A party...
By Motormeisje on March 14, 2006 om 11:37

How it started...
On January 13, a topic was opened on http://www.motorforum.nl with an invitation for March 10, to celebrate the 50th birthday of a forum-member. Well today was the day. Here up North its still dry, but rain is expected and later on the day an icy cold wind and maybe some wintery precipitation. The first place for gathering was in Oosterwolde, near the "Flippo-bridge".

My guide....
I had agreed with the brother of the "birthday-boy" to be there at 10.30 sharp. I had taken the bike from the garage nice and early as usual and made her run for a few moments. She was doing fine, no problems to be awaited from that. I sent a mail to the brother, that I would leave the house just before 10. From experience I know that it takes a little more than 30 minutes, so I had to leave in time. With this cold and moist you need to take some time to get dressed properly.

Stand up to the cold...
I started with a thick panty hose, then my long john, that takes care that I won't get overheated and on top of that my legging. Then finally my leather pants, which is good and tight now. Over my thin sweather, I put on a fleece sweather and my bodywarmer. Because rain is predicted, I wear my rainoverall. Not to forget my back-protector! Over that, my not fully waterproof nylon coat. The usual helmet and winter-gloves, boots and not to forget my "buffy", that needs to protect my chin against the icy winds. Now I'm ready. My large shoulderbag fits nicely in the paniers of the bike, so I have all that I need. At a quarter to ten, I stand sweating next to my husband, who wishes me a nice day. He is only back home from the hospital since wednesday, after his gall bladder-surgery, so he needs to take it easy. I go outside.

Here I come...
My bike starts up immediatly again, but have to use the choke. I have no idea about todays temperature, just above zero I guess. By the end of the street, I have closed the choke. Then I drive at ease into the direction of Burgum. Of course, every trafficlight is red and I stay behind a couple of cars. The police in this area is very active with lasergun and camera. So I go with the flow. At Nijega I move on to the A-road. I can do 100 km/h here. But I get her up to 110 km/h. It starts drizzling. After the industrial estate "A-zeven", I can only do 80 km/h (50mph) and again I go with the flow. I keep a lot of distance in order not to get all the droplets on my visor. I have all the time in the world, I left nice and early, which gives me some space to have a fag. Near Oosterwolde, I turn left and at the roundabout near the "Flippo-bridge" I have look around. I drive onto the cycle-track and stop there, waiting for the brother of the "birthday-boy", while enjoying my fag. Right on time he arrives, we greet each other and drive via Veenhuizen and Huis-ter-heide into the direction of Assen. All by B-roads.

Collecting the other guests.
That is how we drive into the city of Assen and move straight on to the Mac D., where the others will be waiting. We meet yet an other forum-member and have a short chat, before we mount our bikes again in order to drive to the house of the "birthday-boy". He meets us in the parkinglot, outside his house. We congratulate him and then we move inside the house for coffee and the necessary chit-chat. Or as the "birthday-boy" called it in the forum, the evening before, talking about our motorical disturbed-ness. It turns out to be a very nice day. Even though we're on the forum on a daily basis, it is nice to talk from face to face. For the "birthday-boy", I've made a website, from the trip he made in 1984 with 131 Citroën Tractions Avants. Driving from Paris to Moscow and back to Paris again. He had written a day of his diary in the forum, every day for about one month, to keep our mind of the cold weather. I gathered all those pieces and made a website out of it. (Rudys site). When he later started sending pictures, I illustrated it as well. He is happily surprised and is glad that his story can be seen all over the world, as soon as I tell everyone the link. There is hardly anything on the internet about this trip. In the following weeks more pictures will be sent to my mailbox, to keep me of the streets and to make the website more complete.

The homeward journey
At 15.30 I leave, together with the brother, who had to go to Oosterwolde anyway. We take different roads then this morning, even unhardened roads, but eventually we say goodbye with our gloved hands touching at the "Flippo-bridge". The last part I have to drive on my own again. Even though there is a drizzle, it is a wonderful feeling to ride the bike again. On arrival home the daily duties call, but I can look back on a very nice and succesful day. In total I drove 150 km, but with such pleasure.

Betty Smit.
Return to the index of the weblog.