USA - Islandia - Albania
Poniższy tekst napisał obecny przyjaciel rodziny, Ron, który pewnego dnia wysłał swoją Yamahę XTZ Tenere do Islandii, gdzie następnie przyleciał z zachodniego wybrzeża USA.
Podczas postoju w Danii, zaprzyjaźniony motocyklista namówił go na odwiedziny na Podkarpaciu, gdzie Ron ostatecznie złapał przeziębienie i spędził z nami tydzień, podczas którego zdążyliśmy się zaprzyjaźnić. Po wspólnej przejażdżce po Bieszczadach i poznaniu planów Rona, został on ku swojemu zdziwieniu wyposażony w nowiutki zestaw odzieży ogrzewanej KLAN.
Ron wyruszył z południowego wschodu Polski na Ukrainę i dalej do Albanii - punktu docelowego swojej podróży. Według jego relacji, nieoczekiwana możliwość skorzystania z zupełnie nowego kompletu kalesonów ogrzewanych i bluzy podgrzewanej KLAN umożliwiła dalszą podróż w pełnym komforcie cieplnym. A wszystko to miało swój początek w błędnej ocenie sytuacji, nieznajomości zmiennego jesiennego klimatu na wschodzie Europy i odesłaniu do domu kompletu odzieży ogrzewanej, którą przywiózł ze sobą z USA...
Zapraszamy do lektury w oryginale:
I knew there was chance I would regret sending my bulky heated gear back to America from Denmark. It was early September and even though I had just arrived from Iceland, the temperatures were downright balmy. Plus, I was already feeling the weight of having overpacked. So, it was just a matter of picking through the gear I thought I could simply do without. The fact that my heated jacket and pants took up more space in my panniers than I liked made them an easy target. I foolishly thought since I would be heading steadily south the entire trip, down to Turkey and Greece, the chances of needing heated gear would be less and less likely. Did I say something about being foolish?
The best decision I made in Denmark was connecting with Tonny from the beautiful little hamlet of Scaverup on the Avnø Fiord. I found Tonny on a popular adventure motorcycle forum where he had posted a delightful story about his recent trip through the countries I was planning to ride through in Eastern Europe. It included Poland and a visit with Michal and Helen and their children in the beautiful southeast corner of the country not far from the city of Rzeszów. So, fast forward, after contacting Michal we made plans to meet in Krakow and from there we rode together to his home where I would spend the next few days before heading into Ukraine. Michal was on a very cool KTM 690 Adventure and although he is a very accomplished rider (and a celebrated wheelie expert), he took a more gentle approach with me as we explored the surrounding mountainous back roads, delightfully decked out in fall colors. It was early October and it was beginning to get cold. This is where Michal saved me.
I felt a little stupid having to explain to Michal that I had made a pretty significant mistake by sending my heated gear back to the US from Denmark. But as I described the particular heated gear I had discarded, Michal immediately volunteered a solution - a game changing one at that. It turned out that Michal is a sales representative for an Italian company that manufactures heated gear, KLAN. He took me into his “product room” where he stores his inventory and presented a top and bottom pair of KLAN heated gear that I was welcome to purchase. The minute I laid eyes on this gear I knew I had to have it. What makes it remarkable is that it’s essentially a “base layer,” as opposed to the bulky outer layer gear I had sent back to the US. It hugs your body. The perfectly distributed heat is in this wonderfully comfortable stretchy material that feels and even looks good enough to lounge around in well after a long ride in cold conditions. It was a done deal.
I’m sure I don’t have to tell anyone who has traveled in Northern Greece in November that it’s incredibly cold and wintery. I can’t begin to thank Michal enough for getting me set up in the KLAN heated gear. Now, a few years later, I’m still thanking him whenever I head out, nicely layered in my KLAN heated gear, on a cold late fall or early spring ride here in the mountain west of the US.
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