Alps 2012 + 12
Once past Briancon en-route toward Oulx along the N94 I passed a couple on a BMW R1200GSA whilst they were queued at temporary lights in a line of traffic. I was filtering on the outside and was able to maintain my momentum as the lights changed , which now made me the lead vehicle along the open road ahead. I concluded that the German rider saw this as some kind of a challenge as he proceeded to pass all the cars and rode in hot pursuit of me.
After several twists and turns along the route I noticed he had closed the gap down. A few more turns and he was in my tracks before powering past me up the hill toward the next set of bends. I returned the compliment and filled his rear view mirrors with R1200GS for several more turns until we both realised that when reaching a fast left hander , but not THAT fast , we had both shaken our respective in flight guardian angels from our sides and they were nowhere to be seen!
The German had got his approach speed totally wrong for this left-hander and as I was the faster travelling of the two bikes at the time, so had I!
The German hauled on his brakes, I did the same , though my closing speed was perhaps 5mph more than his as we hit the bend. By now my heart was firmly in my mouth and it didn't taste good. We both dropped our bikes as low as we dare to negotiate the bend whilst still clutching a handful of front brake. I felt my bike want to tip in low , unsettlingly low , mainly due to the imbalance caused by the offset panniers whereby the left side requires more clearance for the exhaust, thus creating an unequal CofG between the left and right sides of the GS.
I felt certain for a brief moment that my front tyre had let go and then regained its grip just as quickly. We cleared the bend and both rode more sedately for the next few kilometres as if to allow our respective guardian angels to make up the lost ground until they were flying alongside their respective idiots once again!
The GSA rider continued on at the junction with Sestriere toward Oulx but I chose to take the turning for Sestriere as I was in much need of that old British favourite , a cup of tea , but more importantly some winding down time. I think all three of us just had a narrow escape! I pulled into a car park in the town of Claviere, along the SS24, directly opposite an Hotel and sat on the raised terrace for a couple of cups of the finest, whilst wondering how much heavier the clouds may become before I had a chance to pitch up.
After several twists and turns along the route I noticed he had closed the gap down. A few more turns and he was in my tracks before powering past me up the hill toward the next set of bends. I returned the compliment and filled his rear view mirrors with R1200GS for several more turns until we both realised that when reaching a fast left hander , but not THAT fast , we had both shaken our respective in flight guardian angels from our sides and they were nowhere to be seen!
The German had got his approach speed totally wrong for this left-hander and as I was the faster travelling of the two bikes at the time, so had I!
The German hauled on his brakes, I did the same , though my closing speed was perhaps 5mph more than his as we hit the bend. By now my heart was firmly in my mouth and it didn't taste good. We both dropped our bikes as low as we dare to negotiate the bend whilst still clutching a handful of front brake. I felt my bike want to tip in low , unsettlingly low , mainly due to the imbalance caused by the offset panniers whereby the left side requires more clearance for the exhaust, thus creating an unequal CofG between the left and right sides of the GS.
I felt certain for a brief moment that my front tyre had let go and then regained its grip just as quickly. We cleared the bend and both rode more sedately for the next few kilometres as if to allow our respective guardian angels to make up the lost ground until they were flying alongside their respective idiots once again!
The GSA rider continued on at the junction with Sestriere toward Oulx but I chose to take the turning for Sestriere as I was in much need of that old British favourite , a cup of tea , but more importantly some winding down time. I think all three of us just had a narrow escape! I pulled into a car park in the town of Claviere, along the SS24, directly opposite an Hotel and sat on the raised terrace for a couple of cups of the finest, whilst wondering how much heavier the clouds may become before I had a chance to pitch up.
After my delightful tea I took a short walkabout and walked over to the lovely little church. This is ski resort area with many overhead cables for the piste climbing ski lifts. If you're not skiing here then as with most of these smaller ski towns they become a drive-thru with little more to offer than a refreshment, and perhaps souvenirs.
Some kilometres later I see the sign for Col de Basset and wondered how much time do I have to take a diversion. The clouds were building and the wind was picking up, so much so that I felt rain was innevitable before dusk.
Some kilometres later I see the sign for Col de Basset and wondered how much time do I have to take a diversion. The clouds were building and the wind was picking up, so much so that I felt rain was innevitable before dusk.
