#travel #adv #adventure #explore #motorcycle

Michigan to South Dakota

Melanie de Wet1 Comment

After a fantastic few days in Michigan, I caught a ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee on Tuesday, 24 June headed for the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. While waiting for the ferry I met Doug, a superintendent for the Rapid City school district. Doug was on a Harley and was also headed to the Badlands so we decided to ride together.

Doug was keen to get to Sioux Falls that night – a 530 mile ride from Milwaukee. I had never ridden that far in one day and definitely not after a few pints the night before, so I was not expecting to join Doug the whole way.

Between a nice pace, stops every 1.5-2 hours and a lot of Neil Diamond running through my head, I made it all the way with Doug. I was so chuffed!

Meet Doug.

Once we were out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the ride was beautiful. The farms in Minnesota were particularly gorgeous, primarily because the fields were a deep green after all of the rain. The eastern side of South Dakota was flatter and less interesting but all I can remember was seeing billboards for Wall Drug (there are 313 of them in total – I Googled it, I didn’t count them).

The sun was setting as we drove into Sioux Falls and it was absolutely stunning! The sky was a gorgeous pink and there was not a cloud in the sky. It could not have been a more perfect setting to finish the day.

We found a hotel near a bar and popped over for a beer and a bite to eat before heading off to sleep. Doug was meeting students that were at a Science camp in Custer State Park and he needed to be there by 2pm. This meant an early start.

We got to Wall Drug at about 12pm. Doug popped into Wall Drug and then Harley Davidson with me and then we said our goodbyes. It was such a pleasure to have spent 36 hours with Doug. He had such a laidback nature and warm smile. I will not forget either.

After lunch in Wall Drug I rode to the Badlands National Park and entered via the Pinnacles Entrance. The park is set around one long east-west running road. I first rode west which soon became a dirt road and stopped at Robert Prairie Dog Town where there was a large herd of Bison.

After 10 minutes of watching the Bison, I turned around and rode east through the park, stopping a number of times to look around and take photos. The Badlands National Park is stunning! Due to the rain, the grass was high and flowers were blooming. One of the locals said this was one of the best years to visit the park. I’m glad I timed it so well!

Below are photos of the Badlands.

I booked into the Days Inn, which was reasonably priced. Doing my washing there that night would cost me dearly, as I discovered later that week, but more about that in the next post.

The morning of the 27th June I went to see the Story of Wounded Knee Museum before leaving Wall. How depressing! I didn’t know the history but basically 400 Lakota Indians, mostly women and children, were slaughtered at Wounded Knee. The attack was unprovoked and the tribe was unarmed. It was shocking and incredibly sad.

I left Wall headed for Mt Rushmore. It was a scenic ride and I loved Mt Rushmore. I have always wanted to see it in person.

Growing increasingly conscience that something was not quite right with me, I ate Bison Stew, thinking this would be as close to organic meat as I was going to get in a restaurant. It was good!

Below are photos of Mt Rushmore.

From Mt Rushmore I rode south on Highway 16A towards Custer State Park. The ride was incredible with its twists, turns and tunnels. At one point you could see Mt Rushmore framed by one of the tunnels. It was stunning and the image is engraved in my mind.

I loved Custer State Park eventhough I only saw two buck. There were a number of signs saying, ‘Bison are dangerous, don’t approach them’ but I didn’t see any. That was slightly disappointing but I did manage to do a good stretch of off-road riding, which was great. I definitely need to get more used to riding off-road.

Below are a few photos of Custer State Park.

That night I stayed in Custer and had my first Hog shank, which was absolutely delicious and probably one of my favourite meals on this trip. The town itself was  really cute and quaint. The Painted Bison statues in the main street were delightful and clearly compensation for the lack of Bison the Custer State Park (at least that day).

The 28th June was dedicated to two sights – the Wind Caves National Park and Crazy Horse Monument.

I enjoyed Wind Caves but mostly for the fantastic tour guide, Anthony from Puerto Rico, who’s storytelling brought the place to life. Because the Wind Caves are ‘dry caves’ there are no stalagmites or stalactites, which is what I really love, so I didn’t find them as exciting as other caves that I have been to. The ‘boxes’ in the caves, which looked like massive spiderwebs, where however very unique and beautiful.

Meet Anthony – the lovely Ranger at Wind Caves.

I arrived at Crazy Horse Memorial at about 4pm. Construction of the mountain carving started in 1948 by Korczak Ziolkowski, who was commissioned by Chief Henry Standing Bear, to carve a 172m monument of Crazy Horse into the Black Hills. The monument, once completed, will represent Crazy Horse riding a horse and pointing out to the fields. It is intended to capture the spirit of the Indian people.

The memorial is funded by admissions and donations and is therefore slow in the making. It will take a few more decades to complete but once complete will stand taller than the Washington Monument.

As I turned off to visit the memorial there were two Harley riders in front of me. I stopped to take a photo of the sign outside, which says ‘Never Forget your Dreams’. I heard the rider at the back saying, ‘It’s $7 to get in if that’s what you’re looking for’. ‘Thanks’, I said. ‘I was just taking a photos of the sign’, I explained.

When I arrived up at the parking area I saw the two riders and the same guy called me over to park with them. The parking lot was full so that was very sweet. As I approached he said, ‘Oh, you’re a girl. I just noticed it from your legs’. I giggled and said, ‘Yeah, I am a skinny ass’.

This is how I met Steve and Marvin, two retired truck drivers from Oregon.

I ended up spending the next 2.5 hours with Steve and Marvin. We first took the guided bus tour to see the monument and then attended an exhibition by a couple from the Lakota tribe who performed traditional singing and dancing. They also spoke about the history of their people. It was incredibly interesting and beautiful.

