Our ride leader, Warren Richer, chose an entertaining route and succeeded in ordering up some delightful weather for us - a mid-20s sunny Autumn day.
On the outward-bound leg of the trip we headed down the Hume Highway and then onto Burley Griffin Way. Passing a rather tolerant highway patrol officer we rode through the historic Binalong village and then turned right onto Hughstonia Road. Some of the riders were unfamiliar with this picturesque road and enjoyed the classic Aussie pastoral scenery and the near-total lack of cars. This lovely little back road is a very pleasant alternate route to Boorowa. It takes a bit longer than the Lachlan Valley Way but is more interesting and considerably more peaceful.
The countryside is very green now; much improved since the rain. However, on closer inspection it's evident that the grass cover is very thin. I suspect that some parts of this district are experiencing a 'green drought'. Follow-up rain is needed to ensure the moisture penetrates deeper parts of the soil profile.
As usual we patronised the Superb Café in Boorowa at our morning coffee stop. We were greeted with a Covid 19 notice on the front door advising customers that the café was providing take-away cups only (no crockery for coffee or tea). Food was delivered in paper bags instead of plates. This prompted a good deal of conversation about the pandemic. As is usual, if authorities adopted the advice of Ulysses members, the crisis would be greatly reduced. But seriously, it is sobering to realise how much the pandemic has impacted on Australian's lives, when even a Ulysses ride is affected. While greetings and farewells on this ride were as friendly as usual, there was noticeably less hand-shaking.
From Boorowa we took the Rugby Road and headed towards Crookwell. As many Ulysses members would know, this is a very entertaining and extremely picturesque route. There are loads of entertaining corners and hilly, sweeping bends. There was very little traffic, apart from an oversized piece of farm machinery being towed through the countryside. For many kilometres this vehicle became a mobile roadblock for some of our group.
There were a couple of close calls due to incompetent drivers, including a truck driver outside Crookwell, who decided to use two-thirds of the road, nearing clipping Warren and Daryl in the process.
Our group was comprised of sensible, capable riders and, despite the usual irritations caused by other road users, we had a terrific ride. Tearing along the rural back roads, leaning into the fast, sweeping bends, I was reminded how blissful motorcycling can be on a mild Autumn day.
Look out for future mid-week rides on the Ulysses calendar.
John Grace
Riders:
- Warren Richer Triumph Thruxton 1200
- Alan Munday Yamaha FJ1100
- Scott England BMW R1250 RT
- Terry Soutberg BMW R1200 GS
- Greg Bailie BMW R1200 ST
- Barry Solley Honda ST 1300
- Daryl Palin Honda Goldwing
- Noel Bentley BMW F800 GSA
- John Grace Triumph Tiger 1200
- Brian Carew Triumph Bonneville
