alps/germany trip june

[Wapping]

Some good WW1 'stuff' in the Vosges. For example:

http://www.linge1915.com/en/home/ which is worth visiting.

http://uk.france.fr/en/information/great-war-vosges-front

For WW2:

http://standwheretheyfought.jimdo.c...the-the-vosges-campaign-in-1944-then-and-now/

http://standwheretheyfought.jimdo.com/alsace-2012-the-colmar-pocket-museum-in-turckheim/ Is worth dropping into

It's a not much visited area, so knowledge of the vicious fighting that occurred in the wooded hills is so much less than the much easier to travel to, DDay beaches, Somme and Ardennes.

 

[smithy_6_7]

From first hand experience when we went to Scotland i was up showered packed and ready to ride for 7am. one of the guys that came with me who is coming along wasnt ready untill 10am.

So my vote is 2nd day. i know for a fact that they will have to take all the bags off there bikes and put them in the tents for security. which takes an age because they need fastening under the seats.
Im hoping my tent gets nicked!!!

 

[Wapping]

Im hoping my tent gets nicked!!!

:

 

[gerarddwatts]

HAHA Parchmen i like your style its strange how its happened i think i sold my own trip by talking about it and somehow its been twisted (yes to accommodate) but im not going to let that spoil it for me it has been many years in the making this trip.

I agree with the ground rules part as they have taken not one bit of interest in where we are going they are leaving up to me.
My plan was to go to Nice arrive there on the Thursday and say right lets head back lnowing that they wont have a clue how long it will take us.

By the by i will be taking everyones advice and enjoying the trip im sure a few people on here have had a similar problem before.

thanks to Wapping for your advice and recommendations.


As a last note and because i will be heading to Germany and the Black forest is there some WW2 stuff to look at round the Strasbourg area i dont mean that to come across as disrespectful but as in Germany and with the current Brexit i prob wont be able to see it soon.

Not sure why you think that Brexit will hamper your future peregrinations round WW2 sites in Germany?

After this happy event you will be showered with petals wherever you go while they try to relieve you of as much cash as they can in order to shore up the inevitable collapse of the Euro....

 

[smithy_6_7]

Not sure why you think that Brexit will hamper your future peregrinations round WW2 sites in Germany?

After this happy event you will be showered with petals wherever you go while they try to relieve you of as much cash as they can in order to shore up the inevitable collapse of the Euro....

Lets not start a Brexit conversation there is that much shit going round at the moment about it all.

We will possible leave/stay i dont know i slightly care if i knew what the outcomes would be but i dont i really have no idea about this bollacks

 

[Parchman]

There's some Maginot Line stuff, to the south of Colmar. Lots of signs and stuff, but very much for the French market. Someone must have done some more detailed investigation.
Gives a big list. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortified_Sector_of_Colmar

I was hacking across country and not really paying attention, but came across a Blochaus/Casemate all tarted up with vintage vehicles, toy soldiers and such. Near to a power generation dam/station thing across the Rhine, which may or may not narrow it down.


The Vauban fort at Neuf Brisach is down that way too. You can find his fortifications all over, but the more rugged the terrain, the more interesting they are.
He was a bit of a radical freethinker, in the court of the Sun King that was not always the safe option.

 

[Neil W]

If the bikes all have dissimilar ranges make sure that everyone tops up at the same time that the thirstiest/ lowest range bike needs fuel . Went away with 3 others and went throught his before we left , gsa 300 miles , aprilia 130 miles, Yamaha 150 miles and Honda 180 miles.

First stop Aprilia fills up , rider of Yamaha says he is okay , 20 miles later pulls off the road to look for fuel , Honda then refuses to fuel up and so it goes on for the full trip.

Got worse from there , lost 2 in Aachen because rather than turn left and follow the english plated BMW and Aprillia they turned right and followed a German registered scooter (fuckwits)

On the return trip wangled an upgrade from a 4 berth cabin in the bowels of the ship somewhere near the bilges for a 5 berth Premier class family room (all for the total of 30 euros which they refused to pay).

