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Didn't feel like taking a lot of pictures today, rode a lot leaving home around 9AM, stopping for a coffee, then stopping for a quick sandwich lunch, then stopping about an hour for an afternoon coffee, and then stopping around 7PM, so a pretty good day. Douro river: Lunch stop, near where the Tua river joins the Douro: Tua river below:, some great roads in this little corner of Portugal, if you like great roads. At Miranda do Douro, taken on the Spanish side, Portugal on the other bank: Plan was to sleep there, and have some of the great local typical steaks for dinner, but it was sort of too early, the place was crowded with spaniards and immigrants, just too many people and I started to get Covid itches, so moved on and rode another couple of hours till where I was going to sleep. Crossed the Douro to Spain and slept 200 meters into Spain. Behind my "house" and on the other side of the river is Penedo Durão, from where Sofia took her great pictures. Cracked open a beer after a shower, and prepared for dinner Dinner was fried calamari (or squid), and a dish of huevos rotos, which means fried potatoes with ham and fried eggs. Post dinner beer, and retired to bed while being mauled by mosquitoes. today, woke up to this: Had breakfast, went to fuel up the bike, which took forever because there were two tractors in front of me, and made it to Penedo Durão by 08:40, it's great when you sleep in spain because you get up at the normal time and gain an hour as soon as you get back to Portugal. It helped that I had no internet yesterday, and went to sleep early. Between this viewpoint and the river is the N221, and the 25km from Freixo de Espada à Cinta heading South are some of the coolest twisties I know. Headed to Serra da Estrela, to go past continental Portugal's highest peak on the way South. Getting close to there stopped to put my plastic rain suit on, just in time for a proper downfall. Tried an alternate route up the hill and discovered a pretty cool but of forest road. Very slippery in the rain, though, the moss growing on the tarmac didn't help. Got wetter and turned to dirt as I went past the tree line: This is at over 1900 meters altitude, there is a great view here, you'll just have to imagine: From then on it wasn't even worth taking the phone out for pictures, too much rain, too much fog and a lot of wind. Went down the other side of the mountain hoping to find better weather only for it to get worse. Visibility was so poor I didn't feel comfortable going more than 50kmh. After most of the mountain, first sign of light: Decided I felt like some warmth so engaged mach 5 and hightailed it to Alentejo via some cool twisties, got to the hotel in time for a nice dip in the swimming pool, with a castle view. Now chilling a little bit, before going to dinner, I'm proper hungry since I didn't have anything since breakfast.

And even better.......I drove there via Death and Dismemberment Boulevard!

Just ordered a pair of Samsung Galaxy A71 5G's for me and the wife! It's got 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD Drive, 6.7" screen, 4 cameras with the main one being 64MP, 4K video.........my Dark Motorcycling will look even grimmer now! Review HERE! We've always had Huawei's.......which have been brilliant! But there's no way we'll knowingly buy Chinese products now.......given the situation over the last year! So I pick the Samsung's up early next week.......and of course, all costs are tax deductible! Pity it's not the same for bikes! Please note that the information in this post will be of no use whatsoever to @Buckster

G&T, Covid style, all alone

Plus there’s a twat pulling wheelies up and down the town on a Hornet 600. I don’t condone but it sure stirs shit up...

Dinner today was pigg’s cheek with migas. Can’t explain migas except that they’re made out of bread with lots of garlic. It was proper tasty! I had a jar of ehine, then half a jar, then a glass, then another glass! Am now posting this with my phone still not standing up, from a restaurant with no fixed roof except a tile top thing

I don't think either of us have even had a vote yet!

I'm lucky or unlucky depending on your view, i have never bought a mobile phone, i have always had a company phone, never wanted a smartphone until one was thrust upon me, now i think i would struggle without it, good thing is the company i work for never asks for the old phones back when i get upgraded so always got a backup, I now have 4 i phones a laptop and an i watch which i smashed in work a few weeks ago cluttering up my cupboards ?

If that's a cockpit picture, then that truck should hang around you a little bit longer. They usually have paramedics on them

OK, I have to admit that @Pedro is a much better photographer then me, but, on the other hand, I am more stylish then him!! ?? because you asked, some photos of the photographer made stylish by the other photographers!