Steve and Marvin were absolute sweethearts. It was so nice to have spent the afternoon with them. Meet my Oregon grandpa’s.

I arrived at Deadwood around 9pm that night. The nearest restaurant was a 15 minute walk away so it was nice to stretch my legs before having a relatively early night.

In the morning I went to see Deadwood’s Historical District. It was what I expect Blackpool in the UK to look like but it was fun. My favourite thing, by far, was however the distillery. It sold all sorts of things made from Moonshine, which reminded me of my time with Amanda and Dustin in Knoxville. It brought back so many fantastic memories!

After about two hours of walking around I left for Sturgis. I was warned that there isn’t much there unless the motorcycle rally is on but I wanted to see it. As it turned out there was a Camaro Rally on so there were Camaro’s on display everywhere. My dad would have loved it!

I spent about an hour walking around looking at the cars and shops before visiting the motorcycle museum. The museum was great, although not as spectacular as The Ride Through Time in Maggie Valley. That remains my all time favourite.

Like Michigan, South Dakota was a fabulous surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed the variety that the State has to offer.

I had planned to go to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota but the mountains were calling me and I had to go.

New York

Melanie de WetLeave a comment

I left Bar Harbor, Maine, on Monday 10th June headed for New York State via New Hampshire and Vermont. I rode until I was tired which that night was Gorham, New Hampshire – a small town to the north of the White Mountains. I stopped for a coffee at Burger King and decided to call it a night. It was a gorgeous ride, particularly through Vermont.

I had a peaceful evening and ordered tyres for Trinity which where being delivered to my bestie’s family in Toronto, where Trinity was going to be serviced.

When I woke up in the morning it was raining. That meant waterproofs. My first stop was Burlington, Vermont – a town on Lake Champlain – south of Montreal.

As I was 5 days behind schedule when I left Maine I made the decision to cut out Quebec City and Montreal – the consequence of ‘going off plan’. I definitely don’t regret my changes. Besides, it now gives me an excuse to go back! 😉

I really liked Burlington. It was a cute and quirky town. I walked down to the harbour and had a meat filled pancake for lunch. What I found interesting was that their hire bikes had a solar panel on the rear where the car payments are make. Cool!

Near Burlington Trinity and I hit our 40,000 mile mark, which included 36 counties and 26 USA States. Woohoo! That definitely put me in am good mood.

From Burlington I went south to Shelburne Farm. Shelburne Farm is a nonprofit education center for sustainability – a 1,400 acres (570 ha) working farm established in 1972. As I arrived there after 3pm they didn’t charge me to enter. Great, as I only had 1.5 hours before I had to hit the road.

I changed into my trainers and hit the trail towards the barn. The Farm was build by the Vanderbilt family who made their money railroads in the late 1800’s. This meant that the barn was no ordinary barn – it was pretty spectacular!

I was planning on seeing as much of the farm as I could in the time I had available but when I got to the barn they were about to milk a cow called Duster. I wanted to see that. I could not believe how much milk (2 gallons) came out of Duster and she is milked twice a day. Go Duster!

Duster’s milk was then used to feed two little calves that were in pens next to her. The staff allowed the public to feed the calves and I could not resist taking that opportunity. They were super cute!

Below is a photo of me feeding one of the calves.

It was around 4.30pm when I left Shelburne Farm, headed to Lake George to meet Becky and Ali. Becky, who I know from London, had dropped me a line to say they were staying at Lake George for a month to visit her family and that I should pop in. I was so chuffed at that. I haven’t seen them in ages!

I spent two wonderful days with Becky, Ali and Dotty (their bundle of joy). They were staying at Becky’s aunt and uncle’s (really life long family friends) lake house on George Lake, so I was gate crashing…again! 😂

Lake George is stunning! Ali and I headed out onto the water on the Wednesday morning. I first tried out the Pedalo (a bicycle on water) and then moved onto the kayak. The weather was perfect so it was a fantastic morning.

Below are some photos of our morning./

After that we popped over to Becky’s sister and then Ali and I went to pick up William and Aunt Sue for a tour around Saratoga Springs.

They took me to Yaddo (an artist sanctuary) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaddo, the horse racetrack (built in 1863 and is the 4th oldest racetrack in the USA), Saratoga Springs State Park, Congress Park and a tour around downtown Saratoga Springs.

William was the perfect tour guide with incredible knowledge of the history of the city. It probably helps that his family have had a key part to play in the history of the city. His great grandfather helped establish the Adirondack Trust (a bank) downtown and his dad (uncle Wally) sits on a number of committees, helping shape the future of the city.

That evening I had the opportunity to have dinner with the whole Allerdice family. What warm and wonderful people!

Uncle Wally told me that he’d read about me in the Saratoga Gazette. What? Really? I never saw the article so I’m still thinking it must have been someone else in the paper but I was highly amused at the thought that a Trinity and I may have made the papers.

Meet the Allerdice family, along with Becky, Ali and Dotty.

There are more photos of my time in New York State on my Facebook Page.

On the morning of my departure we (Becky, Ali, Dotty, William and I) went up Prospect Mountain before heading for a very late breakfasts (it was 11:58 when we got there) to Becky’s parents for breakfast. They were so lovely and hospitable that I felt awful that we had to dash off two hours later.

I left George Lake headed to Syracuse to stay with Kevin and Jeanne who I met in Gettysburg. I left George Lake later than anticipated, given the morning’s adventures, so I only reached Kevin and Jeanne around 7pm.

After a quick shower we popped out for dinner and then the chatting started. Kevin is definitely the chatty one, which made me smile. They remind me of my friends in Florida, Gordon and Gina. Gordon is also the chatty one in the relationship. The ladies are quieter but so strong and fascinating! I love watching the dynamics in the relationships of the people that I meet. We had such a great evening!

