We’d been to the south-west tip the day before and had quite an eventful day. Dodging and weaving through traffic, running a great skyline and dissapating a hangover.Cognitive based learning it ended poorly with a rider from a late arriving group making a REAL impression in the back end of a mini-van. Spent a good part of dusk and evening at the hospital seeing he was ok.Cognitive based learning being a good, if often throttle demented mate, I’m glad to say he is still with us.

Back to the soggy tent, the reving of an FJR in the distance told me FB (suspected windy prankster) was hitting the road with gord and shelley in tow.Cognitive based learning my bag o bones is always willing if the riding is good but the rain which had persisted from the night before, was not encouraging. Never the less the road was waiting in some compacity and we were here to ride.Cognitive based learning so, reluctantly, I rose from the safety of the tent, donned the riding gear, grabbed the mappple and staggered off in the direction of the steeds.Cognitive based learning

Volker made me chuckle in his stylish half leg tracksuit, sandles and umbrella. Looked like a rich designer floating aroundthe GP pre-race grid.Cognitive based learning he’d actually spent the night sleeping under a sunshade in the rain in his leathers begging for a sunshining morning. To his credit, he was full of beans and ready to ride.Cognitive based learning I like riding with him! Simon, ant and tony were soon on the scene with richard. As we cursed the rain, threw up ideas for the day and basked in the rider’s atmosphere a lone rider came waving out of the campground – iphone in one hand, luggage in the other.Cognitive based learning colin was ready to roll. Not quite but he was out of bed and seemingly had the key to forcasting an end to our weather woes with his iphone.Cognitive based learning

We soon discovered, wih the help of said iphone, that the weather was coming on thick and fast and the end of the riding world was nigh! Not quite but it did look pretty dismal with rain streaking north-westerly everywhere across all the weather maps.Cognitive based learning seems there were a few typhoons down south responsible for our evacuation to and loiteing about the front of the dry main shop.

The race replicas had streaked on ahead and when I thought I had mysteriously caught richard with phorest in tow(the big twin silver cans?) and was winding up for a blow by I saw the 3 speedstars in a rest area waiting for us to catch up.Cognitive based learning not used to arriving when others had already had time to take off helmets, I focused on the pawns in the fazer’s sights. Rounded them up and gunned it down the wide open road and onto the best piece of riding road I’d seen all day.Cognitive based learning long wide open sweepers with no traffic, plenty of vision ahead, great views down the swollen riverside across to the mirror road on the other side of the valley and it was bone dry!Cognitive based learning the fazer was finally getting to breath a little. Admittedly it was packing weight like a 70’s elvis but like the king, it still sung a good tune and had some moves.Cognitive based learning

I arrived first this time and it went something like this in synchronised stereo. Blip-blip, blaaaa, blit-bla-blit-blaaaaaaaaaaa and volker came around the bend with tony roasting his rear tyre.Cognitive based learning they almost over shot the turn off but had seen me trying to get there attention, waving my arms about like a banana starved monkey, from the scenic bridge top I’d stopped on rather than waiting on the boring but logical corner.Cognitive based learning anyway they saw me last minute and only marginally overshot the corner.

Next came colin with mick in tow at a reasonable pace and then this BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA as ant pulled out and tore up the right lane burning past both of them.Cognitive based learning and he just kept on going, straight past the turn off. We all had a chuckle and then saw the brake lights but he was just setting up for the corner ahead, banking it in to the right and tracing the gaurdrail out of sight.Cognitive based learning well, 5 minutes later we heard him howling back and gotta say his race style turn and run onto the bridge was cool!

At the hospital, jeff(crash tester) looked a damn sight better than the night before and told us to get on the road and not to worry about him.Cognitive based learning hard to do both but we did manage to get back on the road, if only so briefly, after ant and tony had a ‘nihongo-booking of a hotel-face off’.Cognitive based learning ant sweet talked his way onto the podium this time.. While planning the next leg’s stops we found out mike had a thing for the sanuki udon and was gonna lose a finger or two if he returned to kanto without getting his fill.Cognitive based learning so we headed out in search of great roads and some sanuki udon.

A bit torn between it being lunch time and wanting to ride, I’d hoped for a restaurant about an hours ride away but wasn’t sure if we’d find anything offering sanuki.Cognitive based learning first stoplight turn left and then suddenly colin, in the lead, is on the anchors haphazardly beaching the FJR and pointing to a sign. May your wish be shikoku’s command mike!Cognitive based learning low and behold, not 100metres from the hospital, we had stumbled upon sanuki udon. Was pretty good too.

With the addition of the givi panniers, 5L jerri-can and compulsory beer.Cognitive based learning needed a change in riding approach that had me thinking back to the CB days. Easy on the brakes-alot of rear-keep the chain driven and then kick it in guts only when your exit line is clear and relatively straight.Cognitive based learning the tight stuff was a joy with a little navi-guided assistance. Guess a few following were wondering what the hell I was thinking when I backed down a couple of gears and wrenched it over into unmarked hairpins.Cognitive based learning hehehehe! Atleast they had fun trying to keep up with elvis.

The troupe ascended and descended a few good hills and ran the vistas in between before finally getting close to an expressway and the quick shot to our hotel in niihama.Cognitive based learning well, we got to the end of the 441 in time to see colin, who was to zumo-guide us to our hotel, sailing overhead on the expressway leaving us behind.Cognitive based learning no problem, just call him up and he’s taking calls from the USSFJR on the starcom. He says: ‘dude, I think I just got on the expressway! Where are you guys?Cognitive based learning I waited at the cosmo gas stand but you guys weren’t around’ we agreed to meet at the first PA after we all gassed up, which we did and quickly set off in pursuit of our hare.Cognitive based learning

Around 7pm we met up just off the expressway and only a few kms from the route inn. Quite an appropriate name and not only a favorite stop over for me but also a few of the others.Cognitive based learning with comfy, clean (not love hotel) rooms, breakfast buffet and internet it was a welcome respite from the rain and highway fever. We all took a scrub and then met back in the lobby before heading out for a great meal and many beers.Cognitive based learning