way to spruce up municipal infrastructure.
We found a good place to eat.
Even a crappy picture of the desserts here is still worth posting.
Only about 200 kilometers today. Now over 3 weeks into the ride, but there’s still plenty time left. Tomorrow, we will do it all over again.
Passes Today
Passe Rest
Passe San Boldo
Passo Convaldo
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2020
- Messages
- 545
- Location
- Makefield Highlands PA
- Bike
- 16 ST1300P 20 K1600
- 2026 Miles
- 006405
Good on you for keeping the play by play going! Thank you for all of this, I may be a touch jealous...
I suppose some context is in order.
1. I am posting this ride report across another forum. It literally takes 5 seconds to "copy/paste" it here.
2. One of the things I've discovered some time ago is, I like to write. That's ironic for me because I am quite literally .... a literary idiot, pardon the pun. I don't read much, and I have the vocabulary and the grammar of a 6th grader. None the less, we like what we like and selfishly, I'm hoping that somehow, this is staving off the inevitable neuron plaque forming degeration. We'll see.....
1. I am posting this ride report across another forum. It literally takes 5 seconds to "copy/paste" it here.
2. One of the things I've discovered some time ago is, I like to write. That's ironic for me because I am quite literally .... a literary idiot, pardon the pun. I don't read much, and I have the vocabulary and the grammar of a 6th grader. None the less, we like what we like and selfishly, I'm hoping that somehow, this is staving off the inevitable neuron plaque forming degeration. We'll see.....
mello dude
Half genius, half dumazz whackjob foole
This trip is mind blowing! When you get back and catch your breath, if you could start a new thread on how you planned everything and detail things you had to do to pull it off, would be cool!
I am a dunce on such things.... never been to Europe...
I am a dunce on such things.... never been to Europe...
I've been home for a month now. Well - technically, we are away somewhere else now, but I got home from Europe a month ago. At the end of this ride report, my plan is to offer some final thoughts, and I should address at least some of your concerns. Stay tuned!
mello dude
Half genius, half dumazz whackjob foole
^^^^Thank you!
the Ferret
Daily rider since May 1965
You can always do it the easy way and book with one of the major tour companies. My wife and I used Edelweiss who always advertised in the back of Rider Magazine and had an outstanding experience. All we had to do was get to the base hotel in Germany and they took care of everything after that. Bikes, chase vehicle, routing, guides, hotels, most meals, delivering your luggage to your room before you arrived. It was great. I imagine all the tour companies are like that.
ChucksKLRST
Team Colorado
Take a tour with Moto-Charlie. If my family situation was different I would in a heart-beat.
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2020
- Messages
- 545
- Location
- Makefield Highlands PA
- Bike
- 16 ST1300P 20 K1600
- 2026 Miles
- 006405
I thought Greg was the guide?
drrod
Site Supporter
This sums up the Alps very nicely. I have been several times and still haven't seen anywhere near all of them.
If you ever get bored with the Alps (not likely) you can always swing down to the Pyrenees. Not quite the same topography but close. However, the villages, mom and pop hotels, restaurants, roads,, etc are very similar, just with more of a Spanish influence (which is a good thing).
The problem (if it can be called that) with going with a tour group is they tend to travel the more well known routes and stay in bigger hotels for several reasons. Wandering on your own or with a local is the way to go. We stayed at a small hotel in Val Gardena and the owner was a rider. He took us out for a day and we road small roads and passes which, for the most part, were not even on Google maps. That being said, going on an organized tour for your first time is not a bad idea. Gives you a good insight on how to do it on your own.
Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
With the help of Mr. Hermann's book, doing your own 'thing' is not really as difficult as it seems.
You will not live a long enough life to see it all - so you just have to decide how big a 'dose' you want at a time.
We found that many lodging places prefer you to stay there more than 1 day.
So if you plan right, you can base out of one place, ride out from there for a few days, then move on the next area.
You will not live a long enough life to see it all - so you just have to decide how big a 'dose' you want at a time.
We found that many lodging places prefer you to stay there more than 1 day.
