DAY 3 SATURDAY 9TH JANUARY 2010
Woke up in Orleans at 5.00am and weather looked good with no new snow overnight. Woke again at 9.00 am to find fresh snowfall and carpark covered. Hopefully, at later date I will be able to upload photo to show just how bleak the conditions were. Had very basic breakfast in simple Formula 1 style hotel. Glen rang to say he was already on the road but that John was planning to stop in Paris until conditions improved.
I got going at 10.30 French time but forgot to switch on my Spot satelite transmitter until my first petrol stop. Very cold again and light snow but roads were well salted and gritted with numerous snow ploughs on roads although only salting first two lanes of motorway leaving outside overtaking lane with snow, ice and slush.
Stopped for fuel early, fuel consumption dropped to low 40s mpg due to slow speed running in low gears in the snow. Painfuly cold at times with hands and feet worst. Made frequent stops for coffee and soup at services before cold got too bad. Good to be clocking up the mies and heading south to supposedly warmer weather. French Météo this morning showed Bordeaux at amongst the coldest at -6. So far since leaving home in Devon, I have only ridden in sub zero temperatures.
In afternoon, I stopped again at services and met an interesting Australian chap who was also a fan of BMW motorcycles. We chatted for ages about bikes and I even arranged to help him sell some sparess he had left over.
Another stage of 90 miles left me with only 60 to go to Bordeaux. I needed to stop again and had a decent meal but with the pitifuly small sized coffee you always get in France.
Eventualy Bordeaux was reached and Glen texted me to give me details of the city centre hotel he had checked into. I soon found it and rode around the block to the hotel carpark. Unfortunately, it had been a long day and I turned in to wrong underground car park by mistake. I realised my mistake when I exited the carpark an found I was locked out of it and my bike was locked in it! I managed to dive in behind a car before the large metal gates closed but now I had to work out how to get my bike out. Finally a car came to the exit and I was able to tailgate him out before the barrier came down.
In evening Glen and I went out for an excelent meal washed down with some of the wonderful local wine. Text received from John saying he had reached Poitiers and would join us in Bordeaux on Sunday afternoon.
Woke up in Orleans at 5.00am and weather looked good with no new snow overnight. Woke again at 9.00 am to find fresh snowfall and carpark covered. Hopefully, at later date I will be able to upload photo to show just how bleak the conditions were. Had very basic breakfast in simple Formula 1 style hotel. Glen rang to say he was already on the road but that John was planning to stop in Paris until conditions improved.
I got going at 10.30 French time but forgot to switch on my Spot satelite transmitter until my first petrol stop. Very cold again and light snow but roads were well salted and gritted with numerous snow ploughs on roads although only salting first two lanes of motorway leaving outside overtaking lane with snow, ice and slush.
Stopped for fuel early, fuel consumption dropped to low 40s mpg due to slow speed running in low gears in the snow. Painfuly cold at times with hands and feet worst. Made frequent stops for coffee and soup at services before cold got too bad. Good to be clocking up the mies and heading south to supposedly warmer weather. French Météo this morning showed Bordeaux at amongst the coldest at -6. So far since leaving home in Devon, I have only ridden in sub zero temperatures.
In afternoon, I stopped again at services and met an interesting Australian chap who was also a fan of BMW motorcycles. We chatted for ages about bikes and I even arranged to help him sell some sparess he had left over.
Another stage of 90 miles left me with only 60 to go to Bordeaux. I needed to stop again and had a decent meal but with the pitifuly small sized coffee you always get in France.
Eventualy Bordeaux was reached and Glen texted me to give me details of the city centre hotel he had checked into. I soon found it and rode around the block to the hotel carpark. Unfortunately, it had been a long day and I turned in to wrong underground car park by mistake. I realised my mistake when I exited the carpark an found I was locked out of it and my bike was locked in it! I managed to dive in behind a car before the large metal gates closed but now I had to work out how to get my bike out. Finally a car came to the exit and I was able to tailgate him out before the barrier came down.
In evening Glen and I went out for an excelent meal washed down with some of the wonderful local wine. Text received from John saying he had reached Poitiers and would join us in Bordeaux on Sunday afternoon.
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