My Girls!

Free Wheelin' from Deborah Shawcross on Vimeo.

A short documentary of my motorcycle club back home in Canada by Deborah Shawcross. I miss you a lot, ladies.

Eine kurze Doku über meinen Motorrad-Club in Kanada von Deborah Shawcross. Ich vermisse diese Damen sehr.

From back when women didn't do this kind of Stuff

The early 50's: Women in post-war times were supposed to return to their stoves, and tend to a husband's and a flock of children's needs. But life was different for Peggy Iris Thomas, a young British woman, who ventured out on her BSA Bantam motorcycle instead, accompanied only by her dog, a typewriter and a fistful of dollars in her pocket for a cross-country trip through Canada, the US and Mexico. She rode from Halifax to Vancouver, from Los Angeles to Mexico City, and finished her journey in New York. Through deserts and swamps, down lonely highways and through congested city traffic. She picked up odd jobs along the way, relied on the kindness of strangers, learned how to maintain her motorcycle and pitched her tent and set up camp for the night in the middle of nowhere as well as in city parks, always guarded by her trusty companion, an Airedale terrier named Matelot.

Peggy wrote a book about her adventures, which had gotten out of print a long time ago before it was rediscovered, and is now available as paperback. I went through A Ride in the Sun in one weekend.

And how can you not love and appreciate a book that starts with the most promising words:
It was a beautiful June morning as I wended my way through the busy Vancouver traffic...

***

Zu einer Zeit, als Frauen so etwas nicht machten

Beginn der 50er Jahre: In der Nachkriegszeit hatten Frauen an den Herd zurück zu kehren und sich  gefälligst um den Mann sowie eine Schar Kinder zu kümmern. Nicht so Peggy Iris Thomas, eine Britin, die auszog, um auf ihrem BSA Bantam Motorrad quer durch Kanada, die USA und Mexiko zu reisen, in Begleitung ihres Hundes, einer Schreibmaschine und einer Handvoll Dollars. Sie startete in Halifax, fuhr nach Vancouver, dann nach Los Angeles, von dort nach Mexico City und landete schließlich in New York. Durch Wüsten und Sümpfe, über einsame Highways und durch dichten Stadtverkehr. Unterwegs besserte sie ihre Reisekasse mit verschieden Hilfsjobs auf, verließ sich auf die Freundlichkeit von Fremden, lernte ihr Motorrad zu warten und stellte ihr Zelt für die Nacht sowohl im Nirgendwo auf, als auch im Stadtpark, bewacht von ihrem treuen Begleiter, einem Airedale Terrier namens Matelot.

Peggy schrieb ein Buch über ihre Abenteuer, welches lange vergriffen war und dann wieder entdeckt und kürzlich - in englischer Fassung als Taschenbuch - neu aufgelegt wurde. Ich bin mit A Ride in the Sun an einem Wochenende durch gewesen. Und wie kann man ein Buch nicht lieben und schätzen lernen, welches mit den viel versprechenden Worten beginnt: Es war ein wunderschöner Juni Morgen, als ich mich im engen Stadtverkehr von Vancouver auf den Heimweg machte...

Little Men on TV

This will likely be something, that Germans understand without saying:

A Mainzelmännchen on a Can-Am Spider

The Six little men from Mainz are a short cartoon issued between commercials on ZDF, one of the main German public broadcasting channels. Born in April 1963, they entertained several generations and continue to do so. Young (and old) viewers came to love the funny little guys, namely Anton, Berti, Conni, Det, Edi and Fritzchen. I was pretty impressed how far they have come since: Kudos to riding a Can-Am Spider.

***

Kleine Männer im Fernsehen
Na, den deutschen Mitlesern brauche ich ja die Mainzelmännchen nicht erklären... ich staunte nicht schlecht, als ich kurz vor den Heute-Nachrichten einen der kleinen Kerle auf eine Can-Am Spider aufsteigen sah. Cool!

Caught in the Act

A long time ago… in a galaxy far, far away. It's the year 2012, and Roland and I are attending the first Salmon Run in BC. It was huge gathering, and the experience of riding in a group of hundreds of roaring Harley Davidson motorcycles was rather intimidating. But it was exiting, too and a lot of fun.

I recently stumbled upon a YouTube video, and found out… that we were in it.

Exhibit A: Me on Rover

Exhibit B: Roland on Whitey

Photos by Thai Thruong, video by Michael Hwang. I hope they don't mind using these snapshots. Link to video => click

***

Erwischt!

Wir schreiben das Jahr 2012. Roland und ich nehmen am ersten Salmon Run in Vancouver teil. Es war eine beindruckende, aber auch eine beängstige Veranstaltung, inmitten von hunderten von brüllenden Harleymotoren auf dem Sea-to-Sky Highway dahin zu gleiten. Auf einem Video zu dem Event entdeckte ich doch tatsächlich Bilder von uns beiden. Q.E.D.