I decide to take the track which leads to Col delle Assietta and Col delle Finestre. If memory serves me the total distance for this track is some 30kms , though I wasn't certain whether or not there would be passage through to Susa, or if it were a dead end due to unsuitability for vehicles.
A little further up were more signs and a few other riders , as well as a couple of 4x4 drivers.
The wind was still picking up, the clouds getting heavier and so I decided to turn back. The circumstances were nowhere near as calm and clear as my experience at Col du Parpaillon and so the risk factor outwheighed the comfort zone , considerably.
A little further up were more signs and a few other riders , as well as a couple of 4x4 drivers.
The wind was still picking up, the clouds getting heavier and so I decided to turn back. The circumstances were nowhere near as calm and clear as my experience at Col du Parpaillon and so the risk factor outwheighed the comfort zone , considerably.
I made my way back to the road and continued toward Turin , a place I really didn't want to be. I shouldn't have ridden so far past Sestriere really as this was to become a nightmare for the Sat-Nav as well as sign reading once I reached the spaghetti like road network around the city of Turin. But had I not gone beyond Sestriere then I wouldn't have found my next campsite!
I eventually found a direction that would see me leave the Autostrada , after refuelling, and get back onto the smaller roads. I picked up the SS25 west toward Dora and as I rode a river crossing bridge in Dora I noticed to my right an area that looked promising for pitching up for the night.
I turned down the lane that led to a large area of common ground which sat next to the river that divided it from the other side. A small number of people were playing in the river, and just the one other vehicle was parked upon this land. I gave a wide birth , 50 metres or so maybe, and rode on past to the other end of this section of land. I dismounted and walked a little further along to where another section of the land forked off to the right but was blocked by deliberately placed boulders. I would suspect the boulders were there to prevent 4x4 vehicles from going any further, though there was enough room for a motorcycle to take this path.
I remounted and negotiated the boulders in search of a good pitch. After some time spent looking for the ideal piece of ground I eventually found what appeared to be the best of what was available. The ground was very hard which meant there was a struggle to sink the guy rope pegs. Other than that, and continually wondering whether many passers-by would walk this area or not , it was close to perfect! I needed to find a pitch that gave me quick and easy access to the river so as to not leave camp unattended for too long.
By the time I had made myself comfortable, had a brew and swatted endless amounts of flying biters I took a walk to the riverside with my wash gear.
I really could not have hoped for better than this. The river was mine! There wasn't another soul to be either seen or heard. The short walk to the river took me through some roughage, over a slight bank and onto a firm riverside surface. It wasn't sand, as we know it, it wasn't mud either, I just can't really put a label to it, but it was perfect!
I felt like I was on a deserted island somewhere near I don't know where. The river level was very low, exposing much of the bed in places and snaked in an 'S' shape in the area I had located. Two dead branches were angled about 30 -40 degrees perhaps from beneath the surface which only helped the imagination run wild giving the impression of being in the Amazon , or similar.
I eventually found a direction that would see me leave the Autostrada , after refuelling, and get back onto the smaller roads. I picked up the SS25 west toward Dora and as I rode a river crossing bridge in Dora I noticed to my right an area that looked promising for pitching up for the night.
I turned down the lane that led to a large area of common ground which sat next to the river that divided it from the other side. A small number of people were playing in the river, and just the one other vehicle was parked upon this land. I gave a wide birth , 50 metres or so maybe, and rode on past to the other end of this section of land. I dismounted and walked a little further along to where another section of the land forked off to the right but was blocked by deliberately placed boulders. I would suspect the boulders were there to prevent 4x4 vehicles from going any further, though there was enough room for a motorcycle to take this path.
I remounted and negotiated the boulders in search of a good pitch. After some time spent looking for the ideal piece of ground I eventually found what appeared to be the best of what was available. The ground was very hard which meant there was a struggle to sink the guy rope pegs. Other than that, and continually wondering whether many passers-by would walk this area or not , it was close to perfect! I needed to find a pitch that gave me quick and easy access to the river so as to not leave camp unattended for too long.
By the time I had made myself comfortable, had a brew and swatted endless amounts of flying biters I took a walk to the riverside with my wash gear.
I really could not have hoped for better than this. The river was mine! There wasn't another soul to be either seen or heard. The short walk to the river took me through some roughage, over a slight bank and onto a firm riverside surface. It wasn't sand, as we know it, it wasn't mud either, I just can't really put a label to it, but it was perfect!
