January 6, 2023
Normally, I don’t like to miss September in the mountains. The air gets cooler and the aspen trees light up the hillsides in brilliant yellow. It’s a great time to hit the roads and trails to get in the last few rides before the snow comes. This year, however, I found Adriatic Motor Tour’s Beautiful Balkans tour online and booked a flight to Ljubljana, Slovenia for a fantastic ride with a great group of people through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro.
I arrived in Ljubljana a few days early to check out the city and shake off the jet lag before the tour. Ljubljana is a beautiful city, and well worth a visit. The Ljubljanica River flows through the middle of the city, with several bridges crossing over it. The old part of the city is pedestrian only, with beautiful Baroque architecture and wide streets connecting many large squares. I jumped on a free walking tour to get the lay of the land. This was a great way to get an introduction to the city. As luck would have it, there were several festivals going on my first day in town, including a big burger and beer festival in one of the bigger squares.
On the first day of the tour, we met in the hotel lobby for introductions and a pre-ride briefing. As usual, I booked this tour without knowing anyone else who was going. Afterall, meeting new people and making new friends is a big part of touring for me! After the briefing, we took taxis to the garage to get our bikes and go on a quick introductory ride. Luckily, all of the countries on this trip drive on the right side of the road, so that made things easier for us Americans! With bikes parked back at the hotel, we got cleaned up for our first group dinner and got ready to head out the next morning.
About the ride…
In this episode, our ragtag group of adventurers makes its way from Ljubljana, Slovenia through Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia and back to the AMT HQ. Our cast of characters includes:
Peter- The ride leader from Ljubljana! Slovenian boxer/history buff/licensed tour guide/head sherpa. Fearlessly leading the group and ready to circle back and scrape our remains off the pavement if needed.
Damjan- The man behind the curtain/second in command. Doing all of the heavy lifting and making sure our luggage made its way to our next destination and that there was a cold welcome drink waiting for us on arrival. Also chauffeured some of the ladies when the weather was bad or they just didn’t want to ride. The ladies always seemed to have a smile on their face after a ride with Damjan…hmm….
Drew and Nancy- Yeehaw!! The rootin’ tootin’ Texans…always up for a good time, and piloting that GS like a 737 on a joyride. They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that must include generosity and love of life, because they brought it in spades!
Todd and Sharon- G-day mates! They brought the thunder from down under! An amazing couple that seemed to have a birthday or anniversary every couple of days ;-). A dark beer for Todd + a glass of wine for Sharon = a good time for all! I can only hope to ride with them again someday!
Brian and Anita- The double Docs from Utah. Riding with the speed, precision and matching outfits of an Olympic figure skating team. They can name almost any song ever written, and karaoke Sweet Caroline like nobody’s business! Bum, bum bum! Doing it in style, and always with a smile!
Bruce and Lorna- Proving that there are people in California with common sense, and riding faster in their 70’s than most kids in their 20’s! Always a pleasure to talk with and always up for a burger and beer!
Chris and Jacquie- The terrific twosome from Toronto…eh! If either of these two was ever in a bad mood during the trip, they never showed it. Always happy…even without their Harley Davidsons and maple syrup! Once again proving that Canadians are some of the nicest people in the world!
Curt- The wee young lad of the trip at a mere 46 years, putting up with all of the old geezers and reigning in all of that extra horsepower that wanted to charge past us on his black stallion. Dedicated to making sure that all important events were met with appropriate fanfare, and always ready to find a good time when there was one to be had.
Dave- The “Other Colorado Guy”! Seems like no matter where you go in the world, there are at least 2 people from Colorado! Wearing the yellow vest like a badge of honor, he shephered us all across the finish line. Give me a call when the snow thaws…I’ll be ready to ride Colorado with you!
Bob- Mr. Easy Going himself, from Sturgis, SD! Ex military/CIA/NSA…not exactly sure what he did, but I’m sure it was classified! Riding that motorcycle like a rented mule, fellow member of Team Yamaha, taking every lump in the road with a complete lack of suspension and every bit of wind with no fairing. If I ever have the pleasure of riding with Bob again, I’m sure neither of us will be on a Yamaha MT-07 or Tracer!
Joe- The Kansas Baritone, the Topeka Tunester…rounding out Team Yamaha with his lowered MT-07. Call him what you want, but never call him late for dinner! With a constantly red-lining metabolism, he is not only a charter member of the clean plate club, but surely its founder! Whenever there was a ride to be ridden, a song to be sung or a meal to be eaten, Joe was there with his deep melodic voice to get it done!
All in all, this was a great ride. While Croatia has been on my go-to list for a while, I never would have thought about riding in Slovenia, Bosnia or Montenegro. Slovenia was beautiful and every town looked like a postcard. Bosnia was an unexpected gem. Sarajevo and Mostar were cities that I will not forget. Montenegro had beautiful mountains and stunning coastlines. Super happy to have gone on the ride and met some great people in the process!
Here are just some of the highlights from the ride…
