We were not expecting that

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We tried to plan this trip to get the most out of the riding and the destinations. For example, day one to Luxembourg, we wanted to avoid the pay motorways, they are dull to ride. We wanted to stay in Luxembourg and we wanted to see a castle. That was the criteria, and that is what we did. Day two, we wanted to ride through the Black Forest, and so it went on. After Andorra we had pretty much ticked every box on this trip and so today and tomorrow are about getting across Spain to Bilbao and the ferry home. When I was planning the route, all I really did was work out where approximately half way was to book the hotel. I also tried to keep the route as close to the Pyrenees as possible. I could not have guessed just how perfect this route would be. I didn't stop grinning for 175 miles and about 3 hours after we checked into the hotel. This route had everything you could wish for on a days riding.

For anyone who doesn't understand the motorcyclist mentality, skip to the end now. I will tell you where to rejoin.

For the rest, who have a soul, I will try to cover off as much of the route, and hopefully encourage you to travel it. If you have to, take a car, preferably a convertible or something vintage, like the dozen or so vintage Jaguars that were cruising along and amassing at the service stops and cafe's as we passed by. You could cycle it, lots of people were, but for me, and it seems for over half the people we saw, this is a motorcycling route.

I will try and break the route down, which means I will have to watch some of the video we took. Watching these could mean it take a while to write this as I relive this perfect riding day. Not that you dear reader will notice, as this is the written word and you have no idea how long it takes to construct, only how long it takes to read (this last sentence has taken about an hour). If this was a movie, that would be different.

I was sort of surprised how close we were to the Andorra border. It seems no sooner had we filled up with very cheap petrol, we were crossing through the check point. I don't know why I was surprised, Andorra is an incredibly small country so you are never far from the border. I expected to descend once we left but we kind of undulated. The road was 90kmh main road but as with any in this region, there are areas where that sort of speed is only for the skilled or the stupid. There was occasional evidence of habitation but mostly small groups of houses and / or business premises along the roadside.

For such a mountainous region, there is a lot of farm land. It seems the human spirit knows no bounds and can eek out a living just about anywhere. OK the profitability is probably very low, but sometimes there is more to life than profit.

The road surface was good to great, with swathes freshly laid and still black and sticky with fresh tar. We could not hope for better. We seemed to reach 1500 meters above sea level and then follow the edge of the mountains as they twisted and turned at natures whim. I cannot express just how good the feeling was. At 11am on a warm, sunny day, to be in a beautiful part off the world with my wife, living this together. There were climbs, descents, and just enough 1st gear turns to keep me on my toes. The rhythm of this road was infectious.

Just as we thought we had the measure, the beat changed. There were tunnels and the roads narrowed. There were rock faces to one side and great drops to the other (so Julia informed me). All the time, the one constant was the views. Sometime valleys, sometimes snow capped peaks in the distance. Always beautiful.

It was in this more technical section we picked up a German couple on a Harley. Actually it was at a set of roadworks as we entered a village. The red light seemed to be stuck and the cars were building up behind. We must have been there over 5 minutes. Anyway I was aware of the bike pulling up to my 8 o'clock. I saw it in the mirror but felt the exhaust pulse first. When the lights finally changed and we moved off they fell into formations behind us. It became obvious why the lights had taken so long. The village was on the edge of a river, and half the roads appeared to be collapsing into it. This land slip ran for about a kilometre.

Most of the time other bikes either, shoot past, follow for a few minutes and go past or drop behind. These guys just stuck with us. It was quite nice to know that someone else was enjoying this experience at the same time and at the same pace. Mile after mile they were there. I tell myself that I was riding as hard as humanly possible and there was no way the could pass but that is just bravado. I was taking it easy, at a speed I hoped Julia would be able to enjoy the ride and these guys had the same idea. On some parts I even found myself contemplating the joys of a cruiser on these roads. All day arm chair comfort and low seat hight. Don't get me wrong, I love my Tiger and for this whole trip, I wouldn't swap it, but it would be nice to have their experience to add to ours. As we hit some very rugged areas I snapped out of it, Tiger all the way. For one thing, ground clearance. We climbed a particularly challenging section in a gorge and as we reached the top they stopped off to take pictures and I thought that would be the last we saw of them. A few miles further however, just after we paused, there they were.

They must have been with us for 45 minutes or so when we stopped off for a comfort break and a coffee. There was a hoot and a wave and they were gone. The hotel had some of the Jaguars we had seen earlier and one new that turned up whilst we dismounted. Inside we were talking to a German biker who arrived shortly after. He asked if we were traveling to Jaca, so this must be a well known route.

Coffees drank we set off, climbing again. There was another bought of hills and switchbacks before the horizon opened up into something from an old western movie. I can see why the spaghetti westerns were filmed in Europe, although a tapas western wouldn't sound right so I guess that is why they stuck to Italy. Anyway, there are sections similar to the American west and Mexico and I found my mind wondering to a week near San Francisco when we hired a Mustang convertible.

At one point Mr Garmin did it again, we found ourselves riding across a clear screen, although there was defiant tarmac beneath our wheels. Fearing the worst we did a u-turn and got back onto the route laid out. The unmarked road turned out to be one of a couple of new sections that bypassed some older, less navigable roads. Despite being updated just weeks before setting off, Mr Garmin didn't know of the changes. Part of me is glad, the old bit was a single track break from the fresh fast roads the had been on. It also took us through a village that sat at the entrance to a narrow gap in the mountains. As we passed through we saw where we would join the new road and the new bridge, stretching across the gorge below. Bummer, that would have been cool to cross too. Oh well, not time for regrets, press on.

Eventually the horizon widened and although still high, we were on flatter terrain. We pulled in for a coffee and snack and watched the last part of practice for the first European F1 in Azerbaijan. Better set off before the race starts or we will loose a couple of hours.

Not far from Jaca now, only about an hour and this section was another treat on the road that just keeps giving. The wider horizon meant I could appreciate the landscape, and not just the bit in front of the front wheel. Eventually we reached a motorway and the edge of civilisation, or so I thought. This turned out to be short lived, but just long enough to take us into Jaca and our accommodation for the night.

Soulless rejoin here.

This Spa hotel seemed relatively new and like most of the places we have been to, very quiet. We are ahead of the season so that is to be expected. There is underground parking, spa facilities and a restaurant that opens at 9pm. 9PM, we hadn't really eaten since 8am. We tried the local garage but it was Sunday and only had automated pumps. The Tiger likes unleaded, we aren't so keen so we returned to the hotel to fast and wait. On the upside the broadband signal was strong and fast (again probably due to the lack of guests) so we turned to Netflix to kill some time.

The food and service in the restaurant was superb. The young man who looked after us spoke just enough English for us to have fun with and convey the details of the dishes. We guessed Baah milk meant sheep's milk and he was very generous with the wine.

Fed and watered it was on to bed. Tomorrow would be the last part of this adventure on land.

Have a good 'un

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Comments

[Buff]

bikes
love the description for bikers. Harleys seat comfort with hard bags and trunk are nice on long trips. Straight pipes are nice for animals and shitty drivers also.