I am unsure what sins I have committed but it seems the price to be paid is to write my second ride report in 3 days.
According to the rumours I heard, this mid-week ride was a trial run, with the view to such rides returning to the calendar on a regular basis if they prove to be viable. As a club member without midweek work commitments I can certainly see the benefits.
The ride starting point was the Caltex service station at Weston. Our outbound route was to head west over the Uriarra Crossing to join the beautiful Mountain Creek Rd then Wee Jasper Rd to the lovely township of Yass before taking the Hume Highway for the short run to the Burley Griffin Way turn off. From there it was on to the hamlet of Binalong where we took a right hand turn onto Queen Road through the township to join up with the flowing rural Hughstonia Rd beyond. This eventually connected to the Cunningar Rd and on to our lunch destination at the Pie Shop/Bakery in Boorowa.
As the departure time approached a total of five riders had gathered - an encouraging start. Despite the blue skies immediately overhead with scattered fluffy white clouds, I couldn’t help recalling my reputation as a rain magnet as I looked out along our planned route towards the Brindabella Ranges that had already formed a thick layer of ominous clouds overhead with multiple scattered showers falling. I commented to Warren Richer, our ride leader, that the weather was looking “interesting.” A fairly stiff breeze had also sprung up to add to the potential interest levels of the ride. Warren seemed completely unconcerned.
Right on time, Warren gathered us around for the ride briefing. Our objective was to avoid major roads where possible and enjoy some of the lesser travelled country farm roads. As usual his briefing was concise and very complete. He talked about the key features along the way, how to recognise the different turn points and potential hazards on the different sections of road. Great information that in hindsight proved to be very accurate. The final, “Are there any questions?” was met with silence. Pretty hard to improve on a Warren Richer briefing.
As we headed for our bikes I noted that I was not wearing full wet weather gear as some of the others. My DriRider jacket is water proof to a certain point but I usually throw a spray jacket over the top in really foul weather. Likewise my comfortable Draggin Jeans are most decidedly not water proof, so overpants are required. Both sets of waterproof gear remained firmly installed inside my seat bag along with my quilted jacket liner and spare gloves, just in case a blizzard blew in. I don’t know why, but I decided to risk a drenching. The ride group consisted of Warren Richer on his Triumph Thruxton R, Anthony Hanson on his Honda Goldwing Aspencade, Andrew Campbell on his BMW R1250RS and myself on the decidedly undersized Ducati Monster 659. That was the case except Jenny Carlin on her bright red Honda 300 had also joined us for the short ride out of Canberra as far as the Uriarra crossing. It turns out that the most difficult part of the whole ride was negotiating the multiple traffic lights and road chaos that seems to prevail through these newer western suburbs around Weston and Denman Prospect. Once we cleared the urban sprawl the ride started to be fun again.
With one eye still very much on the rain showers falling all around us, the first part of the ride was along the stunning but at times challenging Mountain Creek Road. It has a wonderful combination of tight and sweeping bends that undulates through native forest and neat farm lands towards Yass. As Warren had predicted there were a few pot holes, patches of loose gravel, fallen branches and sections of broken, bumpy road surface to be negotiated, more often than not on the apex of a blind tight curve or just over a crest. One of the highlights for me was crossing the steel framed Taemas Bridge over the Murrumbidgee River that was flowing well after recent rains. The narrow, twisting ride up the hill beyond was superb, but challenging in the cross winds and the added distraction of the stunning views.
During this section of the ride I was doing my best to keep Anthony, our tail gunner, in my mirrors but often had to slow until he caught up. It turns our he was slowing down at times to take in the beautiful scenery or hanging on to the Goldwing as the crosswinds tried to hurl him into the adjacent paddocks or guardrails.
As our group approached Yass we finally found the edge of a localised shower. Fortunately it only lasted a minute or two before we were out the other side. Superb skills from the rider leader to steer us along the course and avoid the worst of the showers. As we rode through Yass the road was showing signs of recent heavy rain. Another bullet dodged.
