Tag Archives: Harley Davidson

And Now For Something Completely Different!

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Regular blog followers will know that I have lately been partaking in a couple of Blogging University courses.

One of the great things of these events is the way you hook up with fellow bloggers around the world and share experiences and ideas. Indeed the course students are actively encouraged to take part in blogging exchanges where guest bloggers post on each others sites.

I think that this is a brilliant idea and that what is going to happen in future from time to time here on Hogrider Dookes! The guest bloggers won’t always be pure “Harley on the Road,” but I promise that they will always be interesting and amusing…or just plain tasty!!!!

The first “Guest Post” will be this Friday, February 27th.

I am very pleased to welcome on board my cake loving, Barcelona dwelling, rock climbing friend, Lili, from Lili’s Cakes.

Please everyone, come back on Friday, there’s going to be something good to get your teeth into!

Be there, or be square!

Dookes

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The Coast

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Today, in the South West corner of the UK, it has been absolutely heavenly. Some people call these early spring days the “False Spring,” as we all know that the winter hasn’t really gone just yet…but its nearly gone!

At Dookes H.Q. those wonderful little harbingers of Spring, the snowdrops, Galanthus Nivalis, have thrust themselves up through the cold ground to brighten our days with their happy flowers. If you flatten yourself to the ground they have a delightful scent as well!DSCF3779
So with all this optimism around it seemed a tad silly not to get out on two wheels and drink in the loveliness!

As part of my recently completed Blogging 201 course, I have undertaken to publish a monthly theme post. Living where we do, in a County that is virtually surrounded by the sea, it seems to me that using “The Coast” as the theme is a pretty good idea? What do you good people think of that?

It’s also a pretty good excuse to hunt out those special seaside foods, Dookes ain’t daft you know!

Last month I posted some photographs of the rugged North Cornish Coast, so today by way of a contrast, I thought I’d take you on a trip to the South East corner of Cornwall.

This is the small beach at Cawsand Bay, it faces East out across Plymouth Sound. I’ve been past it many times on ships leaving for France and Spain, but this was the first time I have actually visited. Quite delightful, but not a surfing hotspot!DSCF3754

After chilling for a while on the beach wall, Harley and I headed South and picked up the old Military Road which high above the sea gives stunning views from Rame Head across Whitsand Bay. It was one of those days when the sea and sky merge together in a gentle fuzziness without a clearly defined horizon. Not exact misty and not really clear either, but gentle and embracing nonetheless.DSCF3774

The sea lay glassy and still, with barely a breath of wind rippling the surface. It’s benign beauty concealing the fate of many ships and men who lie here in salty graves beneath the cold surface. These are dangerous waters.

Two specific losses spring to mind. In January 1914, Submarine A7 sank here with the loss of all her crew and the American liberty ship SS James Eagan Layne went down in March 1945 after being torpedoed by a German submarine. In more recent times the former HMS Scylla was purposely sunk, to create an artificial reef and diving site.

Rame Head and Polhawn Cove. Excuse two into the sun shots, but I kinda like them!DSCF3762

The Military Road was built in the mid Nineteenth Century to link coastal defence forts that were built to protect the coast and the important naval city of Plymouth. Today, only Tregantle Fort is still in military use and is regularly used for live firing with small arms; the big coastal guns have long gone. The views from the road are invigorating, with or without a Harley Davidson!DSCF3769

Even though it is only mid-february, you can see the yellow gorse flowers of the gorse breaking out and filling the air with its heady coconut aroma. We are about 360 feet above the sea here.DSCF3764
I do believe that Harley was glad to get out as well, she purred along, well OK, Growled Along, eating up the miles with ease. My chassis feels a little more tired this evening! I’m definitely not riding fit at the moment, fortunately the answer to that is more riding…
Life can be tough!

I don’t quite know how, but I managed to fail on the food front, probably because I was far to busy enjoying myself in the sunshine on two wheels! So, dear reader, I’ll endeavour to rectify that on our next Coastal Odyssey!

Until next time.

Dookes

“I’m gonna head down to the coast, where nothin’ ever seems to matter…”

Reflections

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I’ve been beefing about the lack of two-wheel action of late.

