"Dee Tour" to the Stella Alpina (England to Italy by Ural)

Captain`s Log..Stardate July 4th 2011.

This is the latest voyage of my 2004 Ural 750 combo known as 'Dee'...piloted by me and monkeyed (sidecar passengered) by my girlfriend Lorraine.

Mission...to ride from where we live on the Wirral Peninsula in the North West of England to Bardonecchia in the Italian Alps...and then to ride 9,872ft up the unpaved Col de Sommelier where nobody knows at what point the snowline will be as part of the famous...or is it 'infamous' Stella Alpina Rally.

We will be riding down from the Wirral to Folkstone in order to get the Channel Tunnel train (or 'Chunnel' ) as Lorraine gets terribly seasick on even the shortest Dover to Calais ferry crossing...so much so that a day or two prior to sailing she starts getting stressed,and it takes a day or so afterwards to calm herself and be able to enjoy the holiday.

Once across the Channel we`ll have three days bimbling Southwards across France towards the Alps....then we`ll ride a few Alpine passes into Italy and to the town of Bardonecchia where we will be spending five days and nights sightseeing and relaxing...but which also include the second weekend of July that sees Bardonecchia become the 'heart' of the Stella Alpina rally.
There are a few websites available to explain the origins and history of this famous event if you`re interested and curious.

I`ve taken a couple of my solo bikes up the Col de Sommeiler on the Stella Alpina but have wanted to Ural it for years,so this will be a first.
Also,although Lorraine has ridden pillion with me to Bardonecchia before,she`s left me to wrestle with the mountain alone and has never even seen the track before.
This year she`s going to be riding up it with me.

If we survive the Stella Alpina,we have four leisurely days to ride back home.

I`m hoping to try and do my first ever 'day by day' almost live Ride Report as far as various Internet and WiFi connections will allow.

Hold on.....here we go.

(This brought to you from the B&B in Coquelles near Calais in France)

So July 4th dawned bright and sunny.

For once in my life I`d got all my packing and prepping done in the couple of days prior to the day of departure instead of my usual "Nah...it`s no bother...all I`ve got to do is lob a few clothes in a bag and go" which then results in a sweat dripping panic as I dash from room to room grabbing various items that I fail miserably to stuff into the bag which is "Perfectly big enough just for me,after all I`m experienced at all this,you know" and which gets hurled into a corner or jumped up and down on while I anxiously clock watch and attempt to repack yet again.

Nope...this time all was packed,ready and waiting.

Also,Dee was ready for the off too....all oils freshly changed...valve clearances checked..front and rear wheels interchanged (a great thing about the drum braked Ural combo....three way interchageability) and new brake shoes fitted,and properly chalked and adjusted...tyre pressures done...spare parts and some oil loaded...and even a full petrol tank and full Jerrycan!

Everything was so well sorted and organized that I decided to celebrate the start of what was looking like being a Grand Voyage by riding to the local McDonald`s for a sausage and egg McMuffin ... and me being a staunch hater of fast food outlets and McD`s in particular ... but hey,as Doc Holliday in 'Tombstone' said, "Mah hypocrisy knows NO BOUNDS".


And very nice it was too.
Fun riding the Ural through the drive in as well.



Then onwards to Lorraine`s house and time to remove my holdall from the sidecar seat and put it on the rear rack along with her holdall.
Those who read about my exploits travelling in UK,Northern France and Belgium with Mr.Cob recently may remember and have laughed at the "God Damn Heavy Case" we took....it was my pull along wheelie case thing but due a steel frame it weighed a bastard TON,even though Mr.Cob accused me of overloading it.
Well,THIS TIME my luggage was the lightest!
Lorraine did well managing to get two weeks of girlie stuff into a holdall only half the size of the Ural sidecar rear rack,but it was bloody heavy.
This herein after referred to as the 'BHHB' (Bloody Heavy Holdall Bag) ..

I`d put my holdall on the rack then gone inside her house to grab and load her holdall (remember now,it`s really a BHHB)....as I scooped the grab handles in my hand and went to stride out wth it,Lorraine said that it may be a "Bit Heavy".
JEEEZ....I always wanted one arm that was six feet long. :eek1
So....Dee was eventually loaded with my holdall and the BHHB.



Lorraine got kitted up and we were nearly ready to roll.



All aboard.......and ready for the "Dee Tour" to start.



The day`s route was to be rural A41 until the M54 motorway and then motorways M42,M40,M25 London Ring Road and some M20 to Folkstone.
Due to a procession of lumbering lorries I missed the signs for the services on the M42 and accordingly went onto reserve in the 38 mile No Man`s Land between that and the next one which was on the M40.
It wasn`t a matter of if..just a matter of when...and so there I was like a mad thing alongiside the M40 opening the sidecar boot to get the funnel out and removing the Jerrycan to fill up again.
No harm done,we resumed our virtually trouble free run down to the Chunnel...trouble free apart from a lane swinging girl in a car who would have wiped us out if I`d had one more layer of paint on my front mudguard.....it was THAT close I really don`t know how we missed her and I don`t think we would have done without the new brake shoes I`d fitted..
There wasn`t a great deal of photo opportunities other than some unusual vehicles and a few 'in motion' ones.....and the obligatory arrival at the Chunnel and onboard ones,of course.

