Lands End Trip

10.05.2013

Trip to lands end with my dad starts tomorrow 6am.

Ride down, camp the night , tell stories have a drink and relax. Then see the end and maybe Lizard Point on the way back on the Sunday.

Time we get there and back with a few miles running around there mileage will be approx 800 miles for the weekend, nice practice run for a run later in the year we are planning.

work

Work it gets in the way of life. kids family all want your time attention yet we place work above them all, got to go am running late for work, cant be there then i am at work. Cant get the time off work is too busy. Slave to work. Live to work? or work to live? Fine balance between the two. No mistake though though work gets in the way of life.

how and why?

How can a lump of metal plastic and rubber create friendships that don't die? What is it about that lump under your arse that gives this bond? Is it the sharing of danger the frills the spills? Is it the getting cold soaking wet burnt in the summers sun? Is it the social side of gangs and clubs even when you ride alone? Are there any strangers whilst you are on a bike? You dont nod or wave to people in the street, yet on the bike some days you're a nodding dog, greeting others as they ride by.  You stop to see if the bike on the roadside is ok, but cars you just go by. It aint the music or the looks I know, the laughs and tears come after the friendship grows,  is it because on the road you are alone and when you meet other like minded souls the joy is carefree to share the tales the times, i dont know the answers but i do know that biking friendships dont die if if the biker does or they become a car driver, a walker etc, brothers is a word used other in biker circles, and it is sort of true, close friends become like brothers even if it is years since you have spoken,  they know and you know there is no need to speak all the time as the next time you do it will be like it was yesterday since you last did. Did bikers start off like this or did the bikes make them this way? Stay safe until we met somewhere again or for the first time.

when

When the headlight goes out the ride is done
but the feelings remain in the head and the bum.

The cooling down noises of the bike will soon go
But the bike noises will remain in the soul

The bikers came to town

Dirty Jeans and Long hair
look out honey the bikers are here
Black leather jackets
ice cold stares
They ride into town
everybody else looks down
their noses at the few
wondering what the bikers are here to do
The bikes stop outside the childrens home
and on their feet they start to roam
wandering here and milling there
some begin to rearrange their hair

The town stops and holds it breath
watching and waiting for unrest
topboxes and panniers are opened up
bags are brought out for the sun to light up
 The town folk are wondering
who the bikers are going to fight
shake their heads and mutter this aint right
slowly they shrink away
The home doors open and children rush out
all yelling and smiling and beginning to shout
the bikers smile and with great care
begin to distribute their ware

Not one child is left without
and slowly but surely not one child is left to shout

The town folk stop and stare at the sight
of children and bikers as they share
the Easter eggs and toys
that the bikers brought there.

Its a strange thing

The feeling of a cold metallic object grasped firmly between your knees,  you can feel the pulses of the engine, the coldness of the fuel sloshing around, gallons of the stuff inches away from your most sensitive parts. Maybe that is one of the reasons we like to ride?

Or is it the pulses running through your hands, the way the bars twitch, the downward motion of the forks ? creating that thrust forward and downward, again bring them closer to the tank, again highlighting the motion of the fuel.

Or maybe the squatting of the rear under power, which throws the top half of you backwards, your arms extend you try to get closer to that feeling but find that you are already riding the tank.

You wrap your arms down and around the tank, shift your toes onto the pegs as your favorite set of bends start to appear, but this time you move backwards along the tank, until just before the moment you glide into the corner when you lift your arse out of the saddle and over to one side, again they are against the tank, the inside of the outside thigh pressed tightly to the tank the fuel sloshes inside , you can feel it, you swap sides on the seat the other thigh is now pressed against the tank, your elbows have a death grip on the tank, your hands are rapid movements of fine adjustment, caresses the levers, tweaking the throttle.

The bends end you are thrilled, the tank is one again doing the business on the area, the knees are again hugging the tank, you breathe a  heavy sign with satisfaction maybe even utter a small cry of delight. she has pleased you. her job is done. for the length of time that you rode her you were as one.

You wasnt riding the bike, you was loving her in the only way you two can do it.

thats is the reason why we ride.

21.6.2011

For the last 10 yrs or so i have always watched the sunrise come up on the 21st of june, this yrs location was landguard fort (www.landguard.com) My dad could join me this year as well. I stay the night at his to avoid disturbing my kids and wife when i would leave.


2am we left and rode the 70 miles to the fort, well we would of done if i had set the GPS right, hint here dont use the landmarks in mapsource, as it lead us to the ferry port and was try to tell us to get on the ferry to the fort,a quick recalculate and we are on the road again, nice back roads between harwich and Felixstowe, we arrive at the fort car park with 30 minutes to spare before the sun comes up.  Gear off the bikes, down the path across the dune to the sea and we are ready. Cloud cover was a bit heavy but we could see where the sun would come from.

cameras ready, sun is coming out, take some pictures, beep beep camera has flat batteries, quick change of batteries take 2 pictures beep beep flay batteries again!! All 4 kodak batteries were new, taken from the packet the night before. yet all 4 of them were flat, spent the next couple of hrs swapping batteries around to get a few pictures then swap for a few more etc.

Sun was well up by the time we got the stove out for a coffeee and some bacon rolls, what is it with coffeee and bacon rolls on the beach early morning light, listening to the sea gentling roll in, felt good, alive again after the drag of work and family life, felt me again. the local dog walkers thought we had camped over, also gave us some strange looks as did the bird watcher who was there.

Stove and the rest of the gear packed up and time for a walk along the dunes, Down to the fre car ark with the welcoming toilets, along a bit further turn around and back up to the fort and the bikes. it was 8.55am the fort doesnt open until 10.0am so what elese can two bikers do at that time of the morning after 3 hrs kip the night before, yep we settled down in the car park, sun warming our faces and went to sleep. 20 minutes later and i am  awake again hearing a strange noise. " shit i fel sorry for my mum" the noise was my dad snoring his head off.

At 10.00am we went into the fort english heritage members means we get in for free, grabbed a couple of audio tours and we went visiting. ( The audio tours were very good) The fort was an interesting place to visit, Lots to see and learn. After we finished there it was time for a cuppa and a cake at the burger bar in the car park around the corner and then the ride back home.

http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e308/wolfiecbr/