Yeah, I know I did get out for a few hours a couple of weekends ago, but… well it’s just a bit frustrating! My two-wheeled brothers and sisters will understand the feeling of wanting to get out there on the open road and for those of you who don’t ride, imaging sitting in a stuffy room wanting to open the window for some fresh air, but the window won’t open, that’s what it feels like!
Time therefore, for a bit of reflection.DSCF1176

I have a lot to be grateful for and loads of happy memories from rides gone by, as a dip into the blog archives will reveal. So let’s try something new. Here are some photos from previous posts, if you dear reader would like to click on the title, you will find yourself magically transported to the blog page in the archives, I hope! Please give it a go!

On Col de la Bonnette.

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Heavenly Hairpins. 20120618-234730.jpg

Simplon Pass. 20130624-232419.jpg

D-Day Airfield. DSCF3394

The Great Pretender! 20130623-220022.jpg

Well there you are, a little glimpse into the archives. You can explore more by using the Archive Selector in the Right Margin on a PC, or at the bottom of the page on a mobile device. I hope you have a bit of fun dipping around in my blog’s past!

“Looking back, over my shoulder…”

Catch ya soon!
Dookes

Oh yes, go here for a self-portrait!

Bounce Back!

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It was really cool to receive the Liebster Award and also involve other bloggers in the process. I was delighted when my Harley Brother, Rick, accepted his award. Please visit his site Harleytravelsandtips.

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Now Rick has decided that he wants me to answer some questions from himself as part of the deal, which is fine by me because I guess it gives everyone the chance to get to know me a little more, sort of!

So here we go with Rick’s questions:

Now here are some questions for Dookes.

1. Best place you ever found by accident?
Easy, Dookes H.Q., where we live. It’s a 300 year old stone built cottage on the edge of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall…the far South West of the U.K.. I wasn’t looking for a major restoration job, but when I saw this place I just know that I had to live here. Now, 13 years later, it’s almost finished!

2. If you could move any place where would it be?
Southern France, maybe the Provence region. I’m getting fed up of our cold and wet winters, love everything about France so that’ll be the place.

3. NFL or Premier League?
Tricky! To be honest I’m a Rugby Football fan and an ex-player. So the Premier League with its over paid prima donnas doesn’t really do it for me. The Championship, the next level down, is far competitive and not at all predictable. I don’t see much NFL these days, but in my youth I was quite a Washington Redskins fan; remember Super Bowl XVII, happy days! Needless to say, my cousin who lives in Chicago doesn’t quite agree with my choice of team! So we’ll say NFL.

4. Half a chicken or 10 wings?
Oh, half a chicken…far less messy!

5. Change your own oil or take it to the dealer?
Change my own, which I do a lot, cos oil is cheap and engines ain’t! Unless its under warranty, or part of a service plan. Oh, it’s gotta be fully synthetic too!

6. What do you know about Evil Knievel?
Robert Craig Knievel – The Last Gladiator. A boyhood hero, I got quite good at crashing my pedal cycle just like he did his Harley XR-750! I never saw the point of the Snake River Canyon thing though. I remember watching his jump, and crash, at Wembley Stadium, London, in 1975 like it was yesterday.IMG_0386

7.What and when-your first computer?
Some twin 5.25″ floppy drive pile of c**p with an orange screen waaay on back when Adam was a boy!

8. What was your worst riding experience?
I’ve had a few on horses, but I guess you mean motorbikes! It’s a dead heat between getting caught by a thunder-storm on Col de L’Iseran, 9088ft/2770m, in the French Alps or the white-out in a blizzard on the Grimsel Pass, 7100ft/2164m, in Switzerland. Sliding sideways on ice in the tunnel on Galibier runs it pretty close too. Click to have a look!

9. What was your best riding experience?
The last time I rode a motorbike, because that’s always the freshest in my mind.

10. How did you get two-wheel fever.
Well that bloke Knievel has something to do with it! My father had an old BSA C11, a single cylinder 250cc, it was always in bits, but it sort of got my curiosity going. Then in the 1970’s the Yamaha FS1E 50cc moped came out. Some of my friends had them and I started to ride theirs, no licence or insurance and don’t tell mother! I later worked with a group of lads who all had bikes and again I rode around with them, same situation regarding licence etc! The bug had well and truly bitten, so eventually I did the test and got legal. Now I do “Advanced Riding” and tell everyone how to behave…aw hell my secret’s out now!

