Ride Report Jindabyne 25 March 2018 (Mick Version)

Jindy jaunt with Storm-Rider.

There were 40 of us at the Hume servo for this ride after we topped up for our fill of liquid gold.  What a great turn-out for another wet and miserable day.  Damn, too many zeros.  That was 4, not 40.  Ride Leader Ian exercised a modicum of braveness, or a fear of being ridiculed, and also arrived early to see who else might turn up with the forecast rain and black horizon.  He had shown far more fortitude than Ride Leader Andrew No-Show of the last ride south and was thereafter honoured with the tag of Ian Storm-Rider.  The four I had counted during the ‘Waving hello – Not drowning’ arrival reduced to 3 riders as one decided that getting wet was not his idea of a great Sunday outing.

It was a small turnout and there was some cancellation discussion as the day was clearly not looking like being fun on a motorcycle.  However, unlike Andrew No-Show, Ian Storm-Rider was keen enough to hold firm on the programmed ride and stood tall as he gave his abbreviated briefing to the assembled throng of 3 followers.  That was 3 including himself, otherwise it was an assembled throng of 2.  At least we didn’t have to jostle for positions to hear the short speech that basically said “Follow me”.  It is noted for posterity that Andrew No-Show was again a No-Show and wasn’t one of the two followers.

I would like to be able describe the various tones of starters engaging engines and the sweet burble of exhausts as our motorcycles came to life and we prepared to depart.  Unfortunately, the noises were muffled by the dark and gloomy skies on the horizon and heavy sense of wetness in the air.  The only indication that start-up had been called was the fog of vapour from warming exhausts and engines.  Ian Storm-Rider led us, as leaders do, onto the Monaro Highway and south into the darkening skies of New South Wales.  I thanked BMW for providing me with a bike that should not have as much weather protection as it does, and closed my visor to keep the increasing drizzle off my impact-resistant lightly-tinted glasses.  I thought you needed to know that.

BMW GS dealing with a minor puddle encountered on the Jindy Jaunt

If you drew a straight line on a map between Hume and Cooma you might occasionally leave the road south and have to open and close a few farmer’s gates.  I hate that road.  I travel it often.  It’s relatively straight.  It has an occasional small hill.  It has a few curves that can hardly be cause for wetting one’s panties.  It has plentiful kangaroos.  It is regularly patrolled by our blue-clad brothers and sisters.  I’ve yet to meet the hot blonde female copper with the uniform, badge, gun and handcuffs that wants me to ‘spread-em’.  That only happens in movies.  The rare excitement comes from the transiting farmers, tradies, fishermen, bush walkers and snow skiers, all subject to seasonal variations.  Skiers are the worst.  The surface is generally good.  Perhaps, very good.  It’s so boring.  I need a lie down and a sleep.

Ian Storm-Rider parted the waters ahead of us as we headed south in light intermittent rain.  I was behind him, so much of the light rain had been disbursed or absorbed by the time I hit the spot in front of me.  Or was the weather clearing again?  Yes, it was definitely better, but Ian Fair-Weather has far less of a manly ring to it than Ian Storm-Rider, so the title remains.  It would prove useful later in the day as we dodged the black horizons.  We decided to take a break at Cooma and imbibed on coffees to keep our innards warm.  Ian’s pie was a tribute to something that was once edible.  Large quantities of sauce can cover anything.  Chris’ Turkish coffee was probably equally edible.  The journey continued.

The faster roads between Cooma and Dalgety were, well, faster, so that was the fun bit for the day, followed by another bout of fun between Dalgety and Jindabyne.  The roads were damp but not soaked, although some of the causeways had a trickle of water and the occasional deep puddle was enough to keep you on your toes.  See the photos.  Andrew No-Show would have been proud.  The run to Jindabyne was also good and uneventful.  I noted a large trout in the Snowy River and even managed a quick photo.  It was circling some motorcyclists for some reason or another.  I kept my eyes open for the blond bombshell with the badge and handcuffs, but she was nowhere to be seen.  Probably just as well.  I believe the stainless steel Police Station bunks are hard and cold.

