My post from my final day in Iceland is at the following link:
For photos of Iceland click the following link:
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
On a sheep crap high!! The weather gods bless me and IMAX says hi!
What a difference a day makes. The weather gods cooperated and gave me some decent weather on my way to Myvatn. Cold, but little rain.
Lake Myvatn was a hot bed of volcanic activity and it home to a lot of geothermal activity. I camped at a beautiful spot right on the lake and went around the corner to visit the boiling mud and steaming vents. Much to my surprise the crew of IMAX was there filming their next movie 'Quest for (something or other, I forgot). I chatted up one of the crew who as quite interested in my trip and doing one himself.
I really lucked out on finding this place and have to thank Anna for her recommendation. The local specialty, trout and lamb smoked in sheep shit, is really quite tasty!!
--
Regards,
TJ Parrent
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Regards,
TJ Parrent
Monday, August 25, 2008
Livin La Vida Loca
I just checked the weather. Tomorrow it will be sunny and 80F at home by the beautiful shores of lake Michigan. Where I plan to travel, it will be 46 to 50F, rain and a right stiff wind. Surely I must be crazy?
Alas, traveling to the edges of the planet (so to speak) means dealing with extremes. I have laid out my wardrobe for the morning. On top I will be wearing (from outside in) a rain over-jacket, my riding jacket, a goretex liner, an electronically heated jacket, and a coolmax long sleeve shirt. On the bottom: a rain outer layer, my riding pants, a gortex liner and long johns. On my feet" Goretex 3/4 shin high boots, and socks. I don't wear this much in winter back home!!!
So why do I do this. Not sure, but maybe I am crazy!!
Alas, traveling to the edges of the planet (so to speak) means dealing with extremes. I have laid out my wardrobe for the morning. On top I will be wearing (from outside in) a rain over-jacket, my riding jacket, a goretex liner, an electronically heated jacket, and a coolmax long sleeve shirt. On the bottom: a rain outer layer, my riding pants, a gortex liner and long johns. On my feet" Goretex 3/4 shin high boots, and socks. I don't wear this much in winter back home!!!
So why do I do this. Not sure, but maybe I am crazy!!
Adventure Travel: What Really Happens!
Everyone thinks that adventure travel is just a charmed life. Blue skies and the wind at your back. But the truth is some days suck!!!
Yesterday, I was heading into one of the most desolate regions of Iceland. An area that resembles the moon with it's black volcanic sands and volcanic mountains. It's a narrow two track road that crosses the country and gives you the impression of being on a different planet. It's also rather remote. That's why when I got not one, but two flats, it was an event. Seems I found the only nails ever spewed from a volcano into it's black volcanic sand. Making things even worse was the fact that it was raining and amazingly windy. The loose volcanic sand became volcanic muck and it was a freakin' mess. One car passed and saw the bike on it's side with my stuff strewn all over and assumed I was in an accident. Surprisingly a Ranger showed up after a while and offered what limited assistance he could. Actually, I had taken care of the problem by then so he more or less just watched as I put things back together.
This means a big change of plans for me though since I was expecting to be on the north side of the country last night. Now that I am running a 21 inch tube in a 17 inch tire I will go looking for a shop to get a new tube or have mine repaired. Unfortunately, that takes me in the opposite direction of where I was to be and the exact opposite side of the country from where I was to pick up the ferry.
Such is the life of adventure travel. Some days are indeed beautiful and some just suck!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Spot Me Powered by PosiMotion
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Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Bidding farewell to Norway
Iceland!
Monday, August 11, 2008
The good news is....
I made a call to Garmin Denmark and they agreed to swap the GPS cradle out with any dealer I could find who had a Zumo in stock. Luckily my guys at MC Marine in Bergen had it in stock and agreed to the swap. I really have to thank these guys because not only did they swap it out they spent 45 minute on the phone figuring it out with nothing else to gain but my satisfaction. I wish could say I recommend the BMW dealer in Bergen, but I can't.
Now the shock. Hyperpro delivered as promised and I was quite pleased when the mechanic looked at the problem and agreed the shock was messed up. It's been a perplexing problem because there hasn't been an signs of leakage. That said, the mechanic figured that whatever charged the exterior control had leaked out. The shock was bad enough I could easily press down the back of the bike and bottom it out. Unfortunatly, the shock was supplied with a upper bolt that was too short for the application so any attempts at fixing it myself would have brought me back to the dealer anyhow. This was more than a bit aggitating but the mechanic figured a work around.
