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Many moons ago, in a time I look back to with great fondness, a friend asked me if I didn't want to visit the most mythical race track, the Nurburgring. The day started at 6.00am in Sunningdale, where I lived, with my new bike that had just finished running in. It was my first big trip Northwards in Europe, I had only gone South before, and was very curious to see what Germany was like. But first there was the ferry to Calais. I dont have sailor's legs, always get sea sick even in the flattest of seas and 1 hour and a bit later came out the other side quizzie but on this side of gross! Later on in my life I did that run of 450 kms Calais-Nurburgring dozens of times, so many I could do it almost with my eyes closed, but on that day everything was new and very exciting. Until we hit Belgium that is, where the driving standards were so annoyingly bad the real hooligan that I can be surfaced and the splitting traffic shenanigans I so loved reached record levels of insanity! Would not do it again, not like that, must have scared so many "Belgiums" going about their business all doing 90 across all lanes of the motorway and blocking the whole thing. One could say they deserved the brown pants I gave them, but... Not very civilized of me, In great contrast with the peace felt as soon as we pass the sign welcoming us into Germany. Its pretty much immediately an unlimited Autobahn which they drive so, so well there is no stress and 200 kms/h feels like half that anywhere else. Good driving makes for a much easier life on the road. I was very much ignorant of the place known as The Green Hell, a name apply given by Jackie Stuart due to its challenging everything really! From the corners, the barriers consisting of thorny bushes, the non existing protection, the mad weather and, of course the trees. Unmovable obstacles that claimed many lives around the racing laps at the time but give it that beautiful, deep, unmistakable green. Like so, so many people I fell in love with that place the moment I arrived. The B&B room backed on to the track and at 7.55am the noise of engines and exhausts was like cocaine for someone like me that absolutely loves motorsport and even more, loves speed. Never had I experienced getting up, opening the window and see a Porsche speed down the track with the determination of a lioness chasing lunch! And the noise.... I was already dazzled with all the sportiness even before arriving at the car park where everyone gathered before going for a lap. Like a child in a candy shop, going from one special thing to the next, 2 or 4 wheels, and feeling the excitement descending and filling me with the nervous desire to ride the track. I was proper ignorant of the track and didn't really consider the size of the lap, 18, 19, 20 kms, who cares, lets just go!! Initially followed my friend, he wanted to take care of me, but he was mega fast, on a K2 GSXR1000 and so eager to spark his titanium knee sliders, I waved him off after km 2 and was happy to enjoy the whole thing on my own. I am a different rider when I go at it alone and it was for sure better for me to do it with my favourite thing in the World at the time, just the 2 of us! The 19 kms went past like a blur of discovery, chaos, danger and sense of achievement. The second lap was even more fun, middle of a day in August, even in Germany, the tarmac gets hot and the tyres gripped enough to let me scrap foot pegs on both sides. Actually surprised me so much I thought I had broken the bike, but it was just the peg feelers loosing their virginity. There were so many bikes, so many. Some so blistering quick they got air in a few places of the track and I was overtaken by one doing just that. I laughed so hard to myself thinking how can I describe to someone what it feels like to be passed by a flying bike! I also encountered a Bus, something very unique to the Tourist Laps at the Ring. That, I have to say, is not fun... Coming round a blind corner and getting up close and personal with the back end of a huge "Senior Tours" Mercedes Bus with three old boys at the window looking backwards amused with the near crashes happening bellow their view point! Still, I lived to tell the story and this was before ABS fitted bikes. The last lap of the day was on the GSXR1000, but I didn't really enjoy going round there on someone else's bike and it felt very odd to my the sport bike thing because I like nakeds. It was already 18.00, the Sun was kissing the trees goodbye and the light was magical. Was so mesmerized with the views, the warmth of a Summer evening, the empty track, the feeling of excitement was replaced by a feeling of almost grace that I only felt 2 or 3 times since. A few years later I was living there, but it didn't turn up to be the fairy tale I thought it was going to be. "When the Gods want to punish you, they give you what you asked for" Around the Ring the landscape is stunning and 2 major rivers pass very close by. The most important is the Rhine, but the most beautiful is the Mosel. It winds its way through wineries and villages with Castles perched on top of hills overlooking the bends of the river and supplying the World with quality wine. Its a very pretty part of Europe really worth a good trip to experience relaxed wine tastings or a nice Kaffee und Kuchen on a terrace, seating under a wine pergola looking at the river and the slow moving barges.

Thats a complete level of difficulty! I feel much better now!

I remind you of the portuguese guys from the 1400's? 6 centuries ago?

Almod tree with it's first flower this year: Peaches: And olives:

Hey, I don’t carry a man bag

Wallowa Lake & Mountains....

they took the name of one of the highest quality bikes ever for it's period, also one of the fastest for the period, built in england when england made the best bikes in the world, and used it for a slow hipster piece of shit made in France?

Well it is dark and rainy here, ?️ but that never stopped me. So I think Bagheera needs gas, might take the backroads to get there. I MIGHT set up the tent as I want to get the new exhaust onto Bagheera, but for that I would prefer a sunny day. ?

