Touring and Travel Magazine

Motorcycle Touring & Travel - Road Runner Magazine: http://www.roadrunner.travel/

A fellow scooterist found a copy of this magazine on a newstand and shared it with us. He and I have both subscribed. This magazine is not opposed to the maxi-scooter concept and does scooter reviews and articles about touring on scooters. The latest edition also includes the first article in a series about camping and camping equipment for motorcycle touring.

Never seen to many bears when I was in the Army but did see alot of them backpacking up in the Sierra's mountain range out in California. I've seen bears demolish cars, truck campers, and motorhomes for just a cookie or a doughnut. Their sence of smell is really good.

If tent camping, always check to see if your in bear country and take the nessary precautions like never storing or having food in your tent (NEVER) and aways keep your campsite clean. Never store your food in your scooter or trailer or you just might lose them to a hungry bear. They will rip them apart to get to your food.

Always try to eat in restaurants when you find yourself in bear country.

Great mag, Ive been getting it for some time now. I have most of the tear out tours. I started saving them from the Nov/Dec 03 edition until now. These are neat one day tours that they evaluate and report on them. They also have made tour videos. I spoke with a gentleman at the DC cycle show this past year and he said he really wasn't a scooter person. Someone there must be because they keep on riding and writting about them. They also were going to write about classic bikes every couple of months or so but this seems to have fallen off some. When I asked him about that his reply was it was hard to get the older bikes to take trips on. I can understand that. They really do a very good job on touring articles. Dick

Yeah, Dennis, the Koalas and roos can be a menace too. The roos will enter areas where food is stored and can be quite aggressive if disturbed and the koalas piddle on you if they feel they are threatened. (Most people get curious and try to touch or cuddle the koalas and come off second best). Eucalyptus oil fuelled pee is highly corrosive and their claws are designed to climb trees, not legs. Unfortunately these days seeing Koalas in the wild is becoming rare due to fox and feral cats and dogs as well as severe habitat denigration.
The main dangers in OZ for camping however are the multitude of snakes and spiders, ticks and other creepy crawlies with fangs and stingers.
Emus are generally shy and retiring unless there is food present and Cassowaries are highly aggressive. They have huge claws and like roos can gut you quick as a flash.
Emus and roos however make good meat.
The saltwater crocs are protected and think we make good meat. Crocs are also farmed for meat and suitcases.
Ticks can be a problem as the roos carry them around and spread them all over. Still I would rather camp here than take a chance with a bear or cougar.

Kurt... for our US groupies, explain what "piddle on you" really means ... we use the phrase "just piddling around". Our "piddle" is certainly different from the Aussie "piddle". Or the "koalas piddle" I was surprised to hear the word defined by a visitor to your country several years ago.

It means they do wee wees! with Gum tree oil! yuk!!!!

OH by the way Gene, wanna tell them what it means to "root for somebody" in OZ .

While on the subject of travel and touring, I will be travelling with my wife, Debbie from Perth to Melbourne via Adelaide. We will be travelling on the Indian Pacific on Wenesday and seeing in the New Year somewhere on the eastern end of the Nullabor. Our Subaru will also be travelling along till we get to Adelaide on Friday morning and staying there for a couple of days with a tour of the Barrossa wineries thrown in. We look forward to seeing our family in Melbourne before driving back to Perth (3600km ) I may be out of touch for a while, so Dennis will need to brush up on his Strayan accent to placate the Aussies who dare to venture here. Unfortunately the Swing will be housed with its 3 other stablemates till we return.

Hint for Dennis: hold nose tightly, raise vioce one octave and talk fast. that should do it!

Thank's Kurt, I'll give a whirl.

Just did a google search on Cassowaries. Darn big, mean old bird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOPVVdg8noc