Eastern Europe 2015

I will join Adriatic Moto Tours and start and finish in Vienna and then continue with a solo tour from Vienna to Budapest and return bike to Ljubljana, Slovenia

 I arranged to fly to Vienna, Austria and arrive on July 4. I rented a 650 Suzuki V-Strom (which is the same bike that Harold Brooks rode on my first adventure to Panama). Although all of the other riders were on BMW's, I found the V-strom to be more than enough for the alps. I on the other hand wasn't so fond of the great many very tight hairpins (switchbacks). I guess at 71, I'm just getting conservative (and slow). The 40 lbs I lost in preparing for this trip was a real benefit overall but not with the hairpins!

Olomuc, Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Salzburg and Vienna should offer some amazing experiences. Riding the Austrian Alps alone should make the tour special. The ride to Budapest is only150 miles which will give me time to sightsee and arrange a day tour for the additional day I will spend there.

From Budapest, I will ride south to Ptuj, a small town a short distance into Slovenia, and finish my 14 days by returning the Suzuki to the tour company in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The approximately 1650 miles will be the shortest of my adventures but hopefully the experience will rival the other outings.



Adventure Beginning

bobforsee@yahoo.com


In 1968 I read a story in Cycle World magazine about a fellow that rode from the U.S to the tip of South America and I was psyched to do the same. However, over 35 years passed and I hadn't taken that journey. So after retirement, I began to consider the possibilities.

For 12 years my wife and I put over 9,000 miles on our bicycles. We greatly enjoyed our two-wheeled activity, particularly the Katy Trail which covers over 200 miles across Missouri. However when it comes to adding a motor to the two wheels, I'm all alone. Brenda doesn't feel the same comfort on a motorcycle that she feels on her bike.

Beginning with that first Honda I bought in 1966 (only 160cc) I have always enjoyed the feeling of adventure that motorcycling gives you. In the 60's I traveled a number of times by motorcycle including two trips to the Rocky Mountains, once to New Orleans and once to Los Angeles.


In early November of 2006 after spending a year of planning and trying to digest a bit of Spanish, I joined Harold Brooks and we traveled through five Latin American countries totaling 4200 miles.


In 2008 I flew to Buenos Aires where I had arranged to rent a Honda Transalp and headed north through Argentina, Chile and Peru. The ride to see Machu Picchu in the Andes totaled over 5100 miles.


In 2013 I planned a ride from Jo' Burg, South Africa to Victoria Falls. The trip through Botswana, Zimbabwe and back to South Africa was wonderful. The Falls were amazing, but seeing elephants and other big game while traveling down the highway was a treat.


I got another bug to do another ride in 2015. Not so much an adventure, but none-the-less exciting. I joined nine other riders for a tour of Eastern Europe. Adriatic Moto Tours (of Slovenia) provided guides and bikes and our group traveled for eight days from Vienna to Prague and South to Salzburg and then back to Vienna. After that, I arranged to continue on with the bike and travel on my own. I rode into Hungary to Budapest, spent an additional day there, and then South past lake Balaton and returned the bike to the tour company in Ljubljana, Slovenia. This ride provided many amazing sights with the Alps and beautiful land of Austria and the Czech Republic being among the most memorable.


In 2018, I took on what may have been my final adventure. At age 74, I rented a small Honda motor bike in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and rode North to Hanoi. The 23 days of travel was everything I expected. Wonderful people and God-awful traffic. Truly an amazing ride.


PREPARATION

In preparing for each of my trips I found a great deal of information on Horizons Unlimited web site. This amazing site has journals, health info and active bulletin boards that allow for contact with other travelers. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com




About Me

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Professional: Graphic design for Steven mfg., Art Director -MFA inc. and Missouri State Parks. Teaching: Stephens College, Columbia College, Virginia Commonwealth U. and Rolla Technical Institute.

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