Peter Arday had valiantly volunteered to lead the group to Cootamundra. The intention was to have lunch at the Globe Hotel, provided it was open.
Peter provided an excellent detailed briefing on the proposed route to Cootamundra. The decision was made to stop at morning tea at Boorowa and the first decision made we set off.
The trip out through Murrumbateman onto the Highway was uneventful. Near the Yass Service Station exit a white vehicle was parked in the dip between the north and south bound highway but as law abiding riders we were all doing the right thing and we drove on (got to be lucky sometimes). We turned onto the Boorowa road from the highway which is finally sealed after having been in a state of repair for a number of weeks.
Riding along we saw a flock of small birds about 20 – 30 harassing a wedge tail eagle who was doing its best to evade the critters. It looked like it had something in its talons.
We arrived at the Café in Boorowa and after coffee and cake Peter gave a refresh of the route for some of us with memory problems (me).
At the café a couple of us decided to take an alternative route to Cootamundra. The remainder of us set off to travel via Young.
The road to Young is currently being improved (I think that’s the word) so we had several short stretches of dirt to negotiate however these dirt patches dry and compacted and there was very little traffic so it was easy riding.
We rode through Young and then I must admit had no idea where we were going other than seeing the sign to Temora and at one stage crossed the Olympic Highway. However the route that Peter had selected was very pleasant sealed roads with little traffic and pleasant meandering through the paddocks.
We arrived at Cootamundra and found the Globe Hotel. The two riders who had elected to travel the alternative route arrived at about the same time however they had both been subjected to random breath testing as they entered the town. We never encountered the RBT unit on our route into the town.
Unfortunately the Globe Hotel was closed but as luck would have it across the road was the RSL Bowls club so we all elected to eat there.
After lunch we all elected to return direct to Canberra via Harden. The ride was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The country is looking very green at the moment. The weather was spot on for riding with a light wind a temperature between 18C to 22C for most of the trip.
Les Robinson
Riders:
- Peter Arday (ride leader) ST1300
- Ian Paterson GL1800
- Neil Goldfinch GSX1300
- Trevor Mcleod FJR1300
- Les Robinson Triumph Trophy 1215SE
- Peter Schreiber Boulevard M50
- Andrew Campbell FJR1300
- Roger Lines Suzuki GS450S
- John Mellor BMW R1200RT
- John Grace Moto Guzzi1200S