I had a slow start to the morning which was most welcome! Jeanne made us breakfast and we chatted before heading out to the bikes to take some photos. Jeanne had a doctors appointment so Kevin and I chatted around the bikes. I had asked him to take me for a ride on his trike, which he did. It was so much fun sitting on the back of the bike taking photos.

When we got about half way on our outing Kevin pulled over and said, ‘Okay, it’s your turn to ride’. I was a little nervous but I took the bull by the horns and rode us back to their home. The trike is far stiffer on your arms than a regular two-wheel bike. It was a lot of fun though!

Kevin and I spoke for a while before we said our good byes. Just as I was about to

leave he said, ‘I’m going to try not to cry’. All I could think was, ‘please don’t do that or you’ll get me started’.

I was feeling so blessed after meeting the Allerdice family – meeting Kevin and Jeanne was like the cherry on the cake! They stole my heart. I can’t wait to see them again.

Meet Kevin and Jeanne.

As amazing as my time was in Syracuse, Niagra Falls was calling and I listened!

Maine

Melanie de WetLeave a comment

I arrived in Maine on Tuesday, 4 June afternoon after a trip up Mt Washington in the morning. I wanted to arrive in good time to meet Jenny at the airport and to sort out the car for me as a second driver.

I met Jenny in Harper’s Ferry after Google Maps directed me up the driveway where she was staying with a group of friends for Memorial weekend. They invited me in for a beer so that I could figure out where the hotel was that I was looking for. I left them two days later feeling like a much richer person. What an amazing group of people!

I found out in my last few hours with the DC gang that Jenny was legally blind until a year ago when she had corrective surgery. I could not imagine what it must have been like not seeing all the beauty in the world. I wanted to share that with Jenny, so I invited her to join me on Trinity up the Maine Coast. Jenny was very excited but wasn’t sure how she’d handle being on the bike as she had never been on one.

As luck would have it Jenny’s friend, Carol, offered us the use of her cottage in Portland and another friend lent her a helmet. We could now explore Maine and she could try out riding with no pressure. Perfect!

As I could only go halfway up Mt Washington, due to snow and ice, I arrived in Portland around 2pm. Jenny’s flight was due in at 4.09pm. I popped around to the cottage to get ‘the lay of the land’ – it was a lovely cottage and a very nice neighbourhood near the ocean.

I had about an hour to kill before going to meet a Jenny at the airport at 4.30pm, so I went to a grocery store to buy us some food for the house. I was craving good organic food and went to the store hungry, so I got a little carried away!

At about 3.45pm Jenny text me to say that she had arrived and was heading to Herz. I was still shopping! 😱

After a few back and forth messages, Jenny decided to go and collect the car on her own and drive to the cottage. I felt like a complete jerk not being there after telling her I’d collect her at the airport!

This was the first time Jenny had hired a car to travel around. She had warned me that she had no sense of direction. Worst yet, she warned me that her phone’s battery as nearly dead. I was so worried about her that I sat at the front door until she arrived.

When Jenny arrived she was ecstatic that she had managed to find her way to the cottage on her own. She gave me a huge hug. I was so happy to see her happy and safe!

As the weather forecast wasn’t great for our few days in Portland we decided to head out for a bike ride that evening. We went to Portland Head Lighthouse, which wasn’t too far from the cottage. Jenny was so excited, although she looked petrified in the photographs, which we later laughed about later.

As we walked around the coastline Jenny kept stopping to admire the rocks and the flowers on the trees. She would get excited about seeing a lighthouse in the distance or a bird in the water. She kept saying, ‘Sorry, I get really excited. Please tell me if it gets annoying’. It was making me so happy there was no way I would stop her!

We took the obligatory photo at the lighthouse and couldn’t resist tipping a toe on the grass next to the ‘Keep off the grass’ sign. We couldn’t stop giggling and this pretty much set the tone for the next few days.

We went to a grill house that evening for dinner. Jenny had a burger and I had ribs. Both were good but I think Jenny chose the better meal.

The next day we ventured to the historic part of town which was about a 25 minute drive from where we were staying. I’m not sure it was quite what either of us expected but we had a good day wandering around the streets. I bought myself a new cap and Jenny bought me a sticker for Trinity which says, ‘Not all who wander are lost’.

That night we picked up some Italian and a couple of bottles of red wine and went back to the cottage to have a meal in. It was a fantastic day.

Below are some photos of our first two days in Portland.

We had a slow start on Thursday morning. After a little too much wine the night before we were keen for a walk so we headed back to the lighthouse. Carol had given us a list of good local restaurants and we were determined to try at least a few out. The one was a food truck at the lighthouse, which was great!

After our walk we went back into town to catch a ferry to Peaks Island. What a cute place! We explored the island on foot although you can also do so by bicycle or golf cart.

We wandered through the houses admiring aspects of the ones we liked and laughed when we came across one with a huge metal cock in the front garden. We also stopped off at a house with a quote from Maya Angelou in the front garden that read, ‘Love recognises no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences and penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.’

After a photo at the house we stopped off at a small beach and watched a couple with a toddler and two babies on the beach, then walked on the pier and took photos of us doing a Lotus pose. On the way back we came across a cat with a dodgy eye which nearly adopted Jenny after she gave it a lot of attention.

It was a fantastic day which ended at a meal at another one of Carol’s recommendations, Central Provisions. Below are some photos of our day.

After cleaning the cottage and giving the unused food to one of Carol’s friends, we took Trinity for a ride up the coast. I’m not used to having anyone one the back of Trinity but I didn’t even feel Jenny on the back once we got moving. I just had to concentrate more when we stopped. Jenny was full of smiles!

