Francois_Dumas Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 ...... or How to loose your Riding Companion at the START of a 700 km Trip'. I figure you deserve a chuckle after our enticing ride reports and associated pictures, so let me tell you How I Lost Marty Hill It was Tuesday morning, June 6th, and I finally managed to find the RIGHT bridge accross the Seine River in Normandy... the bridge of Tancarville, east of Le Havre. I am SO HAPPY that I found it, that I stop on the parking right after taking my toll ticket. Adjust something on the bike and check on Marty. He's okay, I'm okay, I ride off.... and promptly take the WRONG one of two entry roads..... and get us onto the highway TOWARDS Le Havre. We need to go the other way. DANG !! I am such a Great Guide ! So we race back for 10 miles to the next highway exit, and PAY our toll tickets. Again, I stop on the parking area just after the toll area and explain to marty what happened and what we need to do. "...Ride towards the roundabout ahead of us, some 200 yards, go around it and come back, ENTER the tollway again, but now in the opposite direction!...". Marty nods, I check my mirrors, nothing coming, and I pull away..... I ride around the roundabout and head back for the toll booth, checking my mirrors again.... NO MARTY !!! YIKES !! I stop just short of the toll booths and wait for a bit. Oh dang !! He must have taken a wrong exit from the roundabout... there are THREE other roads leading away from it.... ALL WRONG ! I wait a bit longer..... he is not showing up. Surely he must miss me by now !? I look around and see a opening in the middle safety barrier. There is no police around, no traffic, so I turn the bike and ride through it, back to the parking area where we were just minutes ago. I turn the bike around and ride back to the roundabout. I do three tours around it, looking down the three other roads leading away from it. No traffic. No Marty! I park the bike next to the roundabout in a spot where I can see oncoming traffic AND the highway just a few hundred yards away. I figure he may take the next entrance and come back via the highway. I just might spot him! I wait... and I wait..... 15 minutes, 20 minutes... I get real tired of straining my eyes. After some 30 minutes I decide he won't come back, and by now might be already well ahead of me on the highway. I know he is going to a little place in Belgium, to get a new rear tire ! I turn the bike, enter the highway again and race west- and northwards, doing 150 km/hr most of the time. No Marty. I reach Calais and suddenly realize my gas is REALLY low.... yellow light comes on.... I planned on making it to Belgium for cheaper gas.... but with the higher speed and fierce winds along the Channel Coast, I used up more. I loose time finding a gas station in Dunkirque. I loose more time taking a wrong exit in Belgium and negotiating many miles of secondary roads... and THEN more to locate the tire dealer in Ingelmunster. I am soaking wet with sweat. I am tired. My butt hurts. I find the dealer and he tells me Marty left already TWO HOURS ago !! Now I REALLY am depressed. I did not take enough pauses, I will NEVER catch him, Nina is not at home, so he'll not be able to get inside, the neighbour I call does not answer, and I still have MANY HOURS to go..... After a LONG ride (I think it cost me almost 10 hours !!!!) I find Marty at my home. He's already went to diner at the local Chinese Restaurant and has no worry in the world..... But......... now as to what happens.... this is hilarious !!! Remember I stopped short of the toll booth, looking in my mirrors, just 30 seconds after riding off??? Well, Mr. Hill did not hear me tell him about the roundabout. So instead of neatly following me, he saw the opening in the barrier, and very 'un-European(ish)' JUST turned his bike through it and headed back to the toll booth !!! So by the time I reached it and lost Marty, he was waiting at THE OTHER SIDE wondering where the heck I'd gone !! So it turned out we were waiting for each other just 100 yards apart..... separated by a small hill where the toll booths were on..... Morale: Next time we BOTH need a mobile phone. And I NEED a GPS on the bike ! Enough for now..... tune in next time when ..... ".....Marty and Francois try to meet somewhere in France to ride to the Alps !!!...". Link to comment
Steve1962 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Hey Francois , There must be an easier way than that to shake him off !! He'll be stuck to you like glue now Steve ps.......... glad you finally located him , we can't have strangers wandering all over Europe now can we !! Steve Link to comment
tallman Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Francois, Best way to communicate and keep track of Marty is with your turn signals. He can follow a turn signal for days. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 Well, he did.. but at this point seemd to think it was time for some of his own initiative...... bad idea ! Watch out Steve, he's on the loose now !!! Link to comment
Firefight911 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Is this the Marty Hill show, or the Benny Hill show? Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 I am sure Benny Hill would have been proud of us !! Link to comment
Jacqueline Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 How that sounds like the Marty Hill I know . I've heard he disappears easily. Sounds like you two are having a wonderful time. Link to comment
Richard_D Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 Shame Francois. I can't believe Marty pulled that old trick again. That's only one of the ways he avoids buying you a meal. Just be glad you got home in time to save the wife and dog. I love you Marty Link to comment
USAF1 Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 You just gotta know that while you were doing all the worrying and fretting, that Marty was having the best fun of his whole trip!! That's the funniest thing yet!! Atsa my boy!! Pat Link to comment
Kathy R Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 I find Marty at my home. He's already went to diner at the local Chinese Restaurant and has no worry in the world..... Cool as a cucumber, no doubt. Food has a calming effect on him Link to comment
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