Fabulous Weather!

I had a marvellous day riding out in the Kent countryside today. It was a crisp autumn day (frost in the morning) with a crystalline blue sky and leaves turning gold and red (early this year). The sun was so low that it made riding difficult at times, especially exploring the small lanes I travelled where I was plunged into darkness under the trees periodically, leaving me completely blinded or a moment or two.

I was giving my new GPS a workout by telling it to go the shortest route from one place to another. Well it certainly knows some tiny roads - the kind with grass growing up the middle and gravel on every bend! Navigating these unsighted was quite exciting.. Still, to make up for the terrors of sliding off the gravel onto the grass and back again, I came across some wonderful sights - beautiful houses and farms some very large and imposing, others just quaint or with quaint names like one, "Stubbleweed Farm" that took my fancy.

More Stuff!

Well here are the results of my Yorkshire trip. I have pannier lights, lower front fog lights, Garmin 2820 GPS and a CB installed! Ian did a fantastic job and it's obvious he is a careful workman who knows what he is doing. Everything seems to work OK although there is a bit of alternator whine on the intercom circuit. Ian thinks it is probably the CB that is doing it but we haven't yet bottomed it out. The noise is not very loud and with any music playing, it is drowned out.

The Garmin 2820 is quite capable unit although I miss some of the features I am used to on the TomToms like quick alternative route selection. The Garmin does allow one's own routes to be loaded onto it and it will also record a track log which are the reasons why I wanted this unit.

In Yorkshire

After an initially wet ride north, I am now installed in a Premier Travel Inn in Rotherham whilst my bike receives a couple of implants - namely a CB (the Goldwing Gadgets model bought at the Treffen), lower fog lights and rear pannier lights. Ian Cardwell is doing the work for me and I shall drop by Ian's later this morning to see how it is going.

I am quite impressed with the Premier Travel Inn. It's bang next to a Beefeater that has quite a good restaurant and a decent bar. The bed is really comfortable. Only complaints are that the towels are a bit small and the shower is rather aenemic.