The travellers return
The travellers have returned from the Alps. In the case of this most recent trip not just home but back to our respective countries of the UK and USA.
It is safe to say that everyone took away lasting memories of what was an epic trip. The combination of outstanding roads, stunning scenery and fantastic travelling companions was a recipe that delivered much more than I had hoped for.
All the time and the planning paid off, and while it seemed to the group that we were freely exploring, all the turns, stops and daily destinations had been finely crafted. I know that some people like to go where the fancy takes them and book their overnight stays on the fly, but I think my approach guaranteed that we saw as much as possible given the time. It also allowed everyone, me especially, to relax and enjoy the ride unhindered by constant group discussions.
Photos, videos and memories
I return with hundreds of photos and hours of video. Much of it will remain untouched, unless you want to watch 18 hours of road being filmed? But I will be publishing the best as soon as my work commitments will allow. Many of the best pictures you may have seen on my Facebook group or Instagram and if you haven’t seen them and are impatient to see them I’d urge you to go and take a look.
As for the memories and the ride report? Well, it turns out that such an epic trip deserves much more than a sterile rundown of the route. Since I have started writing it up it has become a bit of a labour of love and as I approach the mid point of the journey I find that I have laid down 12,000 words.
I am looking at all possibilities but for ease of reading I’m considering publishing it as an eBook, perhaps on Apple Books and on Amazon for Kindle. I never intended to write a travel book but that’s the way it seems to be going.
Routes
I have processed all my routes and the tracks of these have been published on Myroute-App and are available for download. Together with the publication of the corresponding story of the trip I hope that these can be of value to future travellers.
I’m not alone in publishing my travels and see many posts on social media and YouTube but I often find myself thinking that they have missed a trick in their selection of route so regardless of the apparent glut of information there is always room for additional experience to be available.
Finally, a new chapter
On a final note, this trip will be the last on the Triple Black. My finance with BMW has come to term and I have placed an order on a new R1250GS Adventure Rallye TE with all the bells and whistles.
I am sad to see the old bike go. It carried me through the transition from sports bike rider to adventure bike rider and opened up a whole world of possibilities. The travel that it enabled has left a lasting mark on me and I look forward to the adventures that await on the new bike.
Goodbye Black Betty… thanks for all THE good times and memories