Trout  in Snowy

Ian Storm-Rider knew of a Michelin Star café at the old service station north of Jindy, so we breezed through town and on to the top of the hill that overlooks the road rather than the valley.  The café beckoned, so we became beckoners and parked the bikes to partake of coffee, cake and other assorted munchie things.  Being a beckoner, or beckonee, has several things going for it.  One – You get a break off the bike to stretch your legs a bit.  Two – You get to adjust your gear to find the unclipped button where that damned rain was getting in.  Three – You get to have a hopefully nice coffee to warm the cockles of your heart, whatever that is.  My cockles were a little damp, but the humidity was almost right for growing mushrooms.  We all had cold drinks.  The food was definitely Michelin quality, the old rubbery taste of my sultana cake being less than ideal.  Scratch one eatery. 

Lunch was a relatively fast affair, the dark skies towards home threatening more than just light rain.  It was nothing for Ian Storm-Rider and his hardy crew of misfits.  However, there was a very dark horizon to our north-west that promised a serious soaking if we dallied too long, so we called ‘time’ and headed home.  We relished the relative dryness of the ride, further shaming Andrew No-Show.  Recent rain had filled some of the minor streams with muddy water and these were flowing to parched dams.  My photo shows how bad it was.

Damp roads between Cooma and Jindabyne

We all dodged a fuel stop at Cooma and just went with the flow of heavy traffic.  Some of the road was wet, but most was dry.  It turned out to be a reasonable day for a ride after all.  The roads weaved where the rain wasn’t, so it was fun rather than interesting.  We stayed together as best we could with the traffic, content to follow Ian Storm-Rider as far as Canberra.  It was good day out given the weather.  The rain stayed away for the final hundred kilometres to Canberra and any dampness from the morning dried out with the wind-born temperatures.  Ian Storm-Rider had dodged the storms and kept us dry.  Well done Ian.  You may lead us again.

Participants in this southern excursion were:
Ride Leader Ian Storm-Rider on the Wing.
Chris on the Trans-continental Tourer.
Mick the scribe on the Gelande Strasse.
Absent without apology – Andrew No-Show.

Ride Report Jindabyne 25 March 2018 (Ian Version)

In an almost exact replay of our last ride to the Snowy Mountains (see Mick Beltrame’s ride report from 25 February), four hardy riders assembled at the Hume servo to embark on an excursion to Jindabyne.

Oops, make that three hardy riders. Continuing the replay, one of the four decided that the ominous weather forecast, combined with wretched looking weather radar on his phone, meant that our expedition south was probably jinxed if not totally doomed. He left and headed north in search of sunshine.
And indeed, the forecast was less than auspicious – showers and strong winds followed by afternoon rain – and the sky looked suitably black and tumultuous. However, it turned out to be a Goldilocks sort of day in which all the major factors were just right.

How could this be? Well, let me explain. Firstly, the temperature. If you take a temperature range of 0° (too cold) to 40° (too hot), 20° is just right, and that was more or less the prevailing temperature during the ride.

Secondly, the wind speed. If you take a wind speed range of 0 km/h (too calm) to 100 km/h (too windy), 50 km/h is just right, and that is what we got. Lastly, rainfall. On a range from 0 mm (too dry) to 2 mm (too wet), 1 mm is just right and that was the day’s total, spread over several pathetic little showers that failed to dampen our enthusiasm, let alone our bodies.

Our three bikesketeers departed Hume at 9:05am and stopped an hour later for coffee at the Turkish café just before the roundabout in Cooma. The coffee was good but the “famous” dog’s eye was nothing to write home about. At least there was plenty of free dead horse.

From there we headed SSW on the Maffra road and then west on Snowy River Way to Jindabyne. These roads have had a bit of resurfacing and were generally smooth, although often still lacking in paintwork. All the towns and villages on the Monaro have also got bright new signs welcoming travellers to their much-loved little metropolises.