Lorraine is still adapting to using her camera on the move but she took a few and hopefully will take more as the holiday progresses.....what I`ll do throughout my RR is post Lorraine`s 'Monkey Cam' photos with maybe the odd explanation in a separate post after mine.

This next photo is after we`d arrived at the Chunnel Terminal.
I`ve heard of trailering your bike....but this is taking it to new limits.



We waited in our boarding lane....fairly quiet today as you can see.



Vehicles proceed around a twisty feeder road and then cross the railway lines past various steep slopes leading down to the Chunnel trains.



We followed the cars onto the train....we entered the carriages from the side and rode through the train from carriage to carriage until told to stop.
Each carriage is shut of from the others during the journey and you stay with your vehicle throughout.



You can see how much happier Lorraine was to be on the train rather than the ferry boat.



Inside the train and along we go to our parking space.



You`ll see that there`s not much headroom.





Parked up...France less than half an hour`s journey time away.
Happy ? Yep...I reckon so!



Although it`s a very short crossing,the train is rather warm,and it`s nice to get out of your bike kit for a while,and to take your helmet off.



Ten minutes after disembarking from the train,we were in the B&B at Coquelles (where I`m typing this from) near Calais where I`d booked a room by telephone the night before due to an Internet problem preventing me from paying as well...they keep room reservations until 7pm which is great for travellers,or if the Internet works okay you can book and pay so the room is definately yours.

Dee from our door.



A quick freshen up and we went for a walk and something to eat....and drink!
For Mr.Cob and the other offroad fans,there was a big Mercedes Unimog parked nearby.



The French pride themselves on ornate and usually very floral roundabouts, especially at the start and end of each village or town.
They are often themed to the village or town too...so the ones here at Coquelles had old cutting heads from the making of the Channel Tunnel.



There was a nearby Auchan supermarket which has an onsite Flunch restaurant....you select from a fair choice of main meals and pay,then chefs serve it up and you have a 'help yourself, as much as you can eat' central island full of vegetables,sauces and sides...plus as well as soft drinks you can beer,cider or wine.
We both ate our fill and had drinks for 16 Euro...including two carafes of Sangria for me.



We followed that with a stroll around the Auchan store because it`s massive and we always enjoy looking at all the foreign foods and drinks....it all looks better than at home.
And I found THIS...a Scooby Doo sidecar combo with a figure of Shaggy riding it...how cool is THAT?
It should have had a container full of sweets on it but that was missing...so I only had to pay 1 Euro for it.



So that`s it for our first day...it`s 1.30 am and here I am typing to you lot out in cyber space...hope you enjoyed our first day....we did!



I`ll post Lorraine`s photos tomorrow...it`s time for sleep now.

Tomorrow....I wonder what that has in store for us ????

Howdy Steve and Larraine,

Do have a smashing holiday and a bit of fun too.

Larraine, Steve told me that when you folks went on holiday that you packed less then him, after lifting, pulling and carrying that bloody bag he packed whilst I traveled with him, I can only feel sorry for poor Dee if you don't.

Have a great time I'll be following this escapade.

Oh I almost forgot, whilst in France, be sure to have a proper ham and cheese samich with one of those funny crescent shaped French bread things. :eek1

:eek1 :eek1

Hiya Dave !

Thanks from both of us for your reply..in fact,thanks from the three of us but Dee is nearly travelling light,even including the BHHB.

Right....here`s Lorraine`s photos from Monday July 4th.

Dee showing a fair turn of speed while two-up and loaded.



Even if I lost my maps,at least this lorry knew the 'way' (check the name...groan).



On the motorway and approaching the Chunnel....Lorraine`s getting excited by this point!



Looks like we`re there!





Monkey view.



Approaching the two 'Border Control' stations....first a UK one and then a France one.
And just to get Mr.Cob up on his soapbox again...and rightly so too...as a slight difference to the Channel ferry but in a VERY stark contrast to the hoo-ha that ocurs in airports nowadays,we didn`t even have to hand our passports in!!! :eek1
As we were approaching each national 'border',the Customs guy saw the burgundy of of our UK passports and just waved us straight through!
Not even a quick flick through to look at them.
No questions.
No metal detection or X Ray.
No body search.
No sniffer dogs.
No vehicle search.
Not even any questions or concern about my ten litres of unleaded slooshing about in my JerryCan.
Hey Cobby....I should have packed a sidecar boot full of Marmite.

Shows what a bloody mockery and what a money spinner the so called 'airport security' really is.





Then came a very short wait...we were an hour before our scheduled check-in time so we had a choice of the two trains prior to our booked one at no extra charge.



A few photos taken in sequence on the way to the train...notice the lower vantage point from the sidecar compared to my similar photos earlier.









Lorraine didn`t take any 'on board while loading' photos but this next one is when we`d arrived on the French side and were riding through the carriages to leave the train.



Welcome to La France!





Yay! We`re really on holiday now!!



I`ve ridden abroad many times over the years and have never found it a problem...almost easier in some weird way.
This is now my third time Uralling on the Continent and even though I`m technically disadvantaged by my UK sided combo being the 'wrong way round' (check out my RR starting with the same words) it`s not a major problem.
The fun of it outweighs any possible snags anyway!



It`s not far at all to our B&B....literally two Autoroute junctions or 3km from the Chunnel.
Naturally I rode two junctions in the wrong direction.