I rode with Jenny back to the airport on Thursday before heading off to find a new headlight globe for Trinity which stopped working on Tuesday as I arrived into Portland.

I went to Portland with the intension to show Jenny the beautiful in this world through my eyes; everything that she’d been missing. Instead, seeing the world through Jenny’s eyes changed my world. I will treasure my time with her always.

I found a headlight globe at a dealer just north of Portland. I knew I wouldn’t make it to Bar Harbour so I asked them where I should stay. They said Boothbay Harbor, so off I went.

I arrived at Browns Wharf Inn as the sun was starting to set. The Inn was on the harbour and the view was spectacular! The lady at reception told me to go and enjoy the sunset while she sorted out my room, which I did. I sat on a swing chair on the deck admiring the sunset and thinking of the swing chair on the porch in Harper’s Ferry. It was perfect!

After sorting out my room I popped down to the bar for a drink. I had held the door open for a group of people on my way up to the room, which included two Harley riders. They were sitting at the bar, so I joined them. This is how I met Jim and Derek.

As luck would have it I met them again in Bar Harbor two days later when I was walking down the Main Street looking for a place to have dinner and I saw Jim calling to me from across the road. He saw me through the window of a Mexican Bar that they were in and he came out to call me.

What fantastic guys! Jim is a complete chatterbox, which constantly made me smile with all his stories. Derek is definitely more reserved and would pop up every once in a while. It took Derek a little longer  to open up but once he did he had the most electric smile. I absolutely loved meeting the guys and I gave them both a huge hug when I left them the second time.

Meet Jim and Derek.

Boothbay Harbor was beautiful and I could easily go back there but my time there was very short. In the morning I hit the road to get to Bar Harbor which was about a 2.5 hour ride away.

Arcadia National Park sits in the middle of what almost looks like an island off the coast of Maine. I wanted to explore the whole area so I rode around to the quieter part of the ‘island’ – the southwestern side. It was stunning! A combination of rocky beaches, lakes, mountains, lighthouses and large trees.

Below are some photos of my day.

I had a fantastic day riding around and taking photos and at around 4pm stopped at a harbour restaurant for coffee. As I sat there I thought, ‘I like this area. I’m going to stay here’.

I booked myself into a B&B called Lindenwood Inn, which was a 3 minute ride from the restaurant, and with Gordon’s words in my mind that I had to have lobster in Maine, I ordered a lobster. This was the first time I have ever eaten lobster – I’m not a huge seafood fan.

I had two couples next to me from Florida who had also never eaten lobster, so we were giggling over the experience of having to work so hard to extract the meat from the shells. I felt like a caveman. It was hilarious! I would still rather eat a steak but the lobster actually wasn’t bad. I kept my bib as a memento.

Lindenwood Inn was fantastic! I think it’s my favourite stay so far, primarily because their staff are amazing. Most of them are from Serbia, which I visited last year during my Eastern Europe tour. The guy at reception’s name is Milan, which immediately made me think of my friend Milan, who I spent time with in Croatia during that tour. It was a great start to my stay and it kept getting better.

After a wonderful day riding around Arcadia National Park and two trips up Cadillac Mountain, one in the day and one at sunset, I sat down at one of the fireplaces and was joined by three other guests and Milan for drinks. We sat chatting for a few hours before heading to bed.

What an amazing day!

Below are links to some photos of the day and the gorgeous Cadillac Mountain.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bygr57ZntL7/

Meet Jennifer, Milan, Lilian and Bettina.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BygtaXUHAQu/

I could not have had a more beautiful experience of Maine.

North Carolina & Tennessee

Melanie de Wet4 Comments

The mountains were calling and I had to go. I can’t stop smiling as a result!

Friday morning started with a conversation with Bobby at reception of the Country Inn & Suits in Greenville, which already had me in high spirits. The day just kept getting better!

My rough plan was to go and ride the Tail of the Dragon (Highway 129) which straddles North Carolina and Tennessee, with the hope of spending the evening in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park and then meeting my friend Amanda around lunchtime on Saturday.

Everything was going to plan until I reached Maggie Valley and passed a sign saying Motorcycle Museum. That could be fun I thought, so I turned around and went in.

OMG…that was the best decision ever. I absolutely LOVE the museum! It was like walking through time from the early 1900’s. Every motorcycle still runs and they are happy to start them up if you fancy it. Even Evil Knievel’s motorbike was there! It was an absolute work of art and I couldn’t stop thinking that my dad would love this place the whole time that I was there.

I mentioned I was from the UK when I entered and the lady at reception told me I had to meet Andy. Andy is also from the UK and as I found out after talking to him – he has cycled through 76 counties, including my native South Africa. How bloody awesome!

Andy had seen me riding in and saw my British number plate, as well as the stickers on the my panniers showing my current trip and my 10 year plan. I’m not sure who was more excited him or me!

Andy is AMAZING! I felt like royalty walking through the museum. He kept introducing me to everyone, gave me some free stuff (the signed cap I’m planning on framing and keeping) and then organised with the photographer in the wall of death to take a photo of the rider taking money out of my hand. He even made me a cup of tea! He was incredible and it completely made my day.

Meet Andy.

Please visit my Facebook page for photos of Dales Ride Through Time Museum.

Below is the wall of death.

I was struggling to wipe the smile off my face when I left the museum. I would have loved to have ridden the trails Andy told me about but I also really wanted to head into the park. The park won.

I absolutely love the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. As with the Congaree National Park I went to the information centre ready to pay my money to enter the park (I was actually trying to purchase my annual pass which costs $85) but both parks are free to enter. Seriously, WOW!

The park cuts across North Carolina and Tennessee and it is absolutely incredible! The only thing to watch out for is that there is no mobile (cell phone) reception. As long as you are prepared for that, all is good!