Like-minded People

New Zealand, South Island - Photo: courtesy Gorgeous Stella

Did I fool you? No it's not us on Bella and Alonzo. When browsing the Modern Vespa Forum I came across a posting from a Kiwi couple from Napier (North Island) who lived a Vespista's dream… (for insiders: they run under the aliases Owie and Gorgeous Stella). Here is their ride report from their Christmas trip to the South Island:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Please take a closer look at the scooter's colour scheme. The couple certainly has a very specific taste, quite similar to our own. I wish we could travel down under, and take with Alonzo and Bella for an extended visit of both, the North and the South island. Wouldn't that be something? One can dream…

***

Doppelgänger

Na, konnte ich Euch in die Irre führen? Im Modern Vespa Forum fand ich neulich ein Posting von einem Paar Vespa Reitern aus Neuseeland, die genau die gleichen Rollerfarben fahren, wie wir. Ein Zeichen guten Geschmacks! Es hätte schon etwas, mit Bella und Alonzo auf den Straßen auf der anderen Seite der Welt zu fahren… der Mensch muss ja Träume haben.

Sons of Poetry

For those familiar with the TV show Sons of Anarchy…

Simply cute.

A Black Forest Ride (alas, not mine)

Found this beautiful piece on the Y-Tube. Just to give you an idea...

Our European Adventure calls for a new Blog!

For our friends and ex-colleagues on this side of the world we have created a new blog in which we continue to write in English:

Please visit: http://magersineurope.blogspot.ca

Tag line: Two Canadian Krauts explore the old World and expect Culture Shock.

Let's move!

One man. One bike. One direction.

The next best thing a rider will turn to when confined to indoors is to read travel books, travel blogs, watch travel videos and plan road trips while waiting for the weather to improve.

And there it sits, a shiny temptation on my coffee table: France in America

4 1/2 months, 21,000 miles, 27 US states, over 400 pages of bliss. 

I had the recent pleasure to receive an early copy of Gary's book France in America. Since its arrival I would read two chapters each night after work, and had something to look forward to the next evening. This book became my lifeline during the past couple of weeks of rainstorms and dreary weather at the Pacific We(s)t Coast.

This book is a treasure, and well written (he is British after all...). Its glossy pages are bursting with photos, and have valuable maps added to be able to follow his route. When Gary invites the inclined reader to join him on his journey of a lifetime, one feels like riding pillion.

So I hopped on the backseat of his custom painted Harley Davidson "The Leading Ladies" and let it roll. I enjoyed the fair weather, and felt threatened by adverse weather conditions. I worried with him about lost keys or broken gear. I got to meet the people he met, and marveled at the sights that he documented with tons of his own pictures. I felt the loneliness when he mentioned how much he missed his wife during his solo trip and I rejoiced when she could join him for a stretch of the tour.

Gary showed me places I haven't seen before, and refreshed my memory of the places I had previously visited. So, when his book came to its inevitable ending, I felt a void in what had become a routine of my day, and wanted to shout at Gary: Turn around! Take the Southern route and go back East! I simply didn't want it to be over.

Two things stroke a chord with me. Gary said that he wasn't much of a nature lover, and that living in a big city didn't help, but that traveling through the US on a motorcycle - quote:"...made him appreciate our planet for the marvel it truly is." Darn right, Sir!

The other interesting fact were the friendly encounters along his journey, with Americans wishing him well on his journey, pleased with him being able to undertake this trip, and telling him this completely free of envy. Gary worked hard his whole life, and this adventure had been on his bucket list for the longest time. He certainly earned it!

Here is what I have for you, Gary: Respect, admiration and gratefulness. You planted a seed in my mind, and I hope that I will also be able to venture out one fine day to undertake such an epic journey like yours. Thanks for this wonderful book.

Certainly a must read for anyone who loves travels, motorcycles and America!

The Mysterious Package

I am not known for my patience, so I grabbed a knife and slashed it open. Hey, I know this face!

I became a follower of Gary's blog a while ago. The blogger was some middle-aged bloke from England, named France fulfilling his dream of riding across America on his Harley Davidson. Lucky for us readers he let us tag along while he documented his trip with pictures and anecdotes as the route unfolded. 

At one point Gary decided to write a BOOK about this epic journey and made the generous promise to honor every single commenter with an early copy. I was one of them. Score! And now I have the privilege to own my very own signed copy of

France in America

 Gary, thanks so much!

Review to follow after official launch date.

Spam sucks!

Last month I received over forty Anonymous comments written in a way that would suggest that the author seems actually interested in the content of my postings. Often it is written well enough that one can get fooled, and clicks the approval button. But the sole purpose of the installment is to get through the filter and use my private blog to advertise their dubious websites and questionable services.

Motorcycle equipment links is something I can somewhat tolerate although I do not like my blog to be misused as free advertising space to begin with.

But why support the promotion of wart removal, fake fur coats, weight loss, enhancement of certain body parts, or acne cures etc. Really? Blogger starts to freak me out...

So, I apologize for the inconvenience but I had to re-activate the word verification in the comment section. I hope this will keep the annoyance within reasonable numbers.

As much as I like increased traffic on my blog... I want it to be for the right reasons.

Oh, and I got mail:

I wonder...

I bought some cool scooter boots, too. 

(I got bored, and "needed" to shop for moto gear.)
I wanted something safe and comfortable to walk around in.

