Chris had kindly volunteered to be tail end Charlie in the Subaru although his high viz vest was not easily seen through the windscreen, and in fact during the course of the day some detractors said that he may not even be wearing it.
As it turned out we were extremely fortunate in terms of there being almost zero traffic on the Barton Highway and Lachlan Valley Way, with the ability to maintain the legal speed limit all the way to Boorowa. To say the Boorowa café struggled to deal with 20+ motorcyclists in addition to other holiday traffic would be an understatement, but eventually everyone received their fix and nibbles and a chance for some catching up and conversations. While it was a prolonged stop it did not impact the balance of the day.
My thanks to the couple in Boorowa (forgive my memory) who suggested ringing the Greengrocer café to make a booking given our numbers, and yes they even had the phone number in their mobile.
Given the diverse experience of riders and knowledge of the road to Crookwell we had a consolidation point in Crookwell to ensure we had everyone before heading off on the last leg. Again no traffic and with the exception of some strong wind gusts it was a very fluent ride all the way to Crookwell with the temperature in the low twenties.
With all riders at the consolidation point including the Subaru (but what no I viz!) we set off down the Kialla Road where the quantity of new housing development came as a surprise. As we approached the Range Road wind farms were numerous.
The run into Goulburn was again without traffic and allowed us as a group to arrive in Goulburn together. The above-mentioned phone call in Boorowa certainly paid dividends as the cafe had set up and reserved six tables for us prior to our arrival.
Homeward bound….
With the Sutton road near Gunning a mess with an overzealous approach to dumping gigalitres of water this alternate route home was not a goer. This left us with the choice of returning via the Federal Highway or going through Bungendore and dealing with the returning coast traffic.
In the end there was and even spilt with those choosing one of the above two routes home. I came back down the Federal which proved painless and quick, although there were quite a few NSW Highway Patrol cars in wait for overzealous motorists.
Pete, Chas and I then turned off at Sutton then into Gungahlin to return to our local coffee shop in Spence.
My thanks to those on the ride that made for such an enjoyable day. This is my first time leading a ride in more than a year and I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it, with every person on the ride acting responsibly and allowing the ride to be hassle free.
Ps.. I must admit this loop with a run back from Goulburn to Bungendore via Currawang Road will be added to my list of favourite rides. Hopefully I will be able to twist Andrew’s arm to come along next time be it on his Yamaha or Kwaka.
Cheers
Trevor
The Riders were:
- Trevor McLeod, FJR 1300
- Peter Arday , ST1300
- Garry McCurley & Natalie Tebay, VFR1200
- Mark Walker, NT700V
- Jan Hansfeld
- Jenny Carlin, BMW C600
- Mick and Kipper, Victory XC
- Mike Kelly, BMW RT1200
- Chas Towie, ST1300
- Peter Thomas, BMW F800GS
- Steve Hayes, Suzuki DL-650
- Karen Clarke, Yamaha 1900
- Rob Clarke, Yamaha 1300
- Julie Hyland, Honda Sports
- John & Eleonor, FJR 1300
- Chris Dietzel, Subaru Outback
- Kim Moorey, BMW F700GS
- Kathy Leslie, Honda NT700V
- David Formica, Kawasaki ZX14R
- Mark Mitchell, Ducati Scrambler
- Michael and Tracey Winters, Triumph Trophy