It was about 5pm when I arrived in the park so I didn’t have too much time to ride around before it got dark but I made the most of it. Around 7pm I started looking for a place to sleep. There were two campsites in the park that worked for me. The first was full, so I headed west toward Townsend where there was another campsite. When I arrived there was a sign up to say they were full too. Damn!

It was not looking good. I was wandering about trying to figure out my next move when I spotted a Greek God of a man walking up the road towards me. As he passed he started speaking to me. He used to ride and loved Trinity. After a few minutes I mentioned I was hoping to spend the night in the park but the campsite was full. He offered that I stayed with him and his two friends. They had a campsite and I could pitch my tent there. ‘Sounds great’, I said, so off we went.

Race and his friends are law students from Florida. What amazing people! If they are the future of America then the US has a lot to look forward to. We spent the evening chatting and eating – they fed me as I had nothing but some snacks and a bottle of water with me and they wouldn’t accept any money from me. I got the, ‘you’re our guest’, which I have heard so many times before in the US.

Meet the future of America.

I had been surround by fantastic people all day – the day could really not have been any more perfect!

Race and his friends had to leave at 7.15am so it was an early start. I hung around for a little longer before hitting the road. The road I had hoped to take towards the Tail of the Dragon has apparently been closed for years, so that Put a slight spanner in the works. I didn’t have time to ride around the mountain and still get to Knoxville by lunchtime so I decided to head to Gatlinburg instead on the way to Knoxville.

Gatlinburg is very cute but touristy. I moved away from the high street hoping it would be easier to find somewhere to eat, which is when I noticed the Pancake House. I nearly left due to the queue to get inside but Amanda told me that it was the best place for pancakes so I stayed. I’m glad I did.

I had pancakes with Blueberries and Pecan nuts which was fantastic. I skipped the syrup and the pancakes were perfect – moist and fluffy! Yum!

After breakfast I was back on the road to Knoxville which took about an hour.

I had a warm welcome from Amanda and her boyfriend, Dustin, who I had not met before. Over the course of the weekend I grew to absolutely adore him. What an amazing guy! An ex-cop with a heart of gold.

On the Saturday night we went into town and first had dinner with one of Dustin’s oldest friends before heading to a music festival. Outside of the funky music I had me some Moonshine and some Yee Haw (a brand of beer), before hitting the local ice cream parlour. It was an absolute blast!

Below are a few photos of the evening.

Of course the next morning I felt the aftermath of the night before. Slightly hungover, Amanda and I took the dogs for a walk while Dustin helped a friend move house. The park was fantastic!

Maggie, Amanda’s Beagle, was pulling me along the trails so I let her run and I followed suit. It was great except for the headache that followed. That Moonshine was talking back to me now. Luckily it disappeared quickly. 😂

In the afternoon we headed to the local river to do some canoeing. We dropped the canoes off with one car and left the other car downstream. It was all worked out.

The canoeing was great fun but incredibly hard work when we hit the main river due to the strong winds. It definitely felt like we were padding upstream. It was hard work but well worth it. I also discovered that paddling backwards is pretty cool and it gave my shoulders a rest. Bonus!

That night we ordered take out (my weakness – pizza) and waited for the final Episode of Game of Thrones. I got about half way though and fell asleep – I was exhausted! At least it didn’t ruin the ending for me as I stopped watching GOTs after Season 4.

What a fantastic weekend and amazing company!

The next morning I spoke to my parents before hitting the road. After seeing a message from my friend Duncan I realised I couldn’t miss the Tail of the Dragon, so I headed back west to complete the famous ride.

The Tail of the Dragon was loads of fun! I took a photo when I got to Deals Gap – one for Duncan – and then had some food in the cafe before hitting the road again.

I spoke to one of the Harley riders and he told me to get onto the Blue Ridge Parkway to Asheville, which is what I did. The Harley riders can look scary but most of them are sweethearts. 

The Blue Ridge Park Way is incredible! I stopped at a few of the lookout points and eventually took a break when I hit the peak. There was a short hike to the top of mountain which I couldn’t resist exploring, so I hit the trail, motorcycle boots and all. Man it was steep! The view from the top was worth it though.

On the way down the hiking trail I saw a set of keys in the path and thought some poor bugger had lost their keys until I realised they were my keys. Some how they had fallen out of my jeans pocket without me realising it. This cat has now used three out of my nine lives on this trip!

I arrived in Asheville about 6pm. I had booked into the Princess Anne hotel which was a short Uber ride from the Breweries. I stopped off at Hi-wire Brewer for what was going to be one drink and then dinner but I got talking to Will – a gaming software developer. I thought about my nephew, Steven, who’s dream is to be a gaming developer. He’d be so excited!

It was serendipity meeting Will. As it turns out Will was a heroine addict and was homeless for 10 years before turning his life around. My eldest nephew, Andrew, had contacted me for money earlier in the day and I had been feeling torn about what to do. Andrew started taking drugs when he was 12 and was a heroine addict by the time he was 15. He turned 25 the day I landed in Miami. It was a bitter-sweet day for me.

Andy has been in and out of rehab and on and off the streets for years. His drug of choice these days is Chrystal Meth. The last 6 months were particularly tough as he went off the rails and after getting violent with my sister, she had to kick him out of the house. I don’t know how she copes. He was living in a park since December. 10 weeks ago a guy whose ex-wife was an addict offered him a job and is allowing him to sleep on the shop floor, so at least he has a roof over his head.

There is nothing more painful then watching someone you love self-destruct. At times I feel completely helpless and other times wrapped in guilt that all the ‘help’ I have been giving may have been perpetrating the situation i.e. enabling his addiction. It is at time pure torture! I would do anything to save my nephew but I know you can’t save someone – that’s a journey they have to make on their own. 