'Monkey Cam' photo of us whizzing along the Autoroute in the RIGHT direction.



I showed a roundabout in Coquelles with a Chunnel cutter on it.
This photo shows the other roundabout with a whole cutting head on it.



And then we were there...somewhat silhouetted but here`s part of the b&B.



We were met in grand style at the B&B.





Once sorted we went for our walk and took some photos of the other roundabout before having our meal...here`s me being the tourist on holiday.







Right then...it`s 8am on Tuesday 5th July.
I`m going for a shower then we`re having breakfast.

And then...we go riding....see you later to show you what today brings.
Just like you,I don`t know what`s going to happen either.

Okay...7.30pm on Tuesday 5th July and we`re in a motel type place in Troyes.

Today dawned sunny and bright with a clear blue sky and got HOTTER and HOTTER.

France is a massive country and the Northern half is mostly agricultural....and on a BIG scale.
Fields of grain go from horizon to horizon in all directions for about 500 miles South of Calais...and to cover any decent kind of distance when you don`t want the stop/start of small roads and lorries,tractors,roundabouts and built up areas or don`t want to visit any particular villages or war sites you really have no choice but to use the Autoroutes (motorways) which are mostly toll roads but generally clear of bad traffic and let you stay all day at your chosen speed...or the speed chosen for you in the case of travelling by Ural !
One benefit is that there are a great many rest areas with every other one selling food and fuel.

So today was nothing more than Autoroute A26/A5/A26 all the way from Coquelles near Calais to Troyes (look on a map) where tiredness and the heat of the day became too much for us and we found our motel at about 4pm.
Aircon on full belt set at 15 degrees Celcius and a supermarket delicatessen tea sorted us out!
Plus a few glasses of Sangria,a bottle of Red Wine and a bottle of Normandy Cider.

I didn`t get to take any photos today but here are Lorraine`s 'Monkey Cam' ones.

Your humble scribe hard at work posting his waffle on here this morning when in the B&B in Coquelles.



Me looking elated (or is that deranged) after getting a free Internet connection and managing to upload my post this morning.



Today starting off with some UDF.



A picture showing one of the aforementioned benefits of the toll Autoroute...a whole motorway to ourselves!



I had filled Dee`s petrol tank at Clackett Lane on the M25 South of London on Monday...and then we`d ridden about sixty odd miles to the Chunnel.
So I knew that Dee had about half a tank left...and normally I`ll fill up before starting the day`s ride,but this would have meant touring Coquelles to find a petrol station.
I knew that there was a services on the A26 Autoroute just near St.Omer (best looking on that map I mentioned before...) because I`d used it a few times on previous trips,so I decided to fill up there instead of faffing about in town.

Unfortunately,on those previous occasions I wasn`t on a Ural combo averaging about 30mpg.
So..you guessed it....splutter...pop...cough.

This time....the gloves were off !!



And time for the good old Jerrycan again....second time in two days. :eek1



Blooming good job both my Urals have Jerrycans on them...and that I keep petrol in them...I reckon the easiest way to spot a Urallist who goes nowhere is to see if they have a Jerrycan containing petrol on their combo..or not.
Bit like looking at all the Sunday Bikers` boots for the telltale 'gearchange patch' wear mark.



The weird thing was that when we arrived at the services I was planning on filling up at,Dee only required 9.5 litres to brim the tank.
So she couldn`t have been on reserve at all......it must have been one of those spook moments when there`s an airlock or crap coming through the petcock.



Once filled up we started on our LONG 55-60mph trudge along the A26 Autoroute....although it must be said that we passed an awful lot of traffic along the way.
Mind you,this procession of bikes had no bother passing us....









After that moment or two of excitement with the traditional 'dragging and pumping right foot' greeting by passing bikers and the raised left hand with one or two fingers extended (but NOT 'flipping the bird' or 'doing a Churchill') by the one being passed,we were back to pretty much having the road to ourselves again.



But...hey...what`s this large lorry ahead ?



By large I meant LARGE...and,HEY,what`s all this stuff flying about in the air ??



Hey...it`s HAY !
A lorry piled up with Hay Bales.
I motioned to Lorraine the action of producing a cigarette lighter and flicking it on as we passed! :huh



A Monkey`s Eye view of my 'GPS' as we speed along....my mapholder attached to the tank with suction cups.
Well,it`s got me everywhere I`ve wanted to go for many a year now!



And this weirdo is me....your humble scribe at full speed ahead!



Now approaching the toll booth known as a 'Peage' on the A26 just North of the city of Reims (you did get that map,didn`t you?)....the toll charge from just South of Calais to just North of Reims on the Ural was 12.50 Euros.



The charge may at first sound steep...but consider that it allowed us to ride unhindered and uninterrupted at a constant 55-65mph on perfect road surfaces.
And when you look at the traffic jam on the parallel N44 rural N-Road in the photo below I`m sure you`d rather pay the toll!



I was certainly looking smug and happy with it.



Ok guys...the photos for today stop there...we`re now in the city of Troyes for the night and I`m going to catch up with Lorraine and my holiday now.

See you all tomorrow!!!

We`re in Chambery...in the foothills of the Alps!

Another LONG A5/A39/A40/A42 Autoroute stint from Troyes down to South of Bourg-en-Bresse costing 15 Euro but then we left the 'Transit Stage' which is the crossing of Northern France and headed Eastwards towards the Alps on the wonderfully scenic and twisty valley gorge road of D1504 heading towards Chambery.