Overall, I remain impressed that Hyperpro and Klaus, the US distributor, have taken this matter as seriously as they did. The biggest problem is that I have paid for a shock that the distributor hasn't been charged for and I still need to ship, but am unable to do because of the travel circumstances. I remain optimistic that this will have a happy conclusion and will let you know the results.
Now the shock. Hyperpro delivered as promised and I was quite pleased when the mechanic looked at the problem and agreed the shock was messed up. It's been a perplexing problem because there hasn't been an signs of leakage. That said, the mechanic figured that whatever charged the exterior control had leaked out. The shock was bad enough I could easily press down the back of the bike and bottom it out. Unfortunatly, the shock was supplied with a upper bolt that was too short for the application so any attempts at fixing it myself would have brought me back to the dealer anyhow. This was more than a bit aggitating but the mechanic figured a work around.
Overall, I remain impressed that Hyperpro and Klaus, the US distributor, have taken this matter as seriously as they did. The biggest problem is that I have paid for a shock that the distributor hasn't been charged for and I still need to ship, but am unable to do because of the travel circumstances. I remain optimistic that this will have a happy conclusion and will let you know the results.
If it's not one thing, it's another...
After coming off nice weekend at the music festival, I now have to deal with my problems. If all goes well, I'll have a new shock and new tires today. Nice for Iceland.
The problem is my GARMIN GPS cradle is now kaput. That means no GPS. The last couple of days that was not a problem, but now Stuart and I are going separate ways and it is about to become a BIG PROBLEM.
A search of Garmin's website produced little in the ability to get spare parts in Norway. The GPS is only 5 or 6 weeks old anyway, so why it's gone to shit I do not know.
Anyhow, it's the day before I set sail to Iceland, so I have a lot of work to do!!!
The problem is my GARMIN GPS cradle is now kaput. That means no GPS. The last couple of days that was not a problem, but now Stuart and I are going separate ways and it is about to become a BIG PROBLEM.
A search of Garmin's website produced little in the ability to get spare parts in Norway. The GPS is only 5 or 6 weeks old anyway, so why it's gone to shit I do not know.
Anyhow, it's the day before I set sail to Iceland, so I have a lot of work to do!!!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Fwd: Jan Olav ønskjer å tipse deg om ei sak.
Sometimes we even seen interestng to the press.
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: jan-olav@goc.no
Date: 9. aug 2008 17.18.37 GMT+02:00
To: cyclebloke@mac.com
Subject: Jan Olav ønskjer å tipse deg om ei sak.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
A festival in Norway
Any way I look at it I love Norway. The scenery is amonst the best on
the plant, the riding is amazing and people are great. Yesterday and
today we are at true norweigen festival on the coast. It is in a
small town and huge numbers of people have come from all around. In
fact, everyone I met in the last town is here.
the plant, the riding is amazing and people are great. Yesterday and
today we are at true norweigen festival on the coast. It is in a
small town and huge numbers of people have come from all around. In
fact, everyone I met in the last town is here.
Word seems to have gotten out that there are a couple of guys who have
riden around the world on motorcycles at the festival. I found this
out while relieving myself at a concert last night when someone asked
me if I was one of the people. It's not often I have to introduce
myself while pissing and being right handed makes it awkward shaking
hands at such a moment. None the less we have been invited to
numerous happenings around town and allowed to camp free... If I got
the story in the toilet right.
The concert was a lot of fun too. Norweigen country music with the
likes of johnny cash during breaks. And to hear the people here sing
Rocky Top, was a truely special moment.
Well it's off to find coffee...somewhere..
Sent from my iPhone
Friday, August 8, 2008
Just maybe there is hope...
After exploring numerous options yesterday, it appears Hyperpro of Holland will be manufacturing me a shock today and express delivering it to me for Monday delivery. I am told such a thing is almost unheard of so I am quite please to recieve this attention. For this I have Klaus, the Hyperpro rep back in the States and Jan at Hyperpro to thank.
Provided all goes according to plan, I will be leaving for Iceland as scheduled and not forced into skipping it. This is a huge relief to me.
As an alternate, the Great folks at BMW of Grand Rapids are standing ready to ship my original stock shock to me if needed.
If I haven't mentioned it already, Norway is a beautiful place to get stuck, but also one of the most expensive on the planet. Another week here and I could buy a new motorcycle:-)
I'm really quite fortunate to have some great folks standing behind me, thanks to all!
Provided all goes according to plan, I will be leaving for Iceland as scheduled and not forced into skipping it. This is a huge relief to me.
