Quit our jobs, sold our home and everything in it, gone riding... | Page 135 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Quit our jobs, sold our home and everything in it, gone riding...

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Salt water waves crash against the walls beneath the boardwalk at high tide

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Picture yourself in a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies. Full stream ahead, Mr. Boatswain!

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A crowd of people stood and stared. He must have been a local. They'd seen his face before. Probably from the House of Lords.
 
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A four of fish and finger pies. Hungry for fish and chips now!

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Just a lazy day walking up and down these rocks. They get to the bottom and they go back to the top, turn around and go back

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Cap off the day at our local pub (there is no shortage around here) to have a pint of dark ale. Loving England!

Although I'm already missing haggis. Haggis and dark ale would go very good together. Tres bien ensemble. Oh haggis, I love you, I love you, I love you! That's all I want to say.
 
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Sky of blue, and sea of green. Couple walking along the river bed during low tide

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Bright are the stars that shine, dark is the sky

Turns out that bug infestation is not just in our room. It's all over the city.

It's been a good four day's worth of rest and now all our troubles seem so far away. I think we're ready to resume our tour of the UK. We were only waiting for this moment to be free. Just have to hop online and buy some tickets to ride. I just hope that we've staved off the worst of the travel fatigue moving forward.

Oh well. Don't you know it's gonna be... alright.
 
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/358.html

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We never did make it into Liverpool to sightsee. Just savoured the luxury of lazing around our apartment across the Mersey River doing absolutely nothing, except drinking dark ale and eating fish and chips.

And now we're about to depart the big island for a much smaller island!

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The Steam Packet Ferry is a familiar fixture for Isle of Man visitors

The Steam Packet Company has a monopoly on all ferries going in and out of the Isle of Man. If you're coming in to see any of the motorcycle races on the island, you've got to book your tickets well in advance. We actually purchased ferry tickets online for last year's TT -- 8 months before the races! But, as usual, we couldn't predict where we'd be in 8 days (a week), much less 8 months! We ended up flying back to Toronto that summer, so in the end, we had to forfeit the tickets. :(

So this is our second attempt at the Isle of Man!

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We got in!

Normally the hold is full to the brim with motorcycles, but the reason why it's empty and we were able to purchase tickets just the day before is that we are visiting the Isle of Man a couple of days after the Classic TT races. Even when we arrived in the UK a few weeks ago, I knew we'd be in the vicinity around this time, but there was absolutely no chance of securing a ferry reservation for the race days on such short notice.

No sour grapes at all, though. I've watched TT races on TV and I truly do not believe we could've dealt with all the crowds in our fragile, travel-exhausted state. Still, we've heard the island is really beautiful, so we're looking forward to just poking our heads around without loud motorcycles and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds everywhere.

Honestly.
 
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It takes just under three hours to cross from Liverpool to Douglas, the eastern port on the Isle of Man. Not only are there few motorcycles on the ferry during our mid-week sailing, but there's not many cars or passengers either.

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This is what the ferry normally looks like during race week, with several crossings per day! Picture from the Internet

We rolled off the ferry in the early afternoon and made a bee-line through the middle of the island to the other side. We've been told by many people that there's a good campsite just outside of Peel, on the west coast. Coast to coast on the Isle of Man is really not that far - 17 kms! The island is small! I can't imagine tens of thousands of motorcycle spectators on this tiny island on race weeks! Well, I can imagine it. I've seen the videos...

So glad we're not fighting all those crowds. And all those bikes.

Really.

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Our campsite in Peel. This was the only other tent in sight

Numerous light patches of grass marked all the spots where campers had set up their tents last week. Feeling neighbourly, we unpacked our new home up beside a large RV and a German woman came out to greet us.

"You've just missed the races!", she exclaimed in absolute dismay. She said this in the same tone that you'd use to describe a huge natural disaster, like an earthquake or hurricane.

"Yes, we know. We're just here to see the island."

She seemed not to hear me. "The races were just a couple of days ago. It was so good! We come every year. I cannot believe you just missed the races!" Now her fevered voice reached the pitch reserved for mourning the loss of a family pet.

This woman was getting annoying. I thought about moving the tent.

"Yes, that's too bad we missed the races. We're just going to continue setting up. Nice talking to you."

