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 Saturday, March 23, 2002
At last, we are back on the road after five and a half months enjoying southern Spain while waiting out the winter. We are headed to the island of Corsica. We had been planning to go to Morocco but time is against us. Thanks to the Spanish postal system once again sending our mail to the wrong town we have waited more than four weeks for a package to arrive from Germany. As a result we have lost most of the month of March that we had allocated for our Morocco trip. So, we will save Morocco for next winter and early spring. We will work our way, slowly, up and along the Spanish coast and into the south of France. We have not decided if we will take the ferry from Marseilles or Nice to Corsica - another decision that can be put off for a few days. After Corsica we will probably head into Italy and then work our way north to Frankfurt, Germany where we have a date with an airplane. Today we traveled some known roads: Malaga to Alicante. We got our usual early start - left the house at 11:30! This is the third time we have covered this route. It is always amazing how much cooler it is in the area north of Murcia - a good 5 degrees cooler here than in all the areas between Malaga and Murcia. Part of the reason for this is that the area east of Granada between there and Murcia is the main desert area of Spain. Much warmer there than it was when we left Malaga and Granada. Granada continues to have too much air pollution for our liking. The good news about this route is that the vast majority of the Autovia is among the best we have found in Spain and it traverses some spectacular scenery - a serpentine road through mountains between Malaga and the cut off for Granada, snow capped mountains in the vicinity of Granada, lots of desert between Granada and Murcia and the coastal area near Alicante is much different from the area between Malaga and Gibraltar. While we much prefer the road less traveled, in this part of Spain if you want to cover a lot of distance in minimal time there is no alternative. Also not a tremendous amount of traffic except in those areas immediately adjacent to large cities. This is our first day on the road with a new Garmin GPSmap 176. Holds lots of way points (3000) and as a result can accept downloaded routes with lots of detail (way points). This unit can also use the Garmin Roads and Recreation maps or the MetroGuide maps. It accepts data cards that are as large as 128 MB for map downloads - the data cards can be loaded using an optional data card programmer that plugs into a USB port. This requires much less time to download a great deal of map data - about 4.5 hours verses 15 minutes for 128 MB. It is waterproof up to one meter of depth. The only thing it does not do is auto-routing. But, the Garmin MapSource software will create routes automatically and these can be uploaded to the GPS. Based on today’s experience creating the route and then using the route for the trip we are impressed. Once we have more experience with this beast we will post something in the Equipment Report Card section providing more information and contrasting this unit with the GPS III+. Today’s statistics: Total Distance: 494.1 KM Sunday, March 24, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageTotal Distance: 733.2 KM Sunday, always a good day to get past Barcelona in order to avoid the heavy traffic. This was the fifth time we have traveled this area and all we wanted to do was get through it. Two days and we are out of Spain. Tonight we are in Perpignan, France. From this point on we will revert to moving much more slowly. Not sure what we will do or where we will go tomorrow. The GPS worked well but the route planning software is not all that it could be. When we created the route for today’s ride we were instructed to make a U-turn to get into the hotel where we are staying. We really did not want to do that so we told the software to recompile the route with no U-turns. It did. It also told us to exit the highway at a different location which would allow us to ride to the hotel and make a right turn into the parking area. Well, as luck would have it, the software told us to exit the highway in a location where there is no exit. Hmmmm. Perhaps this auto routing software is not all it could be. Reminds us of the story we heard about a fellow who drove his car into a river because his GPS said the road went over the river and the road ended at the river. Isn’t modern technology wonderful! Monday, March 25, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageTotal Distance: 326.4 KM Today we took the road less traveled - from Perpignan to Marseilles. Great roads, all in good condition. A pleasant change. France does have some of the best motorcycle roads in the world. We will catch the ferry to Corsica here. The question is when. The low temperature here tonight is to be 3 degrees (C) and 1 degree (C) on the island of Corsica. The high on Corsica is to be 9 C tomorrow. Did we mention that every time we stopped today we put on another layer of clothing. Almost had to put on the electric jacket. We did use the electric hand grips. Seems there is a cold front in the area. We are not sure how long it will be here but we hope it is not as bad as one mentioned in a local book that tells us that the port froze over in 1710. Glad we missed that! So, we will wait a bit on the weather. We were here about this time last year and it was much warmer. All is not lost, however. We may have visitors from the US joining us for a few days. They want to visit Paris but did not reserve a hotel room and are finding that Easter is a big holiday in this part of the world - there is no room at the inn. No room at any inn that they have contacted. So, they are looking for alternatives. We have not seen Rich and Donna for 4 years - since we left the US to work in Ireland. It would be very nice to see them for a few days. Tuesday, March 26, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageToday we took the bus into Marseilles. We wanted to go into town on the bus yesterday but there was a one day strike by the bus drivers and there were no busses running. This is the second