Skoll: Dr. Strangelove or how I learned to love the Monkey

The start of our journey together with Lightning was somewhat akward. We had only met a couple of days earlier so we didn't practically know each other and we had nothing really in common. We only knew we had a long drive together in front of us. And to tell you the truth, I didn't even care to get to know her - she was a Monkey after all and I was more than happy with my Triumph waiting at home.

The riding itself was good, yes, but there was nothing more to it. It was just a physical act. The first couple of days both of us minded our own business. But when you are on a journey like this, with only each other for company, you are bound to learn something about your companion. So I started to listen the sound of her engine. Do some accelerating and breaking and see how she reacted. Take her to the twists and turns and really feel her. At the same time I allowed her to take me where she wanted.

By the time we got to Denmark, we were having a blast! Still, I didn't think anything more could come out of it. I was not going to dump my Triumph no matter how good the riding was. The first thought of doubt entered my mind when we were in Amsterdam when I noticed I was thinking more about Lightning than Triumph.

The following days were full of long riding, but we simply couldn't get enough of it. A couple of liters of gas was all we needed. And it wasn't only the riding I was enjoying, it was everything about her - the way she looked, the way she smelled, the way she sounded.

Now for the past couple of days I have been seriously thinking about what I really want from my life. Endless hours of driving together like this connects you in a way nothing else can connect. Either way, making a decision will be very hard.

As promised, at five o'clock this afternoon my Monkey was ready to hit the road again. Getting out of Bordeaux wasn't as easy as I would have thought. Finally when I was out of the city and on the correct road, I got an sms from Bob saying they didn't take the coast route they initially planned but another one through Mont-de-Marzand and Orthez. I decided to change to that route also.

When I was finally on the correct-correct road, I noticed I was low on gas. As the hour was getting late, there were no gas stations open along my route. The only cold station nearby was 15 km off route, but that was my only option. About 1 km before the gas station I run out of gas. Luckily the area was pretty even so pushing the Monkey wasn't hard. When I got the the station, I had another challenge in front of me - in this development country they don't accept international credit cards on cold stations, only local bank cards. Soon however a local came to the station to get some gas and I was able to pay him cash to fill up my tank.

Now I'm in a hotel in a small French village named Brocas, with about 200 km left to go to Pamplona. I will miss the bull run, but I was there a couple of years ago so it's not that big of a loss.

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