Pedro

So, day one: Day one started late, because yesterday I had a great dinner, me and little bro had too much wine and things got silly Today, got up at about 9, by 10 Costa was walked and I was out of the house. Got on the motorway for the only 10 or 20km I expect to do on a motorway in the next few days. Made my way to the Douro river, and started to retrace the ride I last posted in Douro wine region. The 108 is a great little road, there was a big car meeting , maybe 30 cars or more, tuned and driving like idiots. Made it hard to pass them because a lot of the cars were quite fast, but very slow in other areas, started to piss me off until an old dude in a tractor caused a traffic jam and I passed them all in one go. Douro, along the 108 between Porto and Pinhão: Stopped a little for lunch, at a scenic place with a lot of shade: Lots of bikes there, a couple of groups making picnics, I had my leftover roast and spinach sandwich: Got back on the road heading to Pinhão After Pinhão, crossed the river and rode a little bit on the south side of it, a little away from the water. Temperature immediately increased as I went over the tall hills inland. Also, views started to get bigger, I needed big vistas: Road was quite nice: Got quite high Stopped to call firefighters, someone must have thrown a cigarette from a car and started a fire right on the side of the road, it was consuming a tree when I got there and about to get big. By the time my call made it through to the local department it was substantially big, but they told me they had been called and a car was arriving to deal with it. With everything that Portugal has been through in the last 4 years, I can't understand how some people can be so careless. Got lost crossing Vila Nova de Foz Coa, a few old, maybe restored houses, using the typical schist building. Stopped, to figure out what to do regarding sleeping arrangements by 4PM, didn't think there would be so many tourists and by that time most of the places were already fully booked. Finally got on the phone with a little place that only had a 5 people room/cottage, I cried the price down since I am by myself, and they were gracious enough to accept. A course was plotted to Freixo de Espada à Cinta, about an hour away. This would be less scenic but one hell of a road to ride, not wide, plenty of great mid speed corners and great rhythm. A sign warned "mountain road, use care", to which I think I ignored Arrived quicker than expected, feeling quite in need of drinking fluids. I neglected stopping to buy water in the afternoon and was feeling hot and a little thirsty. So I ignored the castles and touristy stuff since that's not really my scene, here's a picture in the distance for you Instead, found a place to park the bike with a view, under a little shade next to my accommodations for the night Enjoyed the great view, and went straight for a dip in the pool, drank half a liter of water and am now finishing this orange juice as I type this Temperature got to about 34º today (93ºF for the yanks, you are welcome) which surprised me since over the past days it's been cool. Next, will go back in the pool for a while, and relax. Then a little later will have dinner here as well, I'll keep you posted , but I feel like cold white wine to drink along with dinner

Good stuff, Pete, I love those old functional buildings, lots of character.

In the upcoming ride report, about to be posted from a swimming pool.

Well, you'll be surprised to know the Panigalle lineup is the strongest seller: https://riders.drivemag.com/news/ducati-2019-sales-reach-top-with-over-53-000-units Props for Ducati!

That's the thing Pete, most of the times it won't clear it and you'll be stuck with it on.

It is a pristine oldschool ZRX750, cool thing! There was also a GPZ900 that I didn't catch on the photo, just like on Top Gun ?

They eat anything in England, @Tym, can´t have anything on a table when those guys are around.

Only name I could come up with, Pete

3ºC is not a little bit chilly, it's fucking cold!

Dio

I'm right with you, Ian, I think there is a special way to select the preview image or video quote thing altogether, and sometimes when you get it all selected with a click, you can delete it. Sometimes you can't, though, I can't imagine why...

Great dinner tonight. Some spicy Croatian chorizo brought over by my brother in his luggage, followed by a great oven cooked seabass with taters and carrots. All washed down by a nice pair of bottles of chilled white wine. got a nice buzz going now. Luggage is half packed, tomorrow I'll just put the laptop and a couple of things in after walking Costa in the morning, and hit the slow road inland.

I like his taste in ... bikes?

I like a cold coke, but have given up altogether. Unless I’m in Morocco, for some weird reason. you’re thirsty, drink water you want the coke fizz kick and throat refreshment, drink a cold beer, it’s better for you and your kidneys, plus it’s better want something sweet, drink juice want to enjoy a nice beverage, drink wine There is no excuse for coke, unless it’s Morocco or desert

Work sucks, but low clouds are always cool

I bet the Multistrada is their best selling bike, followed maybe my the Monster, but that might be in Portugal though.

Today it's a nice cool summer day here. Cool enough to walk the dog wearing jeans and not shorts, and cool enough that you need a something on top of a t-shirt at night, which is perfect. I'm doing a little work at home, going to pack my cases in the afternoon with mostly clothes but since one needs a nice shirt to go to dinner and I always end up with a lack of space, then at dinner it'll be a nice seabass with some nice white wine, and in the morning a few days of leisurely riding will start. I don't like topases on bikes, you get a lot of effect from crosswinds and it hinders you getting on and off the bike with any coolness, which is also important Also, I always go on trips with just the sidecases on narrow position, hate to have a very wide bike in the back looking like a bus. I used to tour Morocco for two weeks with my girlfriend using the same space for both of us, with plastic rain suits for both as well, she used to make that work perfectly but now I go for a few days by myself and end up with lack of space. Can't pack for shit.

American, Aerosmith? Which I don't even know if they are still together

You're talking about a brake line, can't you get it from Goodridge?

Right now

If it is anything like Portugal was during confinement, having a lot of people bored out of their minds at home looking at the "news" on tv all day, and the terrible quality of sensationalist shit that passes as tv reporting in a period when not many new things happen everyday, there's no soccer to keep the poor of spirit entertained either, it is easy for the mix of all this to be a dangerous result. Edit, did that make sense?

Two fingers on each.

"Chuis", in 80's portuguese

Jesus, and Pete says he rides in ghost towns