PLANNED TO LEAVE OUR PLACE ON THURSDAY MORNING AND CATCH AN EARLY BOAT.  ONCE AGAIN I WAS WORKING ON THE WINNEBAGO - I HAD FITTED TWO ALTERNATORS, ONE FOR EACH OF THE BATTERIES, WHICH MEANT I HAD TO MAKE NEW PULLEYS FOR THE SECOND ALTERNATOR.  AS USUAL,  THINGS DID NOT GO ACCORDING TO PLAN AND WE FINALLY GOT DOWN TO THE DOCKS AT 5.30PM AND ENDED UP PAYING MORE FOR A CROSSING THAN WE WOULD HAVE DONE IF WE HAD GOT AN EARLY BOAT.

ANYWAY, ON TO FRANCE-BELGUIM, ROUND ANTWERP RING ROAD, TRAFFIC VERY LIGHT AND WE MADE GOOD PROGRESS. THINGS STARTED TO GO WRONG WHEN WE GOT THROUGH THE BELGIUM BORDER INTO HOLLAND.  SOMEHOW WE MISSED THE TURNING THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN US ACROSS TO THE RIGHT AND UP TO UTRECHT.  THE FIRST WE BECAME AWARE OF THIS FACT WAS WHEN WE FOUND OURSELVES ON THE ROTTERDAM RING ROAD WITH EXPLETIVES COMING FROM MY MOUTH LIKE, “HOW THE F--- DID WE GET HERE?”  AFTER A STUDY OF THE MAP WE TURNED RIGHT AND HEADED INLAND TOWARDS UTRECHT, GOT TO ULTRECT AND TURNED LEFT AND HEADED UP THE  COUNTRY AGAIN, THANK CHRIST, ON THE RIGHT ROAD AGAIN.

ALL WAS WELL UNTIL WE FOUND OURSELVES ON THE AMSTERDAM RING ROAD, AFTER ANOTHER STUDY OF THE MAP WE ONCE AGAIN THOUGHT WE WERE ON THE RIGHT ROAD UNTIL LYNDA EXCLAIMED “HOW COME WE ARE ON THE A7, WE SHOULD BE ON THE A6”.  ON WE GO, EVERY GARAGE IS SHUT, NO TRAFFIC AND NOBODY ABOUT, RUNNING LOW ON DIESEL.   PULLED INTO A SHUT FUEL STATION, ONCE AGAIN STUDIED THE MAP AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT WE WERE ON WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL THE COAST ROAD.  SO INSTEAD OF GOING UP THE A6 TO LEMMER WE HAD GONE OFF TO THE LEFT AND GOING IN A BIG CURVE AND WE WOULD COME OUT ABOVE LEMMER.  SO ON WE GO AND BY NOW WE WERE GETTING REALLY LOW ON DIESEL.   STILL NO FUEL STATIONS OPEN.  FOUND A FUEL STATION (CLOSED) IN A PLACE CALLED JAUVE, WE PULLED UP ON THEIR FORECOURT OUT OF THE WAY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, NOT VERY EASY WITH  40’ OF R.V. AND TRAILER.   THEY DID NOT OPEN TIL 8.00AM AND THE TIME WAS 5.00AM FRIDAY MORNING.  WE SET THE ALARM AND GOT SOME SLEEP,  WOKE UP AND FILLED UP WITH DIESEL ONLY A FEW MILES AWAY FROM LEMMER.  GO ON DOWN THE ROAD TOWARDS LEMMER ON THE A6 AT LAST, PULLED INTO A PARKING AREA BESIDE A LAKE, MADE TEA AND HAD BREAKFAST, LYNDA DONE HER THING & MADE HERSELF PRESENTABLE.

ON WE GO TO LEMMER, ARRIVED AT TONY’S AT LONG LAST. FOND GREETINGS FROM TONY AND HENNE.  THEY HAD MADE THE PLACE SECURE WITH BARRIERS, WHICH THEY HAD TO MOVE TO LET US IN.  ACROSS THE ROAD ON POLES WAS THE ELECTRICAL CABLE AND GUESS WHAT?  IT WAS LOW ENOUGH TO GET CAUGHT ON THE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT ON THE ROOF OF THE CAMPER.  I ENDED UP ON THE ROOF OF THE CAMPER AND MANAGED TO GET THE CABLE UNTANGLED.  TONY & CO MANAGED TO PUSH THE CABLE UP WITH POLES AND WE GET THROUGH, PARKED UP ON SITE, THOUGHT “THANK CHRIST THE NIGHTMARE WAS OVER”.

MIKE & SYBIL WERE STAYING IN A HOTEL IN THE TOWN, THEY ARRIVED ON SITE AND THE FOUR OF US WENT TO TOWN.  IT WAS MARKET DAY AND WE HAD A LOOK AROUND THE STALLS.  MIKE BOUGHT A WOOLY JUMPER AS HE AS COLD, SYBIL BOUGHT A PLAQUE WITH THE WORDS WRITTEN ON  IT “MY NEXT HUSBAND WILL BE NORMAL”. WE ENDED UP HAVING FISH & CHIPS AT A CANAL SIDE RESTAURANT.

RETURNED TO SITE, QUITE A FEW MORE PEOPLE HAD ARRIVED.  IN THE EVENING WE HAD DINNER AND SAT AROUND TALKING ETC AND WENT TO BED QUITE EARLY AS LYNDA AND I WERE SUFFERING WITH LACK OF SLEEP.

