the morgan is an aeromax
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Rob's Great Alpine Adventure
- Thread starter RobertG
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RobertG
Registered user
RobertG
Registered user
Day 12 ???
This is the first day back on my own again. I am in the same hotel for two nights, the only time I have done this for the whole trip. The logic was to have have a rest before the journey home.
So, there I am in Munich on my own, tired from 11 days riding. What to do. Well first thing is to check and see if Grossglockner is open
It is
Will I
It's a decent round trip of 400KM
Of course I will. It's there to be done. So off I set.
It's a decent blast down the motorway. I know there are better roads to get to the pass so I don't really mind. The sun is shining and its happy happy happy all the way.
It's not long before the target appear in the distance.
At one point I get a scare. There are a few drops of rain and black clouds. But it skirts by. I reach soaking wet roads, but I have missed the shower.
The rain threatens every now and then, but stays in the distance and I stay dry.
Then I start closing in on the target.
Boom. We are up up and away. From 22C at the bottom to 2C at the top in minutes. You can see from this shot just how much snow there still is up there.
At the lower levels the snow is melting running icy water and small blocks of snow onto the road making it difficult in places. In fairness to the staff they are working hard to keep it clear.
In the next photo, any guesses what the lad standing on the right is doing? Well he is on avalanche watch apparently. There is a section of snow further up that has been deemed unstable. Rather than close the pass again, they have put this poor soul under it and he is fixated on it. Presumably he shouts A-V-A-L-A-N-C-H-E if it moves. After he runs like hell that is.
I am stuck for words to describe the views again.
How tough are these guys.
Thankfully the cobbled section of the Edelweiss peak is dry(ish) and so it's a swift assent on up to the bikers nest.
I'm not in pain on that last one, it's just that the wind is freezing cold and the sun is bright!
I have a little lunch at the top and forget to turn the camera off
Then it's off to the Grossglockner end. Before I get there I spot a little track leading off. I wonder where that goes?
It's a bit tricky on Tourance Nexts, but we get there. Worth the diversion all right.
Not sure that this is on the tourist trail, I hightail it out and on up.
Super views at the top.
Ruined by the backdrop
They should just ban cars
Job done on the Glock and so its off back to the hotel. On the horizon I spot trouble. Feckin saw enough of it last week to know what it means.
So, press a few buttons on the Garmin to re route. No feck that too slow.
OK, just be smart, head south away from the rain and just go around it. The Garmin than then find the way home.
Phew. A little rain, but in the dry now.
What happens then is a good display of why I shouldn't be let out on my own.
The bloody rain changes direction and it becomes clear that short of rerouting via Monaco I am going to get wet. Trust me the thought of heading there crossed my mind, but the bags are still in Munich.
So please Mrs Garmin bring me home by the shortest route. Well well what have we here.
I really have got a talent for finding them.
To do this part of the story though I need to show it in video. Don't worry - its mercifully short. Watch (to the end) before you read on. And while you are laughing remember I am on Tourance Next. These things. ROAD tyres - not even a modicum of grip on anything other than velvet tarmac. Dual purpose my arse I'm just getting PR3's next time out.
So here is what Mrs Garmin had in store for me.
<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c8B8QZBEsjE" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" width="853"></iframe>
Now if you watched to the end of the video you will have seen a rather bemused farmer on his nice dry porch (I deleted the "conversation" in case he comes after me). Roughly translated I think the gesticulations translate as "you fucking muppet, what are you doing in my farm yard with my cows." To which I responded. "This bitch on the handle bars brought me here and there is no way these fcuking tyres will get me back up that hill which is now a river. So please nice man, remove the electric fence (which you get a glimpse of on the left at 2.03 in the vid) that is blocking my way down the hill to civilisation." His response was something like "Ha ha ha, I'm not setting one foot out from under this dry porch you mad Irish man".
So, what to do. Run over his fence? Well are farmers armed in these lands - I don't want an arse full of buckshot. So I manouvre the bike and SOAKING wet grab the electric fence and pull it over the back of the bike. Yes, it hurt like hell, but it had to be done. And no I didn't look back to see if he had pissed himself laughing.
After that the rain didn't seem so bad!
<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wpzeISkmk68" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" width="853"></iframe>
It only rained for about 30 minutes thankfully and I was pretty much dried out by the time I hit Munich again.