time we have stayed at this hotel - for the same reason. It’s simple really, about 400 meters from the door to our room we can get on a bus that will take us the 5 KM or so into the center of Marseilles. Takes the worry out of trying to navigate in a city where we don’t know our way around. Wednesday, March 27, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageTotal Distance: 85 KM Tough day, eh? Well, this is really how we like to do it. No fuss, no muss and definitely no stress. We left Marseilles and traveled north to Avignon. We have an appointment with Corsica ferries at 8:15 on Friday morning so we have some time to do a bit of site seeing. We were here the first time in 1997 when traveling with Verna’s parents. We came back last year after we had attended a motor bike meeting hosted by Touratech in Orange, France. After checking into our hotel we walked about 200 meters to the bus stop where we waited about 5 minutes for a bus that took us into the heart of the city. Why can’t the US provide bus service like we find everywhere in Europe? We spent the day wandering about inside the walls of the old city, visiting the Palis des Papes (Palace of Popes), the Rocher Des Doms (a beautiful park) and the town in general. One of the things that we love about Europe is all of the out door seating available at restaurants. We had a very nice lunch in the Place Pie. A small portion of the old town has been closed to vehicles and is a very nice shopping area. Tomorrow we will do a bit of exploring in this area before we head south to Toulon where we will spend the day - this is where we will catch the ferry to Corsica the following morning. Thursday, March 28, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageTotal Distance: 211 KM We went a bit northeast of Avignon this morning and visited the Pont du Gard. We stooped here in June of 1997 when we were touring parts of Europe with Verna’s parents. Since we were just 25 km away we thought we would return and get some photos for the Provence page - the ones we took in 1997 are in storage! We catch the ferry for Corsica tomorrow morning for an 0815 sailing. Friday, March 29, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageTotal Distance: 11 KM A tough ride today. Up early and off to catch the ferry to Corsica. A quick stop to fill the bikes with fuel and then we stood in line with many others waiting to purchase our tickets for the crossing. After 6 hours on the ferry we found ourselves in Ajaccio, Corsica. We learned something about the French today. They do NOT queue well when waiting for something. For the first time in his life Jim was told that, “you’re not doing it right”. This while standing in a line waiting to purchase our tickets. Not doing it right? How do you not stand in a line properly? It seems that Jim was leaving some space between himself and the person in front of him - obviously a heinous crime when queuing in France. The only thing we could determine was that the woman behind us and her husband were extremely concerned about how slow the line was moving and they were afraid they would not get their tickets in time to catch the ferry. Never mind that there were probably another 75 people standing in various lines waiting to purchase their tickets too. It was obvious to us that the ferry boat was not going anywhere until all these people had been served - simply because it was not full and the ferry company would want to get as many cars and passengers on the boat as they possibly could to make the journey profitable. We were a bit disappointed about the ferry. Well, the disappointment was not with the boat itself. It was about 7 years old and in very good condition. But, we had been told that the accommodation for motorcycles on the Corsica Ferries was very special with parking areas and custom made bracketry for securing the bikes. WRONG! It was the usual park the bikes along the side of the boat and find a piece of rope to tie them to something in hopes that they would no come loose during the journey. Just like every other ferry we have ever been on. The crossing itself was a bit rough. Not as bad as the full gale that we went through on the Irish Sea the last time we took the bikes to Ireland in September 2000 but there were lots of people on the boat who were not looking their healthiest. We were fine and passed the time reading, eating and sleeping. We arrived in Ajaccio shortly past three PM and found our hotel and settled in for the next two days. Saturday, March 30, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageToday we did some domestic things - like wash clothes at a laundromat and shopping for food items for the next two days. Also walked around the town. All this after our “Petite Dejine” (breakfast) was served in our room. We are in a very small low budget hotel - they do not have a room for breakfast but they will bring it to your room. The usual French faire of bread, butter and jam, coffee or tea and a piece of fruit. Quite civilized. The weather has been very dull - overcast with lots of cloud cover and no sign of the sun. We hope it will be nicer tomorrow. We took a few pictures but they did not come out well. Sunday, March 31, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageTotal Distance: 94 KM YAHMD! (Yet Another High Mileage Day). We left Ajaccio about 1130 this morning. Jim spent a few minutes before we left tying to discover the source of the oil leak on Verna’s final drive. We wanted to take a ride on a rode that was said to have a vista point (according to our Michelin map) of Ajaccio Bay. Wrong again. We did get a very close up and odiferous view of the Ajaccio garbage dump. Leaving that behind we rode up the coast on the D81 and stopped for lunch in Tiuccia. A bit expensive but very good food - Verna had pasta and Jim had the Moules. Once again we will have to be careful or this will start to sound like a food review rather than a motorcycle tour. We have stopped for the day in Piana at a hotel high on a bluff overlooking the Golfe de Port. It was a very nice view when we arrived but the low clouds that are the leading edge of a storm that is headed our way from Spain are starting to arrive and visibility is getting worse