11. Can I borrow some cash? (People ask me this all the time because I have a new bike they think I have money). It’s just good credit I say.
Now what makes you think I have any spare. Like you I own a Harley, but have you any idea how much genuine spares or parts cost to import here in the UK? Be glad to buy you a beer one day though!

So there you go Rick, there’s a few secrets outed there, hope you enjoy reading the answers!

Ride safe, ride hard brother!

Dookes

Wow, an Award!

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Well knock me down with a feather!

My little blog site has been nominated for an award!

Thank you a million times to Lili at http://liliscakes.com for the nomination, it really means a lot to me to be recognised by fellow bloggers. By the way, Lili’s site is mouth-watering!

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These are the rules that go with the award:

1. Display the Liebster award on your blog. Done.

2. Thank and link back to your nominator. Done.

3. Answer the nominator’s 11 questions. Done.

4. Nominate 11 other bloggers with about 200 or fewer followers and link to them. Done.

5. Draft 11 new questions for your nominees. Done.

6. Notify your nominees via their blogs or social media. Done.

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These are Lili’s questions that I need to answer, with my replies:

How did you first feel about receiving this award?
Pretty chuffed really, like… WOW!

What have you been enjoying most about blogging?
Capturing my thoughts at a moment in time and sharing with the world, then going back later and saying to myself, “Yes, I did feel like that.” Sometimes it stirs quite strong recollections and emotions.

What is your idea of a good day?
Hmm, tricky. There are lots of things that push the buttons for me; being with close friends and certain family members is one, sometimes being alone in the hills or on the coast, but any day on my Harley really rocks!

What is your favourite cake and why?
Mrs Dookes makes the most amazing Breton Cake, it’s got to be that, partly because of who makes it and also because it always reminds me of days in France.

What’s your dream?
To ride all the way around the world on a Harley… though I can’t ever see that happening, unless Harley Davidson sponsor me to do it! Are you listening in Milwaukee boys?

What are your favourite possessions and why?
I had to think quite hard about this. Actually i’m not a very material sort of guy, despite having loads of “stuff” around the place. Sure I have some little things that are quite precious to me, but have no real value…like a pebble off a Cornish beach or a piece of rock from Galibier. If I had to say just one thing it would be my memories, that OK?

What do you usually do at the weekend?
There is no usual in my world! It could be riding Harley, gardening, walking, surfing, cooking, watching rugby, model engineering…the list goes on! Yeah, totally self-indulgent!!!

What makes you happy?
Riding my Harley, watching the Wales rugby team, nice food, making people happy too.

On average, how many hours a day are you blogging at the moment?
About two hours each evening, which is about what I normally do when I’m off on a trip anyway. I am really enjoying receiving and replying to quite a few comments at the moment!

What kind of blogs do you like following?
Well, thanks to Blogging 101, the variety has exploded! I follow blogs about travel, cooking, poetry, books, humour, photography… just about anything except teenage angst!

What are you going to do now?
Blogging-wise probably sign up for the 201 course and keep up the work I’ve put into my blog over the past month. Other than that, start planning the next road trip!

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OK, now my nominees:
Click on the highlighted text to link to their blog.

Science, books and silly things – A blog that makes you ponder things.

The Lodge on Haydon – Inspiration for a happy home and a happy life.

Rainy Day Reflections – Reflections about life, photography and creativity

Pay, Pack and Follow – Travel, words & great photos.

An Englishman in New England – What it says.

Alba10 – Photography and general randomness.

Kellies Food To Glow – Feel-good food that’s good for you.

Harley Travel and tips – Travelling the USA on a Harley Davidson.

Humour, travel, running – Laugh out loud with this one!

Confessions of a Food Tourist – What it says!.

Clumsy and Stupid – Life in the far North of Canada.

…and these are your questions:

1. How do you feel about getting nominated for the Liebster Award?

2. What made you start blogging?

3. Where is your favourite place in the world?

4. Bungee jump or surfing?

5. If you could go back in time and do something different in your life, what would that be?

6. Where will your next holiday/vacation destination be?

7. Dogs or Cats?

8. Tell us about your favourite food!

9. What is your perfect day?

10. Who would be your dream dinner companion?

11. Do these questions all seem very random to you too?

I think that calls for a drink, cheers!