We`re now less than 100 miles from our destination of Bardonecchia in Italy, so tomorrow we can have a leisurely brakfast and then REALLY start sightseeing.

I`ve blended some of Lorraine`s photos with mine in this single post rather than a kind of carbon copy one later.

This morning started with a bit of Dee maintenance.
Lorraine cleaned the fly cemetary from her windscreen.



While I checked Dee`s oils and brakes.
A left handed sidecar leads to some gymnastics....hence checking the gearbox oil is best done before breakfast!





Everything was good.



A quick wipe off of a small oil mist from the rear wheel rim and it was indeed time for breakfast.



We didn`t manage to get a room in the hoped for B&B in Troyes last night so we were directed to this 'Hotel Famille' chain instead...it was 10 Euro dearer but I was so heat fatigued yeaterday that I gladly paid for it...especially as it had AIR CONDITIONING.
For our USA readers...aircon is still a novelty or luxury over here.



So....time for breakfast.



I was delighted with the theme of the table mats.



Lorraine tucked in with gusto.



Although this hotel was dearer than the B&B,the room price apparently included a free Ural sidecar luggage rack....cunningly hidden beneath a pile of folded towels.



And talking of the room....see this corner where the loo is?



And see the small square white switch next to Lorraine`s elbow ?



Well...she knocked the switch last night...and it clicked ON.

And do you see the heater above her head ?
The HEATER?
The 3KW HEATER ?
It started...and wouldn`t stop...until it decided that it had timed out.
The bathroom became hotter than the bastard SAHARA DESERT ! :huh



So...this morning her punishment was to have to carry the BHHB from the room and down the stairs to Dee....as I remembered Mr.Cob grunting and cussing about the "God Damn Heavy Case" on our exploits recently.



You can see how guilty I felt by looking at this photo.



Soon enough Dee was loaded and we were ready for the off....another long Autoroute day to get us past the flatlands of Northern France and into Alpine territory leading to the Italian border.



To avoid another Jerrycan photo I filled Dee`s petrol tank before setting off down the Autoroute....look at the sticker on the pump...even the French must be suffering with 'Scallies on Scooters' as they have to pay first before receiving any petrol.



Then it was a nice bit of country road from Troyes centre to the A5 Autoroute.







A bit cloudier than yesterday so maybe a better travelling day for us enabling more miles to be done in greater comfort.





And then we turned onto the A5.



Meaning long boring Autoroute.



And more Autoroute.






Another bike whizzed past...this one towing a trailer.




At least we could cruise without any hinderance and we actually made up a respectable average speed....Dee ran like a clock and gave no trouble at all.
And the monotony was occasionally broken by the odd interesting vehicle.
We loved the paintwork on this lorry cab.



We stopped near Dijon for yet more petrol and I decided it was TIME FOR CAKE!



Lorraine treated us to this cake and drink stop but I bought her the Uber Cool
Coca-Cola anniversary limited edition flask seen next to her.
The lemon tart that I had was topped with the World`s Smallest Chocolate Bar!



Dee seemed to be drinking the petrol at a fair old rate...more so than normal even since my jetting and exhaust mods...so I decided to take one of the three shims out from each carb...you wouldn`t even dream of attempting this at a service station on your travels with most bikes but it only took five minutes.





Well...maybe ten minutes as the spluttering and popping on riding away led to me lifting the carb tops again...and finding that dopey me had put the needle holder on top of the left carb slide spring instead of the bottom.



Okay....MORE Autoroute...France is BIG.



The day was getting brighter...and hotter.



And something weird was seen ahead.



Of course...just what you`d expect to see....a 50ft tall metal chicken !




A fancy suspension bridge leading into an access road for a service area on the Autoroute.





Yet more petrol...I was a bit bothered about this until I realised that we had been continuously climbing on a very subtle but constant gradient for about an hour,as we climbed up into the Jura Mountains...no wonder Dee was feeling and sounding like she was working a bit harder at 55-60mph.
At least this meant the Alps were getting nearer!



Time for a Coke !



And we were both hungry so it was sandwich time for me and a boxed pesto pasta meal for Lorraine...her being a veggie leads to great difficulties Sur Le Continent,so she was clearly delighted with this find.
The station even had a row of microwaves to heat boxed food up.
Good job she enjoyed it...it cost 4.90 Euros! :eek1
My sandwich was 4.55 Euros. :huh



More Autoroute followed.....BUT LOOK...we`ve got HILLS !!



We AT LAST turned off the Autoroute for the scenic D1504 towards Chambery and what a treat it was after two days of 'Transit Stage'.





And the day got HOTTER !!



But what a ride it was now proving to be...fantastic!







We passed through a few small villages and towns...one had a fascinating University building....look at the wall design.



Tunnels started appearing.



Tunnels mean hills.
Hills around here mean the Alps are getting nearer and nearer!



I`d decided on Chambery as tonight`s stop because it left less than 100 miles to our hotel in Bardonecchia in Italy...so we could have a leisurely morning and spend tomorrow sightseeing and taking lots of photos crossing the Alps en route.
I wanted to stay in another B&B and saw a McDonalds (you`re never far from Ronald even here in France) which has free WiFi so thought it worth trying to reserve a room online,seeing as just how HOT the day was. It would hopefully save faffing about in the heat trying to find somwhere else if it was booked.
The aircon was a godsend too....but when we came out after being unsuccessful in gaining Internet access but successful in scoffing a McFlurry the heat hit us like a furnace.....warmer even than Lorraine`s Saharan bathroom this morning!