All I can do is prepare myself mentally and emotionally for the next storm. I have learned to expect storms.

I spoke to Will about how I was feeling before we moved onto other life conversations – ending the causes to homelessness being one of them. It was just what I needed and it gave me a glimmer of hope that maybe one day Andy will be okay. Nothing would make me happier!

I sent Andy a message when I got back to the hotel telling him how much I love him and that I would always be by his side but that he had to learn to stand on his own two feet, so I wasn’t going to give him money. It was a tough decision.

I was feeling uneasy about my decision  yesterday morning – scared about the potential consequence – so instead of exploring Asheville I hit the road. I needed to keep moving and get out of my head and back to my heart. The mountains were calling and I answered. I always find peace in the mountains. They didn’t fail me!

Hello Miami

Melanie de Wet4 Comments

I have fallen in love with the people in Miami. Everyone has been so amazing! Similarly to London, most people I’ve met are visitors or immigrants, so I feel right at home!

I booked myself into the Hyatt Place Miami Airport Hotel for two nights, which extended into three, because I needed some time to rest before hitting the road. Being tired on the bike is a very bad move and I have definitely been feeling tired!

I arrived at the hotel around 8pm on Monday night after being diverted to the Bahamas because of a storm in Miami which closed the airport. In front of me at check-in were Bev and Noel from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. South Africans are everywhere!

I was knackered but wanted to stay awake to get used to the time change, so I popped down to the restaurant for a bite to eat. It was empty but there were two couples at the bar having a laugh so I joined them. What a great decision. They were such great company!

I was particularly drawn to Sylvia who has the most infectious, cheeky laugh. It spoke to my soul! Her and her partner own a BnB near Belfast in Ireland, which I have always wanted to visit, given my Irish heritage which stem from Belfast. I gave them my contact details so I hope they get in touch.

Tuesday was all about Trinity. I had to clear her through customs and then collect her from Alliance Ground handling who are the operators for Virgin Atlantic Cargo. I also had to pop into BMW to see if they could give her a quick once over before I hit the road. The only BMW Motorrad stores on the east coast are in Miami, New York and Toronto. Thus, hopefully nothing goes wrong.

Outside of the lady at customs, who was a little scary, everyone was fantastic.

The team at Alliance Ground handling were incredibly patient while I uncrated Trinity in the middle of their warehouse. I should have warned them it would take a while as I needed to replace my mirrors, windshield, a bag with my camping gear and panniers which were bubble wrapped in the crate with Trinity.

At this point I need to do a huge shout out to Moto Freight who have been absolutely fantastic throughout the process of shipping Trinity to Miami. Kathy, Tim and Roddy – thank you so much for all your help so far!

Once I picked Trinity up things went from strength to strength.

Daniel at BMW Motorcycles Miami managed to squeeze Trinity in for a travel inspection, so I dropped her off there last night for the service today.

Trinity and I then met Jorge and Deibinson from Venezuela at the hotel. Deibinson was so taken by Trinity and what we’re doing that he wanted a photo with us. With a huge grin he said, “You’re going to be famous. I want your number”. 🤣 It was hilarious. I couldn’t but smile. Meet the boys.

Here is a taster of the airboat ride.

The airboat ride through the Everglades was fantastic! The wind generated from the fans is unbelievable. They are also pretty noisy so you get a pair of earbuds when you board the boat. Our Captain, Alfred, was really funny but I couldn’t always hear what he was saying without removing the earbuds. When I did, it was well worth it!

The Everglades covers 20,200 square kilometres and the water is home to an estimated 1.5 million alligators. Not exactly a place you want to get stuck!

We managed to see a number of alligators, a few turtles, a Great Blue Heron and a number of other birds a don’t know. The best part was holding a baby alligator. He was so cute and so soft! Below is a photo of me and then little snapper.

I went back to meet Claudia and then we hit the road. About 20 minutes into the drive I realised I didn’t have my phone. OMG! Claudia phones the park and luckily someone had handed it in. We therefore had to go back to the park to pick it up. The only problem was that it was now peak hour traffic heading back to the park, so it turned out to be an hour round trip. Luckily I had Claudia to save the day!

If you ever need a tour guide in Miami get in touch with Claudia. Here she is.

I slept much better last night and only woke up at 5.30pm. Improvement!

Claudia picked me up at 9am and drove me into central Miami to catch the Big Bus Tour. I must be the only person in history that pays for a bus tour and walks (sometimes runs) the route. I just don’t like hanging around – I’d rather keep moving. I took the bus and boat option which allowed me to see Miami from the land and the water. It was pretty cool! Below are some photos from the tour.

And some more…

And some more…

Following the tour I headed to BMW to collect Trinity. It was a fabulous day!

Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro

Melanie de WetLeave a comment

I left Split on Saturday morning and headed towards Bosnia. The aim for the day was to go and see Stari Most, a rebuilt 16th-century Ottoman bridge in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina that crosses the river Neretva and connects the two parts of the city, and then head to Dubrovnik. This would be the first time I ventured outside of the EU on this trip. It also marked the 26th country I have toured on a motorcycle (25 on Trinity). 

There were two things I was slightly concerned about. Firstly, the border crossing (I’ll explain why in a mo), secondly, not knowing what to expect and finally, not having my mobile phone to rely on (I normally navigate using Goodge Maps) but since I was outside of the EU the data would cost a bundle. 

I was nervous arriving at the border as I discovered the day I was supposed to leave Poland that I needed a ‘green card’ to ride through some of the counties I would be visiting. My first thought was what the hell is a green card? Turns out it’s ‘international’ insurance papers for the vehicle you are driving. Apparently I should have given my insurance company three weeks notice before I left the UK. Oops! I was already in Poland at the time and about to head off on my trip. Clearly I should have read my insurance papers earlier! 

