As you can see, all of the navigation I do will be based purely on a map and compass as opposed to a satnav. Now, I know that the benefit of having a navsystem is that you don't have to lug around all those maps and whatnot, but to me that's just another piece of equipment that could possibly fail. On unknown ground, I just like my stuff as reliable as possible... and no matter how advanced navsystems get, you can't beat a trusty paper map for reliability.
This could make checking the map as I'm going along a bit of an issue , but in Britain I figured out a good way to deal with this - figure out the route before setting off, write down the roads (and/or cities) on a piece of duct tape and stick it on my left sleeve or tankbag.When in doubt, the compass can always guide me in the right direction. The image of the route is always in my head, so I know where to go.
Ofcourse this won't guarantee that I won't take a wrong turn, but the way I see it, that's also part of the adventure - figuring out on the fly how to go to the next destination, and when going wrong, trying to figure out how I could solve it. It's almost like a treasure hunt.As it is, how you get from A to B is just as interesting as the destination itself...
The beast's surgery to the steering stem went perfectly (they even saw fit to mend the indicator-button which dislodged in Britain), and now it's just waiting till a good rainfall washes away the plethora of salt that's smothered all over the Dutch roadsystem. Then, riding can commence again (and not a moment too soon, sheesh...)!
Lastly, here's a thanks to all the Greek and Italian riders who have embraced the project over the past weeks. I went looking for information (I still am by the way, so all suggestions, tips and whatnot are welcome!), and the hospitality I got in return exceeded my wildest expectations. This Summer's helmet is currently covered up atop a cupboard, waiting impatiently for the trip... and I must say that, despite the amount of work still to be done, I'm just as eager.
See you soon guys.