I felt like I was on a deserted island somewhere near I don't know where. The river level was very low, exposing much of the bed in places and snaked in an 'S' shape in the area I had located. Two dead branches were angled about 30 -40 degrees perhaps from beneath the surface which only helped the imagination run wild giving the impression of being in the Amazon , or similar.
It was so secluded here I was actually able to strip off fully and walk into the water for a much needed bathing. I probed the water with a leading left foot to test the firmness of the bed and the depth. The water felt very cold and reached my knees by the time I had waded out to the leaning branches. I threw some water to my face which raised immediate goosebumps, coupled with a sharp intake of breath. In fact every time water came into contact with my upper body a repeat reaction would occur, goosebumps, sharp intake, it was bloody fantastic! I crouched lower in the river until I was on my knees but as soon as the water reached my under carriage I felt myself slow right down...blimey it was cold!
The over all cooling down effect from the water after such a hot day was nothing short of ecstatic!
Being this close to nature one realises just how infested woodland areas are with all sorts of creatures , but still the most irritating to me were flies. I fucking hate flies!
I can handle the bites that take place every so often , the ants, spiders etc ...but flies, dear oh dear , the air turns blue when I'm amongst those bloody things. Immediately there was food on the go they would home in.The thing that got me was that even after my skinny dip and applying deoderant spray they still kept hounding me. I must have smelt like Julian Clary in a Lush shop. For heaven sake ...leave me alone!
Since the loss of my charging equipment on day 2, and the now exhausted battery of my Panasonic Lumix camera , I now had just the GoPro and iPhone for stills. The GoPro is not ideal for stills due to not having a view finder and so was very much point and hope for the best. iPhone would have to do.
The over all cooling down effect from the water after such a hot day was nothing short of ecstatic!
Being this close to nature one realises just how infested woodland areas are with all sorts of creatures , but still the most irritating to me were flies. I fucking hate flies!
I can handle the bites that take place every so often , the ants, spiders etc ...but flies, dear oh dear , the air turns blue when I'm amongst those bloody things. Immediately there was food on the go they would home in.The thing that got me was that even after my skinny dip and applying deoderant spray they still kept hounding me. I must have smelt like Julian Clary in a Lush shop. For heaven sake ...leave me alone!
Since the loss of my charging equipment on day 2, and the now exhausted battery of my Panasonic Lumix camera , I now had just the GoPro and iPhone for stills. The GoPro is not ideal for stills due to not having a view finder and so was very much point and hope for the best. iPhone would have to do.
This evenings meal would be either beans , again , sardines, again, or the second and last of my Big Soups, this time Steak and Potato...no contest.
The evening drew to a close as I exchanged late texts with Jo for details of the British consulate, address and hours of business for my Paris visit on the Friday, the day after next.
The temperature was much cooler tonight , helped by the rain no doubt , though this didn't prevent me getting to sleep quite quickly. I felt reassured by the rain falling all evening because it indicated to me that walkers are less likely to be using any of the many previously trodden tracks through this area during my overnight stay.
The cheap little head torch I had borrowed from Jo (without her knowing) was proving to be a great aid when planning routes in the dark and doing whatever else I had to do once inside the tent at night.
I noticed that on several occasions when pitching I had started to talk to myself out loud. It was almost as if I needed to hear my instructions for actions I would carry out whilst carrying them out! I'm no Robinson Crusoe but I can see how a solitary way of living could eventually take its toll. That said, I had thoroughly enjoyed my adventure and experiences to date.
The temperature was much cooler tonight , helped by the rain no doubt , though this didn't prevent me getting to sleep quite quickly. I felt reassured by the rain falling all evening because it indicated to me that walkers are less likely to be using any of the many previously trodden tracks through this area during my overnight stay.
The cheap little head torch I had borrowed from Jo (without her knowing) was proving to be a great aid when planning routes in the dark and doing whatever else I had to do once inside the tent at night.
I noticed that on several occasions when pitching I had started to talk to myself out loud. It was almost as if I needed to hear my instructions for actions I would carry out whilst carrying them out! I'm no Robinson Crusoe but I can see how a solitary way of living could eventually take its toll. That said, I had thoroughly enjoyed my adventure and experiences to date.