Francois_Dumas Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Here's one specially for you gal and guys! For Leslie and Whip to cheer them up after physical grief..... cheer up, this was MY first ride in 6 WEEKS.. and I am still alive..... And for Steve1962 because.. well... he asked for windmills and dikes this morning ------ When I heard the weather forecasts yesterday (and checked once more early this morning) I was glad.... Sunday had been sunny (but still sormy), and Monday was said to be even better: SUN and not much wind ! A welcome break from more than three weeks of continuous storms and more than 6 weeks OFF my bike ! I announced my plans on the BMWST forum, and Steve1962 asked for dikes and windmills ...... I of course had something else in mind; I see dikes and windmills most every day ! Allas... things did not turn out the way I planned, as so often happens. The weather forecast was not correct, and although there was a little bit of sun (mostly AFTER I returned from my ride), it wasn't much, and it was still windy ! And more storms forecasted yet again !!! We are having a late fall and no winter, like much of the rest of Europe and parts of the US it seems. Anyway, after an hour of preparations (doh!) I backed Artee out of the gate and got on my way.. first going east, heading for the cheap petrol station 10 miles up the road. Unfortunately they have only Octane 95, but hey..... money is tight these days, and fuel expensive ;-) I planned to ride to the coast (seeing the weather was NOT going to hold out long enough for me to go to the forests in the east), and happily turned south.... heated grips on full, still wearing my old summer gloves !! It was cold though.. because there was much more wind than predicted, and with the chill factor added I think it was just above freezing. So, STEVE, you get your dikes and mills after all.... because a dark wall of storm clouds towered over the west coast and I didn't feel I was ready to ride straight into yet another storm. So instead I did one of my polder rides again. If you don't like green grass, windmills, dikes, small country roads and Dutch canals, then flip to the next thread NOW !!! So, ON with the piccies then.... there are quite a few... I was planning to bore ya'll to death with this one The bike was still WET and the sun was not out in force as was promised... and hoped for... Fast Forward 45 minutes already.. I went to fill her up first, then doubled back and headed south towards the coast.... this was what the sky looked like around noon .... not ALL bad.. some blue in it !!! Hey Steve, you're not the only one finding 'inviting' road signs.... This one says 'Dangerous road shoulder' (or something to that extent....). Small -ish dike, near my (YOUR ?) favorite mills. The main through-road I came from..... pretty busy on a Monday morning.... Rays of sunshine peeking through the clouds and illuminating bits and pieces of the polder landscape. Wherever you look in North-Holland you will see a church steeple on the horizon..... Then the sun peeked through a hole just atop of me and Artee...... this one is for Steve then !! What's that !!??? Haven't seen something like that in 5 weeks or so !!! Remember the thread I wrote on 'testing' that 1200RT ? Same spot, but now with my own 1150 featuring. Nice, eh ? I can't make it any more Dutch...... I even got to see the 'miller' !! He looked a bit puzzled... why would I be making pics of HIM and his GOAT !?? (He just wheeled in some fresh hay there !). Doesn't look so bad on the photo, but out there it looked as if the whole North Sea was in the air and coming at me ! So I decided to turn north and head back through the polders..... finding some more photo opportunities along the way.... In a 'normal' winter people would be skating here !!!!!!!!! STEEEEEEEEEVE !!!! This one is just to show how narrow the dike roads are...... (these are polder dikes, not sea dikes. And mind you, our cars aren't too wide either ! Guess what ????? More mills !! It is nice, isn't it? Typical Dutch. Personally I still prefer mountains..... but can't get enough of skies either... dilemma's ! More narrow dike roads........ A new farm....... And our famous Unicorn. You see this funny animal everywhere. It is the official arm of our old town, and used by many official authorities around the region. This particular thing marks the border between two 'water management entities' (that's the modern translation). We have councils for just about anything... of course also for keeping the citizen's feet dry.. the polder councils. Little bicycle road to the village..... Getting closer to my home town the villages get bigger too.... Steve must have infected me.... I found myself on yet another very small road..... turned out to be a bicycle path.. I hadn't paid attention to the sign, while looking to shoot a photo .... Ooops ! I figured it out when I found this sign (2 bicycle routes.... you need to get OFF your bike to be able to read the sign !!).... ... near this bridge which really does not look like it is made for cars... and hence motorcycles... It wasn't . Still looks pretty murky, doesn't it? Railway and highway in the background..... That dark sky kept chasing me....... so I decided to call it a day... Double glazing makes for bad mirrors ...... last one ! Of course the sun came out in glorious force as soon as I had covered the bike...... such is life !! Cheers all !! Link to comment
Steve1962 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Francois, Thank very much for taking the time to do this ride - I remember windmills fondly from my time living [ briefly ] in Holland as a young boy . I love the photos too , rich in colour , always interesting . Steve Link to comment
Firefight911 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Nice ride to blow off the cobwebs!!! Wonderfully done, as always!!! Link to comment
Whip Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Thank you my friend....I needed that. I went by the shop to see my GSA...I even touched it. Farkling is coming along nicely. Whip Link to comment
Les is more Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Dear Francois, You've done it again--given me much beauty to behold when it is most welcome. Also you've justified one of my past posts! I'd say that this, I even got to see the 'miller' !! He looked a bit puzzled... why would I be making pics of HIM and his GOAT !?? (He just wheeled in some fresh hay there !). Would explain this, Thanks for letting me enjoy that ride with you Francois. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 You're most welcome. And now that you mention it.. yes.. I guess we DO have goat cheese fabricated here somewhere! Next time I'll see him I'll ask his name !! Link to comment
Ben_Ricci Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Great stuff Francois. This is one of my favorite aspects of this web site. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment
roadscholar Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Francois, Once again, a nice tale with beautiful photos, some of them spectacular. Thanks. Bill Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted January 17, 2007 Author Share Posted January 17, 2007 Thanks for peeking, glad you like 'em Francois Link to comment
BereIsland Posted January 19, 2007 Share Posted January 19, 2007 Francoise You seemed to make the grey sky look great Steve Link to comment
KMG_365 Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 Beautiful!! Thanks, Poldergeist! Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted January 20, 2007 Author Share Posted January 20, 2007 There's always something interesting underneath the grey skies Link to comment
Dan Gleebitz Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 Great to see the photos .. your area looks very much like the area we live in .. Cambridgeshire Fens, except the roads are in better condition and much tidier. Our roads, as they are built on Peat, rise with the winter rains and fall when they dry out. This makes for a very undulating surface which can catch out the unwary ... As said before, your photos are the highlights of this site ... Mike Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted January 20, 2007 Author Share Posted January 20, 2007 There are many excellent photographers here But thank you all the same, very kind of you! Link to comment
madmanbob Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Dan, I remember your roads well. The daily commute from Outwell to RAF Wyton was great in the summer sun, when it happened, but covered in mud the rest of the time. Some nice places thought, Downham, Ely, Huntingdon etc. I left it all a couple of years ago for better weather and nicer roads. Link to comment
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