Dookes

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Just Blowin’ Away Some Cobwebs

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OK, I know… I’ve been whingeing on for a bit about how I haven’t been out on my beloved Harley for ages, so I guess the first thing to say is, “Sorry about that!”

Whilst it seems like for ever to me, it’s actually only been eight weeks; such is the depth of withdrawal symptoms that I have been suffering!

Well, the good news is that the enforced riding break got busted last Saturday!

The day dawned bright and clear, we had rain in the early part of the night which nicely washed the salt off the road, so all looked fair for a quick breath of fresh air on two wheels. Apart from a quick return blast along the A30 between Launceston and Bodmin, something else a bit more interesting was also called for. Harley was running as smooth as ever and like me, seemed pleased to be out again. So lets head north-west for about 16 miles and find the delightful coastal village of Crackington Haven.

I hold a special affection for the place and its beautiful beach.

Many, many, years ago a young Dookes once spent a wonderful holiday there, playing the crashing surf and hunting in rock pools for crabs and shrimps. Today not much has changed, though over forty years have passed! The beach is still a mix of glorious sand bounded by rocky outcrops, with some of the highest sea cliffs in Britain.

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Crackington is, in addition to being a super holiday location and when the tide is right an absolutely brilliant surf beach, amongst the most interesting geological locations along the North Cornwall Coast.

The rocks here date from the Upper Carboniferous period and are around 325 million years old. They originally started as mud and clay deposited in a relatively deep delta basin, which at that time lay roughly on the Earth’s Equator. These stones have moved around a bit! Over time the movement of the earth’s crust has compressed the mud into hard shales, sandstones and slates. In places the twisted and folded rocks show fantastic patterns in the cliffs.

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Such is the geological importance of these rocks that they have been named the “Crackington Formation” and although they have been studied for well over 100 years, they are still yielding new fossils and data. Not bad for 325 million year old mud!IMG_0496

The air was clean and gin clear, sometimes it can be easy to forget that we are blessed with such vivid light in our corner of the world, but Saturday certainly gave me a gentle reminder. Standing there on the beach, soaking up the view and atmosphere, I got a real sense of being at one with the world.

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Riding home, the air temperature was beginning to fall; 6 C/43 F, boy was I glad of my heated gloves and jacket liner!

Harley and I rolled back into my workshop after a fifty mile long smile; Mrs Dookes greeted us, “Good ride?”

“Yeah, great thanks… just been blown’ away some cobwebs!”

I’m back in black.

Catch you all later,

Dookes

Re-Springing My Step

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OK, this blog is supposed to be, mostly, about travels on my beloved Harley… and yes just at the moment there hasn’t been much of that to report on.

I’m getting motorcycle withdrawal syndrome.

Its like cabin fever, I feel boxed in, almost unable to breathe and all because I haven’t been out on two wheels!

Let me explain, it’s not a weather thing per se, I hear cries of “fair weather rider” from my friends with “Adventurer” type bikes. Then I hear the sniggering of my Trial Bike Champion nephew Chris, who not only rides in all weathers; but also rides across/along logs, barrels, rocks, old cars and anything else that will stand still. Chris does not have a good day out unless he can pressure wash his motorbike off at the end of it and leave a ton of mud on the driveway! No, I’m not afraid of the weather, but it’s the amount of salt that the Highway Authority throws on the road during the winter here in the UK, I am afraid of that damaging my dear Harley…

The not riding thing is, therefore, self-generated and self-enforced, but I am climbing the walls to get out.

One day last week, as I was driving across Bodmin Moor I felt the urge to stop and dream of what was to come.

It was a beautiful afternoon, a tad chilly, the hills were bathed with a gorgeous clear light and there was a brisk north wind blowing in from the sea. The journey is one I had made countless times before, this time was a little different. About halfway across the moor is a narrow lane that leaves the highway and heads north into the heart of the high moor; it only serves a couple of farms and is for the most part gravel and pot-holed. I’d often wondered what was down that lane, so I turned off to find out!

After a mile I parked in a gateway and got out of the car. The keen wind and clean air made me catch my breath, but then so did the view and the silence. I stood drinking it in with my eyes.P1020918
In the distance I could hear the mewing calls of a flock of Golden Plover as they wheeled on the breeze; other than that, just the buffeting of the wind.

OK, so it’s not the Rockies, the Alps, nor even my beloved Welsh Mountains, but it is only three miles from home and it ain’t half nice!