On that note the live(ish ride reporting must come to an end) I am two days ahead and have a long run tomorrow to get to the ferry in Wales and then on to Cork where I have to do some work before heading back to Kildare.
Later in the week I will write up Day 13 from Munich because I found some cracking roads and an outstanding place to stay. Possibly day 14 with some nice photos. 15-18 are cold, boring, work related and just want to get home now, in that order.
Later I will do an equipment report. Some things worked brilliantly, others not so. I shall share the learning.
This is the first day back on my own again. I am in the same hotel for two nights, the only time I have done this for the whole trip. The logic was to have have a rest before the journey home.
So, there I am in Munich on my own, tired from 11 days riding. What to do. Well first thing is to check and see if Grossglockner is open
It is
Will I
It's a decent round trip of 400KM
Of course I will. It's there to be done. So off I set.
It's a decent blast down the motorway. I know there are better roads to get to the pass so I don't really mind. The sun is shining and its happy happy happy all the way.
It's not long before the target appear in the distance.
At one point I get a scare. There are a few drops of rain and black clouds. But it skirts by. I reach soaking wet roads, but I have missed the shower.
The rain threatens every now and then, but stays in the distance and I stay dry.
Then I start closing in on the target.
Boom. We are up up and away. From 22C at the bottom to 2C at the top in minutes. You can see from this shot just how much snow there still is up there.
At the lower levels the snow is melting running icy water and small blocks of snow onto the road making it difficult in places. In fairness to the staff they are working hard to keep it clear.
In the next photo, any guesses what the lad standing on the right is doing? Well he is on avalanche watch apparently. There is a section of snow further up that has been deemed unstable. Rather than close the pass again, they have put this poor soul under it and he is fixated on it. Presumably he shouts A-V-A-L-A-N-C-H-E if it moves. After he runs like hell that is.
I am stuck for words to describe the views again.
How tough are these guys.
Thankfully the cobbled section of the Edelweiss peak is dry(ish) and so it's a swift assent on up to the bikers nest.
I'm not in pain on that last one, it's just that the wind is freezing cold and the sun is bright!
I have a little lunch at the top and forget to turn the camera off
Then it's off to the Grossglockner end. Before I get there I spot a little track leading off. I wonder where that goes?
It's a bit tricky on Tourance Nexts, but we get there. Worth the diversion all right.
Not sure that this is on the tourist trail, I hightail it out and on up.
Super views at the top.
Ruined by the backdrop
They should just ban cars
Job done on the Glock and so its off back to the hotel. On the horizon I spot trouble. Feckin saw enough of it last week to know what it means.
So, press a few buttons on the Garmin to re route. No feck that too slow.
OK, just be smart, head south away from the rain and just go around it. The Garmin than then find the way home.
Phew. A little rain, but in the dry now.
What happens then is a good display of why I shouldn't be let out on my own.
The bloody rain changes direction and it becomes clear that short of rerouting via Monaco I am going to get wet. Trust me the thought of heading there crossed my mind, but the bags are still in Munich.
So please Mrs Garmin bring me home by the shortest route. Well well what have we here.
I really have got a talent for finding them.
To do this part of the story though I need to show it in video. Don't worry - its mercifully short. Watch (to the end) before you read on. And while you are laughing remember I am on Tourance Next. These things. ROAD tyres - not even a modicum of grip on anything other than velvet tarmac. Dual purpose my arse I'm just getting PR3's next time out.
So here is what Mrs Garmin had in store for me.
<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c8B8QZBEsjE" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" width="853"></iframe>
Now if you watched to the end of the video you will have seen a rather bemused farmer on his nice dry porch (I deleted the "conversation" in case he comes after me). Roughly translated I think the gesticulations translate as "you fucking muppet, what are you doing in my farm yard with my cows." To which I responded. "This bitch on the handle bars brought me here and there is no way these fcuking tyres will get me back up that hill which is now a river. So please nice man, remove the electric fence (which you get a glimpse of on the left at 2.03 in the vid) that is blocking my way down the hill to civilisation." His response was something like "Ha ha ha, I'm not setting one foot out from under this dry porch you mad Irish man".
So, what to do. Run over his fence? Well are farmers armed in these lands - I don't want an arse full of buckshot. So I manouvre the bike and SOAKING wet grab the electric fence and pull it over the back of the bike. Yes, it hurt like hell, but it had to be done. And no I didn't look back to see if he had pissed himself laughing.