Well if you're a divorcee you're in good company Sofia! There's loads of us on here! My first wife divorced me nearly 40 years ago for unreasonable behaviour and mental cruelty. When we had to go to court for the proceedings the woman magistrate asked me what I had to say about those accusations. So I said....... "I agree with them entirely. I'm guilty as charged! It was completely unreasonable of me to object to having a used jamrag stuck to my bare foot and a melted Curly Wurly stuck to my ass! And as for the Mental Cruelty......well she was mental, so I was cruel". It didn't go down well.....but the truth had to be told!

Installed a couple more CCTV cameras yesterday and caught this bugger this morning. I'm trying to encourage smaller birds into my garden but all i get is these scaring them away and dropping stones on my roof

Were Bobby Kimball and Bob Carolgees the same person

weather looks good for the weekend but not allowed to ride so it don't matter what the hell it does

Denial isnt just a river in Egypt.

Good Morning ?

Due to falling ridership in the transportation industry in the northern bits, this is Bucks new Bus to drive.

You are looking better by the minute! Next a terrier type dog, something wth wheels italian and temperamental and a tree with fairies and you are nearly there!!

And look at this shit! So not a lot I can say about my activities really, other than..... What about you lot?

Yes, it's true, I work at a car magazine, but occasionally they let me out of the box to ride motorcycles. Here are some nice ADV bikes, all wrapped up in a single article: https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/a35718882/10-coolest-adventure-bikes/

working today, been weeding

Nothing like a nice dirty pic or two?

Well now, don't you worry. I never leave home without a camera. There will be pics later, they might be dirty pics, but there will be pics....lol I am loving both my bikes, so fun to have the different styles.

You beat me to it. Guy Martin for me too, he is hilarious. Might not always win, but is always an interesting character. Then to know what he does as a job, a heavy vehicle mechanic by day and a cool racer on anything you give the guy.

I don't follow racing but from seeing him doing other things it will have to be Guy Martin for me, he just seems like a down to earth bloke. and i think he's pretty good on a bike to

Now Pete, you just need to know how to get in touch with your grove thing side! First up, dancing lesson!

I am home, and although we might have rain today, it's going to be sunny and warm and perfect tomorrow. I'll go for a little ride in the morning

Definite similarities I'd say. Throw in a bit of the Beaker People too!

No.....just various flavours of rock and blues. Here's a real classic from 78.......

Yeah, what fucking activities. Roll on March 29th

I saw EW&F live in Birmingham in 1978, they were absolutley superb

He is not. Too cool to touch, thats what he is!! Its a special kind of coolness unique to him. Now go and be jealous gentleman!! ?

Shouldnt be an issure really, man bags are very convienient!

Those twats in the poor Zakspeed Vipers, leaving puffs of oil smoke at every downshift! Poor cars! I remember both my first visits there being no more than a very rare Portuguese tourist in 2001 or 2002, to over the years becoming “the Portuguese local”, and quite proud of it too. It’s bound to be a few days stop in a motorcycle trip of Europe, both to ride it on the bike for a few slow laps and see it from a different perspective.

This is what happens when a Defender encounters a School Bus!

We get a few new signups and @Tym starts busting a cap!

Nobody likes having cops around, they like to ruin good times just cause someone got hurt. ??

I don't like this business of buying up legendary names.

I did look at the other place earlier in the week......it looks like all the humour and general banter has been drained out of it totally. But that's apparently what they wanted. I'd say that was Doing a Ratner myself......but what do I know? I was just a disruptive newbie bully!

what about some sort of a sheriff

We're not having Mods here Six......they cause more problems than anything else in my experience.

to be honest , going through one of them stages of not posting any where much really , no reason.... now then, how about a mod position for me ?

Twat

Yes.....they need to be https. That's been the case since Google laid the law down in 2015.

Is it possible to post pics on this site using code? As in, I have a bunch of pics hosted on my website. Typically when I post any of them on a forum I paste the link to their location with image tags. But unless I'm mistaken I can't do that here? Kind of a bummer because for a lot of things I know where they are on my site, but not whichever hard drive they may be on at home... Hmm... I just clicked the "Other MEdia" option and found I coul dpost links, but they have to be from an https source... I never upgraded and am still at http so probably not gonna work. Oh well...

Yes you did Twat, when I posted my picture.?

Nice memories Sofia.? Only been to Belgium once, it was on the bike back in the early 90's, took a ferry from Felixstowe to Zeebrugge. A few miles after landing in Belgium me and the wife needed to make use of the toilet facilities so stopped at the next service station, the toilets were a disgrace, absolutely filthy and gay porn mags scattered about in the shitters. The wife said the ladies was even worse and refused to use them i had to find her a grass verge for her to relieve herself. Wherever we stopped we just found it dirty so got on the bike and rode straight through into Germany, what a difference Germany was spotless and beautiful we wanted to stay longer there but it was a bit expensive for our budget at the time. We did ride past Nürburgring but didn't know anything about it back then as i never followed the racing scene probably would have done a lap if i had known about it. The wife has been to Brussels a few times and said it was totally different to our experience years ago.

Yes it does enhance pics glitch.......but it can get taxing on the eyes in terms of reading text. Particularly on mobile.

Those are some great pics guys. I;ll throw in some of mine from here butt, snore, boring to be honest. I dont have many just nature shots anyways it appears. This is the start of the Connecticut River. I think that mound of dirt moved!!! ! Not anymore! This is the end of the Connecticut River, thank you.