OK guys and girls, here is the thread for submission of pictures for the August edition of Bike Of The Month. Submit until the 26th, on the 26th we'll lock this thread and start primaries, then lock that on the 28th, and have another vote from the 28th till the 31st to decide on the winner. This might seem too complicated, but we're talking about one of motorcycling's great achievements, it's to be expected. Fire away.

And anothe successful washing up, cotton tshirt and underwear washed before swimming pool time and fully dry after dinner! I love this place!

I don’t really know the translation but it is either stewed or braised

FF sake, Pete, now you’re particular as to the part of the animal that’s being cooked? It’s delicious, end of! ? ?

I used to go through the golf club in my mountainbike when was a kid, they didn’t like that. It’s the oldest golf club in continental Europe, it’s got some history, so when I got the XR a few year ago someone might have left them a little roost trail ...

Thank you! FFS, compliments on some kind of not meat!!

I am the guy amongst my group of friends that was last to get a smart phone. First got a Nokia with email capability, then a better Nokia, then an Iphone, now I can’t cope without an IPhone

Eggs aside, the calamari looks good!

Damn right @XTreme , Portugal might be off the list but their filthy deseased tourists aren’t off my list! Never mind knuckledraggers or innits, just means doubletime off my list. Portugal should make me master of tourism greencards, it would improve this shit no end!

Come on @Tym, live brave, even John Wayne had eggs like this

They just dont look cooked, i can be daring, i ate raw brownie dough the other day...

Rain at 1900 meters Pete, Galicia has been getting rain over the last few days too. Hotel offered to keep the bike in a covered closed warehouse, because it “might rain”, class act! Hope it doesn’t rain, got laundry drying outside the balcony gipsy style...

WTF @Tym, fried eggs on olive oil, sunny side up, that’s universal. If you don’t like that I got no hope for you (as sunny side up as a spaniard can muster)

So i still have time to get a decent bike?

Only got this one this month may change this weekend though

I was a reluctant smartphone user......didn't get my first one till 2014. But it got to the point that I had to get one because the business required that I had internet connectivity at all times. So I grudgingly got a cheapo Vodafone thing just to get started.......my boy even had to show me how to use it! Within a few days I thought......how the hell have I managed to live without one of these all this time? I'm not one of those people who lives on their phone......but the permanent internet connectivity was a game changer for me and the business.

Im still using a flip phone that costs $10 a month for calls i totally ignore.

Absolutely Clive! And August is the worst time because visitors come in........which increases the risk. The other 11 months nobody comes here! Which is nice!

ohhhh, I get it now, you live in the Twilight Zone!

I'll be going through that area tomorrow, won't be filming though

Maybe get there next year. Trying to plan a trip to Spain with a tour group, then keep the bike and head north into UK to see some "friends". You know, those online peeps you've talked to for years but never seen face to face. Plus a couple that i have met face to face.

Dark Tourism is a big thing here as well. Loads of supposedly "haunted" places that the geeks tour. Dunno if I'd wanna take them along on a bike trip though. I'd love to do a regular touring business on bikes though - would be fun and I know all the good places to go.

Couple of months ago, on my birthday

Either you have a twin brother or your clone is following you

Same stretch of road behind a nice windscreen...

Noise suppression is great......the view of your ass not so much!

You're outgunning all of us ugly feckers

Just a happy girl with her favourite Himalayan! ?

If you're not in the picture then you took it..

Rode in the British championship sidecar enduros back in the late 70's/early 80's. 920 Norton Wasp..keeping the chair wheel on the ground. My arse is considerably bigger these days! This was taken shortly after the start of the Welsh international 2 day enduro..our white riding gear is still clean..

I'm a welder, so usually in filthy overalls and covered in grime..here's one of my "clean" moments..

Butt, i never looked better then when my mother dressed me!

I don't know about looking stylish but black and white makes everything look better or maybe not ?

Hard indeed for those of us that normally ride alone! For stylish points sake alone (!) 2 from 2005 in Germany. A long time ago! 6 kgs less, 20 degrees of hooliganism more, bike of a life time. Current affair, older but not wiser!!

Way to participate guys..... I was starting to feel like a weirdo starting the thread.... but @Sir Fallsalot that is some great scenery and looking good in the gear. Then we have @Pedro with a whole fashion show, way to bring it. But @boboneleg your balloons are just what the party needed. ? ?

I'm afraid that asking any of this lot to look stylish is pushing the envelope a bit too much ?