Her husband came out. She wailed to him: "They just arrived. They missed *ALL* the races!" It sounded like her entire family just disappeared in a plane crash.

"Okay, bye."
 
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Having an early supper at our campsite. Neda is making her single-pot stirfry specialty. Mmmmm!

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After dinner, we walked into Peel to do some sight-seeing

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Like most sea-side towns, Peel is a fishing port

The most popular tourist attraction is Peel Castle, in the background above. The town of Peel is a popular vacation spot not just for tourists, but local Isle of Man residents as well. However, the town is deserted. This is the first week of school and we wander around the streets and shores of Peel, devoid of people, cars and motorcycles. It's kind of nice having the place to ourselves, and not having to fight any crowds.

Most of the businesses here have also shuttered their doors for the season, with only some restaurants open during the weekends. Glad we had dinner at our campsite.
 
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Peel Beach, one of two in the town

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A statue of Fenella, a character in a book called "Peveril of the Peak"

Although the book was written in 1823, and the statue looks old, it was made just a few years ago by a local artist, Nick Barlow, who carves these sculptures out of wood. With a chainsaw! Parts of the book were set on the Isle of Man, hence the connection.

Apart from the motorcycle races, the Isle of Man is also notable for having a large community of artists.

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The fortress of Peel Castle overlooks the harbour
 
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Back down the hill, we ventured into town

None of the local vehicles have a UK plate. I did some research and while the Isle of Man is not technically a country, neither is it part of the UK. Nor is it part of the EU, pre or post-Brexit. It's a British Crown dependency, so it belongs to the Crown, but can pass it's own laws.

Not sure what that means exactly, but if we're not in the UK, then to me we're in a new country!

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Peel Collage

The flag of the Isle of Man is a triskelion - three armored legs with golden spurs against a red background. It's very similar to the flag of Sicily, when we passed through a couple of years ago. Wow, this trip has legs.

The Isle of Man triskelion was first used in the 13th century around the time of the Scottish takeover of the island. You can see the symbol alongside the Royal Banner of Scotland on the back of a van in the top left. We saw the three-armored legs everywhere on the island, not just on flags.

The origin of the design is unknown, but the triskelion has traditionally been used to represent the spokes of a wheel. The flag was around long before the motorcycle races were held here, but it was a nice two-wheeled Segway.

The bottom right you'll see a blue British hovercraft. Actually, it's a three-wheeled car (one in the front, two in the back. Shocker!) called a Reliant Robin, built in England. The Peel Engineering Company put out its own three-wheeled car called the Peel Microcar back in the 60s, manufactured right here in the Isle of Man! That was a three-wheeled segue.
 
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One of the buildings in town was a little museum dedicated to the TT races

Of course it was closed, since the races were over. We peered inside at all the motorcycle memorabilia. I thought back to all the videos I watched of the sound and fury of Superbikes hurtling at (literally) break-neck speed through the tiny villages of the island; defying death on every lap by zooming inches past buildings, curbs and spectators. The triumphs and spectacle. The horrific crashes and the heart-breaking defeats.

Hmmm.

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Vintage Honda two-stroke RC race-bike. #35!

35 just happens to be English MotoGP racer Cal Crutchlow's race number. Coincidentally, he currently rides a Honda in this year's championship. Slightly more power than this one above... Neda also informed me that he now lives on the Isle of Man. Another coincidence. We should try to find his house and ring the doorbell...

I love motorcycle racing!

We called it an evening and slowly wandered out of Peel. As we were walking back to our campsite, I mused out loud, "Maybe I am a little bummed that we missed the Classic TT..." When we arrived to our tent, I glanced at our motorcycles parked patiently on the patchwork grass.

I turned to Neda: "We're going to have to fix this."
 
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Also has the oldest parliament in the world, a lot of Viking history, had a criminal punishment option of whipping with birch rods until relatively recently, tried plastic notes for money before quite a bit of Europe did and one of the only places where you can see England, Ireland Scotland and Wales from the same point but only when there's no clouds. I'm guessing you'll get to that and a few other things soon. My family has Manx heritage and we were always told the 3 legs of Man had something to do with "always landing on one's feet no matter what".
 