The run down the Hume Highway and onto the Burley Griffin Way was fairly straight forward and uneventful on a good road surface as you would expect. At Binalong we turned right onto Queen Street through the township and out the other side onto Hughstonia Road before eventually joining Cunningar Road for the short run into Boorowa. Hughstonia Road despite being a minor farm road had a surprisingly good road surface with the exception of a few scattered rough patched and pot holes that were easily avoided. What a great choice of road. What made it even more enjoyable was the unfolding canvas of rural beauty and colour. The sky was a stunning blue that contrasted with the dark grey and black rain clouds scattered throughout. The fields were a mass of colour including multiple shades of rich green pasture lands and cereal crops along with the bright yellow of the canola. There were also hillsides and some paddocks filled with a blanket of yellow and black Cape Weed flowers and the vivid purple of Paterson’s Curse. There was even some wattle still in flower amidst a variety of green foliage. Once again we had a few spots of rain on the visor and I must admit to turning on the heated grips for the last few kilometres of this leg. The temperatures enroute ranged from a low around 12º to a high of 16º but felt colder in the more exposed windy sections and when the sun was behind yet another rain cloud. By the time we reached the bakery in Boorowa I think we were all ready for a good feed. A lunch of delicious meat pies and coffee certainly filled the spot along with the usual diverse topics of conversation mingled with the odd tall tale.
Feeling refreshed and refuelled it was soon time to tackle the return leg. The plan was to backtrack along the Cunningar Road then to follow the Galong Rd back to the town of that name before rejoining the Burley Griffin Way and Hume Highway back to a coffee stop in Yass. From there it was the Barton Highway back to Canberra. At this point both Andrew and Anthony decided that they would take the more direct route back via the Lachlan Valley Way. I took one look at the sky and decided it was time to pull on the waterproof trousers for the return.
With our group of four now become two, Warren led the way once more. If the Hughstonia Road was a smooth flowing delight, the parallel Galong Road was definitely not. No sooner had we turned off Cunningar Road we struck the first pot holes and bumps. At first it was a case of ducking, weaving and dodging the ever increasing pot holes until eventually the pot holes became so numerous and closely spaced that there was no chance of avoiding them. Funny that the two riders equipped with touring bikes and plush suspensions opted for the highway whilst we two on bikes with much more rigid, unforgiving sports suspension had opted to tackle the rough stuff. Large sections of the road had been marked off in preparation for much needed roadworks in the near future. However, it wasn’t all bad and the scenery was stunning as we wound our way through rich farmlands. The weather continued to become more threatening. You know that something is going to happen when all the sheep in a paddock crowd together under some trees with their backsides all pointed to the wind. We ended up making two stops on the way back to Yass. The first was to take photos of the two bikes on the Galong Road with the amazing backdrop of colour and me doing my best Stig impersonation. The second was a tactical pause at Binalong for a short while to allow the rain system in front of us to move away from our track. Another top job by Warren as ride leader as we encountered no rain all the way into Yass. What we did encounter was the drenching clouds of road spray being thrown up off the wet road surface by passing trucks. Good job I had put on those wet weather trousers after all.
I later learned that our two renegade riders got caught behind wide, slow moving heavy prime movers and were further delayed by slow roadworks sections along the Lachlan Valley Way, after which it began to rain quite heavily on them. That downpour might well have been the same one we waited to pass in Binalong.
In another feat of ride leader genius, Warren was able to find two absolutely perfect parking spots for the bikes right outside the Roses Cafe in Yass. If you haven’t been to this Cafe before it is worth adding to the list. Fabulous food, cakes and coffee with friendly and prompt service. We ate, we drank coffee and chatted as you do on a Chomp and Chat ride. Just as we were leaving, a shower of rain kept us sheltering under the cafe awning for a few minutes before striking out for home. The run back along the Barton Highway was remarkable, not because of the NSW Revenue Raisers camped on the side of the road in the 50kph zone at Murrumbateman, but because there was practically no inbound traffic of any kind heading into Canberra. It was a dream run, free of any slow vehicles or other annoyances usually associated with the Barton Highway.
Thanks to Warren for his thorough preparation and the excellent job he did as ride leader. And thanks to Andrew, Anthony and Jenny for being good company and joining us on what was a fabulous ride.
Peter Ongley
- Peter Ongley - Ducati Monster 659
- Warren Richer (Leader) - Truimph Thruxton R
- Andrew Campbell - BMW R1250RS
- Anthony Hanson - Honda Goldwing Aspencade
- Jenny Carlin - Honda CB300 (red bikes do go faster)
