I emerged from the Service Centre with the intention of continuing my 688km ride for the day from the beaches of Southern France to Orleans some 180kms South of Paris.

No where is the bike there are masses of people all swarming around the carpark and most are looking at my bike and they are in dark blue Police riot uniforms.

I approached them and immediately put my arms up saying ïts was me officer".

That situation was far removed from my previous nights outing when Tom a friend from Canada who I must admit I have only ever caught up with him overseas never at home, called around to my apartment and collected me for a night out on the town or towns or well gee we got lost once or twice just trying to find where we would meet up with another couple.

However it did give us valuable time too renew old friendships, chat about our adventures since last meeting in 2015 in Birmingham at the National Motorcycle Museum and of course planning that Isle of Man trip we had corresponded about for the past year as I travelled The United States and Canada while Tom was "doing Europe".

The other advantage of misplaced directions is you get to see out of the way places and in an effort to locate the other couple we walked the back streets of some Frence village until Tom's phone called was returned. The simple truth we were in the wrong town! No wonder we found the "landmark"the local funeral home but not the house we where after.

getting to the right village we again located the same companies funeral home once again in the main village square and soon Tom was pounding on a door down a back alleyway whrer only motorbikes & cyclists would rain terror on the pedestrians. It reminded me of our epic rides down people filled laneways when we stayed in Florence in 2013.

The door soon was opened by another Canadian who had just returned from attending motorcycle meeting in Australia but despite efforts we never met up as he went to the WSB at Phillip Island and I went to The Island Classic, so why not meet up in France. He welcomed us warmly and we were soon seated talking politics, well no, Donald Trump, well No of course it was motorcycles. His British born wife joined us before we all departed in two different vehicles for a restaurant in yet another town. Yes we seemed to drive spritely but our hosts where already seated enjoying a coffee when we arrived. Not that we would have missed them as the owner of the Restaurant was "watching out for us in the street"and directed us to their table. It turns out that night was special as the current owner of 27yrs was enjoying their last night and the new owners their first night. As my hosts were "regulars"as they own two properties in yes different towns again.

we really enjoyed a 4 course meal (my mains were King Prawns) and drinks including two liquiors all for $25aud. Tom Tom or Mr Garmain showed Tom how to get me home ready for an early departure next morning.

Well the early start didnt actually happen despite my alarm and being packed the owner of the apartment didnt show until 9.30am to check it over and collect the bundle of keys that had given me access to the compound, the seure car park, the main doors, the elevator and finally my apartment. At least I felt safe. The owner told me on departure I was his first guest of a purely commercial nature.

The journey today was to as they say, if you don't suceed the first time try again and looking through my 2015 planning I had two special areas to visit in France outside of tourist areas. The first was Oradour sur Glane where I clearly remember in my blog writing

Requiescat In Pace

Qu ILS RESPOSENT ENPAIX

Claudine 13

Renee 10

Huguette 7

Maryse 6

One family

Victimes de la barbarie NAZIE

The other item to visit was Millau Vidaduct- that never happened.

Today however it was on the most direct route to my overnight stop outside paris at Orleans. The A75 uses the Millau Viaduct which in English is a 7 pier cable stayed bridge. Its massive holding at one stage three world road bridge records and still holding two for the highest Pier245m and the longest drop of 343m to the Tarn Valley and the river which carved this valley. The lost record was length which at 2460m has now being exceeded by 240m by a bridge over the Yangze River in China.

This bridge was first conceived in 1987 with construction commencing in 2001 and the bride was opend on 16th December 2004 in the Averyron Providence or locate in Southern France.

it still ranks in the top 15 scariest bridges in the world thanks to the possibility of winds coming up the valley at 200kph, to counter this the bridge has wind barriers on one side and a substantial guard rail on the otherside of its 6 lane width and yes the speed limit remains 130kmp except in "circumstane irregulie" usually high winds.

Well having ridden over it stopped for photographs and to browse the excellent tourist centre I moved on and was soon back in the high speed groove making up for lost time when flash! yes a speed camera had taken my image I checked Tom Tom opps the 130 had become a 90 "check zone"

I needed fuel so called into the next service centre where two motorcycle police were itting and looked (checked) me out asI rode up, I looked at them and waved, they waved back. I refulled and went and parked next to them and one started to talk in reasonable English when his partner got off the phone he came over to check out the "beautiful"moto and was engrossed with my wide screen Tom Tom compared to his much smaller Police issue Tom Tom. Sensing all was Ok we exchanged the opportunity to take photo's theirs for the Police Facebook page, mine for the blog.

I took the opportunity to ask about the flash camera. "No worries" we only go after the "hard core riders and drivers"I asked what he meant by "hard core"the over 200kmp ones was the reply.

Happy in this new found knowledge I moved on observing the very neat field s of rape and saffron both now out in full bloom next to the vivid green lucerene (alpha alpha) crops nestled next to strongly built stone houses many of which included a barn for winter housing of livestock.

needing fuel again saw me stop at a brand new service station that was crowded with bus loads of African decent school children who were "running riot"while their teachers, arers? drank coffee and took no action.

The station was so new my bowser had not had the card reader installed so hence I shifted the bike away from the bowser and went inside to pay which brings us ull circle to the start of this blog.

So approaching the closest officer I had said it was me officer to which he asked "Your bike!""Yes Officer. He said "beautiful bike my freiends tell me!"Yes it had spread already the Facebook story of the Aussie on the big red Triumph.

I looked around and counted 8 Police transport vans each carried 12 full equiped officers plus two command cars.

I said why the answer came back "logisits exercise say no more"well I had passed similiar convoys during the day never a single van but at least three or more.

He asked where i was going (chat ask) I told him about later in the week, he looked and smiled as he said "see you there"

So I think we are going to be safely looked after.