As an alternate, the Great folks at BMW of Grand Rapids are standing ready to ship my original stock shock to me if needed.
If I haven't mentioned it already, Norway is a beautiful place to get stuck, but also one of the most expensive on the planet. Another week here and I could buy a new motorcycle:-)
I'm really quite fortunate to have some great folks standing behind me, thanks to all!
Just when you thought....
Sometimes I am truly humbled when I travel. Yesterday I received a sticky note on my motorcycle from a man who said he was flying a small airplane around the world and wanted to talk. And talk we did, Seki is from Japan and is currently flying around the world in a plane he built. Over the past several days he has flown from Canada, to Greenland, to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and now to Norway. He is among the most humble and unassuming guys I have ever met, and his photos were the things National Geographic is made of. Imagine flying right over the tops of glaciers floating in the ocean, absolutely amazing. Whats more is he has also done such a similar trip in a gyroplane. He showed us a short video of himself flying over the Matterhorn, yes, the freakin' Matterhorn. So close he could touch it. Just amazing. The more I travel the more amazed I am by peoples adventures and I must say this guys adventures are amongst the best. What's even more interesting is that I set up his website for him. Imagine a guy doing such an adventure and lil' ole me setting up his website while sitting in Norway. I hope he posts his photos soon, because they are simply some of the most amazing I have ever seen.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Big Problems
I am scheduled to go to Iceland on Tuesday, but my four month old Hyperpro rear shock has failed. My options are limited at the moment. I can get the shock removed and sent to Denmark to be repaired, but it will take a while. I am currently searching for options, but fear they are limited. If this delays me too long, I might have to through off going to Iceland all together. This will be a huge disappointment since it one of the crown jewels of my trip. I now feel it would have been better to keep the stock shock on for Russia to Europe, since if it failed BMW would have had to replace it under warranty and it would have been much quicker to simply get a new one than to wait for a repair.
In short, the part of this trip I have most look forward to now hangs by a thread while I search for options.
In short, the part of this trip I have most look forward to now hangs by a thread while I search for options.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Spot Me Powered by PosiMotion
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My SPOT got run over by a bus and the replacement isn't working yet.
Stuart and I are currently in Voss and will re-ride Flam today and
then head to the coast. I'll leave for iceland next Tuesday.
Sent from my iPhone
Monday, August 4, 2008
Norway...WOW!
I am currently outside Bergen Norway. I have been in Norway for three riding days now and must say I am impressed. This is one of, if not the most beautiful places to travel. The scenery is just stunning and just keeps going on forever. Yesterday, I traveled to Flam and criss crossed up a very small road to the top of the Fjord. It was the most beautiful moment I have had. The road continued on in the high areas and it was raining. There was still a good deal of snow up there and few people. Again, simply beautiful, if not a little cold and wet.
Oddly as I traversed higher and higher my GPS showed me crossing a main road. It turned out to be the Lærdal Tunnel, the longest road tunnel in the world at 15.2 miles long. While my GPS showed me intersecting this road it was actually 1500 meters under the surface and I returned using the tunnel. I'm not sure stinky tunnels are for me, but now I can say I crossed that area both by the road and tunnel, both very unique in their owns ways.
Today, I am arranging new tires in preparation for my voyage to Iceland and waiting my Kiwi friend Stuart to show up too. With a little luck we will travel to Iceland together, if not, I will leave next week and return to Denmark. If I have learned one thing about Noway, it is also one of the most expensive places on the planet and my new tires will cost me dearly. Oh well, lesson learned the hard way.
That said, the people here have been amazingly friendly to me and I am rarely wanting for conversation.
Oddly as I traversed higher and higher my GPS showed me crossing a main road. It turned out to be the Lærdal Tunnel, the longest road tunnel in the world at 15.2 miles long. While my GPS showed me intersecting this road it was actually 1500 meters under the surface and I returned using the tunnel. I'm not sure stinky tunnels are for me, but now I can say I crossed that area both by the road and tunnel, both very unique in their owns ways.
Today, I am arranging new tires in preparation for my voyage to Iceland and waiting my Kiwi friend Stuart to show up too. With a little luck we will travel to Iceland together, if not, I will leave next week and return to Denmark. If I have learned one thing about Noway, it is also one of the most expensive places on the planet and my new tires will cost me dearly. Oh well, lesson learned the hard way.
That said, the people here have been amazingly friendly to me and I am rarely wanting for conversation.
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