SATURDAY DAWNED, MIKE WITH SYBIL IN THE CHAIR, ANITA ON HER INDIAN, PETE ON HIS SCOOTER AND LYNDA ON HER SUZUKI AND MYSELF ON MY INDIAN WENT FOR A RIDE AROUND AND ENDED UP IN THE TOWN THAT WE HAD STOPPIN AT ON THE WAY TO LEMMER.  WE HAD COFFEE AND CHIPS SAT AT A PAVEMENT TABLE & CHAIR CAFÉ.  TIME WAS GETTING O SO WE HEADED BACK TO LEMMER FOR THE RIDE OUT.  A BIT LATE GETTING BACK, MOST OF THE PEOPLE WERE READY TO GO ON THE RIDE OUT.  MIKE WAS FROZEN SO I SET HIM & SYBIL UP IN THE CAMPER, TURNED THE HEATING UP, PUT THE KETTLE OON AND SHOWED THEM WHERE EVERYTHING WAS.  BY NOW EVERYBODY HAD GONE ON THE  RIDE OUT AND OFF I WENT TO CATCH  THEM UP.  THRASHED UP  THE ROAD AT 80 MPH IN THE DIRECTION  THAT THEY HAD GONE, WENT 6 MILES UP THE ROAD BUT NO SIGN OF THEM.  RETURNED TO SITE, HAD A LOO K AT THE MAP OF THE RIDE OUT. THEY HAD GONE OUT OF THE ESTATE THE WAY I THOUGHT THEY HAD, BUT INSTEAD OF GOING UP THE MAIN ROAD THEY HAD GONE TO THE LEFT ON A MINOR ROAD.

BY THE TIME MIKE HAD THAWED OUT, IT WAS DECIDED THAT US THREE  WOULD GO OFF AND MEET UP WITH THE OTHERS ENROUTE.  UP THE ROAD WE GO, ME IN THE FRONT, MIKE BEHIND WITH SYBIL IN THE CHAIR.  ONE MINUTE THEY WERE  BEHIND ME,  NEXT MINUTE NO SIGN OF THEM.  VISIONS WENT  THROUGH MY HEAD OF THEM IN THE DYKE.  TURN AROUND, CHARGE OFF BACK DOWN THE ROAD, FOUND THEM BROKEN DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.  SYBIL WAS NOT VERY HAPPY, IN FACT SHE WAS MRS ANGRY AS SHE THOUGHT THAT MIKE WAS MAKING  OUT THAT HE HAD BROKEN DOWN AS SHE WAS PISSED OFF THAT THEY HAD MISSED THE RIDE OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE MIKE WAS COLD.

BACK I GO TO THE SITE WITH MIKE’S KEYS TO HIS CAR, HITCH UP THE TRAILER, BACK UP THE ROAD LOAD THE COMBO ONTO THE TRAILER.  OFF WE GO AGAIN WITH THE INTENTION OF MEETING UP WITH THE OTHERS AT A PUMPING STATION THAT THEY WERE STOPPING AT.  GUESS WHAT?  NO SIGN OF THEM, THEY HAD BEEN & GONE, SO ONCE AGAIN, BACK TO THE SITE.  AS WE GOT NEAR WE CAUGHT UP WITH THEM RETURNING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.  WE WERE GOING TO THE OTHER END OF TOWN AS SYBIL WANTED TO GO TO McDONALDS.  I WAS DRIVING AND MIKE SAID “TURN LEFT HERE” AND I FOUND MYSELF ON THE SLIP ROAD TO JOIN THE A6.  PULLED UP, WAITED TILL THE TRAFFIC WAS CLEAR AND  DID A U  TURN OVER THE CENTRE-DIVIDE  BACK TO THE JUNCTION, TOOK THE 2^ND TURNING LEFT INTO McDONALDS.  HAD McDONALDS & RETURNED TO THE RALLY SITE.  IN THE EVENING WE HAD THE B.B.Q. AND BOOZE UP, A GOOD TIME AS HAD BY ALL.  GOT TO BED AT A REASONALBE TIME. 

SUNDAY MORNING – HAD BREAKFAST THAT WAS LAID ON.  ANITA, PETER & LYNDA TOOK PITY ON ME AND WE ALL WENT FOR OUR OWN RIDE OUT TO FIND THE COAST.  NICE QUAINT LITTLE VILLAGES ALONG THE WAY AND WE DID FIND THE SEA – JUST AS WE ENTERED “THE VALLEY OF THE GIANT HORSEFLYS”.  THIS IS NOT A JOKE, IT WAS A COUPLE OF MILES OF COASTAL ROAD WHERE YOU DARE NOT BREATH IN, KEPT YOUR MOUTH SHUT AND YOUR NOSE PROTECTED.  THE FLYS BOMBARDED US AND SPLATTERED EVERYTHING, GLASSES, WINDSHIELD AND THE BIKES.  WE EVEN STOPPED FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES FOR A QUICK FAG – BUT THE FLIES STARTED TO GATHER AROUND US AND WE WERE OFF AGAIN TO ESCAPE.  WE RETURNED BACK TO THE RALLY SITE A FEW HOURS LATER TO FIND MOST PEOPLE HAD GONE SO WE LOADED UP THE TRAILER WITH THE BIKES, PUT THE STUFF AWAY IN THE R.V.  SAID OUR GOODBYE’S TO OUR HOSTS AND SET OFF FOR HOME, AS DID ANITA AND PETER.

THE JOURNEY BACK TO CALAIS AND ON TO HOME AT FOLKESTONE WENT WITHOUT ANY FURTHER DRAMA, THINK WE’D HAD OUR SHARE OF DRAMA.

Daddy Oakley & Lynda "Nanny No-Good" Oakley