Gav's French adventure

**gav24** · 13th July 2012, 05:38

As some of you will know, I'm in France at the moment working on a very old house finishing the restoration work off.
Anyhow, the need to ride has taken over and I've bought a cool old DR600 from 1986.
I've tried to attach a photo of the beast at the beginning of a local ride.
To be honest I'm a bit useless at attaching photos, and any help in how to get those cool large pics in the middle of the text, rather than at the bottom as an attachment would be welcome.
Just to attempt this one has taken me ages - if it worked!...?
If someone can tell me in clear language how to get my pics from 'my pictures' folder on my computer into the text easily I'll try to start a regular set of French ride reports to ward off your winter blues in NZ.

**gav24** · 13th July 2012, 06:40

It looks like it worked - Tres bon!
So just need to find out how to make em bigger...?

The photo is taken in a small town 5km away (off road

) called St Matheu. I'm in the Sud Ouest region of france, or the Haute Vienne to be more specific, and luckily like most of rural France there is a huge network of Chemin's, which are basically 'Green Lanes' or tracks that are used by walkers, cyclists, horse riders, motorcyclist but usually by french hunters in Renault / Citroen vans closing in en masse on a Sanglier (Boar), Reynard (Fox) or Deer. In fact they are usually out in such numbers that when the hunt is on its best to keep out of the countryside all together - the culture of drinking and their technique of hunting means that people are regularly shot! In fact hunting is now illegal on wednesdays as that is the day the primary school children have off... I wonder how many accidents it took before that ban came in...

.
Anyhow, I digress...
My most recent ride was about 60km on a local network of tracks that start from outside the church in the centre of St Matheu. Each route is colour coded by signs, and one way!

So you just look at the map in the background and pick a route and off you go

The tracks can be anything from single track tarseal roads (not much), gravel tracks (some), dirt roads (mostly) and challenging single track (not much). Just about right for a DR600!
This ride was good fun as I was entirely lost for all of it, just following tracks keeping to the black circle arrows and checking that I hadnt been past this house, farm , tree etc before as the ride is circular and I could still be going round now if I didnt keep a look out!

The ride started out on a mix of tarseal and gravel roads before taking a swerve off into a forest where most of the rest of the ride would remain, I stopped briefly by a lake for a photo then pushed on down amazing tracks which skirted fields and lakes with the occasional Chateau seeing as it was France and the cliche fits!
Nothing challenging yet but really enjoyable to soak up the scenery...
Eventually the route planners (whoever they are - but Merci bien!) decided enough of the frippery and we plunged deeper into the woods. the tracks were wet after recent thunder storms (and hail!) but had a thick covering of leaves which meant just enough traction for the front wheel to grip, but thankfully enough to spray last autumns colours about with the rear!

I'll continue with the report when my computer sorts itself out a bit - I've already lost this lot once

Enjoy the photos - I'll try to keep posting as I find new things...

**gav24** · 13th July 2012, 06:42

Trying ...to...attach...pics arrrrggghhh!

**gav24** · 13th July 2012, 06:58

Still...going....

**Woodman** · 13th July 2012, 07:02

Keep em coming Gav. Great pics.

**oneofsix** · 13th July 2012, 07:07

This is a bit like the near sighted leading the blind, not great at this picture thing myself, but if you are using the Manage attachments thing under the typing pane when you have chosen the pic and uploaded them click the "insert inline" words at the bottom of the window rather than the done. The Insert inline will have the number of pics you have uploaded in brackets next to it, after you click it this number should go to zero, then you can click done to get rid of the window. In the typing pane each pic will be represented by an xml tag starting and ending with square bracketed word ATTACH. If you move these around as you type you are repositioning your pics, keep the initial square bracket and ATTACH through to the the square bracket after /ATTACH together for each pic. Hopefully I have over explained but you get it.

Good luck. Hope you can make sense of the above

**BoristheBiter** · 13th July 2012, 07:28

Great read, and personally I prefer the thumbnails.

Keep them coming.

**oneofsix** · 13th July 2012, 07:37

Originally Posted by BoristheBiter

Great read, and personally I prefer the thumbnails.

