The European Chronicles - 2022.1 Arrival and Der Odenwald
Year Three Begins
An uneventful flight, Tucson - Houston - Frankfurt with, wait for it, an empty seat next to me! 😂 Still, tough to sleep; I'm just not good at sleeping on planes. Picked up by Christopher at the airport, and I'm reunited with Mia at Stefan's Moto B&B.
A couple of interesting things on the flight. For the international departure at Houston, they used biometric screening at the gate - show your face to the terminal and you're in. No need to show your boarding pass or your passport. Very quick and efficient. Not sure if it was for everyone or only those that uploaded their passport information to the United Travel Ready Center. Regardless, great tech.
When we landed at Frankfurt, we deplaned outside and were bussed to the terminal, which is under construction. Not really a problem, just added some time. Got a good view of the plane...
Quick ride to Stefan's, all my stuff is in the room, including the Amazon packages (oil, filters, etc.). Mia gets an oil change, starts right up and all is in order.
She gets a new "USA" sticker as well. These country stickers are mandatory in the EU, but usually not enforced. Seems Italy has taken to raising some revenue, and Stefan suggested his customers put the stickers on if they're heading that direction. Cheap insurance, and Amazon delivers...
Stefan's expansion is mostly completed and fully functional. Huge addition to the storage space.
This foam insulation will go on the exterior walls and covered with stucco to match the existing building. Similar to the way our Tucson house is constructed.
The roof is metal, like the R-panel roof on The Wine Shack, BUT if you look closely, you can see the metal has foam insulation bonded to the underside - smart.
I'm not sure that kind of roofing material is even available in the US.
The new storage space is almost full...already.
Down these stairs is more storage that extends under the complete building and under the outdoor patio.
Bikes are brought up and down by an electric forklift...for now.
Always the color I like to see...Mia's ready for her shakedown ride.
The Odenwald is a low mountain range north and east of Stefan. I've got a nice 200 mile loop ride planned.
Start off along the Neckar River, and Schloss Heidelberg, a 16th century red sandstone castle.
Little goat paths lead to the forest.
Excellent ride, and terrific dinner at the Golden Rose near Stefan with a rider from Colorado. Great start.
I leave tomorrow, most likely toward France.
Ciao!
