Night riders.

With this post I'll finish the "motorcycle" topic (for now), and switch to other things.

So, one of our friends, Mihai, called us one evening and asked if we wanted to get out.
It was the "pleiades night", and we had the chance to watch plenty meteorites falling through the atmosphere.

Mihai waited for us at the usual meeting place, and we hurried away from the city where the light pollution makes the sky observation almost impossible.
Unfortunately, the sky was very cloudy at that time, and after 20 minutes of staring upwards (and getting some neck pains :) ) we decided to do something else: watch the airplanes that were landing or taking off in the airport near Bucharest.
At the airport there were some guards that kept whistling at us to leave the area (although we were on the public domain...); so we moved somewhere else they couldn't say anything :).
Waited for one airplane to pass above us while landing (nice experience), and then headed home.

In another night the experience repeated, but this time without the meteorites :) and with Mihai and his girlfriend Flori waiting for us.
We stopped at the gas station near the airport, left the bikes there and went near the landing strip.
The "cool" sensation was felt again :) as two planes passed roaring above us; and then we went to Baneasa forest.




Test drive with Mihai's motorcycle:


Andra, just loves to catch me in all kind of strange states (no head this time):



Both these small trips were quite fun, and different in the way that it is very quiet at night and there's a sense of serenity just outside the city, away from the crowds, traffic and noise.

Brasov "Aventura" park (motorcycle ride).

This year we visited Aventura park, at the suggestion of two colleagues from work.

We left from Bucharest in a chilly Saturday, around 7.00 o'clock.
Unfortunately we underestimated the morning cold and dressed with summer clothing :). You can imagine the rest..
The fingers froze first, and we had to stop - in the first two hours - at every gas station to wash our hands with hot water.
We have no funny pictures from those first hours, as no one gave a penny on taking photos; and most likely we couldn't had been able to hold the camera, even if we tried :D.

The road was partially ok.
In Ploiesti we had some trafic and very bad road; and near Brasov the asphalt had been cut in some locations in order to be prepared for repairing. Most of these holes were not too deep, but had very sharp edges and were dangerous for the small motorcycle tires. We dodged some, but other ones took us by surprise (especially in turnings).
We were prepared for a flat tire situation (had some special gel spray), but luckily nothing bad happened.

Long story short, we reached Brasov one hour later than planned.
The guys knew a nice mall, so we went there for a quick snack and for staring at the statues :).



oh, I forgot to mention: back then my head had more hair :D.


After leaving the mall, we went straight to the park.
Here started the real adventure, as the park proved to be more than what we expected.
The first tracks we took looked really easy; and of course they were - because were designed for children :) - at roughly 2-3 meters from the ground.
After we got the hang of it, we took more daring and demanding tracks (blue and black).
It was awesome! We weren't expecting it to be so difficult (but pleasant in the same time).
The blue path had various obstacles that required a different approach each time for completion. You had to constantly adapt, as it required most of the time unnatural moves and some also changed halfway.
The cables and ropes that sustained the logs, stairs etc - were tough to anticipate and they were influenced by each move you made.
Balance was the key.




The photos from above are from the black track.
This track was...well...black means deadly :).
Sure you have safety gear, but everything is in hour hands (there are no outside backups).

Most of the exercises were placed at dangerous heights, especially the first ones which were conceived to determine the weaker people to give up in case they felt they couldn't make it (I was very close to call it off, but changed my mind after completing the first two obstacles).




One thing that we did not anticipate, was that the adrenaline rush gave us extra strength for a short period of time, and in the same time drained us of energy.
As the exercises used most of our muscles (especially in the hands), close to the end of the black track we could barely hold anything with our hands (much less the whole body, as the "saucers" obstacle required).
We had to take an exit with two or three obstacles before the finish.

It took us approximately 30 minutes to recover and have enough strength to pilot the motorcycles to the nearest tavern :).

On the way back to Bucharest, the night fell after making 3/4 of the total distance.
The problem was that it caught us while passing through a bad road region, and it wasn't that pleasant :).

Overall it was a very interesting experience that everyone should try. It helps you understand your limits, forces you to stay very calm in situations where the adrenaline and other factors tell otherwise.
Bottom line, this experience can teach one to find balance both mental and physical.

Right now, we're making plans for a comeback to that place.
Care to join? :)

Doftana Valley (motorcycle ride).

Since I've already started documenting motorcycle rides from this year, I'll continue with these and then talk about other, more "conventional" trips.

So, this summer we went to Prahova - Doftana area, in a one day get away - together with a few friends.
We had a very good, sunny weather, fair trafic and partially good roads.

Andra was in charge with the photos, and she surprised me by taking pictures in situations I would have been more conformable with her properly anchored to the motorcycle.












A quick break was taken at a hill peek, from where we could see the entire region.























We stopped near the Paltinu lake and relaxed in the meadow for a while.
With all the barbecue smell from the area, we got corrupted and decided to search for a place to eat something.






















After a last short break and a delicious meal, we returned relaxed and with enough energy for a new full week.