Tiffany Ambling through America

[Blader54]

Hi Tiffany...glad you enjoyed your visit to the colonies! Looking forward to following your next adventure!

[Gummitarzan]

Great reading and riding Tiffany
I read that you might visit Sweden. Well if you ever do and I´m not (hopefully I am) on a journey myself you´re more than welcome to crash at my place.

Buy the way. What kind of camera do you use?

Again, thanks for charing!

Ride safe

[Tiffany]

Originally Posted by rockydog

Somehow I feel redeemed by that pic, Tiffany, ;) , all my junk got sorted into this...



I kinda miss the drill press in the 'dining' room, tho

Now THAT is impressive RockyDog, you've transformed things there.

So, it's true, blokes CAN tidy up

[Tiffany]

I loaded Thelma up and we headed out into the traffic once more, looking to get over or under a river, I managed to find this tunnel...



(another in the occasional series of don't tell my Mum I was taking photos as I rode along!)

In search of the shipping agents - James Cargo, I ended up in New Jersey somewhere - shipping agents tend to be in obscure locations where there are seedy warehouses and very few actual people in sight. I reached my destination and handed over Thelma to a very nice young man called Arpad, the paperwork took us very little time, then he did a visual check of Thelma, as she is so battered after the 15 years of travel that I've put her through, it didn't take long to note on his sheet that almost every panel is damaged! And before I knew it, Arpad was wheeling Thelma away into the warehouse.




I always find it hard saying goodbye to Thelma and leaving her in someone else's hands. Picking up my bag, I headed back into NYC on the train, clutching bike helmet and seat as a reminder that I'm usually a bike traveller



It was my final night in America, Sabs had a drinks party to wish me farewell

[marty hill]

Hi Tiff,
Have to ask, why do you carry the seat with you? I've taped my wind screen to the seat when shipping.

[Tiffany]

Originally Posted by marty hill

Hi Tiff,
Have to ask, why do you carry the seat with you? I've taped my wind screen to the seat when shipping.

There is a good reason for that Marty.
When I'd passed through LA, the lovely guys at Bill Mayer Seats asked me to test out a new prototype GS Adventure seat on Thelma for them. It's got a special material covering it and was fantastic. The seat more than proved itself and now it was time for the next stage with it.
I'm carrying the seat to the nearest post office to send it back to the guys and they will ship the finished prototype to me in England.

http://billmayer-saddles.com/BMS/

A big thank you to Bill and the guys.

[marty hill]

Makes sense now. It does look rather new in the pic. Thank you.

[Kyle B]

Tiffany, it was a real pleasure to meet you in Arkansas at the GS Giant event. I've really enjoyed reading your ride report! Very interesting!
Glad to see you got some new tires from the guys at No-Mar before leaving the MOA rally. Twisted Throttle has been very good to me in the past too.

[Colebatch]

Originally Posted by Tiffany

... for the first time ever in America I got pulled over by the police, in fact he was a sheriff. I talked him round, and n,o I was not speeding at the time

So what dodgy behaviour were you indulging yourself in to warrant the attention of a Sheriff?

Originally Posted by Tiffany

... she's enjoying Walter's TLC in the workshop.

I like the sound of that ...

[Tiffany]

Originally Posted by Colebatch

So what dodgy behaviour were you indulging yourself in to warrant the attention of a Sheriff?



I like the sound of that ...

So you're catching up a bit Cole, now that you've got the time...

Absolutely No dodgy behaviour, the sherrif just couldn't cope with the fact that I have a number plate that isn't an American one, didn't show up on their computer system and therefore I MUST be up to no good.

It's true, you're not the only Walter in Thelma's life

[SLACKER]

Nice

[missadventure]

Great ride report. I admire your skill with the riding self portraits, good timing! Looking forward to reading about more of your adventures

[Tiffany]

Originally Posted by SLACKER

Nice

always good to get feedback Slacker

Originally Posted by Kyle B

Tiffany, it was a real pleasure to meet you in Arkansas at the GS Giant event. I've really enjoyed reading your ride report! Very interesting!
Glad to see you got some new tires from the guys at No-Mar before leaving the MOA rally. Twisted Throttle has been very good to me in the past too.

Kyle it was good to meet you as well, it was a very sociable event. Glad to see you've been following my RR, and yes, No Mar and Twisted Throttle were very helpful. BIg thanks to both of those companies.

Originally Posted by missadventure

Great ride report. I admire your skill with the riding self portraits, good timing! Looking forward to reading about more of your adventures

Missadventure - BTW love the name - I've got to admit the self-portraits whilst riding are a bit hit or miss, and there are times I just give up after several attempts as they're just not working out how I want them to. More travels will be coming up next year. In the menatime take a look at my website for the earlier travel.

[Tiffany]

Thelma was last seen being wheeled into the shipping agents' warehouse somewhere in deepest, darkest New Jersey, whilst I was then partying in New York for my final night before flying home.
I always have mixed emotions when I'm heading back to England after a journey. Even more so if I'm not actually riding Thelma, and having to once more navigate through a busy airport with a load of bike gear.
I feel a sense of accomplishment at having achieved something, a sense of loss that the journey is over and anticipation about going home- I love where I live and have a close network of family and friends whom I'm always looking forward to seeing again.
JFK Airport, incidentally had the most unpleasant jobs worth person I have ever encountered at any airport...and Yes, I did tell her that

But they let me out and I made it back to England, some weeks later, Thelma arrived...


The Aylward Brothers, friends of mine from London had come alongg to assist collecting Thelma from the docks.



It was a bit of a struggle because I'm a bit short to be of much use once Thelma is on a ramp and neither of these guys rides motorbikes...at all!
We eventually got Thelma into the back of the van

[Tiffany]

Proof that I was back in England



We unloaded Thelma onto the street in Deptford, South London and I waved my Union Jack




Clouds were gathering and I had to move quickly



As Thelma's seat was still on its way back from America, I had to create a substitute



I rode across London and found a Knight in Shining Armour...Steptoe



He happened to have a GS from a similar era which he's in the process of doing up in his workshop- he's a genius with BMW GS bikes.
And he was happy to lend me the seat, which sort of fitted and was definitely a big improvement on my gaffer tape and foam creation.
Huge thanks to Steptoe AKA Neil a veritable hero in English GS circles.