At about the same time BMW was introducing the Gelände/Straße GS range Triumph was grasping a straws during its business death throes. One model that hinted of what was to come was a slightly modified 750 Tiger named the Trail. 21” front wheel, single seat, high pipe, off road gearing. You can nearly see the looks of latter model Tigers in its DNA. Growing up I always loved the look of the dirt oriented front fender.
Head down the road. Aim for the horizon. Take your wits, your sense of exploration and a heady dose of adventure to venture out into the yonder.
Old Roadhouse at the intersection
– one of our stops for a leg stretch was at this abandoned crossroads building. You can imagine hoarded of Harley Davidson bickered swarming around at this corner on a Sunday morning before roaring around the backroads then heading back to Milwaukee after a spin around the Moraine’s.
Marvelous day on the road today. 250 miles on a route around the bottom of the Lake into Michigan on lanes lined with trees leafing out. Lilac fragrance wafted from farm hedges laden with bloom and rolling fields being watched over by soaring hawks. This old barn was seen in the small town of Eau Claire MI.
When we were scooting through Racine County WI at the weekend the price of gas dropped to $1.48 per gallon. That’s the lowest I’ve seen it for over twenty years.
… back in the fifties Mr G G Evans rode his Triumph Thunderbird through Europe and on through North Africa, along the Suez and down into South Africa. I wonder if this journey was inspiration for Ted Simon fifteen years later as Jupiter?
This fella has the right idea: get the motorhome packed, hand a ‘sled on the back, and head into the back of beyond until this all blows over. As Thoreau said: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
Boda Boda Madness | Dutch artist Jan Hoek and Ugandan-Kenyan fashion designer Bobbin Case captured the madcap Nairobi taxi drivers who elaborately design their bikes to attract customers.
The motorcycles are all Indian made Bajaj 125’s.
Traveling | hit the road; lean into a corner; look for a horizon; pack your bags; scour maps; read up on destinations; and put mikes under your tires. There is so much to see out there: places to go and people to meet. GO!
Iceland | we’re on vacation on the edge of the Arctic this week. This isn’t me on my Tiger, but I sure wish it was! A rugged landscape abounds.
Bookish | A perfect week in Wigtown Scotland running a second hand bookshop. Some lads Triumph Tiger parking along the High Street reminded me that the hills and coast of Galloway would be stunning riding country.
Wyatt & Daryl | the final episode of the first season of Ride With Reedus sees The Walking Dead actor cruising through the Everglades and down The Keys on a pair of Triumphs. Norman is like a kid in a candy store riding alongside the iconic Peter Fonda. ‘Gators, Hemingway and tales from the road.
Signs | It’s good to know where you’re going; especially when the signage depicts an interesting journey ahead. My favorite is the Pacific Coast Highway with an added plaque stating “74 Miles ahead”.
Black Bike | I managed to buy a fairly genuine Cornish pastie in Mineral Point WI. It was established in the 1830’s by miners from Cornwall looking for galena -lead ore. A grand spot to act as a base for future rides around this area.
Birds of a Feather | interesting colonial imagery of some tribal leader with his feathered headdress astride the diminutive but useful 125cc BSA Bantam. Not quite in the vein of an Edward Curtis portrait but early National Geographic nonetheless.