From Jindabyne the view to the west was grey, wet and bleak so we shelved any thoughts of taking the Alpine Way to the Wildbrumby Distillery for lunch and instead turned right, rode through town, across the dam wall and up the other side to East Jindabyne. Right next to the servo on the highway there’s an eatery called Tracie’s Café that scores 4½ stars on Trip Advisor. Worth a try, I thought.
First up, the place was tiny, cluttered and blessed with a besser block décor. Secondly, my request for an egg and bacon roll was turned down. It seems they had neither eggs nor bacon and even the existence of a roll was a bit doubtful. We stared blankly at the blackboard menu until finally someone suggested a toastie. So that was what Mick and I had – ham, cheese and tomato toasties. Chris had blueberry pie and a blueberry smoothie and possibly a blueberry toastie, though I can’t really remember for sure.

From there we headed home via the usual (and really the only) route. Oddly, as we rode into Cooma an elderly couple (even older than us) were standing in the gutter, poking a week-old wombat carcass with a stick, perhaps hoping it would miraculously come back to life and sing and dance for them. It almost looked like it was happening, but that might just have been the maggots being prodded into action.

We got home around 2 pm, in plenty of time to watch the Melbourne F1 GP on telly. It had been an easy, fun and Goldilocktical 400 km day.
Ian Paterson

The riders:
Ian Paterson        GL1800
Mick Beltrame    R1200GSLC
Chris Dietzel        GTR1400
Jeff Jarvis        Softail Deluxe

The trip report from the Speedometer 55 app on my iPhone*

* there is no truth in the rumor that Photoshop has been employed to mask evidence of "spirited" riding (Ed.)

MidWeek Decide and Ride 22 March 2018

Once again the TRCUB (Triumph Riders Canberra Ulysses Branch) with a token BMW rider  braved certain rainfall to experience the joy of a midweek ride. 
It was decided to do a Cotter Loop (incl Uriarra) from Nichols and have lunch at the Krack'd Peppa (Rose Cottage). 

It was also decided that this would be a pictorial ride report for those that prefer looking at pictures.

The following brave souls ventured forth:

• Michael Winters     Triumph Trophy
• Les Robinson    Triumph Trophy
• Mike Kelly    Triumph Thunderbird 1600
• David Dawson    R1200GS (Token Other Rider – LAMB SALAD eater)

Deciding to ride

After very little discussion my decision to do the Cotter Loop was accepted and as you can see we steeled ourselves for the task ahead.

We are here!

First stop was the Mt Mac lookout for the Cotter Dam, we did not actually go to the lookout however we did prepare our tyres for the road ahead.

Helps traction

And as light rain started to fall we headed south into the gathering gloom. The rain eased up before Murray's Corner and with absolutely no traffic it was a great run to Tharwa.

Parking Ulysses Style

As it started to rain again it was straight on Krack'd Peppa at the Rose Cottage (corner of Isabella Drive and Monaro Hwy) where we had an excellent meal and excellent service.

Mick's Shish and Fips

Unfortunately the photos of food did not work out except for Mick's Shish and Fips so you are all spared David's very healthy Lamb Salad and the 2 Cheese burgers which were excellent.

Ride Report Chomp n' Chat Braidwood 18 March 2018

Munchers at the Chomp 'n Chat Braidwood

No ride supplied as yet - perhaps some of the hungry folk in this picture can help us out?

Static Motorbike Display at the Q in Queanbeyan for the NSW Seniors Festival 2018.

"NSW SENIORS FESTIVAL 2018 STATIC MOTORBIKE DISPLAY AT THE Q
with the Veterans MC Federal Chapter and Ulysses Canberra Branch

11 APRIL 2018 11:00AM – 1:00PM

"More motorcycle riders across the country are growing older and live to ride. Mingle with those “growing old disgracefully” and check out the machines they ride."

