Motorcycle Misadventures

Greek villages on a Dalmatian island that moved to the Italian Adriatic Coast

The Promontorio del Garganano doesn’t seem to belong to Italy at all. It is a geographic anomaly, a hunk of earth that lunges out into the sea. Millions and millions of years ago it started moving here from Dalmatia to settle uncomfortably, and now it seems to reach southeast toward Greece. Perhaps in another few million years it will have crossed the Adriatic and Ionian seas to reach its destination. Or maybe the fault will move it back on home to Croatia. It's a wonderful road trip, by car or motorcycle or even bicycle, with lots of camping and hotels in the villages, swimming, hiking, and small town charm. Read the article.

Crossing to Morocco Today: Options

Yesterday I thought I might cross into Tangier from Malaga, but today, with the help of Don -- a Uralista -- who lives here have decided to ride past Algeciras, which is supposed to be  a zoo. Twenty minutes down the road at the most popular windsurfing beach in the world lies Tarifa, a much smaller and more sane place to cross. That way I'll be closer to Fez, which I want to get to, and I will go via the coast, not the Rif mountains where they grow pot and make "kif" has. Doesn't sound like a bad place on the face of it but there are apparently zero women there, which is never a good thing.

So I'll go down the west coast after all on the N1 from Tanger, cut inland at Larache, back to the coast at Kenitra, then cut over to Mekenes on the N6, and toodle on to Fes.

From there head a bit southeast to some canyons where rock climbers go, then to Marrakesh finally to lounge about with the Wild Writing Women for a week. I have a feeling I'll be ready!

On the way home I take a ferry from Tangiers to Genova, so I only have to ride 800 km back to Linz.

Well - that's the "plan." Please don't hold me to it!

Over the Alps from Linz to Mandello del Lario

I've been posting dispatches to my site about my journey on the Ural from the Alps to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. No, I'm not in Morocco yet! But I've made it to Mandello to visit with my friends at Moto Guzzi, and to stay at Annamarie's B&B over looking the lake and at the foot of a trail through the Alps. In fact, I took a small hike this morning to a place on the river where the basalt boulders have been worn into bowls by the alpine waters rushing down most of the year. Lying on a boulder shaped like a lounge chair in the dappled sunlight, I needed nothing else in life at the moment. But here are the dispatches and photos from the past days crossing the Alps from Linz to St. Moritz to Lake Como, through Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. Read the dispatches. I take off about noontime to the Mediterranean coast and head west toward Spain. I'll probably camp tonight, maybe the next night, too, so dispatches may not be forthcoming for a few days. I will be twittering though, if you care to get micro-updates.

Over the Alps from Linz to Mandello del Lario

I've been posting dispatches to my site about my journey on the Ural from the Alps to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. No, I'm not in Morocco yet! But I've made it to Mandello to visit with my friends at Moto Guzzi, and to stay at Annamarie's B&B over looking the lake and at the foot of a trail through the Alps. In fact, I took a small hike this morning to a place on the river where the basalt boulders have been worn into bowls by the alpine waters rushing down most of the year. Lying on a boulder shaped like a lounge chair in the dappled sunlight, I needed nothing else in life at the moment. But here are the dispatches and photos from the past days crossing the Alps from Linz to St. Moritz to Lake Como, through Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. Read the dispatches. I take off about noontime to the Mediterranean coast and head west toward Spain. I'll probably camp tonight, maybe the next night, too, so dispatches may not be forthcoming for a few days. I will be twittering though, if you care to get micro-updates.

From the Alps to the Atlas: Linz, Austria

Hari Swchwighofer of Ural Motorcycles  Europe says he had no trouble identifying me at the Vienna airport. "First I looked at the luggage and then I looked at the woman." Okay, so lugging a 60-inch duffel and a wheeled carry-on stacked with another duffel, I'm carrying more than the average traveler. And believe it or not, I only packed 3 pairs of shoes: motorcycle boots, trail shoes for trekking, and sandals. It's the gear, I swear! On our 1 1/2 hour drive to Linz I get a chance to grill Hari about the motorcycle. "I won't tell you the story of the bike," he says, with a twinkle in his eye, "or you won't like to take it." Needless to say, I dragged it out of him. Read the dispatch, here.

From the Alps to the Atlas: Linz, Austria

Hari Swchwighofer of Ural Motorcycles  Europe says he had no trouble identifying me at the Vienna airport. "First I looked at the luggage and then I looked at the woman." Okay, so lugging a 60-inch duffel and a wheeled carry-on stacked with another duffel, I'm carrying more than the average traveler. And believe it or not, I only packed 3 pairs of shoes: motorcycle boots, trail shoes for trekking, and sandals. It's the gear, I swear! On our 1 1/2 hour drive to Linz I get a chance to grill Hari about the motorcycle. "I won't tell you the story of the bike," he says, with a twinkle in his eye, "or you won't like to take it." Needless to say, I dragged it out of him. Read the dispatch, here.

Flying Out Today for the Alps to the Atlas Motorcycle Journey

Tonight I fly to Vienna. When I arrive tomorrow I'll pick up a Ural sidecar motorcycle in nearby Linz and ride it to Marrakesh. A simple sentence, fraught with possibilities. If you're not already on my mailing list, subscribe now to stay in  touch.

My route will take me through the Austrian, Swiss, Italian, and French Alps, through the middle and South of France, and through Spain and a ferry crossing to Morocco where I ride in the Atlas Mountains and finall arrive in Marrakesh to meet my Wild Writing Women friends for a week of luxurious relaxation in a villa overlooking the city.

Other than my mailing list, you can follow the journey in realtime three ways.

1) For the up-to-the-second micro-blog travelogue follow my twitter feed. We'll see how much can be conveyed in 140-character missives from my iPhone! My twitter feed automatically goes to my facebook page, too. Oh, and I downloaded the GPS MotionX app to my iPhone that will let me automatically put my location on facebook.

2) For more detailed travelogues with photographs subscribe to my blog.

3) Finally, I'll be crafting formal dispatches with photos and maybe even video for my Motorcycle Misadventures site.

As usual I'll be avoiding cities and camping out. If you have any recommendations on my route (see google map), not-to-miss places, or places to stay, please let me know.

Call me a geek, but I really look forward to all this high-tech activity from the saddle of a low-tech (yet new and improved) Ural Gearup sidecar motorcycle. Radtech has supplied me with a bunch of great stuff, including a Voltaic solar laptop bag so I can stay powered up. And Olympia Motosports has provided me with an Airglide mesh jacket and overpants so I can stay warm or cool as circumstances change. I hear there's still snow in the European Alps, but I'll also be skirting the Sahara Desert, so I'll be testing it in all conditions. See more about my sponsors on the Alps to the Atlas web page.

Stay tuned and I'll update you from Austria!
 

Getting to Europe for a Motorcycle Adventure: Flights, Train, Rentals

While I was looking at flight options for my motorcycle trip from Marseilles to Morocco I was surprised to see results with train connections between airports and cities. My flight from San Francisco to Marseilles (where I'll pick up the bike), for example, showed a very low fare on Continental Airlines that included train travel on the SDNC, the French National Railway, that would seamlessly connect me from the Paris CDG airport train station to Marseilles. What a concept -- train stations in airports. I love traveling in Europe and, when I lived in Lyons, I often took the TGV to Beaune and Paris. Wine country was just two hours north, and I liked to take my bicycle on the train and spend a weekend cycling among the vineyards. But I digress. Here are details on the Continental Airlines - SNCF - French National Railway partnership. Want to rent a motorcycle? I will have more specific recommendations for folks on my mailing list in the near future. For now, you can check this comprehensive map.

However, I will probably be flying with AerLingus, which has made their Dublin hub a very attractive jumping off point for many locations in Europe -- from Barcelona to Vienna -- with very low prices this spring and summer. I flew with them two years ago for a trip in Ireland and experienced fabulous service. The Dublin airport in my opinion beats Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle by a long shot. Okay sure, it helps that they serve real Guinness on tap in the pubs there. And they have a Bewleys Hotel there starting at 59 Euros per room.

By the way, for a very entertaining and informative virtual journey of Ireland, get the Wild Writing Women IRELAND magazine.

Follow me on my Marseilles to Morocco Motorcycle Misadventure by signing up for my mailing list.

Bed and Breakfast near Moto Guzzi, Italy: dell'Acqua Bianca

When I'm in Italy to visit Moto Guzzi on the banks of Lake Como I stay at this lovely little B&B: Bed and Breakfast dell'Acqua Bianca. It's located at a trailhead into the Alps, so you're quickly in the heart of nature for those morning or evenig walks after exploring the area. Or ride your rented Moto Guzzi (from GuzziRent.it, run by Alis Agostini) down to the lake or anywhere north for an exploration on the Italian, Swiss, and French Alps. (South is Turino and Milano, Genoa, and the rest of Italy.) It's very affordable. Tell Annamaria that Carla sent you!

Motorcycle Rental and Itinerary Routes from 4 Cities in Italy

Check out Motorcycle Rental Italy - a site I stumbled upon while looking at motorcycle touring in Europe. They rent V-Stroms and BMW 650's, and rent motorcycles from Sicily, Rome, Pisa, Milan. Two weeks cost about $1400 Euros (with a $2500 deposit), which sounds quite reasonable to me. Check out their suggested routes. From Milan you can take off to Lake Como, the Italian, Swiss, and French Alps. From Sicily you can explore the island (and take the ferry to Sardenia (overnight) and the mainland to the Cinque Terre and all that. (Sicily is hot, by the way, so if you're staying in the south, plan for a late fall or early spring tour there.)

I love touring in Italy. Normally I get my bike at Moto Guzzi in Mandello del Lario, which I highly recommend. (Check their rates rates and routes. They will discount for longer trips, so just ask Alis, and tell her I sent you.) I haven't' had any direct recommendations for CIMT, but if anyone has, please let me know. I'd like a recommendtion for a rental place farther south.

CIMT: Motorcycle Rental Italy