HUBBUK

Arriving at HUBBUK in Hay on Wye and staying at Baskerville Hall Hotel was everything we had hoped it would be. The accommodations and hotel has a old, historic quality that we had anticipated and the Horizons Unlimited event seemed to run flawlessly because of attentive volunteers that make these events happen. Thanks to everyone involved, and especially Caroline that helps us whenever needed and made my presentation on the Baja so easy to do.

Caroline Carver

The weather was typical of Wales, so we were told,  rainy. We arrived in the train and it ended up training almost the entire weekend. I didn’t set up a stand for WANDRR Motorcycle Tours, but passed out flyers and cards and did another presentation on traveling the Baja, Mexico. Traveling on motorbike presents issues when it comes to inclimate weather, no coverage. We had the opportunity to meet and visit with many people from the international community and had a blast. I’ll post a few pictures with captions that show a clip of the event.

The main Baskerville hall

One of our favorite people, the charming and witty, Simon Gandolfi.

Dylan Wickrama

Friends Billy Sherratt and Bernard Smith

Friend Tiffany Coates and her presentation on riding in Madagascar

With friends Ken and Carol Duval from Australia, Caroline and Jim Carver, and the Dirty Old Bags.

Trying out Tiffany Coates bike, Thelma.

We left the great times and friends of HU UK on Sunday morning. Riding out on Father’s Day and headed toward Kidwelly, Wales and the completion of a very important mission the weather was beautifully Welsh, dreary and rainy. My dad, 15 years prior, had found a couple of our distant Turp family. It seems all of the Turp family in America come from the same family from Essex, England. My Dad passed on 10 years ago never having had the opportunity to meet with the two Turps he had been corresponding with in Wales. Well we decided to stop in, unannounced, and surprise them. Pulling up to the address on the letter that my Dad had it was us that got the surprise, an ambulance in front of the house. As it turned out, Charles Turp had falling and was OK, bought was taking a ride to the hospital to be checked out. The paramedics let us in to chat with them before they left and just loved our story. The brother and sister, Charles and Caroline, remembered the letters to my father. To me it was a very emotional reunion and a completion of my father’s journey.

My distant cousin’s, Caroline and Charles Turp, born in Essex and living in Wales.

Skinny Canal boats at a local pub

Sunset in Wales

The other thing I wanted to do was visit the Coventry Transport Museum and see and touch my friend Ted Simon’s Triumph Tiger 100, that he rode around the world in 1973. This journey, told in his book Jupiter’s Travels, lasted 4 years through 45 countries, 103,000 kms and has inspired thousands of motorcycle riders to do journeys of their own. Thanks Ted for the inspiration and friendship.

Coventry Transport Museum

My friend Ted Simon’s Triumph, Jupiter’s Travels

Tomorrow we head back to mainland Europe and ride east.