My trip is over for this summer

Since my last post, I have came full circle, back up to my daughter's house in Holland. Along the way I stopped at the Salvador Dali house and museum in northeaster Spain. He is one of my favorite artists and I could not resist going a little out of my way to the northeastern corner of Spain to see the museum he put together.

Here is is car.

And here, one of his more famous paintings.

Odysseus and I traveled around the Eastern edge of the Pyrenees and into France. We rode up through the Gorges du Verdon and along the Route du Napoleon

I wanted to camp because I enjoy doing that, and especially I enjoy meeting the people at the campgrounds. I was only able to do it two nights however. The first night, the people across from me, a man and woman from Holland, brought me over a cup of coffee. It was really good. However, it started raining again and I had to find a hotel. Three years ago, riding this same route in reverse, I remember passing this hotel and thinking it looked kind of nice.

Our route took Odysseus and me up to Chamonix on the flanks of Mont Blanc. Allthough it looked rainy, I decided to camp one last time. It will be my final chance to do that in Europe. From the campground I could look up and see the glaciers of Mont Blanc.

my next door neighbor at the campground was a motorcycle rider also. He was from Scotland. He and I walked into town and happened to go into a restaurant owned by a woman from Cody, Wyoming. She and her daughter made me a great cup of American coffee; nice and weak, at least by European standards, just the way I like it. It rained again during the night, and I had to spend a long time the next morning getting he tent dried out and put away. Meanwhile, I got to enjoy the scenery.

I rode on up through the Alps, enjoying my last time through them. Odysseus and I have certainly had some good rides through those mountains.

I wanted to stop at the town of Verdun along the border between France and Germany in the Alsace-Lorraine region. It was here where the longest battle of any war ever took place over three years during WWI.  Thousands of men were killed senselessly, almost all of them by cannon fire. After the war, they gathered up the soldiers of both sides who could not be identified and put their bones in a huge ossuary. So sad.

But now, finally, I am back at my daughter's house in Holland. I spent the day sorting out the camping gear which I plan to give them: tent, stove, etc. I won't be needing it any more. Tomorrow I will start getting Odysseus cleaned up to sell. I have decided to sell him here in Europe rather than to ship him back home. He has been a great partner and will make his next owner a trustworthy steed. 

Bye Odysseus. It makes me sad to leave you behind. I am off to new horizons. I hate it that I can't take you with me, but I promise to find a new owner for you who will take good care of you.

Ron