Francois_Dumas Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Due to circumstances like too much work, bad weather, flu and other nastiness the Beemer had been under its cover for more than 2 months !! All through the heavy winter weeks we've been seeing last month. So I was wondering if it would still start. And when it would.... I needed to charge the battery of course. And mine too.... So I took off the cover.. only to discover that it is disintegrating! The entire bike was covered in some white dust... the lining of the cover apparently is falling apart! Grrrr...... But, the BMW started right at the second try...... NO PROBLEM ! Phew! So I rushed back inside to put on a few layers of clothing, because the temperature showed 3 C (or 37 F for those of you with the funny units).... and it LOOKED cold. After brushing the white dust off the bike, and getting cold that way, I got on and waved Nina goodbye for a bit. I figured I'd ride to the dike to see if the ice had been moving already, building mountains of floes. Here's the RT parked at the entrance of the dike between Enkhuizen and Lelystad. I thought to wait for the Scania to show up in the image...... Nuon, our electricity company, has put new windmills up last year. The very faint glow of the sun can be seen in the first one..... still Brrrrrr ! Ice where water should be....... COLD !! Not much traffic, emphasizing the always-melancholic mood of winter in Holland..... About halfway the dike is a little parking spot, a small harbor and a restaurant. I am sure there's a story behind the name of it; 'Checkpoint Charlie' ! The little harbor was used during the building of the dike. Lonely RT of an owner with freezing fingers !!! The sun rendered the radio mast a devine image, don't you think? The sun put gold into these, but the picture doesn't really do it justice.... The 10 mile ride over the dike really froze my fingertips, in spite of the heated grips, so I decided to head back. Here's the 'skyline' of Enkhuizen again.... Enkhuizen always depressed me in a way....... because the railroad tracks end here... as if you've reached the end of the world. Oh well.... Only sea gulls moved. Not a soul around and ice everywhere... alas, too thin to skate on now !! Harbors, jetties and water in winter have a sad streak about them, don't you think? In summer this place is bristling with tourists getting on board the old ferries to take them around or across the lake. Almost no sailing boats and yachts in the outer harbor. Most have been laid up for the winter. Apologies for the rather messy image, but I wanted to show the modern stuff at one side (the windmills, new dike and locks)....... ...versus the 700 year old stuff on the other..... The tower (harbor entrance and defense tower Dromedaris) was built sometime 1530 or so (off my head). Enkhuizen became a 'city' around 1350 and started fortifying some 130 years later. The RT on the 'Station Square'.... sun is waning and rain is forecast.. time to head for home!! Link to comment
RPG Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 very nice pcitures. I've got to get to Europe one of these days. Don't think I'll be riding my RT for a while. -10F in Detroit this morning. (and the talk of global warming around here has subsided in kind) And a foot of snow has been on the ground since early December. RPG Link to comment
Nice n Easy Rider Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Francois, As always, very enjoyable pictures. But I'm surprised that at 3C (or 37F as we'd say over here) "The 10 mile ride over the dike really froze my fingertips, in spite of the heated grips,...". Maybe some new gloves are in order. Especially since the winter is only about 1/3 over. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 Heheh, it's not the gloves George... I have a condition whereby my fingers get REALLY painful in the cold very quickly. Same problem with skiing and skating. Until I get some blood in my fingers it hurts like hell ! Link to comment
Nice n Easy Rider Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Heheh, it's not the gloves George... I have a condition whereby my fingers get REALLY painful in the cold very quickly. Same problem with skiing and skating. Until I get some blood in my fingers it hurts like hell ! Francois, This may seem like a crazy idea and others can chime in and tell me so as well. There are a number of over-the-counter remedies for muscle aches sold here that have as their main effective ingredient, capsaicin, which is of course, what puts the "hot" in hot peppers. Amongst its many purported properties, capsaicin has been reported to relieve pain and improve circulation. A capsaicin creme rubbed onto the fingers (in moderation, of course) might at least provide a little relief on these chilly rides. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 I never shy away from crazy ideas..... Will do some investigating here.... Link to comment
