Well it was a beautiful spring day today, so I thought I'd use the great weather to do a few laps of the Mount (Mt Panorama) and see how the preparations are going for this year's Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. Over the past two weeks crews have been working on constructing the spectator seating, erecting numerous marquees, repainting the signage and advertsing on the various concrete walls around the circuit, readying the camping areas, renewing various road surfaces, re-sewing the track edges and grooming the track's run-off areas. With two weeks to go, the track is starting to look good for the race weekend from the 9 - 12 October.
I rode the track a few times in both directions. Hope you enjoy the view :)
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Kangaroo Valley Bounce
This past weekend (6 -7 September) saw me head down to Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands for a camping weekend with other riders from the TwoWheels Motorcycle Forum. The trip had been planned for a couple of months, with riders planning to meet up at Robertson (on the Illawarra Highway) at lunch time on Saturday and then camp in the Morton National Park, Bundanoon on Saturday night.
This is a map of the route taken:
Anyway, as Mr. Murphy would have it and being the first weekend of Spring, of course it was going to rain - and rain it did on the Saturday. It had, in fact been raining fairly steadily for getting close to 48 hours when I met up with another local forum member, Bubba, at our local Macdonalds carpark on Saturday morning at 8.00am. I had packed my bike the night before and it was loaded down with Ventura bag full of clothes and wine (fortification against the expected evening chill), two panniers with my camping gear and my sleeping bag and tent strapped onto the rack. All were suitable wrapped in plastic to protect from the rain. I was wearing two layers of wet weather clothing and my thermal long johns and feeling decidedly warm and snug.
We made our way south via Oberon, Black Springs, Abercrombie River, Taralga to our refuel stop at Goulburn. The weather was constant rain and strong S/SE winds all the way down. A few parts of the trip were a tad "hairy" in that the wind combined with the slippery road conditions made our bikes very skittish. Bubba rides a similar bike to mine (Suzuki GS500) and although it does not have the fairing that mine has (which acts like a sail and catches the wind), we were both having an interesting trip, leaning our bikes into the wind as we passed through exposed parts of the road. We took it in turns to ride lead and came across a variety of wildlife sharing the road with us on the trip. Bubba nearly had an altercation with some ducks taking refuge on the road and I was sadly being overtaken by a couple of kangaroo climbing out of the Abercrombie River gorge.
We got to Goulburn at 10.30am and located a Caltex Service Station, refuelled the two bikes and then headed north towards the Hume Highway to find a Macdonalds for a warming cup of coffee. Funnily enough the Maccas we found didn't have a McCafe and their espresso machine was being cleaned, so we had to settle for a large drip filter coffee each - blaaaahhhh :( Cross that Maccas off the list of places to stop at ! Strange that on the return journey, the adverts for Maccas were for the second newer one on the southern side of town that had all the comforts of home ..... and a McCafe ! Hmmmm :(
Having both warmed up a little and dripped over the Macdonalds floor we headed back out into the rain and wind. The next stop being Robertson on the Illawarra Highway, where we were scheduled to meet a group of forum riders from Sydney, Canberra and the South Coast at the famous Pie Shop for lunch. The ride between Goulburn and Robertson followed the dual carriageway Hume Highway and then onto the single lane Illawarra Highway. The rain continued, although the wind did ease a little. We finally arrived at Robertson and pulled into the Pie Shop car park at 12.30, the rain still coming down and the cloud base dropping, covering the area in mist and fog. Four other riders were already there - Tag on his Bandit from the South Coast, Casper on his VFR and Luke on his R1 from Canberra and BigD on his BMW (the Bavarian Road Block as he affectionately refers to it) from Blackheath. The four travelled to the area the day before and stayed in a Hotel at Bundanoon the night before. We parked the bikes and headed inside to await the others who were riding down from Sydney via the Princes Highway, Illawarra Highway and Macquarie Pass. The weather would make the Mac Pass part of the trip an interesting one. Whilst waiting for the Sydney group, we partook of some of the pies on offer at the shop. The steak, bacon and cheese pie is one to go back for :)
About 1.00pm the group from Sydney arrived. A couple of riders had pulled out that morning because of weather or other commitments, but six eventually made the trip:
Beast on his new toy, the BMW K1200R
Sydney on her ZZR250
DrEvil on his GS500E
JPugz on her GS500F
Taradiddle on her SV1000S
Wolf on his Speedtriple
After everyone had suitable refreshed with pies, coffee, tea, soft drinks, we decided that it would be better to get to Bundanoon as soon as we could, just in case the weather didn't break, thus giving us more time to set up camp in the rotten weather.
JPugz, Luke and Big D preparing to head off from Robertson
JPugs, Luke and Sydney preparing to head off
Some of the bikes lined up in the rain and cloud at Robertson
Beast and Casper standing behind the BMW K1200R warming their hands on its exhaust
The ride back to Bundanoon was uneventful, although the weather did ease a tad and as we pulled into the campgrounds at Bundanoon, the rain was starting to ease to a slight drizzle.
Some of the bikes lined up at Bundanoon
The camping area with our tents erected - mine is the silver dome tent in the middle right with its back to the rest. When i got it up I realised it was facing the wrong way, but couldn't be bothered turning it around, so left it facing the wrong way :)
The camping area itself was quite well appointed. There was a toilet/shower block with hot showers and a campers barbeque/picnic shed with electric lights, four electric BBQs and four picnic benches. This area became our "campfire", as open fires were not permitted in the National Park. So for the rest of the evening we stood around the four BBQs keeping their green buttons pushed so we had some warmth. A supply run was made into town and we then got comfortable for the night, enjoying the ambience of the "campfire" and the damp removing properties of red wine, Jack Daniels, Bundaberg Rum and beer - just to name a few of the libations on offer :) After much procrastinating about what we were going to do for dinner, given the weather and also the condition of some of the campers, we decided that pizza was the go and Sydney and Wolf headed up into town with a pocket full of cash and a huge bag to obtain dinner.
Around 7.00pm about six mega gourmet pizzas arrived - Yumm - and our "campfire" turned into a pizza warmer as we scoffed them all, washing them down with our warming drinks :)
The evening became a little hazy as the enjoyment and fun continued. Many world problems were solved, many tall stories were told and many photos and videos were taken. For dessert, Taradiddle produced two containers containing Mars Bar slice and Cherry Ripe slice which were both to die for :) I think I eventually hit the sleeping bag around 11pm, but I can't be certain, however i do know that the last revellers made it to bed at 1.30am because the wished everyone a loud "goodnight" !!! :)
Standing around the "campfire" at the start of the evening
Mmmmmmm Pizza and beer (Sydney and Wolf) - check out the bottles bottom left !! :)
On Sunday morning, following a night filled with the loudest snoring I have heard in ages, we were woken up at 6.30am by Beast heading up into town to see what time breakfast shops opened. it was a glorious clear morning, the sun was out, blue skies and no rain thank goodness !! I staggered across to the "campfire" in my bright green long johns, much to the chagrin of those that were up - LOL, and brewed a coffee before hoeing into a bowl of cereal and skim milk (note to self - dump the skim milk!!). Bubba by this time had also arisen and was starting to pack up. He had made arrangements to be home by 1.00pm so we decided to head out earlier than the others. Why is it that packing up takes longer than unpacking??? I eventually got all the gear onto the bike, in much the same places it was on the way down, put all my riding gear on and we bade farewell to our friends and headed off, back towards Goulburn. My gloves were still wet through and my fingers were feeling very cold as the wind made my gloves into little refrigerators.
We refulled again in Goulburn and then headed back up the Tablelands Way towards Taralga. At Taralga I lost sight of Bubba as he opened up his bike and I didn't see him for the rest of the trip. I arrived back home at about 1.00pm having had a brilliant weekend with some wonderful people and having ridden in the worst conditions of my riding life to date on the Saturday.
What a great weekend :) Roll on the next as soon as possible :)
This is a map of the route taken:
Anyway, as Mr. Murphy would have it and being the first weekend of Spring, of course it was going to rain - and rain it did on the Saturday. It had, in fact been raining fairly steadily for getting close to 48 hours when I met up with another local forum member, Bubba, at our local Macdonalds carpark on Saturday morning at 8.00am. I had packed my bike the night before and it was loaded down with Ventura bag full of clothes and wine (fortification against the expected evening chill), two panniers with my camping gear and my sleeping bag and tent strapped onto the rack. All were suitable wrapped in plastic to protect from the rain. I was wearing two layers of wet weather clothing and my thermal long johns and feeling decidedly warm and snug.
We made our way south via Oberon, Black Springs, Abercrombie River, Taralga to our refuel stop at Goulburn. The weather was constant rain and strong S/SE winds all the way down. A few parts of the trip were a tad "hairy" in that the wind combined with the slippery road conditions made our bikes very skittish. Bubba rides a similar bike to mine (Suzuki GS500) and although it does not have the fairing that mine has (which acts like a sail and catches the wind), we were both having an interesting trip, leaning our bikes into the wind as we passed through exposed parts of the road. We took it in turns to ride lead and came across a variety of wildlife sharing the road with us on the trip. Bubba nearly had an altercation with some ducks taking refuge on the road and I was sadly being overtaken by a couple of kangaroo climbing out of the Abercrombie River gorge.
We got to Goulburn at 10.30am and located a Caltex Service Station, refuelled the two bikes and then headed north towards the Hume Highway to find a Macdonalds for a warming cup of coffee. Funnily enough the Maccas we found didn't have a McCafe and their espresso machine was being cleaned, so we had to settle for a large drip filter coffee each - blaaaahhhh :( Cross that Maccas off the list of places to stop at ! Strange that on the return journey, the adverts for Maccas were for the second newer one on the southern side of town that had all the comforts of home ..... and a McCafe ! Hmmmm :(
Having both warmed up a little and dripped over the Macdonalds floor we headed back out into the rain and wind. The next stop being Robertson on the Illawarra Highway, where we were scheduled to meet a group of forum riders from Sydney, Canberra and the South Coast at the famous Pie Shop for lunch. The ride between Goulburn and Robertson followed the dual carriageway Hume Highway and then onto the single lane Illawarra Highway. The rain continued, although the wind did ease a little. We finally arrived at Robertson and pulled into the Pie Shop car park at 12.30, the rain still coming down and the cloud base dropping, covering the area in mist and fog. Four other riders were already there - Tag on his Bandit from the South Coast, Casper on his VFR and Luke on his R1 from Canberra and BigD on his BMW (the Bavarian Road Block as he affectionately refers to it) from Blackheath. The four travelled to the area the day before and stayed in a Hotel at Bundanoon the night before. We parked the bikes and headed inside to await the others who were riding down from Sydney via the Princes Highway, Illawarra Highway and Macquarie Pass. The weather would make the Mac Pass part of the trip an interesting one. Whilst waiting for the Sydney group, we partook of some of the pies on offer at the shop. The steak, bacon and cheese pie is one to go back for :)
About 1.00pm the group from Sydney arrived. A couple of riders had pulled out that morning because of weather or other commitments, but six eventually made the trip:
Beast on his new toy, the BMW K1200R
Sydney on her ZZR250
DrEvil on his GS500E
JPugz on her GS500F
Taradiddle on her SV1000S
Wolf on his Speedtriple
After everyone had suitable refreshed with pies, coffee, tea, soft drinks, we decided that it would be better to get to Bundanoon as soon as we could, just in case the weather didn't break, thus giving us more time to set up camp in the rotten weather.
JPugz, Luke and Big D preparing to head off from Robertson
JPugs, Luke and Sydney preparing to head off
Some of the bikes lined up in the rain and cloud at Robertson
Beast and Casper standing behind the BMW K1200R warming their hands on its exhaust
The ride back to Bundanoon was uneventful, although the weather did ease a tad and as we pulled into the campgrounds at Bundanoon, the rain was starting to ease to a slight drizzle.
Some of the bikes lined up at Bundanoon
The camping area with our tents erected - mine is the silver dome tent in the middle right with its back to the rest. When i got it up I realised it was facing the wrong way, but couldn't be bothered turning it around, so left it facing the wrong way :)
The camping area itself was quite well appointed. There was a toilet/shower block with hot showers and a campers barbeque/picnic shed with electric lights, four electric BBQs and four picnic benches. This area became our "campfire", as open fires were not permitted in the National Park. So for the rest of the evening we stood around the four BBQs keeping their green buttons pushed so we had some warmth. A supply run was made into town and we then got comfortable for the night, enjoying the ambience of the "campfire" and the damp removing properties of red wine, Jack Daniels, Bundaberg Rum and beer - just to name a few of the libations on offer :) After much procrastinating about what we were going to do for dinner, given the weather and also the condition of some of the campers, we decided that pizza was the go and Sydney and Wolf headed up into town with a pocket full of cash and a huge bag to obtain dinner.
Around 7.00pm about six mega gourmet pizzas arrived - Yumm - and our "campfire" turned into a pizza warmer as we scoffed them all, washing them down with our warming drinks :)
The evening became a little hazy as the enjoyment and fun continued. Many world problems were solved, many tall stories were told and many photos and videos were taken. For dessert, Taradiddle produced two containers containing Mars Bar slice and Cherry Ripe slice which were both to die for :) I think I eventually hit the sleeping bag around 11pm, but I can't be certain, however i do know that the last revellers made it to bed at 1.30am because the wished everyone a loud "goodnight" !!! :)
Standing around the "campfire" at the start of the evening
Mmmmmmm Pizza and beer (Sydney and Wolf) - check out the bottles bottom left !! :)
On Sunday morning, following a night filled with the loudest snoring I have heard in ages, we were woken up at 6.30am by Beast heading up into town to see what time breakfast shops opened. it was a glorious clear morning, the sun was out, blue skies and no rain thank goodness !! I staggered across to the "campfire" in my bright green long johns, much to the chagrin of those that were up - LOL, and brewed a coffee before hoeing into a bowl of cereal and skim milk (note to self - dump the skim milk!!). Bubba by this time had also arisen and was starting to pack up. He had made arrangements to be home by 1.00pm so we decided to head out earlier than the others. Why is it that packing up takes longer than unpacking??? I eventually got all the gear onto the bike, in much the same places it was on the way down, put all my riding gear on and we bade farewell to our friends and headed off, back towards Goulburn. My gloves were still wet through and my fingers were feeling very cold as the wind made my gloves into little refrigerators.
We refulled again in Goulburn and then headed back up the Tablelands Way towards Taralga. At Taralga I lost sight of Bubba as he opened up his bike and I didn't see him for the rest of the trip. I arrived back home at about 1.00pm having had a brilliant weekend with some wonderful people and having ridden in the worst conditions of my riding life to date on the Saturday.
What a great weekend :) Roll on the next as soon as possible :)
Friday, August 8, 2008
Catching up on some local short rides
Well winter has settled in here, with the past few days seeing snow falls across the area, with snow actually falling in Bathurst yesterday for the first time since 2000. Being winter and also being pretty busy at work and at home, opportunities for long rides over the weekends have been non existent. However I have been able to get away every other Sunday or so for a short ride around the local area for a couple of hours.
A few weeks ago I set out on an overcast Sunday morning, intent on heading south towards Cowra. I stopped off at Carcoar for a brief trip around the town and headed up to the old Railway Station on the hill which has a great view over the town.
My motorcycle outside the historic Carcoar Railway Station
A view of Carcoar from the Railway Station
The Catholic Church and Convent
From Carcoar I headed down to Woodstock and followed the road across to Wyangala Dam, which is still very dry. I think on the day I was there it was about 10% of capacity. The weather was starting to come in and rain was threatening as I left Wyangala for Cowra and lunch. I stopped at my usual "haunt" the Rose Garden Cafe, had a sandwich and coffee and watched the clouds get darker and rain start to fall to the west. I decided to head straight home to Bathurst via the main Mid Western highway, as I didn't fancy getting caught out by the rain and having wind my way cross country from the Cowra - Canowindra - Orange road.
As could be expected, about 10kms north of Cowra the heavens opened up and it started to rain steadily for my entire journey home. I was nice and warm and dry, well apart from my hands, as my gloves, which are waterproof, filled up with water run off from my jacket sleaves because I had the sleeves inside the gauntlets :( Hmmmm - a wet, cold lesson to learn!!
This is the route taken
Last Sunday I decided to head for a quick ride over to Orange via Milthorpe, Spring Hill and Bloomfield. The return trip I planned to do via Suma Park, Emu Swamp, Rock Forest and the Ophir Road to Abercrombie and Bathurst.
It was a great day for riding. Clear skies, not too cold and dry roads. The trip across to Orange was event free, and I stopped at Milthorpe on the way to have a little trek around the town.
Orange Railway Station
From Milthorpe I continued on to Summer Hill, a brief visit to the Orange Airport for a peek at the planes and then on to Orange and Roberts Bakery on Piesley Street for lunch.
After lunch I headed out towards Suma Park on the Icely Road. I continued on to the Whiterock Road then the Ophir Road, taking me through Rock Forest, Dunkeld and then in to Abercrombie and Bathurst. I was a little worried the road might be a tad wet and soft because of the recent rains we had had, however the small patch of unsealed section was solid and firm, and the GS handled it with ease, if I did go a tad slow just in case :) All in all, a great little ride :)
This is the route travelled:
A few weeks ago I set out on an overcast Sunday morning, intent on heading south towards Cowra. I stopped off at Carcoar for a brief trip around the town and headed up to the old Railway Station on the hill which has a great view over the town.
My motorcycle outside the historic Carcoar Railway Station
A view of Carcoar from the Railway Station
The Catholic Church and Convent
From Carcoar I headed down to Woodstock and followed the road across to Wyangala Dam, which is still very dry. I think on the day I was there it was about 10% of capacity. The weather was starting to come in and rain was threatening as I left Wyangala for Cowra and lunch. I stopped at my usual "haunt" the Rose Garden Cafe, had a sandwich and coffee and watched the clouds get darker and rain start to fall to the west. I decided to head straight home to Bathurst via the main Mid Western highway, as I didn't fancy getting caught out by the rain and having wind my way cross country from the Cowra - Canowindra - Orange road.
As could be expected, about 10kms north of Cowra the heavens opened up and it started to rain steadily for my entire journey home. I was nice and warm and dry, well apart from my hands, as my gloves, which are waterproof, filled up with water run off from my jacket sleaves because I had the sleeves inside the gauntlets :( Hmmmm - a wet, cold lesson to learn!!
This is the route taken
Last Sunday I decided to head for a quick ride over to Orange via Milthorpe, Spring Hill and Bloomfield. The return trip I planned to do via Suma Park, Emu Swamp, Rock Forest and the Ophir Road to Abercrombie and Bathurst.
It was a great day for riding. Clear skies, not too cold and dry roads. The trip across to Orange was event free, and I stopped at Milthorpe on the way to have a little trek around the town.
Orange Railway Station
From Milthorpe I continued on to Summer Hill, a brief visit to the Orange Airport for a peek at the planes and then on to Orange and Roberts Bakery on Piesley Street for lunch.
After lunch I headed out towards Suma Park on the Icely Road. I continued on to the Whiterock Road then the Ophir Road, taking me through Rock Forest, Dunkeld and then in to Abercrombie and Bathurst. I was a little worried the road might be a tad wet and soft because of the recent rains we had had, however the small patch of unsealed section was solid and firm, and the GS handled it with ease, if I did go a tad slow just in case :) All in all, a great little ride :)
This is the route travelled:
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Orange and Mt. Canobolas
Well, having been over a month since I have been out on a personal ride (I'm not counting the twowheels forum rally that I attended on Mt. Panorama over the long weekend early in the month) I decided it was high time I got out. Work and family commitments have meant the past month has been pretty flat out, so its about time I made some time for a ride.
The weather this weekend has been brilliant. Typical Bathurst early winter weather, chilly and frosty mornings followed by clear days, blue skies, lots of sunshine and temperatures getting up to around 13C - 14C. The only problem with riding during winter, is that the days are shorter and thus if you go on a longish day ride, you will be returning home around late afternoon, as dusk starts to settle. Being out in the Central West of NSW means that if you ride eastwards in the morning, you will be heading home into the winter setting sun, which is to be avoided as the glare can blind a rider and the strobe effect of riding through forested areas is mind-numbing. Therefore, in winter I tend to head west, or at a pinch north or south.
Today I decided that I'd head over to Orange, about 50kms to the west. I hadn't been up to the top of Mt Canobolas for a while and today's weather would provide some great views of the surrounding countryside.
I headed out along the Mitchell Highway towards orange, truning off at the Millthorpe turn off, headed into Millthorpe before then heading out towards the Orange Airport via Spring Hill and then into Orange via Bloomfield. A cup of coffee in Orange and then off to Mt. Canobolas past the Orange racecourse, Towac Park.
At the entrance to the Mt. Canobolas State Conservation Area is a lovely teahouse, with a warm and friendly atmosphere inside and some outdoor seating where diners and coffee drinkers can enjoy the sun. The teahouse is very popular at weekends, as attested to by the full carpark upon my arrival.
Mountain Tea House, Mt Canobolas, Orange NSW
The road to the summit is about 5kms. The road is sealed at the bottom and also at the top, but there is an unsealed gravel section mid way for a couple of kms. During winter, the road is subject to snow and ice and can be closed. Numerous walking tracks are located on the slopes of Mt. Canobolas and at weekends, walkers are a common sight on the road to the summit. Also, be aware of 4WD vehicles, whose drivers may be trying to experience the thrill of the Dakkar Rally on the gravel sections of the road.
Unsealed section of the road to the Mt. Canobolas summit.
The summit of Mt Canobolas is 1395 metres above sea level and is purported to be the highest ground between Sydney and Perth. The summit is home to an array of telecommunications towers, including the local area's television transmitters
Summit of Mt. Canobolas
From the summit, a 360 degree vista of Orange and the surrounding district can be had. An engraved plate on a raised viewing platform provides headings and distances to distant towns and places of interest.
Looking west towards Bathurst from the summit
Engraved plate showing location of nearby towns and places of interest
From Mt. Canobolas I made my way back to Orange via Lake Canobolas, a local boating recreation area. The grounds around the lake contain picnic areas, BBQ settings and childrens playgrounds. The area also contains a number of large vineyards, many of which having open cellars, wine tatsing and few with cafes or restaurants attached. There are also a number of bed and breakfast accommodation places nearby.
Entrance to the Lake Canobolas Reserve
A view of the lake and surrounding area from one of the picnic areas
After a late lunch at Roberts Bakery in Orange, I turned back onto the Mitchell Highway and made my way back to Bathurst, having had a very enjoyable excursion.
The weather this weekend has been brilliant. Typical Bathurst early winter weather, chilly and frosty mornings followed by clear days, blue skies, lots of sunshine and temperatures getting up to around 13C - 14C. The only problem with riding during winter, is that the days are shorter and thus if you go on a longish day ride, you will be returning home around late afternoon, as dusk starts to settle. Being out in the Central West of NSW means that if you ride eastwards in the morning, you will be heading home into the winter setting sun, which is to be avoided as the glare can blind a rider and the strobe effect of riding through forested areas is mind-numbing. Therefore, in winter I tend to head west, or at a pinch north or south.
Today I decided that I'd head over to Orange, about 50kms to the west. I hadn't been up to the top of Mt Canobolas for a while and today's weather would provide some great views of the surrounding countryside.
I headed out along the Mitchell Highway towards orange, truning off at the Millthorpe turn off, headed into Millthorpe before then heading out towards the Orange Airport via Spring Hill and then into Orange via Bloomfield. A cup of coffee in Orange and then off to Mt. Canobolas past the Orange racecourse, Towac Park.
At the entrance to the Mt. Canobolas State Conservation Area is a lovely teahouse, with a warm and friendly atmosphere inside and some outdoor seating where diners and coffee drinkers can enjoy the sun. The teahouse is very popular at weekends, as attested to by the full carpark upon my arrival.
Mountain Tea House, Mt Canobolas, Orange NSW
The road to the summit is about 5kms. The road is sealed at the bottom and also at the top, but there is an unsealed gravel section mid way for a couple of kms. During winter, the road is subject to snow and ice and can be closed. Numerous walking tracks are located on the slopes of Mt. Canobolas and at weekends, walkers are a common sight on the road to the summit. Also, be aware of 4WD vehicles, whose drivers may be trying to experience the thrill of the Dakkar Rally on the gravel sections of the road.
Unsealed section of the road to the Mt. Canobolas summit.
The summit of Mt Canobolas is 1395 metres above sea level and is purported to be the highest ground between Sydney and Perth. The summit is home to an array of telecommunications towers, including the local area's television transmitters
Summit of Mt. Canobolas
From the summit, a 360 degree vista of Orange and the surrounding district can be had. An engraved plate on a raised viewing platform provides headings and distances to distant towns and places of interest.
Looking west towards Bathurst from the summit
Engraved plate showing location of nearby towns and places of interest
From Mt. Canobolas I made my way back to Orange via Lake Canobolas, a local boating recreation area. The grounds around the lake contain picnic areas, BBQ settings and childrens playgrounds. The area also contains a number of large vineyards, many of which having open cellars, wine tatsing and few with cafes or restaurants attached. There are also a number of bed and breakfast accommodation places nearby.
Entrance to the Lake Canobolas Reserve
A view of the lake and surrounding area from one of the picnic areas
After a late lunch at Roberts Bakery in Orange, I turned back onto the Mitchell Highway and made my way back to Bathurst, having had a very enjoyable excursion.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Oh to be able to do this every day ........
Well this morning was a gorgeous, clear Autumn morning. Blue skies, not too chilly, still and the day was begging for me to begin it with a ride into town for coffee and something to eat before heading up to the office. So where would I go? There are a few choices in Bathurst at 8.00am, but I decided on somewhere slightly off the beaten track as such - Al Dente on Keppel Street. It does great coffee, has a selection of light things for breakfast and is well patronised. I could spend 30 - 45 mins just enjoying the morning and people watching before heading up to work :) Done deal !
I managed to get a parking spot for the bike pretty close to Al Dente, retrieved my wallet and joined the queue of people inside ordering their morning coffees, toasted sandwiches and lunches.
Al Dente, Keppel Street, Bathurst
What a great way to start the day, a toasted ham and cheese croissant with a large flat white coffee, sitting outside on a table watching "the world" go by on its way to work :) I'd nearly finished my croissant before I thought that maybe the Blog should have a photo of my breakfast, or in this case, what was left of it :)
I managed to get a parking spot for the bike pretty close to Al Dente, retrieved my wallet and joined the queue of people inside ordering their morning coffees, toasted sandwiches and lunches.
Al Dente, Keppel Street, Bathurst
What a great way to start the day, a toasted ham and cheese croissant with a large flat white coffee, sitting outside on a table watching "the world" go by on its way to work :) I'd nearly finished my croissant before I thought that maybe the Blog should have a photo of my breakfast, or in this case, what was left of it :)
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Central West Ride Day and lunch at Mudgee - Sat 3rd May 2008
Well a beautiful day it was for our TwoWheels forum Central West ride to Mudgee. Six of us met at Bathurst Maccas at 10.30 am. "Sydney", who came up from Sydney on a camping trip whilst on holidays joined us together with "Jez" who came down from Dubbo. Then there was "Bubba", "Chalky", "Turbo" and myself from Bathurst area. We would be meeting Jez's girlfriend "WeeBR" in Mudgee for lunch. She was riding down from Dubbo via Wellington as she is still on her L's and didn't want to ride all the way to Bathurst.
This is a map of the route that we took.
We left Bathurst and headed north up to Sofala. I was in the middle of the group, following Bubba who was leading, Jez and Turbo. The climbing twisties up through Wiagdon (half way to Sofala) were great. I had the RPM on the GS hovering around 8000 as I negotiated the hairpins and sharp climbing corners. This was by far my best effort on these corners to date.
We went through Sofala without stopping, with Sydney and Chalky bringing up the rear of the group. After Sofala, I'm sure I heard a roadrunner style "Beep Beep" and I then saw the front three riders simply vanish in a speed blur as they left me standing still. I must have slowed down at a terrific rate to cause that to happen ;). I now know how the Coyote feels !! I finally caught up to them again at Ilford, where they had stopped for a leg stretch to wait for the rest of us to catch them up.
Rest stop and leg stretch at Ilford.
From Ilford we headed towards Mudgee via Kandos, Rylestone and Lue. Here is a map of the route taken:
From Ilford we went via Kandos (which was a great ride, passing under the coal buckets on the overhead railway between the mine site and ore processing plant at Kandos) and then on to Rylestone, where Sydney and Jez refulled. At Rylestone we turned off and followed the rail line to Mudgee via Lue, coming out just north of Mudgee. The road between Rylestone and Mudgee is not bad, but quite uneven and rough for a sealed road. The wind was also quite gusty and for those of us on smaller bikes, we did a few more metres than the rest as we were blown a tad sideways at times. At one stage I felt like I was back on a yacht, tacking into the wind on one stretch of road. Nearing Mudgee I was taking up rear position following Sydney when I got that Coyote feeling again as two other bikes casually "hurtled" past us. The guy on the front bike, a big touring Beemer was sitting there upright like he was in his armchair. At least he waved as he went past :))
In Mudgee we headed to the Oriental Hotel for lunch. This hotel has a nice, pleasant Bistro with inside, outside and semi outside seating areas. An open fire in the semi-outside area was a nice find. Judging by the large number of patrons, it appears to be well thought of as well. There was a wide selection of fare on the menu, with lunch specials, a good a-la-carte menu and of course cold beer on tap for the thirsty travellers.
Oriental Hotel in Mudgee
After lunch I headed on to Wellington with WeeBR, whilst the other five headed back to Bathurst via the route we had ridden up. The road between Mudgee and Wellington is a good sealed road and well maintained. I was amazed at the number of dead foxs on this road. We also came across a fairly large flattened snake and WeeBR told me later she also saw a dead sheep just off the road. Seems it had been part of a group of sheep wandering the road on he way to Mudgee. Looks like one tangled with a car and lost. We got into Wellington about 4.00pm, having battled the continuing cross wind during the trip. Poor WeeBR was feeling it more than I as she was on a small Honda CB125R. We decided a coffee at Maccas was in order before we refuelled and headed our seperate ways, WeeBR on north to Dubbo and I back south to Bathurst.
We said our goodbyes and I left Wellington at about 4.30pm, having about 150Kms to travel back to Bathurst. I stopped at Molong (about 2/3 of the way to Orange) as it was getting a little nippy on the bike and I needed to put on my winter warm gloves. As I entered Orange dusk was finally giving over to night and I was thankful for my upgraded halogen/xenon headlight globe that lit up the road ahead really well. I didn't want to come across a fox or roo carcase in the road, as a motorcycle doesn't handle them as well as cars do. The chill started to seep into the bones as I neared the half way mark between Orange and Bathurst and I was definitley thinking that heated hand grips are one thing I must buy before winter takes hold. I arrived back in Bathurst at 6.30pm chilled but smiling broadly. It had been another great day on the bike. I had met some great people, had a great lunch and added a few hundred Kms to my odometer. Life is definitely GOOD !! :)
This is a map of the route that we took.
We left Bathurst and headed north up to Sofala. I was in the middle of the group, following Bubba who was leading, Jez and Turbo. The climbing twisties up through Wiagdon (half way to Sofala) were great. I had the RPM on the GS hovering around 8000 as I negotiated the hairpins and sharp climbing corners. This was by far my best effort on these corners to date.
We went through Sofala without stopping, with Sydney and Chalky bringing up the rear of the group. After Sofala, I'm sure I heard a roadrunner style "Beep Beep" and I then saw the front three riders simply vanish in a speed blur as they left me standing still. I must have slowed down at a terrific rate to cause that to happen ;). I now know how the Coyote feels !! I finally caught up to them again at Ilford, where they had stopped for a leg stretch to wait for the rest of us to catch them up.
Rest stop and leg stretch at Ilford.
From Ilford we headed towards Mudgee via Kandos, Rylestone and Lue. Here is a map of the route taken:
From Ilford we went via Kandos (which was a great ride, passing under the coal buckets on the overhead railway between the mine site and ore processing plant at Kandos) and then on to Rylestone, where Sydney and Jez refulled. At Rylestone we turned off and followed the rail line to Mudgee via Lue, coming out just north of Mudgee. The road between Rylestone and Mudgee is not bad, but quite uneven and rough for a sealed road. The wind was also quite gusty and for those of us on smaller bikes, we did a few more metres than the rest as we were blown a tad sideways at times. At one stage I felt like I was back on a yacht, tacking into the wind on one stretch of road. Nearing Mudgee I was taking up rear position following Sydney when I got that Coyote feeling again as two other bikes casually "hurtled" past us. The guy on the front bike, a big touring Beemer was sitting there upright like he was in his armchair. At least he waved as he went past :))
In Mudgee we headed to the Oriental Hotel for lunch. This hotel has a nice, pleasant Bistro with inside, outside and semi outside seating areas. An open fire in the semi-outside area was a nice find. Judging by the large number of patrons, it appears to be well thought of as well. There was a wide selection of fare on the menu, with lunch specials, a good a-la-carte menu and of course cold beer on tap for the thirsty travellers.
Oriental Hotel in Mudgee
After lunch I headed on to Wellington with WeeBR, whilst the other five headed back to Bathurst via the route we had ridden up. The road between Mudgee and Wellington is a good sealed road and well maintained. I was amazed at the number of dead foxs on this road. We also came across a fairly large flattened snake and WeeBR told me later she also saw a dead sheep just off the road. Seems it had been part of a group of sheep wandering the road on he way to Mudgee. Looks like one tangled with a car and lost. We got into Wellington about 4.00pm, having battled the continuing cross wind during the trip. Poor WeeBR was feeling it more than I as she was on a small Honda CB125R. We decided a coffee at Maccas was in order before we refuelled and headed our seperate ways, WeeBR on north to Dubbo and I back south to Bathurst.
We said our goodbyes and I left Wellington at about 4.30pm, having about 150Kms to travel back to Bathurst. I stopped at Molong (about 2/3 of the way to Orange) as it was getting a little nippy on the bike and I needed to put on my winter warm gloves. As I entered Orange dusk was finally giving over to night and I was thankful for my upgraded halogen/xenon headlight globe that lit up the road ahead really well. I didn't want to come across a fox or roo carcase in the road, as a motorcycle doesn't handle them as well as cars do. The chill started to seep into the bones as I neared the half way mark between Orange and Bathurst and I was definitley thinking that heated hand grips are one thing I must buy before winter takes hold. I arrived back in Bathurst at 6.30pm chilled but smiling broadly. It had been another great day on the bike. I had met some great people, had a great lunch and added a few hundred Kms to my odometer. Life is definitely GOOD !! :)
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
A Great Weekend For a Ride
Well as so many of you have done this weekend, I also decided to hit the blacktop for a cobweb blowout. Also, as I won't be getting much chance to ride over the next 3 - 4 weeks as I'm heading down to Tassie in the car, with family to visit the wrinklies, I thought this was the better excuse to just get away for a day. So I headed west, having decided to visit Parkes again and the "Dish".
After a leg stretch and coffee At Maccas in Orange, I headed out towards Parkes through Manildra. It was a glorious day, not too hot, not too cold, just right for riding, well apart from the strong northerly wind that was non stop and the roasting flour smell emanating from the Manildra flour mill as I went through town. About half way between Manildra and Parkes I had to stop to take a photo or two of the grass that was being blown across the highway. I suppose I'd class it as Australia's version of a mini tumbleweed, apart from the fact its not alive and is just dead grass flower heads with seeds being blown across the countryside. However the road was absolutely chocker s with the stuff and it was banking up like a snow drift in the trees bordering the road.
Grass seed "snowdrifts" between Manildra and Parkes
Grass seed "snowdrifts" between Manildra and Parkes
Grass seed "snowdrifts" between Manildra and Parkes
Anyway, on to Parkes, where I decided to check out Monument Hill overlooking the town. I hadn't been there before and I was impressed with the vista that the hill provided. The hill is crowned with Parkes' main War Memorial and a large carparking area with picnic tables and some great views of the local area.
The Parkes War Memorial tower on Monument Hill
Lest We Forget
From Parkes I headed north up the highway towards Dubbo about 27 Kms to the Radio Telescope (The Dish), where I had lunch in the Dish Cafe and soaked in the atmosphere of the Dish working. Today it was canted over vitually to its limit and facing east looking at something low on the horizon and a brazillion miles away :)
"The Dish" - Parkes' CSIRO Radio Telescope
"The Dish" - Parkes' CSIRO Radio Telescope
The Dish Cafe beside the Radio Telescope's Visitors Centre
The Radio Telescope's Visitors Centre
So overall, I had a brilliant day. Left at 9.30am got home at 5.00pm rode about 450kms and can't get rid of the smile. Anyone heading out this way, or heading down the highway between Dubbo and Parkes, I'd thoroughly recommend a stop at "The Dish". :)
After a leg stretch and coffee At Maccas in Orange, I headed out towards Parkes through Manildra. It was a glorious day, not too hot, not too cold, just right for riding, well apart from the strong northerly wind that was non stop and the roasting flour smell emanating from the Manildra flour mill as I went through town. About half way between Manildra and Parkes I had to stop to take a photo or two of the grass that was being blown across the highway. I suppose I'd class it as Australia's version of a mini tumbleweed, apart from the fact its not alive and is just dead grass flower heads with seeds being blown across the countryside. However the road was absolutely chocker s with the stuff and it was banking up like a snow drift in the trees bordering the road.
Grass seed "snowdrifts" between Manildra and Parkes
Grass seed "snowdrifts" between Manildra and Parkes
Grass seed "snowdrifts" between Manildra and Parkes
Anyway, on to Parkes, where I decided to check out Monument Hill overlooking the town. I hadn't been there before and I was impressed with the vista that the hill provided. The hill is crowned with Parkes' main War Memorial and a large carparking area with picnic tables and some great views of the local area.
The Parkes War Memorial tower on Monument Hill
Lest We Forget
From Parkes I headed north up the highway towards Dubbo about 27 Kms to the Radio Telescope (The Dish), where I had lunch in the Dish Cafe and soaked in the atmosphere of the Dish working. Today it was canted over vitually to its limit and facing east looking at something low on the horizon and a brazillion miles away :)
"The Dish" - Parkes' CSIRO Radio Telescope
"The Dish" - Parkes' CSIRO Radio Telescope
The Dish Cafe beside the Radio Telescope's Visitors Centre
The Radio Telescope's Visitors Centre
So overall, I had a brilliant day. Left at 9.30am got home at 5.00pm rode about 450kms and can't get rid of the smile. Anyone heading out this way, or heading down the highway between Dubbo and Parkes, I'd thoroughly recommend a stop at "The Dish". :)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