Enjoy a FREE lunch at The Q from midday, supported by Meals on Wheels Queanbeyan

If you want to place your motorcycle in the display try to arrive at least by 10:30.

More details in the flyer below:

 

Autumn BBQ - 7th April @ Talopea Park BBQ area from 11am

Yep - we've got a BBQ on the 7th April , Talopea Park BBQ area from 11am for more deatils see the flyer below!

2018 Branch AGM - Message from Pres Ian

G’day all,

You probably read about it in RO2, but I’m writing to remind you that the Ulysses Club Canberra Branch AGM will be held after the usual social meeting on Tuesday 17th April.

The main job of the AGM is to elect a branch committee for 2018-19 – a president, secretary, treasurer and three to five general committee members (six to eight people in total). Nominations for these positions must be with branch secretary Kim Tito by Tuesday 20th March (the date of the March meeting).

And this is where you come in! I will be standing down as president and Peter Thomas and David Formica are resigning from the committee, so at this stage we will be needing a new president, a treasurer and one or two general committee members. We have someone interested in the treasurer's job but all positions will be open and if you think you could do a great job as president, secretary or treasurer or general committee member, you’re welcome to nominate.

Please give some thought especially to nominating for president. It’s not that onerous, apart from running the monthly social meetings and half a dozen committee meetings during the year, and it is indeed a lot of fun. I was president before Mick Winters and I took it on last year as a stop-gap measure. But now some new blood would be good. You don’t have to be really experienced or own a lot of bikes or have been a member for decades or have a charismatic personality or even be totally sane (I fail all of those criteria and I’ve done it twice!) but it’s a great way to give back to the club and ensure the Canberra branch keeps going.
A nomination form is attached. You and two other financial members need to fill it out and get it to Kim Tito by Tuesday 20th March.
You have several options:

•     Bring it to the March meeting.
•     Fill it out at the March meeting.
•     Post it to Ulysses Canberra Branch Secretary, PO Box 387, Curtin ACT 2605.
•     Scan it and email it to secretary.ulyssescanberra@gmail.com.

Make sure you bring your membership card to the branch AGM because if an election is necessary for any position you’ll need to prove you’re a current financial member or you won’t be able to vote.

Cheers,
Ian

Ian Paterson
President
Ulysses Club Canberra Branch
0427 291 728
prez.ulyssescanberra@icloud.com
 

Ride Report - Adaminaby in the rain - 25 February 2018

Four brave souls arrived at the Hume Caltex for this ride.  Ride-Leader Andrew was conspicuous by his absence and we imagined him tucked up in his cosy bed listening to the rain falling on the roof and smiling at the probable cancellation due to a lack of starters.  Paul was a newcomer with a blue bike that was difficult to determine the make of given the torrent of water that disguised its badges.  He forewarned us that he was likely to pull the pin early, and failed to ride out with us, such was the earliness of the pin-pulling.  My mate Rob was there with his Suzuki Bandit, although this was under some level of duress as I had collected him from Bungendore and he too was unenthusiastic about the day’s ride plans.  Mike was last to arrive on his BMW RT.  He was willing to do the run, but was also less than keen to extend the ride beyond Cooma.

Three brave souls departed the Hume Caltex in the now heavy rain that alternated between heavy, light, drizzle and showers.  We knew Ride-Leader Andrew would be towelling himself dry after his nice hot shower grinning at the opportunity to skip such a wet ride, given its probable cancellation.  We had decided to head south all the way to sunny Cooma and on to Dalgety for a brew.  Cooma wasn’t so sunny, and the spray peeling back from Mike’s RT was a distraction from the trickle of cold rain that was running down my back.  Cooma came and went, the almost dry back-track to Dalgety being a godsend after the downpours along the road to Cooma.  Rob was wondering why he should keep me as a friend.  It always rains when we ride.