tallman Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Francois, the new windmills are on a narrow strip of land that arcs around the water. Was that strip man-made, specifically for the windmills? Are there transmission lines buried in the soil? Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 Hi Tim ! The strip of land is actually a low dike. It stops just after the last mill..... then another dike continues further in the background. I believe it was initially made to protect the locks area to the right (locks not visible on this photo), because the mills were built up there much later. And yes, resulting power is transported underground. Link to comment
Paul Mihalka Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Heheh, it's not the gloves George... I have a condition whereby my fingers get REALLY painful in the cold very quickly. Same problem with skiing and skating. Until I get some blood in my fingers it hurts like hell ! Francois, you need a electric heated jacket liner and heated gloves. it won't help you skiing or skating, but it does wonders for your winter riding. Link to comment
skyskier Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Francois, As always lovely photos. I really enjoy your dialog about your country. It seems a very laid back kind of place, somewhere I could really enjoy. Thanks for the ride, Link to comment
RichEdwards Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Nice pictures. Chilly. I'm sending you some sunshine. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 Thanks Rich ! Link to comment
sardineone Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Francois, thanks for sharing the photos. I have to confess your photos conveyed the cold conditions pretty well. I was surprised at the lack of other people and vehicles in your photos. It looked like you were the only person around. Sorry for your discomfort getting the photos. I know the value of a Winter ride every once in awhile as a tonic for the soul. With a bit less wind protection on my ST I favor temps in the 40's. Not to make assumptions, did you at least wear an electric vest? A warm core surprisingly helps the extremities. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 Thanks George. For some reason Gerbings are not readily available here.... have never seen anyone use them either. 'Regular' bikers already make fun of our heated BMW grips !!! But on days like these they do sound like a nice thing to have for sure Link to comment
TomSS Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Hey Francois Thanks for the pick me up! Somebody has to sacrifice and make a weather report. What was your riding temp? Did I miss it? We've got a lot of loose stuff on the pavement here. That's an excuse. One can finese that stuff when the ice and snow are off. Your ride looks great, of course I'd predjudiced to RT's. TomSS Link to comment
millbert Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Checkpoint Charlie.......not one young person around here knows about, but should be required learning. I may have to be a history teacher after I retire! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkpoint_Charlie Link to comment
Steve1962 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Francois, Nice report and photos .........all that traffic , how did you survive I have some heated gloves [ made by Klan ] and find them very good , well made and robust - having ridden up to North Yorkshire and back in a day with Andy a while back [ over 400 miles all told ] , in temperatures that never got above freezing , I can vouch for them . Steve Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted January 19, 2009 Author Share Posted January 19, 2009 Hey Francois Thanks for the pick me up! Somebody has to sacrifice and make a weather report. What was your riding temp? Did I miss it? We've got a lot of loose stuff on the pavement here. That's an excuse. One can finese that stuff when the ice and snow are off. Your ride looks great, of course I'd predjudiced to RT's. TomSS 37 F Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted January 19, 2009 Author Share Posted January 19, 2009 Checkpoint Charlie.......not one young person around here knows about, but should be required learning. I may have to be a history teacher after I retire! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkpoint_Charlie Yes..... I 'crossed the border' for the first time for real a few weeks ago. Old watch towers are still there. So eerie, after all these years. First read about CC in espionage paperbacks, then saw it on tv so often..... now it is history. Link to comment
Bullett Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Heheh, it's not the gloves George... I have a condition whereby my fingers get REALLY painful in the cold very quickly. Same problem with skiing and skating. Until I get some blood in my fingers it hurts like hell ! Francois, This may seem like a crazy idea and others can chime in and tell me so as well. There are a number of over-the-counter remedies for muscle aches sold here that have as their main effective ingredient, capsaicin, which is of course, what puts the "hot" in hot peppers. Amongst its many purported properties, capsaicin has been reported to relieve pain and improve circulation. A capsaicin creme rubbed onto the fingers (in moderation, of course) might at least provide a little relief on these chilly rides. But DON'T rub your eyes afterwards! DAMHIK! Link to comment
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