Well, I know it’s been a while but I’m on vacation and it’s really hard to get motivated.  The ride into Carros-Le Broc was very long.  First we got lost coming out of Paris onto the peripherique (which is a ring road around the city), so it probably added an hour onto our ride in the first place.  After that it was pretty smooth sailing.  We took the toll roads down because it’s faster going that way.  Oh ya, speeds of up to 160 km/hr, and people were still passing us!!  However, on a side note, in France you can weave in and out of traffic on a motorcycle or scooter or whatever you’re riding, and the car drivers actually move to let you get by.  Very civilized and also a little scary as a passenger.  We rode from Carros into Nice and the going was too slow for the bike because it’s air-cooled.  So we didn’t spend a lot of time there that day.  The next day we rode into Monaco to visit Monte Carlo.  They were setting up the track for the big race.  The casino was pretty amazing but security is really strict.  Anyway, here’s some pictures of the trip so far.

Well, this is it.  Tomorrow, May 19th, we take off for gay Paree! It will be a long flight, but I’m sure it will be worth all the discomfort.  We’ll be arriving tomorrow morning at 9:30 am, France time.  We’ll have a day to get our bearings then will pick up our 2011 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic.  I’ll be writing every day about our travels and adding some great pics (hopefully). As you can see, Fred already misses us. This post is short and sweet because I don’t want to bore you before we even get started!  Stay tuned for more stuff and feel free to make comments!!

Well, here we are again.  I have done a lot of research regarding renting a Harley in Paris and have met with success!  We are picking up the bike from a place called Paris V-Twin Passion in the 15th district.  Our contact there is Gilles Pargny, very nice guy.  We haven’t actually talked to him yet, but have been corresponding back and forth via e-mail.  Our bike is an Ultra Classic, like the one we ride here, but newer!  This means we’ll have the tour pack and saddlebags for luggage.  Looks like we’re packing light again.  That’s ok, as long as there’s room for the necessities the rest is easy enough to find.  Of course, that means my footwear choices are limited.  I’m a great believer in lists for the simple reason that I can cross things off that just won’t fit.  We’ll be taking our H-D rain suits, leathers and boots.  We’re not sure about the lids yet.  The rental includes helmets and rain gear, but we can take our own helmets if they are DOT certified.  We’ll see.  Our price includes insurance also.

Now, as to the trip itself.  The ride is about 930 kms from Paris to Carros-Le Broc area.  The quickest route is 8 1/2 hours straight riding, but we figure if we want to do it in one day it could take about 12, with stops along the way.  That is to be decided pretty much when we get there. There are also tolls.  Most highways have numerous tolls on them.  You can avoid these roads, but it will take you a hell of a lot longer to get where you’re going!  There is a site called theaa.com/route-planner that can help you pick various ways to get where you’re going over there.  It not only tells you the quickest, most scenic, shortest, Michelin recommended or cheapest routes to take, it also tells you where the traffic cameras are! Good site. We’ll keep you posted as things progress.  Have fun and ride safe!