Mike pulled up well-short of Dalgety, the forbidding darkness on the horizon being the signal for him to put on his full wets.  Rob and I headed for Dalgety and coffee, trusting the weather-God to hold the big rain until we were there.  We imagined Andrew eating his warm toast and sipping hot Milo, dressed in his flannel pyjamas and thankful that the ride wasn’t on due to the rain.  Rob and I reached Dalgety in good time and slowly removed our sodden gloves and checked out the damp patches that had snuck through our ride gear.  We stopped shivering by the time Mike arrived.  It was down to 12 degrees and not quite the balmy dry that we usually get when we do this run.

The lovely young lady that served our coffees was surprised to see bikers out and about in such atrocious weather.  We agreed that the weather was atrocious, and were also surprised that we had ventured out.  She gave us quizzical looks and started making coffee.  We imagined Andrew slipping on a second layer of clothing to ward off the heat emanating from the log fire he was probably sitting in front of.  It would fill his day since nobody would be silly enough to be out on the bike.  Our next stop was the designated ride destination of Adaminaby.  It wasn’t far away, but the rain was setting in again and we knew it was getting colder as the brass monkeys started clanging in our ride pants.
 

About halfway between Berridale and Adaminaby the temperature dropped to 9.5 degrees.  The wet roads and blurred visors were becoming dreary, so the weather-God stepped it up a notch and gave us thick fog as well.  We imagined Ride-Leader Andrew stepping into his warm car from his warm garage and zipping down to the shop for a dry newspaper to read at his dry table in his dry and warm house.  We imagined lots of things about Ride-Leader Andrew, but most are not printable.  Adaminaby appeared out of the gloom and we rode directly to the bakery.  We did not pass Go and did not collect $200.  The bakery was good, the coffee was hot, and the Big-Trout toilets were not far away.  Mike and Rob sought them out as the cold made bladders shrink and peeing more urgent. 

All good things must end, and it was soon time to head home.  Rob and I collected some fuel from the local servo.  Mike had enough to do the return, and decided to follow us north for a change.  We lost him in the gloom and the freshening rain as we headed to Cooma, still watching the rooster-tails of spray from our bikes and streaming rivulets across our visors.  We imagined Ride-Leader Andrew sitting in a comfy arm-chair in his warm and toasty lounge room sipping hot chocolate while he watched some trashy Sunday-afternoon movie and pondered the wisdom of not doing a bike ride on day such as this.  There are no words to describe what we were imagining in response, but Andrew would not approve.  The ride from Comma to Bungendore was wet, uneventful, and boring as always.  Rob and I headed for Bungendore and crossed the in-town causeway which was dry.  A half-hour later after a coffee and farewell, it had half a metre of water across it and I had to detour to get out of town and home to Gungahlin.  Even the big GS has its limits.

Three brave souls did the ride today.  We survived a soggy perambulation into a wet, wild and wintery NSW, but achieved the aim of the ride without so-much as a hint of Ride-Leader Andrew in attendance.  We can imagine him sitting in the same comfy lounge chair in front of the same log fire reading all about a soggy ride that he didn’t lead.  Perhaps he’s lying butt-naked on his bear-skin run in front of said log fire as he reads this.  If so, we all hope a glowing ember pops out of the fireplace to burn him on the butt.  A long and soggy ride in the rain will soothe the blister.

Love and kisses from Mike, Mick and Rob who co-jointly satisfied the programmed ride irrespective Ride-Leader Andrew’s absenteeism.

Details of Ross Anderson’s funeral

Info just in from President Ian:

G’day all,

Here are the details of Ross Anderson’s funeral, in case anyone would like to and is able to attend (thanks Jen Woods).

There will be two ceremonies (due to travel issues with Tina and Ross family and friends):

Service at 3pm Friday 23^rd March at Pettigrew Belmont Chapel, 444 Pacific Hwy, Belmont, Newcastle

Funeral at 2.00 Friday 23^rd March at Alfred James Morphett Vale, 272 Main Road, Morphett Vale, SA

Thanks,

Ian

Ian Paterson

President

Ulysses Club Canberra Branch

0427 291 728

prez.ulyssescanberra@icloud.com