I found the B&B in Chambery no problem but sadly it was booked up....but the guy at the counter was very helpful...I`m sure it helps a great deal that I`m near fluent in French...and he telephoned another hotel nearby (the Art Hotel) which had a room and it only cost 54 Euro...or a total of 70 Euro including two breakfasts.
He even gave me a map and marked the short route there.....result!

It took us a long time to cool down enough to even get a shower....but after a while we had recovered and freshened up....then we went for a walk around Chambery centre.

A fascinating monument with four huge elephant`s heads and Indian type head dress on the upper bit.



Imposing church.



Chambery is a mix of very modern and expensive buidings combined with VERY OLD ones and narrow streets.





We were feeling ready to eat so had a tour of the many eateries before selecting one.



But first...a BEER!
A bottle of 'Desperados' beer...ice cold beer bottled with Tequila in it.



Followed by a delicious Panini each with frites (chips to us or fries to you).
And followed by another 'Desperados' of course!
This from a very nice Sicilian fast food outlet....very nice indeed.

On the way back to the hotel I fancied a beer or two to accompany me whilst typing this waffle for you lot...and it was still a very warm evening anyway...so I dragged Lorraine into a small shop with all kinds of beers and spirits for sale.
Ural riders worldwide will go green with envy in a moment.

WOWEE...LOOK AT THIS.

The WHOLE RANGE of Russian Baltika beers and various other Russian ones!!!





There was even a selection of Baltika posters on the walls.
The rather bemused lady watched me photographing her shop.





An even more bemused Lorraine was put to task photographing me and this poster.



And a happy me took these to the hotel.



And there`s this one left.



Which I`m going to drink right now.

Tomorrow is a full-on scenic day in the Alps to Italy.

Cheers!

Fantastic report! Thanks for taking us along with your trip.

Damp dreary day here in the Utah mountains, though I'm working in my little basement office with a great view of the building's air conditioning units so the weather really doesn't matter. Thanks for giving me a few minutes to dream about being on the road in beautiful places.

Best of luck to you and Lorraine in your travels.

I think this hanging out with Mr Cob has had a bad effect if your obsession with McDonalds is anything to go by....All of a sudden the suggestion of a ham and cheese croissant seems very civilised!

Howdy John,

All the time I spent in your country I REFUSED to go to mcdonalds and OFTEN commented that it was sad to see that this icon of my country had made a successful INVASION of yours and Europe. That Steve is patronizing this diabolical institution is no fault of mine and in fact brings into doubt his sanity as well as taste.

WE ARE NOW IN ITALY !!!

We are at our hotel in Bardonecchia !

(This is being typed 'the morning after' due to feeling a bit tired last night and there having being a craving for pizza and vino rosso to celebrate our achievement. )

So...Thursday 7th July and we enjoy a fine breakfast in the Art Hotel in Chambery.
NO CROISSANTS WITH HAM AND CHEESE THOUGH.



We couldn`t help a chuckle at the wrapped sugar cubes with the brand name of 'Daddy'.....how`s that for breakfasting with a Sugar Daddy,eh Lorraine?





There was a cool Art Deco style radio on the breakfast buffet table.



Dee had done a few more 'stumbles' yesterday,so after breakfast we went to the hotel`s underground secure carpark where I decided to remove the carb float bowls and see if there was any crap in them from the times Dee had run out of petrol.
There was a bit of crap there but I`ve seen worse and it didn`t look enough to cause the stumbles she`d had.





Once done,I checked her oils again...all okay...and then went around to the reception to get the lift (elevator) up to our room to collect our bike gear,my holdall and Lorraine`s BHHB.
I got fed up waiting for the lift and decided to walk upstairs instead....and promptly flung open what I thought was the door to the stairway....and while talking to Lorraine with my head turned her way I almost walked into a tiny broom closet. :huh
Lorraine thought this was MOST amusing....



Amusing in a 'macabre humour' fashion was the fitment in our bathroom of a 220v AC power socket with the bathroom lightswitch next to it....:huh
Time for a Gallic shrug perhaps.....



And time for a 'Tarka Arty Farty' photo in the hotel`s mirrored entrance foyer.



Dee was loaded up and ready...we were kitted up..let`s ride to Italy !!
(Most of the next photos are Lorraine`s)



We both liked Chambery and hoped that we would visit it again.
This photo is five minutes from our hotel while we`re on the road to Albertville.



You`ll possibly get fed up seeing photos of hills and mountains but we were feeling really excited knowing the 'real' Alps were getting closer and every few moments the hills looked higher and scenery got more and more spectacular.
We really did have that proper 'Holiday Feeling' now that the slog across Northern France was done.





But first....another petrol stop...at least this tankful would be the only one needed today.



Now we`re really ready....LET`S RIDE !!



It was looking like being a fantastic day.







A rearward facing 'Monkey Cam' photo.



And look ahead...the Alps are developing.







All this photo taking must be thirsty work...I glanced down at Lorraine and saw her making the most of being in a sidecar and having a drink of water while in motion. Safety Nazis stop reading here,but I took my camera from my pocket while riding along and snapped a photo of her for the novelty of it.