Anyway, the lovely chap from Carole Nash managed to get me a green card sorted out in 5 working days and sent me a PDF copy via email. I got a random hotel in Split to print me off a copy (thank you Villa Diana Hotel) so I was hoping this would do. Really, I was praying it would do!

I arrived at the Croatian/Bosnian border with my passport and copy of my green card to hand. After a wait in the baking sun I handed the border officer my paperwork. He proceeded to say, ‘where is the original’? At which point I said, ‘I only have a copy and the PDF the insurance company sent me’. ‘This isn’t valid’, he said. ‘Oh shit’ I said in my head, what now! ‘Where are you going to’, he said. ‘To Mostar and then Dubrovnik’, I said. ‘Don’t make accident’, he said, ‘these papers aren’t valid’. Then he let me enter the country. Phew! Now I just mustn’t make an accident I thought. Thank goodness I didn’t!

It takes about an hour to ride from the border to Mostar. All I did was follow the road signs. There is a distinct difference between Croatia and Bosnia. For one, there is clearly less wealth. Secondly, the architecture is slightly different. Thirdly, it’s a lot drier and finally, there are mosques.

The road to Mostar is well signposted so it was easy to find. I couldn’t find a parking space near the Stari Most (the arch bridge), so I parked down the road and walked up to the bridge. A lot of the shops along, what I assume is, the high street are empty or boarded/bricked up. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. 

The bridge itself and the market where great! There were a lot of interesting lamps and artefacts that you could buy. I have no space on Trinity but I enjoyed looking at them nonetheless. I probably spent about an hour walking around before heading back to Trinity. Just as well as I think two guys were trying to get into her panniers. I’m still not sure but I spotted them from about 100m away and they kept looking around. As soon as they saw me they walked away. I wasn’t sure if they were up to no good at the time but after trying to access her left pannier I knew someone had tried to access it as my key was jumming in the lock. After thinking about it I had to laugh – someone damaged the right pannier in California and now the left in Bosnia. It just shows ‘bad’ thing happen everywhere. Luckily I have two locks on each pannier (one on each side). It’s probably time I have the two damaged ones replaced before I’m locked out of my own panniers One day.

Below are some photos of the day.

I ideally should have driven through Bosnia to Dubrovnik but since I didn’t have Google Maps to rely on I travelled back on the same road. This meant another hour’s wait at the border, and of course a second set of border crossings when I got closer to Dubrovnik. FYI – there is a strip of land outside of Dubrovnik which falls within Bosnia, so you have to drive through Bosnia to ride the full extent of Croatia.  

As I’d been told at the first border crossing that my papers weren’t valid I was expecting to be stopped at the second crossing. My heart started beating faster when I reached border control, only for the border control officer to wave me through. He didn’t even check my passport! There are a lot of people on mopeds that clearly ride between the two countries so he probably thought I was a local. This is my take on it anyway. Whatever his reasoning I was happy! 

By the time I reached Dubrovnik it was about 7pm and I just wanted to find a place to stay and somewhere to eat. As I approached the city I could see a lot of boats in a harbour so I decided I would head that way. There were two places available on bookings.com near the water so I picked the one with the nicest view. They were a similar price so why not!

The room was basic and had a shared bathroom but it was more than adequate. The lady running the place was lovely! She offered me a glass of orange juice and sat speaking to me, in her basic English, before pointing me in the direction of the local restaurants. She was so sweet! 

I left around 10am in the morning to head to Montenegro (I’m not great at getting up early even if I wake up pretty early). The ride south of Dubrovnik is absolutely breathtaking! I will definitely go back there as some stage as I didn’t get to see the city properly and it looks fantastic. 

After a stop at a local cafe for some breakfast…and a giggle (slightly in horror) at the guys on their beers and whiskey at 10:30 in the morning, I hit the road again. This is probably aided by the fact that a beer is cheaper than a coffee (certainly a latte anyway). 

I reached the border around 11:30. Someone is clearly taking good care of me at these border crossings! At the Croatian/Montenegro border they were more concerned about my ownership papers (thank goodness I had the original for that). All the border control officer asked was do you have the original green card. I said yes (well I have a PDF version on my phone so it wasn’t a complete lie). He was happy with that and let me in. Phew!

Slightly worried about racking up a silly phone bill I switched off my mobile data. I could still see where I was on Google Maps and that was all I needed. From the border I went straight to Kotor, which is great. I walked around the old city for a couple of hours before heading for the mountains. I was really looking forward to some cooler weather (the warm weather in Croatia is fantastic but hard going on the bike in slow traffic). 

Below are some photos of the border crossing and Kotor.

The one thing that really strikes you in Montenegro is the mountains. They are similar to those in Norway – very steep but without the water. They are fantastic! 

This was the view from the mountain just north of Budva. I was literally in the clouds!

At the coast Montenegro is quite similar to Croatia but there’s a big difference once you head into the mountains – things become a lot more basic. The bonus is that they use Euros and, like in Coatia, most people speak English to some level. 

My intention for the day was to get as far as Biogradska Gora National Park but I never got that far (just as well as it turns out there’s not much there, which I discovered the next day). I did however manage to see the Ostrog Monastery and meet some more fellow travellers along the way. At the bottom of the hill I met a couple from the Netherlands, also on motorcycles. At the top of the hill, in the long queue waiting to enter the monastery, I met a couple from the UK, Jonathan and Anne (hopefully I remembered their names correctly). They were awesome! 

