EASTERN CONFERENCE -Saxonia calling and OUT OF RAINFALL

WHAT A WEEKEND TO BEGIN WITH . It has been my first 1000 kms back on the bike this year after all the masterturmoils of the first 4 months. As much as it kept me from riding my "Almighty" before May this year , as much this trip to Saxonia was compensating for it all.

Following Manfred Hoffmanns invitation to a worldtravellers bikermeeting in Struppen near Dresden in Eastern Germany- I have to confess and blame myself at the same time. To confess this was my first trip ever to Saxonia`s Ore mountains. And to blame myself , I did not do this much, much earlier.
Escorted by splendid weather I rode one of my best motorrcycle trips ever . More than 1000 kms in 2 days through fantastic , scenic major and minor roads with anything from firstclass pavement and 2 m pottholes, close to Kasachan Standard. All this was acoompanied by respectful and gentle people - and meeting real original travellers and bikers at Manfreds place in Struppen.

Biggest surprise was to meet Herbert from Belgium again - bikerfriend and brother of Veerle, who Hombre and me met in Krasnojarsk in 2008 ( she right now is travelling Vietnam - this is a big hello to you Veerle from Germany -enjoy the trip). Herbert recently returned from the Panamerican Highway on his GS 1200 - guys would not belive his 130000 km on the clock of his 2010 model - 26 trips to Russia and I guess hardly any place on earth that he has not been to on a bike ;-)

Manfred is a longdistance biker himself- joining bikers each year in Struppen for a globerider meeting . Besides he is running a small but valuable pulishimg company , that publishes globeriderstories and informations - well worth reading for information as much as finding new intuition for the next trip

Of many great people on this weekend there were to wonderful and outstanding ones . Karin and Eberhard- Meeting each other at their early 70s , Eberhard took her on their first together sidecartrip to : Djanet, Algheria, Central Sahara - As if this was not tough enough for our "young girl" at the age of 72 she decided to go for her motorcycle drivers licence - and passed it. So now they not only married in the meantime, but come down all the way from Oldenburg in northern Germany - each on a rebuild Russian Djnepr-Sidecar. If I have any wish for getting older at all - please dear god - that´s the way to do it. In their hearts those two running towards their 80s are ways younger than so many who think they are. This is the stories only bikers will ever come across - simply wonderful to experience.

Generations next to each other - Djnepr meet GS 1200

Oldies but goodies

Made in the USSR

Karin and her Djnepr-Sidecar

The day after

Longdistance Herbert from Belgium

C U SOON Herbert - good Road to Belgium

The "Almighty" celebrating 90000 kms on the clock - no hassles :-)

And if all this was not good enough - running back home I passed a little village named "RAINFALL" - so by the end of town I had the privilege to leave "Rainfall" behind - what an outlook for this years summer

Thank you Moni and Manfred for organizing a great bikers venue - we will be back to Saxonia and you as soon as possible - actually Petra and me changed our holiday plans this year to Saxonia and Eastern Germany.

Have a safe and sunny summer - and dont miss this part of the world with your bikes - you´ll love it ! And there is a lot of great bikerstories next door....

Good roads from BABA

(Deutsche Überstezung ganz bald)