every moment. After arriving at the hotel Jim checked Verna’s final drive and there is fresh oil on the drain plug. Hmmmm. Sure hope this is not a leaking seal. Tightened the final drive drain plug for the second time today. Let us pray that that is the problem and it is now history. Monday, April 1, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageTotal Distance: 106 KM Another beautiful day. We made it to I’lle-Rousse before our worst suspicions about the oil leak on Verna’s bike proved to be true. When we arrived at the hotel parking lot we checked her bike and discovered an almost continuos flow of oil from the final drive onto her rear wheel. Not good! After we checked in and got the bike unloaded Jim pulled the rear wheel only to have our worst suspicions confirmed - the main seal for the final drive is leaking a continuos stream of oil. The good news is that we are not in Morocco at the moment - perhaps it is a very good thing that we did not go to Morocco! Now the adventure begins - getting it repaired. Today being Monday and this being France (more or less) most stores are closed. We have not been able to get anyone to answer the phone at either of the BMW dealers we have located on the island. We need to talk to them to find out if the sell and service motorbikes as well as cars. First thing in the morning. By that time the final drive on Verna’s bike should be completely dry. Tuesday, April 2, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageTotal Distance: 201 KM Today we traveled from I’lle-Rousse to Ajaccio - Jim on his bike, Verna’s bike on a trailer behind a pickup truck, and Verna in a rental car. Why a rental car? The guy who hauled the bike refused to let her ride in his truck! We felt that it was too far for the two of us to share a solo seat on Jim’s bike so we got the rental car. Grrrrr. It turns out the the BMW moto’s are not serviced by the BMW car dealers here - the motos are handled by moto only businesses. The BMW motorcycle dealer for Corsica is in Ajaccio and that is were we went. By the time we got transport organized for Verna’s bike it was noon. We arrived in Ajaccio about six in the evening to find her bike at the dealer. Fortunately the service manager speaks very good English and this removed many, many concerns we had. The BMW mechanic was not working today and he promised that he would have him look at Verna’s bike first thing in the morning. He told us to call him on the phone at noon tomorrow. After this, we set of to find a place to stay for the next few days. Wednesday, April 3, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageFailed Final Drive Seals: 1 The good news is that the parts should arrive on the 4:00 airplane and he hopes to have us back on the road tomorrow. We continue to thank the Gods that sent us to Corsica and not Morocco. We do not know how we would have handled this in Morocco. We are sure we would have found a way but it would have been more time consuming, costly, and a lot more hassle! So, tomorrow we will do battle about the payment for the repair - it should be covered by the BMW Warranty. We suspect that it will be worse than getting Verna’s fuel pump repair in Dresden, Germany last September covered by the Warranty but only time will tell. While we wait, we enjoy ourselves with long walks along the beach next to our hotel. Given the choice between southern Spain and Corsica for my summer holiday on the beach, I would select Corsica every time. The country is beautiful! The beaches are very nice and there are NO high rise buildings to spoil things. It is all very nice. Thursday, April 4, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageIt rained extremely hard during the night - more than 4 CM in less than 6 hours. It was a good day to have a bike in the shop being repaired. The good news is that it was dry during the day. We did some more walking on the beach, found a laundromat and washed clothes and generally took life easy. Friday, April 5, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageTotal Distance: 162 KM Verna’s bike was repaired and we were on the road by 10:30 this morning. The repair was covered by our warranty and we have nothing but kind things to say about Mr. Karol at Lucchini Motos, Avenue President Kennedy - Immeuble Farrucci, 20090 AJACCIO Corsica, France - the BMW dealer for Corsica. See the Equipment Report Card 2002 page in The Bikes section for all the details about the bike repair including a wonderful picture of the crown wheel bearing from Verna’s rear wheel drive that failed. We took the N193 north from Ajaccio but this time went a bit further east and arrived in Bastia about 4 PM. Saturday, April 6, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageTotal Distance: 197 KM We rode around Cap Corse today and made it to the northern most point accessible on the bike. The roads here vary greatly from wide smooth and predictable (the N roads) to those which can have any kind of surface you can imagine (the D roads). The vast majority of the D highways require a fair amount of concentration. Almost all of the roads have been cut into the hill sides of the mountains on the island. This means that you have a steep rock wall on one side and a very steep drop off down to the sea on the other. Once again today we came around a blind corner and found a car driving as if he were in the UK - on the left side of the road. This happens to us very often. It is a bit irritating, especially when the driver pulls back onto his side of the road and goes by giving us extremely bad looks and shaking his hand or fist at us. Geesh! Pardon us for driving on your road, sir. Oh well. Sunday, April 7, 2002Today’s statistics: Top of PageTotal Distance: 97 KM We rode to Bonifacio this morning. Traveling down the eastern side of the island is a bit boring - mostly straight road which takes you through the majority of the agricultural production areas on the island - kiwi’s, grapes, olives and other such things. We are told the the island only produces about 10% of the food that is needed here now. This concludes this travelogue - tomorrow we catch a ferry for Sardinia and we will start a new one. |
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