They had travelled 2 hours out of their way to visit the monastery. I was passing it on my way from Lovcen National Park to Durmitor National Park. I had seen the monastery noted as one of the ‘must sees’ in Montenegro in a YouTube video (the source of all knowledge you know, so I wanted to see it.

Anyway it turns out it is not just a tourist attraction but a sacred religious place. Everyone (except us) were kissing the doorways or doors entering and exiting the monastery. There was also one room where a priest was praying (I assume giving a blessing to someone leaned over what looked like a coffin but I don’t think it was). It was a little freaky as I, as well as my fellow UK travellers, had no idea what was going on or what to do, so we turned around and left before we got to the priest. 

At this point I should say that we stood in a rainstorm for an hour to get into the monastery! I now know for a fact that my North Face Gore-Tex jacket is only good for about 15 minutes of heavy rain. After that it soaked up water like a sponge. I was still wringing water out of it 2 hours later when I was trying to ‘dry out’. That bit was not so much fun but it was hilarious sharing the experience with Jonathan and Anne and also discovering that you can buy an ‘Irish cream coffee’ at the vending machine at the bottom of the monastery. We thought it must be a language thing so I ordered one (it was only 50 cent). It wasn’t, it was the ‘real thing’. As Anne wasn’t driving she offered to have the Irish coffee and I had a hot chocolate instead. We all had such a giggle over that!

Meet Anne and Jonathan!

My attempt to dry out my jacket didn’t work enough to wear it that night but it was dry by the morning.

And here are some more photos of Montenegro.

In my next post I’ll cover my last day in Montenegro and Serbia! Update to follow. 

Poland to Slovenia

Melanie de Wet1 Comment

I flew to Wroclaw, Poland on Friday (13 July) to collect Trinity to start our three week Eastern Europe motorcycle tour. I had intended to leave on Saturday morning but I was too tired after a very heavy working week and I still had things to finish off so I ended up leaving at Sunday lunchtime. This put me a day behind schedule but I knew I could make that up on the road.

I had planned big rides for the first two days. I absolutely loved Slovenia the last time I visited it, so I was really keen to spend as much time there and in Croatia as possible. I wasn’t really expecting much from the ride down to Slovenia, mostly because motorway are not exciting, so I was very pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous ride it turned out to be. 

There were a few things that were very special about the ride. Firstly, the weather was amazing – glorious sunshine and a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius. Secondly, the roads were beautiful the whole way. To be fair, I did chose smaller more scenic roads between Wroclaw and Brno and I’m so glad I did. Finally, the roads were full of fellow, friendly motorcyclists. I was greeting (what felt like) riders every few minutes. It was awesome! I also got chatting to a couple on a Triumph Tiger at a petrol (gas) station. They were on their way back to Wroclaw after a week in Austria. They were really lovely and even advised on which hotdog to order (my food choices were limited at this stop). 

I was slightly blown away by the Czech Republic; maybe that’s because I didn’t have high expectations (my bad). Like Poland, their infrastructure is fantastic and the countryside absolutely beautiful! I’ve included a few photos of the ride below, although sadly none catch the lovely countryside. For photos on the places that I post about, please visit my Mel & Trinity Facebook page (for some reason the Instagram photos won’t embed in this post).

I arrived in Brno around 7pm. I decided to stay in a hotel which was 3.5km outside of town, thinking that Trinity would be safer with off-street parking. I was expecting to be tired so thought this was a good decision. Of course, when I arrived at the hotel (Hotel Santander) I was full of beans and wanted to see the town. I didn’t have any Czech Korana so the hotel booked me a taxi that would accept cards. They were so lovely (and the room was fantastic)!

Brno town centre is gorgeous and essential enclosed by a ring road. Given the limited scale it was easy to walk around the town centre in a couple of hours before settling down for dinner – rump steak in red wine sauce..YUM!

At breakfast I was amused when I heard a lot of British accents. I started chatting to one of the tables (they had the cutest puppy with them) and it turned out they were all together. A few of the guys also rode motorcycles and they were looking at the shirt I was wearing. It’s a motocross shirt with a big letter M on the front within a circle. I told them that it was a Moose Racing shirt but that I bought it because it made me feel like a ‘superhero’. I’d need to be one to pull off this trip! Let’s see if it works (so far so good). It made my day talking to them though. 

My first stop after Brno was Vienna, which is where I had lunch. Vienna is stunning! However, the jump in class also came with a jump in the price of everything. Poland and the Czech Republic are such good value in comparison. Nonetheless, I cannot fault the city in terms of its aesthetic appeal!

From Vienna I had a long ride to Bled. I was keen to get back into schedule following my late start in the weekend, so wanted to push through. About 2 hours from Bled my nose started bleeding and I had to stop. I call this irony! Anyway, a 30 min stop and a bottom of Gatorade (with salt put in for good measure) seemed to do the trick – no more nose bleeds!

I arrived at Lake Bled just before 8pm. The ride to Bled through Austria was fantastic (even on the motorway). I hit a bit of rain but nothing too serious. Fortunately, I bought some waterproof trousers (pants) in Poland – they worked a treat and were so easy to put on with my boots still on. The bonus about them is that they fold into the size of about a standard mug. This is fantastic in terms of space saving on the bike. 

Bled is stunning, as you will see from the photos. The only thing I didn’t like was that I felt like I was in a high tourist area. The service at the hotel was mediocre and the room, for what I paid, was below par. I really was not impressed that my ‘with balcony’ room had no balcony and that my shower was no shower at all – it was a hand shower in a bath. I ended up ‘showering’ on my knees in the bath. Anyone heading to Bled avoid Hotel Kompas. 

The lake itself though is beautiful! I thoroughly enjoyed walking around it in the morning and watching the people enjoy everything that the lake has to offer. It is definitely worth seeing.

Next up Croatia!