Keep them coming.

+1 enjoying the read, enjoying the scenery, prefer the thumbnails

**Night Falcon** · 13th July 2012, 11:55

Nice one Gav, I hate thumbnails, but it is a bit of a hassel to get pictures on this site of the correct size to avoid the wrath of the mods.

For large photos your best to stick em here http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=65 heres how: If you start a photobucket account (no cost) you can post your pics straight to it and then cut and paste the link to the insert picture box. there is no size restriction.

**gav24** · 13th July 2012, 17:37

Thanks for the help, seems to make sense, I'll try it later.
I had a huge issue with the time it took for the pics to upload. Hence only 1 or 2 thumbnails per post, any more and it took waaay to long. They are pretty big (800+k I think) so I'll try and reduce their file size and see if that helps... err how do I do that?

**manakau.KTM** · 13th July 2012, 17:53

Hi Gavin

This is great. You realise that most of the kiwis reading this will turn up at your mother's place, claiming to be a mate of Gav's. This is a cultural thing that that you may not have grasped yet.

Will keep an eye on this thread.

Cheers

Wayne

**Night Falcon** · 13th July 2012, 17:58

Originally Posted by gav24

Thanks for the help, seems to make sense, I'll try it later.
I had a huge issue with the time it took for the pics to upload. Hence only 1 or 2 thumbnails per post, any more and it took waaay to long. They are pretty big (800+k I think) so I'll try and reduce their file size and see if that helps... err how do I do that?

If you have a photo editing programme you can reduce the size of your pics in there before you try an upload. If you upload to photobucket you can edit the file size in there as well. Photo software can be a bit frustrating to get ya head around if ya not used to it but it gets easier with practice. good luck

**gav24** · 14th July 2012, 05:32

OK a brief try again with some more snaps of the French woods and what lies within...

As for kiwi's dropping by, Yes please! we are all a bit homesick to be honest... I have radio NZ national on during the day whilst I'm working (except its nights with Brian Crump for me!) Leanne is feeling a bit isolated with the 2 boys and they are missing their friends and kindy...

1. Luckily the signs said left here not across. 2. Getting a bit more technical now! 3. yay, thats more like it Brrraaaarp! 4. Pick a colour ..., 5. a gravel road, 6. Might need a light resto once the chooks are moved out!

**Padmei** · 14th July 2012, 08:53

Great stuff gav. i want to take the wife & lil ponies over to stay a few weeks in a small town in a few years to show them some other cultures.
having the old national radio does keep you close to home tho.

**gav24** · 15th July 2012, 06:06

What else to say about the end of the ride report I started a few nights ago...
Well it was all going well til about 5kms from teh end when the narrow track next to the river (in previous pics) suddenly turned sharp left and straight up the bank, about a 30 metre (metric system, sorry no yards!) rocky wet climb. It caught me out the first time and I ended up stopped and wheel spinning, then backwards and wheel spinning

- We've all been there! waiting helplessly to find out where we're going next...on our sides, bums or if we're lucky still on the bike and broadside to the track. Thankfully I ended up lucky

, so just wiggled around and cautiously completed the second part of my unplanned 180 and rode as slowly as I could back to the bottom, remembering the zero run up afforded by the drop into the river at the bottom

Second time I was ready for it and gunned it up from the base like I was heading for the holeshot at Hawkestone park (If you dont know it, you tube it!) With a little bit of paddling for the last few meters I was over the top!

Once out of there it was a mix of lanes and farmyards to the beginning - All in all a great bit of riding on a monday afternoon!

In other news (pics):
My new co-pilot Tom is shaping up well for a future Dakar hero! - he's only 3 so we just stick to the off road stuff (mainly

) He loves sitting in front and pretending to steer! As you can see I think Sam's even keener - better get those peewee's sorted when we get back!

and Pikeys new lid - (seriously!) just to raise the anticipation before the postie arrives (sadly in KTM orange for a DR rider

) How does it compare to that new Arai?

How'd ya like my new porch roof!

Laters
Le Gav!