Good buddy Dan is a young fellow I met when I was leading the CSC rides through Baja. He’s the real deal…a serious motorcyclist who enjoys getting out and seeing the world on two wheels. When I led the CSC rides, Dan was on every one of them, and we became good friends. Dan also rides Moto Guzzi motorcycles, and most recently, he rode with a Moto Guzzi tour in Tunisia. I was happy to receive this email from Dan yesterday about his north African excursion:
Joe:
Happy New Year – for me, the new year starts at the winter solstice. I hope you had a good year and will have a great holiday season.
I got my Christmas present early this year; a motorcycle trip in Tunisia. I flew to Milan and took trains to Mandello del Lario where the Moto Guzzi motorcycle factory is. I visited the Moto Guzzi Museum twice – it is only open one hour a day. A fantastic collection of motorcycles from their beginning in 1921. Then I took trains to Genoa where I met up with the tour group. The next day we took the overnight ferry to Tunis, and then the riding began. Seven days of riding, with lunch at the best restaurants and nights at the best hotel in town. Along the way we stopped and saw the sights – Roman ruins, an Ottoman fort, several oases, a famous mosque, salt flats, and a set from the first Star Wars movie, where I rode a camel. The trip was sponsored by Moto Guzzi; we were all riding Moto Guzzi motorcycles, and we had 26 motorcycles, several couples riding two up, two photographers, two mechanics, three guides, two support vans, and two spare Moto Guzzis. I may put together a trip report, meanwhile, this is a link to the Moto Guzzi report on the trip:
https://www.motoguzzi.com/us_EN/news/MG-Experience-Tunisia/
I did about ten thousand miles of motorcycle riding this year; my big trip in the US was home to Flagstaff to El Paso and home, with several stops along the way.
Dan
Dan, that’s an absolutely awesome report and a world class trip. Thanks so much for sending the note and for giving us permission to post it on the ExNotes blog. I’m reading the Moto Guzzi trip report now, savoring each photo and all of the descriptions. Wow, it sounds like a wonderful adventure!
Great TRIP!…Always love a good travel story and this was a good one. The seemed to be a well read individual and really gave you the feeling of being in as he said, “In a oil painting” when describing an area.
So Joe when are you taking a group on the next trip?
Dan is a cool guy and he’s easy to travel with. Lots of good stories, too, and a talented and safe rider.
Regarding the next group trip I lead, hey, I’m retired! Unless it’s Baja. Then, not so much.
I always admire anyone who will step outside of most peoples comfort zone. That is an awesome trip. Thanks for sharing. By the way, did you ever find those droids you were looking for?
No doubt about it; Dan has the right stuff. So do you, John.