Once off the boat at Hull they stop at the first services and decided that less than an hour after breakfast on the boat they needed to stop for fuel and coffee , rode off and left the useless twats where they were. I stayed dry and missed the rain , they hit a load of storms ,got lost on the M62/A1 and had a thoroughly horrid journey home

Okay you have to have some give and take but it is also your trip and they should be basically going where you want to visit

 

[Rasher]

Some great advice on handling the free loaders there, I can expand on the constant fuel stops.

Someone fuels quickly and goes and gets a coffee- the "quick" fuel stop now needs an extra 10 minutes for matey to drink coffee, 9 minutes in someone else gets bored of waiting and orders a f****g hot snack, queue 5 minutes to cook and another ten for it to cool / be eaten, just as he is finishing the smoker lights another fag - cue another 5 minutes, then just as it looks like you can set off again and most of the crew are putting on helmets one of them is emerging from the shop with a bloody Ice Cream, cue smoker removing helmet for another fag and others start wandering off for a piss.

After about 45 minutes the "quick" fuel stop is concluded - for about 3 miles, when someone indicates low fuel - apparently thought he had loads left so had not bothered filling up with the rest of the gang, with a long run before next motorway services it meant exiting and going into a town looking for fuel and wasted a further 30+ minutes. To cap it all they all then moan about how long the day was to the organiser and how he said they would be there by x O' Clock.

Just make sure this can only happen once - if they cannot sort themselves out after that you should just keep going and let them sort themselves out for the rest of the trip.


Dunno much about WW2 around Strasbourg, but plenty if you go a bit out of your way and pass through Bastogne, and lots of WW1 stuff around Verdun including some forts you can wander around inside.

 

[Pablo1]

I'm getting deja vu reading rashers post, heres a few ground rules.

1. Brim the tanks at the end of each day, regardless of levels (saves fecking about in the morning)

2. On a really long blast (we always get all the motorway out the way on day1). Agree to ride miles or time between stops, if they are slow go for miles, that will gee them up a bit. ie. 120 miles, or 1.5hours etc.

3. Agree departure time the previous night, departure time definition is showered, fed, kitted up, nicotined up, on the bike READY TO GO.

4. Have some process agreed for the inevitable twat who gets lost/fails to keep up

Have a great time, hopefully you'll be chilled

 

[Parchman]

Yup, ground rules, you just gotta have 'em. Looks like I'm not the only one.

I may be a curmudgeon and misanthrope, but when you know each other and can stand their foibles, like I can stand theirs, then we all have a great time.

People travelling with me know exactly where they are - on Probation. Shape UP or Ship OUT.

Like not filling up at the first services on the M1, 20 minutes after leaving base. Having turned up late and now we will have crap traffic in 't south because they'll all be going to work and getting in our way. Wanting a drink or a sarnie every hour without a doctors note - then they can catch us up (or not) sometime later.
Or laying in bed until 11am on a French campsite, followed by a tantrum when half his luggage fell off. Never saw him again, although I worked with his partner for another couple of years. I only agreed because she asked sweetly and was a nice person.

Screw this Laisse Faire rubbish, trips need structure.

 

[Wapping]

Great.

Now start a thread of your own on how to run a trip. Solo, with mates, with mates you don't like, with the Queen of Sheba.

Richard

 

[Parchman]

Surprisingly enough, I don't need a thread to organise a trip for me.

If others come on an open forum and ask for help and advice, they take what turns up - they can of course always ignore any or all responses, which would be my best suggestion.
They should really just go out and do it.

I never intentionally give bad advice, which isn't to say that some of it isn't. Just that I may be an occasional idiot.

I was managing to get myself 1/2 way round the world, overland, in 1970. Little in the way of maps, no internet, no cell phones, no help or support truck. I did have 360 Uncle $ams.