TCX Womens X/Street Lady Leather Shoes

Stylish, comfy AND road safe

Sex Sells!

For those who are sick of bikini babes: MotoCorsa's tonque-in-cheek promotion of the Ducati Panigale 1199 ---> here's more.

What happens on Facebook...

... can get anywhere. Some content might even make it to the front page of a newspaper.

In my case, one of my pics must have gotten used without my knowing or doing to promote a photo contest sponsored by my neighbourhood H-D dealership.

I am not even sure if I ever made this picture available for grabs in said social media, so when I discovered the ad I felt somewhat between miffed and flattered. Well, I guess the flattered part won. Besides, I really appreciate the excellent job their service department is doing, hence the publication permission will be herewith granted ex post, wherever this particular picture was snagged from.

Here is the original, taken last summer on my first solo trip doing the Lillooet loop, which I am planning to repeat this summer, hopefully with the spousal unit in tow.

PS: I have sent the H-D dealership an email...

Xtreme Stripling

Marvelous video of French stunt rider Julien Welsch at work, on a Triumph Street Triple.

Double Feature

Pamela over at fabulous Helmet or Heels currently features riding females on her blog. You will find certain familiar faces over there, for example the motobloggeresses Brandy, Karen, Kathy or Rachael (Fuzzy) and many other cool ladies, well, amongst them yours truly. Check it out!

 

Source

Meanwhile, I was also featured in the print magazine of Riderswest, a Canadian motorcycle magazine. Am I famous or what? Should I give up my day job?

RidersWest... an Interview

I recently had the pleasure to be interviewed by Kristen, a writer for the Online Magazine RidersWest.

Check it out.

Riding, Writing and Roaming

Rumble in the Bronx

It was a challenge that I had set for myself that had led me to New Westminster, a city in the lower Vancouver Mainland adjacent to the Fraser River.

New West Downtown has quite a few steep roads with uneven surface, and has always been my nemesis until today. It was early in the morning, and had only 2 or 3C (35 or 36F) when I conducted my exercise and rode those roads down and up, left and right. I struggled uphills a few times to keep the weight of the Sportster balanced, but I managed not to drop it.

Letting the bike roll downhills was better. I was glad about the relatively empty streets and the dry weather conditions because these roads are really nasty, and did I mention steeply sloping?

Later I awarded myself with a walk in the Sapperton Landing Park. Today a lovely retreat with enjoyable river views, it has quite a gruesome past.

In the early days hardened criminals were unloaded at this pier to be incarcerated at the BC Penitentiary. 'The Pen' was operated for over 100 years before it was shut down for good and converted into office space.

So, all in all it wasn't really the Bronx, and there wasn't much of a rumble either. However, for the Jackie Chan fans amongst you, the martial arts movie of the same title was partly filmed here, as Front Street provided a slight resemblance to New York's infamous area.

I admit at another time but Sunday mornings I would not have been comfortable stopping here. It looked sketchy enough to me... ;-)

Vespa Melancholie

VESPA GERMANY from STYLE43 on Vimeo.

Filmed in Cologne, Germany, my old battlegrounds.

Mom, where do Vespas come from?

What you've always wanted to know but never dared to ask.


How It's Made from Vespa USA on Vimeo.

California's Wine Country

Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley is not Tuscany or the Provence, and doesn't thrive to be, but it is certainly a worthy alternative for those who crave some Southern European flair every once in a while. Bonus, it is fairly close to our home, and in the same time zone.

There was an abundance of country lanes connecting the wineries (some big names and many small unknown to us), and we had to admit: This is definitely Vespa territory.

With temperatures in the twenties (70F) we rolled down the windows, wishing we had at least a convertible.

It was harvest time, and big trucks were racing between the vineyards and factory. We stayed out of their way by continuing to use the tiniest roads we could find on the map, and were rewarded with ever so beautiful vistas.

The grapes are ripe, and waiting to be harvested. By the way, they tasted delicious.

Especially this stretch of road with the old moss covered stone wall reminded us of Southern France. There was no sound except for the chirp of the crickets.

Needless to say that this won't be our last visit. There are so many little roads to explore (and wines to taste) that one could easily spend a week in the area to discover (or to get drunk...).

Speaking of... (discovering!). We visited Chateau Montelena, a winery that had a story to tell which was worth making a movie of. Actually, the movie does already exist: Bottle Shock with Alan Rickman.

The tale is said to be based on a true story where a Californian wine for the first time won a blind tasting contest in Paris back in the 70's when French wines were regarded as the world's best wines, and Europe would turn up their nose at American products. California wines earned a lot more attention since, and today many regarded and excellent wines are being produced in the area.

We watched harvesters sorting out the grapes. They didn't notice us and were busy with what they were doing.

Where is the romantic flair of wine cellars? Not oak but metal seems to determine the storage facility for wines.

I rather prefer the barrels. They look so much more picturesque than metal bins.

Alas, this is the last entry of our journey. The touristic part is over, but we had the pleasure to stay another two nights with our friends Guido and Andrea at their house, to catch up, enjoy their garden, admire their ever growing motorcycle fleet and relax (for a change).

Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.