So to make the most of my new found 'skill' (no lectures please) of riding a two-up and loaded Ural combo one handed while taking photos,I took a few more for the hell of it.











The awesome scenery kept on coming at us.



And Dee kept on rolling along in grand style. What a fabulous way to tour!



Awesome Alps almost upon us.



This is the approach to St-Micheal-de-Maurienne.



TIME FOR A COKE (no Pepsi,to keep Mr.Cob happy)



Lorraine tries an 'Arty Farty' photo of the reflections on the bar doors.



Dee had felt a little bit more squirmy than normal,so I checked her tyre pressures (must admit to not checking them in Chambery this morning) and the rear tyre was at 35psi....I run this at 42psi when loaded or for hard running,so it was time to break out and use my newly bought footpump.
You soon learn not to rely on the Russian stirrup type pump that comes with the Ural as it normally dissassembles itself on first use or never has the felt seal fitted from new.



A rare photo collectors edition picture of a footpump in action.



All refreshed and ready to go....it was time to turn off the beautifully scenic D1006 main road through the town and take the D902 minor road.

The REAL ALPINE RIDING would start along here.

This road becomes the Col du Galibier at 2616 metre altitude.

Back in a moment to continue this fantastic day`s report.

Come on Tarka it's two and a half hours since you stopped writing. I'm stuck at home looking after grandson so your report is all that is keeping me sane at the moment. Was down that way last month went over from Albertvbille to Chamonix to visit son it was fantastic. Keep it coming. Glenn.

Sorry about the delay....I lost over an hour`s work when the system crashed while uploading...so I gave up and went for something to eat and a drink.

Right...we`ve turned off the D1006 and are now on the D902 which climbs up the Col de la Telegraphique to the village of Valloire,then drops for a few klicks before the good and proper climb to the Col du Galibier summit and thence downhill into Italy.

You can of course go through a couple of tunnels from France into Italy but I can`t see the point in riding for a thousand miles to the Alps and then going UNDER them.
It seems as blooming pointless to me as alcohol free beer or decaffinated coffee.
For those going 'over the top' there are a choice of passes (or Cols) but my first introduction to the Stella Alpina in 1999 saw me riding the Col du Galibier and it`s sort of my favourite...so it was today`s choice too.

Right...almost immediately the D902 starts to climb.







Sadly,as soon as the road started to climb,Dee started that 'stumbling' again...not a proper misfire or popping or banging,but a weird stammer or stumble....and it was more pronounced.
I decided to keep her running where possible....even though we ended up struggling to go beyond 20mph.....something didn`t seem right at all,despite the considerable gradient.





It eventually became hard work to maintain even that 20mph,but we finally made it to Valloire...with some relief I must add.





There was a bit of a descent from here so I thought I`d see if Dee ran any better with less load than the climbing she`d done...thinking maybe a duff plug or weak spark under load was causing a loss of power and the stumbling.
I reckoned it wasn`t a full-on ignition problem as there was no backfiring or popping or that feeling like a big hand jerking the bike back and forth which I got when the original coil failed years ago.
She seemed slightly better but it was still happening .. and is was so easy to do I decided to change the plugs.
WOW...both plugs were black and sooty....seems more of a mixture problem... so I scraped the soot off with a screwdriver and used a marvellous large leaf that Lorraine found to wipe them clean.
I then opened up the carbs and removed the two remaining needle shims in each one,although the problem felt worse than a symptom of just being jetted a bit rich for the new altitude. I`d imagine a slightly rich mixture due to thinner air but not for it to give sooty black plugs,but I didn`t have any smaller jets.

So,let`s try a bit more of the climb to the Col du Galibier,eh ?









Dee wasn`t running any better...constantly stumbling and stammering,and reluctant to rev....and I was racking my brain doing a mental process of elimination to analyse the situation and find a cause and effect,and hopeful cure to it.
In the meantime I decided to keep her running where possible and at least the scenery was getting more and more awesome.







Lorraine twisted around to take this next photo over the pillion seat.



The stammering and stumbling continued as we struggled on our 20mph tour of the Alps.







I was struggling constantly in keeping some momentum and around the time of this next photo we were overtaken by a guy on a pedal bike!
I either motioned something about this to Lorraine or moved around in order to speak to her,and I felt Dee accelerate slightly through the stumbling point.



What had happened was that I`d slightly closed the throttle....so if Dee was running a bit better and not stumbling on a slightly closed throttle,she had clearly been overfuelling and stumbling....but it couldn`t be the larger jets I`d fitted at home...they simply couldn`t cause such a bad problem.
Something more substantial was causing the bother.
I had no carb spares with me so managed to tweak the throttle setting while snicking (or crunching) from second to third gear and back to second or sometimes first gear as we climbed ever further.









The riding was getting quite difficult not being able to rev properly and constantly having to jiggle the gears....and at one particular switchback things simply felt too much to continue so I stopped at the roadside to ponder things.
But hey..what a spot even if we never got going again....look at the view.



Maybe the view inspired me...and cleared my mind..because it was here that I had a EUREKA MOMENT and saw the bloody obvious.
Dee was running incredibly rich.
She was sooting-up her sparkplugs.
I was sure the jets weren`t too big...but what if she simply wasn`t getting enough air because of a dodgy AIR FILTER ??
Rather than remove the filter,I simply popped the air inlet ducts off the carbs.