Stopped for a bit to get the kids grown up and then started again.

I have learnt to read a map a bit better and I please myself where and when I go.

 

[smithy_6_7]

Some great advice on handling the free loaders there, I can expand on the constant fuel stops.

Someone fuels quickly and goes and gets a coffee- the "quick" fuel stop now needs an extra 10 minutes for matey to drink coffee, 9 minutes in someone else gets bored of waiting and orders a f****g hot snack, queue 5 minutes to cook and another ten for it to cool / be eaten, just as he is finishing the smoker lights another fag - cue another 5 minutes, then just as it looks like you can set off again and most of the crew are putting on helmets one of them is emerging from the shop with a bloody Ice Cream, cue smoker removing helmet for another fag and others start wandering off for a piss.

After about 45 minutes the "quick" fuel stop is concluded - for about 3 miles, when someone indicates low fuel - apparently thought he had loads left so had not bothered filling up with the rest of the gang, with a long run before next motorway services it meant exiting and going into a town looking for fuel and wasted a further 30+ minutes. To cap it all they all then moan about how long the day was to the organiser and how he said they would be there by x O' Clock.

Just make sure this can only happen once - if they cannot sort themselves out after that you should just keep going and let them sort themselves out for the rest of the trip.


Dunno much about WW2 around Strasbourg, but plenty if you go a bit out of your way and pass through Bastogne, and lots of WW1 stuff around Verdun including some forts you can wander around inside.

You have it spot on. happens everytime iv have ridden last week we all decided to get together and go for a ride see how we all were riding together as the mate of a mate i dont really ride with.

I turned up all ready fueled up, first job was where we going both looked at me. so i decided on snake pass and cat and fiddle. we only just set off when first one says i need fuel. ffs ok get some fuel set off again we had only been riding an hour we where just getting M1 when i lost sight of them both turned back incase one had fallen off no there were in a fooking layby having a fag. i thought ok ill join them next stop cat and fiddle (like fook it was) we were 20mins from the cat and fiddle when we stopped again for a fag. Which takes about 20 mins everytime as they have to take there gloves of put bike on stand have a stretch find there fags find the lighter.

By this time id had enough next time they stopped i said " listen not being funny but is there something wrong with your rights hands" both of them say "NO WHY" me "well fucking use it then" put my helemt on and rode off in to the sunset only to get a phone saying they didnt know where they were.

Anyway eventually i was called i lunatic rider that is racing everywhere very wrong i just dont like been sat behind a sunday driver shen i have a gs strapped to me.


But yes Ground rules are a must some good advice with the miles. but we can only do 120 miles each time before fueling up because he wont dare go above it as the Manuel says its only good for 150miles.


Thqnk you again every one and for the suggestions for the WW1/2 sites

Matt

 

[smithy_6_7]

Not sure if linking to other forums is allowed.
If so, this may be what awaits you
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/never-leave-a-mans-behind.579306/

This guy is a whinging bitch

 

[smithy_6_7]

This plan has gone to shit south west Germany hit by heavy flooding. And I leave on Friday to Strasberg.
Might have to change the whole trip.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Pablo1]

This plan has gone to shit south west Germany hit by heavy flooding. And I leave on Friday to Strasberg.
Might have to change the whole trip.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks like all affected areas are north of stutgart so you should be ok, im off on monday but doing czech republik and austria before we hit germany, plenty of time for cleaning up IMHO

 

[smithy_6_7]

I see I saw Baden looks badly hit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Parchman]

My sister in Frankfurt says they had to get the snow ploughs out to clear the hail. All traffic on the Autobahn was brought to a standstill.
They are an efficient and hard working race, they'll have it back In Ordnung sofort.

 

[smithy_6_7]

I hope so I'll keep a check on it. It's not to much of a problem of not I'll just cut the south west out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk