Club Ride to Tumut via Snowy Mountains Highway, 6 April 2014

Weather report ‘Mostly fine; 30% chance of rain’. This morning was the first day back on ‘normal’ time, with daylight savings done for another year. Arrived at Caltex Hume at 0815, to find that there is no 95, and of course, no ’98 Octane fuel. Gary McCurley arrived early as usual and tried to text as many as possible with this news. We waited till 0840 to pick up stragglers that may be fuelling elsewhere, then at Lorne Thurgar’s suggestion rode in to the BP at Chisholm shops.

Fuel tanks fed & watered, we took a very casual run down to Cooma; on the way it was getting colder & a bit damp. Looking to the right in the direction of the Snowy Mountains Highway and Adaminaby (our morning coffee stop) the weather was looking decidedly bleak. Never mind, ride through it for now. By the time Lorne dropped off just through Cooma (he had to head back to Canberra), it was starting to drizzle, so at the corner of the Snowy Highway, we donned the Wets (for those of us that had them along, Jeff!). Between here and Adaminaby, the temperature had dropped to 8C. Push on…. 

Chas reports back to base that he has found something fishy.

 Arrived at Adaminaby, and had coffee at the first shop we see – not the Bakery for once! Should have taken the Bakery - the lovely lady was struggling to keep up with our orders, but did make amends with the offer of a free piece of cake. Why ‘free’ you ask? – Well, she did say it’s on the 3rd day. No wonder it was a bit on the chewy/dry side. 

Bikes and Riders at Adaminaby

 After replenishing ourselves and the tanks, we  rode on through Kiandra where the weather had cleared for a wonderful, open and spirited run along the Highway, and down to the plains again, turning into Talbingo for a quick stop. Had to take off the Wets as the temperature was now about 24C. Continuing on, we made Tumut for lunch, more coffee and pies of course.

From here, I asked Chas to lead as the intent was to take the back roads from Tumut (beginning on Wee Jasper Road) through Brungle, Darbalara, and then onto the Hume Hwy near Coolac or via Jugiong, and I’m not too familiar with it). Chas knows it, but turned across the river too soon after Brungle and we ended up in South Gundagai instead. Never mind, it was a nice enough detour away from the ‘Ho-Hum Highway’ for at least some of the way. 

Eventually after a bit of boredom on the Hume, we turned into the Highway rest stop just outside Yass, had another coffee, bade farewell and made our own way home. Once again, another great day on the bikes with good company.
Chris Dietzel

Chris Dietzel, Kawasaki GTR1400 (Ride leader)
Gary McCurley – Honda VFR1200
Lorne Thurgar – Suzuki GSXR1000 (only time to go as far as Cooma)
Neil Goldfinch – Honda CBR1200XX (??) ‘Blackbird’
Chas Towie – Honda ST1300
Jeff Heiler – Triumph Rocket III
Les Brien – Triumph Storm
Graham Williams – Kawasaki ZZR600