So if you plan right, you can base out of one place, ride out from there for a few days, then move on the next area.
the Ferret
Daily rider since May 1965
Not to interupt this excellent report, but some of you might find this funny and it has to do with our European motorcycle tour. Im a picky eater. Real picky. I eat like your typical 8 year old. I had wanted to ride a BMW in the Alps ever since I was kid, but I put it off for years because I was afraid I wouldnt be able to find anything to eat. Finally my wife put her foot down and said we were going, so I booked it. First night in Germany I took her to Burger King to eat dinner. She informed me she didnt go all the way to Germany to eat at Burger King, so the next night we went to an outdoor German restaurant in the Marienplatz (main square). When we walked in I looked around and spotted a young kid. When the waitress came over I asked if she spoke English, she did. I pointed at the young kid and asked what he was eating? She said weinersnitzel and pom fritas. A asked what that was? She said a breaded and fried pork patty and french fries. So I ordered that, and anytime over the next 9 days that I had to order a meal that wasnt provided by Edelweiss, I ordered weinersnitzel and pom fritas. My wife would look at a menu, ( mind you, unable to read German, or French or Swiss or Austrian) and just point at something and said "I'll try this". Sometimes she liked it, sometimes she didn't, but I always liked mine lol.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.
Europe is a continent of good (unprocessed) food. Especially in the mountains. Even McDonalds is not the same as in the US. I was amazed by the coffee and sweets they have. Nothing even comes close. Why, why we're getting this crap here?
Amazing trip and report!! And even if the pics don't do justice, the nature still looks stunning.
We came back from the French Alps 2 weeks ago.
Amazing trip and report!! And even if the pics don't do justice, the nature still looks stunning.
We came back from the French Alps 2 weeks ago.
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2013
- Messages
- 75
- Age
- 70
- Location
- Gloucester, UK
- Bike
- 1990/2002 ST1100
- 2026 Miles
- 005632
This is a great thread, very interesting reading. Like many other British riders we have travelled in mainland Europe many, many, many times, but you'd be surprised how many haven't. Crossing the short stretch of water is a real barrier to some (albeit it is quite expensive - relatively). The Alps are great and I love riding around in that area, but, to be honest, once you've been quite a few times you end up on basically the same routes. We have been lucky enough to live in The Netherlands, Germany and Norway at various times which let us explore more easily over the decades, but recently we have taken two trips that, to our surprise, were astonishingly good experiences. A couple of years ago we took a trip around Poland riding across The Netherland and Germany before visiting Wroclaw, Krakow (including a visit to Auschwitz - sobering!), Torun. Gdansk and then along the north coast en-route home. The roads were not always the most interesting we have ever ridden but the places, people and food were fantastic. Then, in June this year we travelled to the Baltic States. We cheated a little and caught a two night ferry from Travemunde (Germany) to Helsinki, Finland, then after a couple of days in Helsinki, another (2 hour) ferry to Tallin in Estonia, at which point we commenced the tour proper. Across to the Russian Border at Narva (astonishing to stand about 100m from the border) then a great ride visiting Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania before once again entering Poland, and this time a little research found some good motorcycling roads and a few surprises en-route. So don't discount non-mountain mainland European countries, you might be surprised
There area plenty of ways to skin this cat. They are all right and they are all wrong, depending on your perspective.
I wrote about it earlier in this thread. I did strongly consider a tour group (not edelweiss) for this trip. I have a close couple of friends that are going with a tour company over there next month, and I was invited to join them. At the end of the day, I chose to go with Greg and crew for several reasons:
1. I don't like riding with people that I don't know. I do realize that there are opportunities for you to go on your own, but the reviews consistently reference the ride with the group, and inevitably, that is at least some of the reality.
2. These tour companies will not let you alter the motorcycle in ANY way. I want MY GPS on the bike with MY mount, for example.
3. It was a LOT more expensive. Like - at least 50% more expensive, even though it's nearly impossible to truly compare apples to apples. For example, in general, it would appearthat the quality of the hotel acomodations with these groups is better than the places we chose. We opted to save some money there.
4. Even the longest tour is too short to see what I wanted to see, and where they go, they cover it very fast.
5. (And THIS was the real decider in the end) When you look at the itiniary, there isn't going to be much time for impromptu stopping and sniffing. And there is NO time to take a day off the bike and hike the area. 50% of the pictures you have seen on this ride report come from either (or both) of these scenerios. In other words, you can't find the good stuff. The good stuff finds you, but you have to be open to allowing that to happen.
The lure and beauty of the motorcycle tour is to see the world without the restriction of the cage. To take some calculated (and mitigated) risks in your travels and let the real world go. To feel the excitement of the unknown, due to a significant lack of planning. To allow ALL of your brain and imagination to concentrate and be in the NOW, rather than worry about sticking to some pre-defined plan. To be open to ANYTHING that might present itself on the trip, and when "it" finds you, have the gumption to persue it. To savor the priceless memory of an experience that was RAW, and by association, pure and real in nature and context, and never question if that was just the wicked witch behind the black curtain. And to dismiss the notion that by shooting from the hip, you are missing out on something good. That is what the next trip is for.
In my not so humble opinion, you can't do any of that with lodging reservations and a chase vehicle.