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/359.html

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The Isle of Man the week after the races is like Times Square on New Years Day. Everywhere, there's evidence that there were a lot of people here very recently - signs, barricades, etc., but the place is quiet, save for the locals going about their routine, commuting to work or buying groceries.

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Weather is damp. The cold of the north has followed us from Scotland!

From Peel, we head north-east on the A4. This is part of the ring road that makes up the Snaefell Mountain Course, the circuit that all the motorcycle racers run for the TT. The route is entirely on public roads, different than the closed circuits of the races that we normally watch. Given that there are buildings and spectators lining both sides of the road in close proximity, the 60.75 km loop is run at insane speeds - over 200 km/h *AVERAGE*. Along the Sulby Straight, racers can reach a top speed of over 330 kms/h!

The outright lap record is just under 17 minutes. I wonder what kind of lap-time the slow riding team of RideDOT.com will post. I mentally make note of the clock on my dashboard, as we enter the course. I actually just make note of the hour, not the minutes... :)

We thread our way through light traffic on the road as the A4 skirts the edge of the Irish Sea. In every video of the TT that I've seen, a wall of spectators would line the road on either side, at a close and very unsafe distance away from the speeding motorcycles flying a few feet away from their noses.

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Neda rounds the corner on the Snaefell Mountain Course

We round the top of the island at Ramsay, keeping up with the speed of traffic. Although there are no speed limits here - the residents steadfastly cling to their freedoms and rights here - the locals still putter around the roads in normal fashion. Ramsay looks like any small English town, pubs and shops line the both sides of the race course.
 
Exiting the town and heading south, we're now about half-way through the course and traveling along the most unpopulated part of the route; wide open, barren and windy countryside greets us. It's marvelous!

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Snaefell Mountain boasts the highest point on the Isle of Man

As soon as Neda saw how high the mouintain was, we abandoned the race course for a hike. :(

The lap timer is still going as we step off our motorcycles...

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Near the Snaefell Mountain Tram Station, there's a statue of Joey Dunlop

Joey Dunlop is a legend of the TT, having amassed the most wins on this circuit in his long career in motorcycle racing. At the bottom of the statue is a makeshift shrine to a young motorcycle rider who died in an an accident in England. His mates must have set up this memorial in this place so sacred to motorcycles.

Speaking of which, the TT is the most dangerous motorcycle race on Earth. Over 260 deaths have been recorded here. 14 of them were spectators and non-racing officials... And still, the Manx residents cling to their right to die any which way they please. It makes for the most thrilling and exciting racing on the planet. For the riders and the people watching!

I watched an interview with Valentino Rossi, who they've been trying to get to race the circuit for years. He's always turned them down saying that riders who race here are crazy! On GP race tracks, safety standards dictate that at the high speed corners there must be a hundred of feet of gravel runoff in case a motorcycle goes down. A hundred feet to slow and stop and sliding motorcycle and rider.

At the Isle of Man, there's curbs, buildings and stone walls a few feet away from the road. And spectators...

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At Snaefell Mountain, we meet a motorcycle rider who stayed after the races to do laps around the course

Since this is the most unpopulated part of the course, many riders will do runs between Ramsay and Douglas, taking in the beautiful scenery as they zoom down the road, visions of past races playing against the inside of their visors. This guy showed us his official TT race suit. A true fan!

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We watched him as he rode back and forth, rounding the corners at speeds a lot less than 200 km/h
 
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"Hey Neda, this tram goes all the way up to the summit of Snaefell Mountain!"

As you probably guessed, we end up climbing the mountain on foot instead. :(

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The view of the Isle of Man countryside from half-way up

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NatureGirl is just breathing in the scenery like air. I am breathing in the air. Barely.

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And doing what I normally do
 
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This guy is wondering why we didn't take the tram up to the top. So am I, Mr Ram. So am I...

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I found a quicker way up

There's a little restaurant up at the top of the summit. They sell very expensive food, so we walked back down again towards our bikes. The lap timer is still going on my dashboard...

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Back on the course. Little reminders of the races last weekend

These signs alert the racers to which way the upcoming corners go. It would be very difficult to memorize all of them - there are over 200+ corners on the TT course, only 60 of them are named. Mostly after people that have died on the course...
 
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