The roads are begging to be cruised upon that Friday morning in June, their silent cries echoing into the blue sky. This weekend is the Benelux H.O.G. Rally 2011 in Fryslân. Black Knight roars his contentment as Vman fires him up and at 10 AM we arrive at the gathering point, fully loaded. We have a tent, sleeping bags, air mattresses and clothes for three days stuffed in a big bag at the back of our Harley and two small saddlebags. Back to basics! Bringing a hair dryer was out of the question. 😉 A bit later over twenty Harley’s and a ten week old chow chow called Moos are headed north towards Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland. This province even has its own language. Really!
The highway stretches out before us, waking up after a night’s sleep. Engines sing, exhaust pipes bang and soon I’m free as a bird at the back of our Fatboy. After a while we leave these big boring roads and stop for lunch. How were we supposed to know there would be a market? Carefully we weave our way through the passages and market stalls and park our bikes in the middle of the square. Young and old gather round our Harley’s. Some toddlers stick their fingers in their ears to soften the noise, but soon peace is restored: lunch in Grand Café ‘t Regthuis in… I’m sorry. I won’t bore you with the names of the villages and towns we pass through. And even if I want to, my memory is not capable of remembering their names. Knowing and remembering where I am seems to be an alien concept to my female brain. But we are heading north-east!
That weekend the source for the deadly EHEC bacteria in nearby Germany hasn’t been found yet, so there are morbid jokes about the cucumber and lettuce. I order a mixed green salad with smoked chicken. And since I’m still typing at the moment – a couple of days later – I guess the bacteria were sitting tight on the bean sprouts that day. Nasty little critters. The men mostly ask for huge egg sandwiches. Lunch tastes good after being on the road. Soon it is time to move on. When we’re set to go, a man addresses me and before I know it, he’s talking politics and drags foreign religion into the one-sided argument. Eh pardon me? Right, double time to move on! After a last wave at Sir Knight we take off.
The route takes us over winding roads past green fields with the famous black Friesian horses. My neck almost gets dislocated when I try to keep my eyes on these magnificent creatures. ‘LOOK,’ I scream in Vman’s ear, who nods and rides on. Five minutes later I’m enthusiastically pounding on his helmet, pointing at yet another herd. I’m in love! Black Knight huffs and puffs with indignation, seems he’s a bit jealous. The Friesians watch our iron horses with suspicion and prance with their heads held high.
Around 6 PM we reach our destination: recreation center De Kleine Wielen in Leeuwarden. The temperature has dropped about five degrees compared to the south of Holland because of the never-relenting wind in this flat province. We set up camp on a huge lawn where we can park the bikes too. Rows upon rows of Harley’s are sparkling in the sun. Over 1000 bikers at the camping site! In the picture you see me standing before our tent, watching our neighbors. The orange thing on my hair is just an illusion. Of course I would never wear a camp site marker on my head!
With fries and a kroket (Dutch meat specialty) in our bellies we are ready for the evening. Within two hours three bottles of Scotch disappear miraculously into the hood of my jacket. Male hands grab at the glass that’s nestled there. Again only an illusion! The cold is seeping into our bones and we decide to move towards the big tent. Bands like AC/Daisies (Friday) and the Power Rock Babes Experience (Saturday) set the place on fire. The youngest Babe is only 17 years old!
On Saturday we participate in the summer version of the Elfstedentocht. In severe winters this is the world’s largest and longest skating competition tour over natural ice. 140 Miles of Friesland’ wonders flash by. Which villages we pass through? Again I have no idea 😀 Oh wait, I still remember one: Hindelopen! We watch the yachts pull into harbor while we eat ice cream. Apart from bikers, there are a lot of old timers driving the same Elfstedentocht. We are on the road for eight hours.
In the evening the organization has set up a buffet, which we attack with big appetite, while Lady Reina and Sir Moos stand guard. Aren’t they adorable? The little fellow turns out to be a women magnet. And even English tough bikers go down on their knees to cuddle Moos.
In the evening Elvis comes to life on stage and after his performance a rock band starts playing. But at 11 PM all I want to do is lay my head on the table and sleep. Vman drags me back to the tent. I don’t know what he does to me, but the minute I close my eyes, I see fireworks all over the place. Is he…? Ah no, there really is a firework show! The bangs are so close, it seems like the fire crackers are lighted on top of the tent. The others party ’till deep in the night and in the early morning there is not a living soul in sight when I make my way to the sanitation building. I love these quiet dew dappled moments.
Tantalizing scents waft on the breeze. My head jerks up, alert at once. I know that smell: bacon and eggs! I could eat bacon and eggs every morning, if they wouldn’t add pounds to my trained body… *cough* You WISH Mar, you wish 😉 After this nutritious breakfast it is time to say goodbye to our group and go home. Weather forecast shows heavy rain showers to the south. Guess where we are heading? Straight into the red zone. For one and a half hour we ride through wind, rain and even thunderstorms. Our rain-proof clothing only proves one thing: it is non-rain-proof: we are soaked to our undies and shivering. A gas station provides a bit of shelter, but the clouds stay exactly where they are: above our heads. Vman is shaking so badly he can hardly hold on to the handles. Finally near Utrecht a bit of blue sky! The rest of the journey is better, but the hot shower at home is the best!
Hugs and smiles to our Breda Chapter members, you are the best! And big thanks to the Lakes Chapter for organizing this amazing event. Last but not least: thank you Friesland, for your warm though windy welcome. It giet oan!!!
Figments of a DuTchess 