After that the rain didn't seem so bad!
<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wpzeISkmk68" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" width="853"></iframe>
It only rained for about 30 minutes thankfully and I was pretty much dried out by the time I hit Munich again.
On that note the live(ish ride reporting must come to an end) I am two days ahead and have a long run tomorrow to get to the ferry in Wales and then on to Cork where I have to do some work before heading back to Kildare.
Later in the week I will write up Day 13 from Munich because I found some cracking roads and an outstanding place to stay. Possibly day 14 with some nice photos. 15-18 are cold, boring, work related and just want to get home now, in that order.
Later I will do an equipment report. Some things worked brilliantly, others not so. I shall share the learning.
Ha ha shortest ain't always bestest 
..... but then maybe it is
Good one
..... but then maybe it is
Good one
mcinlb
Registered user
It was lovely watching the vids, the gentle sound of the pitter / patter of falling rain(while sitting in the comfort of your own home) and the tidal wave effect of passing lorrys(sorry made me laugh)
Great to see the Grossglockner though, going there in about 2 weeks, gtreat reporting
Great to see the Grossglockner though, going there in about 2 weeks, gtreat reporting
RobertG
Registered user
Ha ha shortest ain't always bestest
..... but then maybe it is
Good one
Well it is an "adventure" bike
Well it is an "adventure" bike
Just been out testing my GoPro3 ..... seems to switch itself off after just a couple of minutes
You come across this Rob?
that would be of interest to me,i have just bought one [old type] i had thought of putting it on interval.
thanks for all the info looks like to much trouble for myself.
RobertG
Registered user
Just been out testing my GoPro3 ..... seems to switch itself off after just a couple of minutes
You come across this Rob?
Yes it did this occasionally. No more than once a day. It also froze occasionally requiring battery removal and restart. Occasionally lost connection with the remote and needed a reset. The firmware seems to have a mind all of its own ;-)
There is bug with the older (pre April) firmware that causes it to stop recording after 11 seconds (exactly!). If its that try the latest firmware update. Should do that anyway as the reports are that it did fix some stability issues. Oh, and Just before my miniSD card died it started shutting off more often.
I the firmware doesn't sort it then it may just be a dud unit.
RobertG
Registered user
It was lovely watching the vids, the gentle sound of the pitter / patter of falling rain(while sitting in the comfort of your own home) and the tidal wave effect of passing lorrys(sorry made me laugh)
Great to see the Grossglockner though, going there in about 2 weeks, gtreat reporting
Delighted something positive came from my misery ;-)
RobertG
Registered user
And apologies to Ireland. I'm on the ferry back across now. Expect rain later.
RobertG
Registered user
While they have the video technology well sorted (no doubt due to some US military technology) the user experience is only a tad shy of being a total PITA. Not really good enough for such an expensive piece of kit IMHO.
Just watched the forecast and its on its way later tonight
Great to hear about your trip. We got back last night after 2 weeks and 4k miles with only getting wet once on our trip down from nurburgring to bologna.
All the best
Trev
RobertG
Registered user
Just watched the forecast and its on its way later tonight
Great to hear about your trip. We got back last night after 2 weeks and 4k miles with only getting wet once on our trip down from nurburgring to bologna.
All the best
Trev
Glad you got back safe and sound. No doubt we will bump into each other again at some event or other.
We actually did pretty well on the weather front as well. Apart from the Munich experience and the one other "shower" in the video I was dry - until 15 miles off the ferry when the heavens opened and I got 2 1/2 hours of it on the way to Cork. It's on its way north to you - keep it there
Swiss Mike
Registered user
Good report
What camera do you use and where is it fix to?
Mike
What camera do you use and where is it fix to?
Mike
boone89
Registered user
Knee Down
Robert, you should have got the photo of me doing a popawheelie! lol
I enjoyed your photos and hanging out each night having a few beer. Keep in touch.
Robert, you should have got the photo of me doing a popawheelie! lol
I enjoyed your photos and hanging out each night having a few beer. Keep in touch.
That's a great report. Looks and sounds like you had a great trip.
RobertG
Registered user
Robert, you should have got the photo of me doing a popawheelie! lol
I enjoyed your photos and hanging out each night having a few beer. Keep in touch.
We have that one in the Facebook group Matt. Get your ass on over there.
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