I may not be out on Harley for a few weeks yet, but places like this put a bounce back in my stride; sort of “re-springing my step,” if you like!

Catch you all later, all down the line…

Dookes

A Letter To My Dream Reader

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It’s fifteen years since we said our farewells in that hospital room.

Your eyes tired and hands weakening, but your spirit undiminished.

I left knowing it was goodbye, unable to say the word, but have told you many things since, when the time has been right.

You passed to me your love of mountains and high places, of steam, hot oil and roaring coal, mechanical skill and empathy for machines.

Unlike you I’m not great with people, that’s why I ride alone.

Or am I?

I feel you with me many days. Days when the high air is crisp and thin, clear enough to glimpse into heaven.

I feel your hand on the throttle with me, easing me back with the gentle persuasion that only a father could give to his restless son. “A ton is enough.” Quietly I hear your silent words.

In silence will you know this love of mine.Scan 13

Blogging University: Blogging 101 Assignment 4

Who I Am And Why I’m Here!

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OK, so this post has a pretty quirky title. “What’s that all about?” You may well be asking… Well, as always there is a story behind it and as regular followers will know, most things in the world of Dookes generally have a story behind them!

This one is thanks to my friends at WordPress, who this month are running an on-line course to help us bloggers get better at it; Blogging that is! And this is our first assignment.

Yeah, I know, the blog already has an “About” page, but to be honest its a bit shallow and doesn’t really tell you much about me… and there is a reason for that; basically I’m a bit on the shy side, but my blog enables me to express myself to the wider world in a way I feel comfortable with.

I love travelling and exploring, particularly on my beloved Harley and my blog has become integral to my journeys. I normally ride alone and I often spend time, whilst riding the highways, musing over what I will write about particular experiences and how I can make that tangible link to connect with the reader. I really want to get better at that and I appreciate feedback to assist me.

I’d love my blog to connect with more people and receive more feedback.

I need to get better at the “technical” bits of blogging that can make it all more interesting, like what the heck is a “text widget”!!! ….So please join me for the ride, it could be fun!

Dookes

Ring Out Solstice Bells

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Well everybody, it’s the shortest day of the year and as is getting traditional, its time to give a blog update! As many of you know, I’m not big into religion these days. but I do believe the ancients were definitely onto something when they celebrated the Winter Solstice; the Season has turned and although we head into winter’s depths the days will begin to get longer, then warmer, ‘cos summer is on the way! I’m really a Celtic Druid!

Scan 20Standing Stones of Stenness Orkney.

Looking back to my blog entry for the same time last year I see that I reported on the building work at Dookes HQ and how it shouldn’t take too long to finish…wrong, very, very wrong! The dining room was finally done by the last weekend of November, but you just can’t believe how much work it took. Got the big thumbs up from Mrs Dookes though, which has gotta be worth a few thousand miles on Harley…

Talking of which, she is currently tucked up nice and snug in my heated workshop, nothing but the best for my two-wheeled friend! I have done one or two little maintenance jobs on her and fitted an ambient temperature gauge, a birthday present from Mrs Dookes, but otherwise she is enjoying a well-earned rest; Harley that is, not Mrs D!

The weather here in Cornwall has been, well… awful; wet wet wet. As regular followers know, I don’t balk at riding in all weathers, but hey if its supposed to be for pleasure and I really don’t need to go out in it, I’ll pass until the sun comes out and the roads are not covered in cr*p! So it’s a good time to dream about days on two wheels under a warm friendly sun, reflecting on trips past and planning those yet to come.P1020218

…and what lies in the future? Well, who really knows. No hard plans yet, just a couple of ideas beginning to coalesce in the old Dookes grey matter. As a clue; fresh Pasta and Apple Strudel could be included in the menu…, but who knows! “I was born a travelin’ man and my feet do burn the ground.”

Its been a blast this year. Thank you all for riding along with me, for all the comments and messages, I really appreciate your support.

I met a lot of great people on the road and as is unfortunately inevitable I’ve lost a few too; so Gerry, Tom, Andy, Bob and David, who all rode on ahead,  this one is for you. Ride free my friends.

Have a great Solstice!

Dookes

“Now is the solstice of the year,
winter is the glad song that you hear.
Ring out these bells.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.
Ring solstice bells.”