I tried Dee on the next climb....BLADDY HELL...she pulled like a train!!
She sounded totally different too...really strong and throaty (not just because of the inlet roar) and had incredible throttle response.
We romped up the incline and stopped at a cafe/restaurant just before the Col du Galibier gets REALLY serious in order to celebrate this success with Dee.







I felt like celebrating with a beer but didn`t want to chance it while still having to ride...and also the thinner air at this altitude would make me drunk even easier than at sea level...so we decided to celebrate with a bite to eat and a non alcoholic drink....definately a mega strong coffee for me.
I walked along the cafe/restaurant`s balcony to gawp at the view and take some photos..and promptly sent some carefully stacked metal chairs clanging and clattering all over the place.
Lorraine of course thought this even funnier than my broom closet incident this morning.





I thought her reaction to the size of our hand made cheese baguettes equally funny!



I`ll save this here in case of more Internet crashes.
After our lunch we ride the 'serious' bit of the Col du Galibier and onwards to Bardonecchia!

From where the cafe/restaurant is,there is a tunnel under the really serious last section of the climb up the Col du Galibier.



Like I said earlier,I hadn`t ridden all this way to ride UNDER the Alps,so now we were refreshed and fed...and relieved at Dee running well again...it was time to move off.
Let`s go 'Pass Storming' !



It really is an incredible place...and an awesome ride.







I never tire of riding these Alpine passes...never tire of just gazing at the magnitude of the scenery.



In the next photo we`re looking down at the cafe/restaurant we`d stopped at.



More climbing..this time with power...and we reach some snow!



Then we finally reach the summit...YIPPEE !!!





Monkey view looking under my arm.




Looking over the wall and down to the Italian side of the Col du Galibier.
We`re going to be riding down there in a moment.



The ride down was awesome...sweeping bends..tight switchbacks...no crash barriers most of the time..no run-off verges...absolutely incredible.
I`ll let Lorraine`s photos speak for themselves as we ride down the pass.



















I`m saving this before a network crash again.

There can be fewer things more satisfying than fixing a problem affecting the bike whilst on a trip. You can almost hear the sigh of relief come off the screen when you found out what it was.

Glad to hear that Dee has cleared her throat and can breath again. Have you thought about putting a couple of Fishermens Friends in the tank next time you fill up?

wheres me popcorn

Gradually the incline levelled out and grass fields and small hamlets appeared again.



The next two photos show the same chapel as we`d ridden around it on the tight bends.







Then we turned left onto the D1091 valley road heading for Briancon just before the Italian border in order to make the final leg to Bardonecchia.







Time for a brief rest stop in front of the old fort guarding the valley in Briancon.



Harry the horse clip clopped along to say hello. Did he really? 'Neigh,lad...' (Groan)



A photo for Mr.Cob seeing as he thought Lorraine`s house was small.



From Briancon we headed for Montgenevre and Claviere.



And the Italian border!
It`s all open borders across Western Europe now...the buildings aren`t even staffed.



Wahoo...we`re in Italy!!



Italy almost immediately greeted us with a long,dark,tunnel that had its road surface all ripped up and grooved....that would have been real fun on a solo but Dee just shook her head a little bit as we whizzed along unperturbed.



More twisties ahead.





Signs for Bardonecchia are appearing now.....the excitement is building!







And then we were there !!



WE`D DONE IT...WE`RE AT OUR HOTEL IN ITALY !!



Dee and Lorraine outside our Hotel Sommeiler in Bardonecchia.



It`s really hard for me to convey just how elated I felt at achieving this arrival !
Here`s a sneaky photo of Lorraine and Dee taken through the door while I wait to check in.



Francesco the hotel owner remembered me from three or four years ago..and he came out to greet Lorraine.



It was nice to fully unpack our clothes and gear as we were staying here for five nights....we had a short chill-out then freshened up,as we had an important rendezvous to keep.
A rendezvous with a full and genuine Italian pizza each!



Then we went to a nearby 'Biker Bar' called the 'Sitting Bull' owned by a guy called Bepe who is a full patch Italian Hell`s Angel...he really is a great guy and we felt perfectly at home in his bar on our last visit to Italy years ago.
He remembered us too!
He looked quite a bit different from the last time we saw him...on talking with him it turned out he`d had a terrible accident with a lorry in 2007 while on his bike and he`d been in a coma for 17 weeks,during which he`d lost half his body weight....once out of the coma he then had major facial surgery and repairs done to both his legs.
On hearing this horrifying tale it made us even more pleased to be with Bepe again.





I`m not too sure how many Hell`s Angels approve of or encourage Line Dancing or 'Cowboy Dance Lessons'...but it was going on in Bepe`s bar !







These folk didn`t seem too impressed with it.



I`m not too sure if Lorraine is dancing or hiding from the camera in this next photo.



And that`s it for Thursday 7th July.
We`ve made it to Italy !

I`m sort of a day behind with this report now due to web crashes...I`ve been on this day`s section for nearly FIVE HOURS today. :eek1

Today...Friday..has been a chill-out so it`ll be a short posting to update tomorrow.

