Autumn in the Snowy Mountains (Australian Alps)

January 2019 Previously published March 2018- This beautiful part of Australia is on fire at this very moment. Horrendous hot fires nothing like anything before. If we don’t act now on the Climate Emergency so much of the nature we love will be lost

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Ghost Gully Campground

The still winds

The warm last days of summer

Moving into Autumn

Called me to the Mountains

The Snowy Mountains

Natures call

The primal call to be in the wild

In an ancient land

 

A land of Snowgums and Stringybarks

Sacred to the indigenous people of the land

The land of the Man From Snowy River

A land of

Spirits

Ghosts and

Legends

Swampy Plains River at Geehi campsite

The Snowy’s catching the clouds and sending water in creeks and rivers into the plains below

Little creeks and springs

Fresh water spring at Ghost Gully

That flow over waterfalls

feed into the big rivers that water the plains

Murray River
Murray River at Tintaldra

Water

For cattle

For the native animals

Kangaroos and wood ducks and Geehi Flats Camp

In the bare

Wild nature

The sky smiling

As angels travel

In the beauty of nature

Simple

Free

Alive

In the Snowy Mountains

As summer ends

Camp at Ghost Gully

Reflecting on the Swiss Alps

View from Furker pass looking across the Valley to the Grimsel

The ride down Furker Pass and up the Grimsel has to be one of the most beautiful and exhilarating rides available.

Down Furker

Past the wall of the Rhone Glacier

Looking across at the Rhone Glacier from the Grimsel 

Through the little village of Gletsch

Then up the Grimsel

Winding up to the lake at the top of Grimsel Pass

Grimsel Guest house under repair

If that is not enough

Turn around

Down the Grimsel

Then up the Nufenen Pass

What a day of riding it was.

In a few months I will be back in Europe

On the Mighty Breva II

More mountain passes some old some revisited.

2017 a year of many adventures, many places and many miles-a pictorial summary

2017 has been a year of many adventures in amazing places

It maybe marks a progress from a piecemeal adventurer to a more full time one

The purchase of the Mighty Breva II in the UK opening up a whole new realm of touring

February in Tasmania 

 

March in the Australian Alps

 

April trip to SE Queensland

 

 

June/July in England and the Mighty Breva II

Home away from home with fellow Guzzista and drying out the wet weather gear!

 

July Into Northern Europe

August through Scandinavia and Germany

And into Switzerland

 

September in Northern Italy and Southern France

 

October back in Australia sailing and camping

And a quick blast back to Northern NSW

 November a walk in beautiful Springbrook National Park, SE Queensland one of Natures Gardens

December a blast through central Victoria good food and good company

 

It truly has been an amazing year and 2018 holds the promise of more wonderful adventures.  Life can be just wonderful.

Happy New Year to all

 

The Dordogne – Last Stop in Europe 2017

The Dordogne Riders had lured me to the Vezere Valley

St Leon sur Vezere a beautiful Village in the Dordogne Region of Southern France

 

St Leon sur Vezere

Camped on the edge of the river

 

St Leon sur Vezere Municipal Camp site

Amongst significant historic and prehistoric sites

The Grote de Rouffignac

Maison Forte de Reignac

 

Maison Forte de Reignac

and Chateau de Losse

 

The Chateau

The Mighty Breva 11

But southern France is also about the beautiful villages

 

The continuation of the wonderful biker culture that exists in Europe. *

With the Dordogne bikers and friends

And of course in France food

A delicious lunch

And

* I was amazed that after 3 months covering 16,000km in 9 countries I was not pulled over once by the police. Three weeks back in Australia I was pulled over for a licence check while not breaking any law. It was motorcycle awareness (HARASSMENT) month.

Stelvio

A carnival atop the Stelvio Pass

Its the big daddy of the Alps

Stelvio

2760 metres high

From Lake Como four passes to reach the top

Maloja pass through to Saint Moritz

Then climb the Ofen Pass

View from the Ofen Pass

And onto Santa Maria at the foot of Stelvio

Hotel Stelvio in Santa Maria

Then the climb on the Umblia pass

View from cafe on the Umblia pass

Bikes and cars making the climb

Higher and higher

Till the top

Looking down the valley

Across at the glacier

Standing atop the Stelvio Pass