Thanks to all on this thread , Ron
Ron … what can I say we lived it and I must confess sometimes I got a bit home sick but was glad to do my stint and …when you were kept busy your mind was on the job ( it had to be )… the nights when you were coming back empty from where ever pulling off and into the desert finding a rise with a breeze… boiling the kettle making a brew under the loading light a loaf of fresh bread bought further back the road a bully beef sandwich and a strong cup of tea sit and watch the lights of the cars and trucks away down in the distance and the starry starry night sky … hit the sack as it cooled down …get woken up by a herd of
Bedouin goats …wash the dial have another cuppa (nescafe) this time scratch your backside and away again …Jeddah here we come… no glory but lots of memories glsd I did it
This one of yours has been on before Ron
Hi Ron …just got my Heritage Commercial Mag this morning read this article thought you would be familiar with the lads in it …just in case you had,nt seen it
Mah salahm -
Thanks backsplice , i went on the bike to that very run , Vince Cook i knew from way back .he was a lovely man , sadly missed I am sure , I can see him clearly in my mind !the turn out was fitting for such a man RIP , Ron
Hi Ron … I thought you would have to have known about and been on that run the man got a great send off … "The Hollies " I,ve stopped there many a time and was surprised to learn it was still on the go not like lots of the old haunts and stop overs from the 60,s and 70,s
On the road from Jeddah to Riyahd via Medina about 5 hours from Jeddah I used to pull into a place for a feed usually an omelette used to call the boss Norman and referred to the joint Normans at Brotherton after the cafe on the old A1
On the road from Jeddah to Riyahd via Medina about 5 hours from Jeddah I used to pull into a place for a feed usually an omelette used to call the boss Norman and referred to the joint Normans at Brotherton after the cafe on the old A1
( Tanks ) For the Memories ,Backsplice
That,s better now Ron …I can see you "proper " I was loking through the shoe box found a pic of Norman,s cafe location and another of a couple of TONKAS
Mah Salahms
We nearly dropped off the page Ron so saw these and thought of you and to get us back at the top …although the last one might be more your weight … or else put a couple of bricks in your pocket to keep you from getting blown off …Mah salahms
Great story Ron!
This was posted on facebook on the Europe and beyond, early days thread. do you or Martin or Ken remember such a trick?
Richard Owen. I got a lift one day and the driver was an ex trans Arabia driver ,and he told me about when he first went out there ,and had a load from Jeddah to Buraidah,right in the middle of Saudi, all-went well ,put his time and expense sheet in , a couple of hours later the traffic clerk told him he had made a mistake on his expenses but he’d put it right , what was the mistake? Oh ,you forgot to claim for lifting the power cables on the road into buraidah,so he thought about and kept quiet ,later spoke with one of the old hands ,where’s these power cables in buraidah ? There aren’t any but the first driver who went there claimed it and everybody else has done the same ever since, I think it was 80rats ,at the exchange rate then a tenner
John.
John West:
Great story Ron!This was posted on facebook on the Europe and beyond, early days thread. do you or Martin or Ken remember such a trick?
Richard Owen. I got a lift one day and the driver was an ex trans Arabia driver ,and he told me about when he first went out there ,and had a load from Jeddah to Buraidah,right in the middle of Saudi, all-went well ,put his time and expense sheet in , a couple of hours later the traffic clerk told him he had made a mistake on his expenses but he’d put it right , what was the mistake? Oh ,you forgot to claim for lifting the power cables on the road into buraidah,so he thought about and kept quiet ,later spoke with one of the old hands ,where’s these power cables in buraidah ? There aren’t any but the first driver who went there claimed it and everybody else has done the same ever since, I think it was 80rats ,at the exchange rate then a tenner
John.
Hi John
Buraydah was an unusual route to use from Jeddah to the Gulf side - you went via Medina for Riyadh - the only time we got involved with the power being turned off and the cables being lifted was when we look a luxury cabin cruiser from Jeddah to Qatar for Al Qarashi Bros on our welled low loader - we build the well up with idols flats and welded the lot together - this caused a problem coming back out Qatar as the customs classed the flats as cargo!! So cost a bit of cash as usual. But as I remember it did not cost us anything Buraydah and certainly can’t remember anything on the expenses, in fact there was never really an issue over expenses. I am struggling to remember the driver John Mathews comes to mind but 2 man with a broomstick was the Telford Burner who was one of the mechanics. I met them in Hofuf and went with them down to the Qatar boarder - very hairy with a wide load and the Arabs coming the other way would give any room!! Took us 2 days to get over the boarder and even then it would got thru the boarder post - had to go over some salt flats.
On the one occasion drove from Dammam to Jeddah via Buraydah I met Eric Bowers with a Mack in trouble with sand in the foot brake valve - he got it sorted. Buraydah is the city where all the Muslim clerics are trained also the sand is very red - incredible. The only other job we got involved there was the shipment of 800 containers of greenhouses that were shuttled with roadtrains and dropped with empties coming back - great job.
Not heard from Ron lately - hope he is ok I have been to one funeral this week and another friend has just died after a long fight with the big C
Regards
Ken
Reading about lifting the wires I seem to recall having to do that a couple of times on the same route …I made plenty of trips from Jeddah to Al Ghat with materials and equipment to the Swiss construction mob building the Sports Stadium apparently some relative of the Saudi royals was born there ■■? perhaps the kings mother can,t remember …anyway Buraydah was on the way Al Ghat being a bit further on and Ken , s correct saying it was Via Medina …some episodes are quite vivid in the mind but others are fading fast …Ron was heading off on the Beeeza so I hope he listened when I said to put a coulple of bricks in his pocket …help keep him in the saddle
Mah salahmms
Mah salahmms
Well thanks for your E Mail Backsplice , The eye pad has been out of action for some time so I took it to Apple in Brum and got it fixed , That’s what I call Telepathy ■■ I had a dream !! After watching a live boxing match from JEDDAH of all places on Earth last night ! You know the place where the sweet scented aroma just hangs about in the thick clouds of flies , and we could not wait to press the cracker and drive up that mountain and get away from that Red Sea Resort if you get my drift . And in my dream I got talking to a darkskined man who drove for SARAMAT ? I asked him if he knew of a chap called BACKSPLICE he did not . But ain’t that just incredible because this morning I awoke to an a message from your good self , I am in good fettle and still riding , hope you are the same ! tell us how it was Backsplice in those days gone by ! Driving with the sun full in the windscreen for days on end in that land of Sand , Ron
Salam Alykhum glad your ok Ron was getting a bit worried …looks like you’re back in the Saddle
Mah salahm
Two for a pair Ron
Nice place you,ve got there …and you,re lookin good old pal