Howdy Steve,

Well...............:ddog it would seem that you have been NEGLECTING the conveyance. Don't be a twit, LOCK this into your brain when ever the rig feels sluggish and the plugs are fouled with fuel ALWAYS check the air filter. Its a good thing I wasn't in the sidecar I would have had to serve notice that your services were in danger of being replaced. Seriously, the dirty air filter has caused many folks to pull their hair out trying to figure out what the problem is. A good fast easy road side cure is to take the filter element out and tap it on the sidecar passenger step, doing this will usually dislodge enough of the crud to keep you going until you have time to do a proper element clean or replacement. Another tip, always carry a spare filter in a sealed plastic bag.

Now on with the RR, that is if you can stay out of broom closets and from tripping over chairs.

Hiya Dave..thanks for your reply and advice.
Rest assured that Dee has not been neglected!
The air filter being the culprit is bloody obvious now that I`ve discovered it but bear in mind that I`m never riding off road like you do,and my normal environment isn`t typically dusty or anything like that,so in Dear Old Blighty an air filter only needs looking at maybe once a year.

Once we`d settled in Bardonecchia I removed the air filter and it was sodden with thick oily gunge.
I reckon the main problem and cause was from just before our Cob Relay adventure,when I`d chased out a problem whereby Dee would smoke heavily on startup and on left rocker cover removal lots of oil would pour out...it was because I`d fitted a head gasket arse about face and blocked off the drain hole in the bottom of the cylinder head to let oil run back to the sump.
I reckon this hole also allows some pressure relief/breathing...and because it was blocked a lot of oil mist was being blasted through the crankcase breather and into the airbox..clogging the airfilter.

A friendly garage guy has blasted the filter out with an airline and I also gave it a thorough clean with some brake cleaner,so let`s see how things are when we ride later today.

I`ll be updating in a moment....and I`ll try to avoid any more collisions.

Friday 8th July was to be a total 'chill-out' day with NO RIDING.

A proper 'holiday day' for us both.

Here`s some photos taken from the balcony of our hotel room.





And this is a 'Bog Cam' photo taken whilst sitting on the loo.



I forget his name now,but the waiter in the Hotel Sommeiler is a biker and owns a Yamaha TTR600...he`s quite crazy and a funny guy...he doesn`t speak English and I don`t speak Italian but we can communicate via the International Language of the Motorbike .
He loves getting any attention at all...and loves his photo being taken.
Here he is getting both.





After our breakfast we decided to go on a leisurely stroll around Bardonecchia for the morning.
Here`s our hotel viewed from across the town square.



A view along the main 'shopping street' which is quite a long hill.



It`s a lovely place and the Italians clearly pride themselves on its appearance.
Here`s Lorraine next to the 'Tourist Information' cabin.



Now then....Zebras.
Are they white with black stripes....or black with white stripes ???
Unsure?
Maybe ask the painter then!



A proper touristy holiday photo next.



What a shame the electrical wiring in the room isn`t quite as aesthetically pleasing as the beautiful floral displays! :huh



The afternoon was incredibly hot so we'd returned to the hotel to escape the sun....I decided to write up Thursday`s ride report from the hotel reception and it was a task that took me pretty much all afternoon and some of the evening due to web crashes...but hey,it was a comfy workstation!



On the ride down to Italy we`d met a couple travelling on a Triumph Tiger who were also headed to Italy for the Stella Alpina....we`d chatted at a service station once the guy had spotted my trials type tyres on Dee and he guessed we were headed for the Stella....he asked me about campsites and about the mountain track we`d be doing on Sunday.
Quite by chance,after I`d succeeding in posting my Ride Report update Lorraine and I went out for a beer and some food....and we met the pair of them at Bepe`s bar!
This was Nick and Magda...we spent an enjoyable evening together swapping tales and having a good giggle.



Now many people seem to harp on about Urals not being reliable.
However,up to now we`d only seen two broken down bikes since leaving England...and they were both big and fairly new KTM`s.
Here`s one of them whose owner had been sat at the bar for hours awaiting a friend to arrive and attempt a repair....luckily he was successful.
I recommended he try a Ural next year.



Soon the growling stomaches declared that it was time to eat so we went to a different place from last night.
We`ve eaten here before in the past and it`s cool..totally laid back...and most of the menu is hand written on a sheet of paper.



We tried...REALLY tried...to avoid eating another pizza this evening.
But the temptation was too much.



Two big pizzas,a Diet Coke and half a litre of red wine was 23 Euro.

Next,we naturally returned to Bepe`s bar....the Sitting Bull.

I didn`t feel like having beer which would bloat my stomach...and didn`t really want any more wine..but I did feel like some sort of drink.
I`m not much of a spirits drinker but Lorraine had a huge glass of Vodka and Orange which look appealing so I tried it....and didn`t exactly enjoy it...the Orange was really sharp tasting.



But then I had an idea....how about Vodka and Pear juice?
And the verdict ?



Suitably drunk we returned to our hotel for the night and were confronted by the bizarre sight of a table full of Smurf figurines arranged in some form of meaningful pattern....was it trying to tell us something we didn`t know ??



Well,that`s Friday 8th July done...hope you`re still enjoying.

Top stuff, Tarksi - enjoying this hugely. When are you heading back - and if you're coming by the Oxford junction of the M40, let's meet up!

Cheers Comrade Markski...and we`re not even on the Stella Day yet!

Back in UK on Friday 15th....should be at Oxford around 11am..will text ETA.