A half dozen hardy souls turned up today at Caltex Hume, for a ride to Pambula.
The weather was ideal, if quite chilly. We held on a bit, giving an opportunity for others that may not have got out from under the covers, a little more time.
At about 0905, we called it time. I advised the route – predictable enough; down the Monaro, through Polo Flat, and on to Bombala for coffee. After coffee – through Cathcart and Wyndham on the Mt Darragh Road, and into south Pambula. Lunch at the ‘Top Pub’ (the Royal Willows is long since closed down), and home via Candelo, Bemboka, Brown Mountain and home.
So, off we went. By the time we got to Bombala (where the only place for coffee and a pie is in the local IGA), I found out from Scott that the chill factor had got to Aeron and she decided to high-tail home for the warmth. A bit of a shame really, as by Bombala the temperature was now 8 degrees and warmer to follow as we descend to Pambula. Still, I don’t blame Aeron for this call – if I wasn’t leading I would have stayed home as well.
The route from here is via Cathcart and Mount Darrah Road, through Wyndham and into South Pambula. Disappointment for those of us that loved the old “Mount Darrah Road”. The fun police have outdone themselves and dropped the limit to 60kmh, yet the road conditions are better than previous (albeit, some spots of loose gravel from recent re-surfacing).
Today’s ride is the first I’ve been on with Kevin since he offloaded the Indian Scout for the Beemer R1250RS. It really has him riding with a lot of enjoyment, it would seem .
We arrived at the Top Pub at Pambula, and grabbed our lunches and a mixture of liquid refreshments. Saddling up after about an hour here, we got back on the road – heading north on the Princes Hwy for a short few km, before exiting again at Wolumla, onto Candelo-Wolumla Road. The road from here through Candelo – the heart of the Bega Valley, is just spectacular. The rolling hills are a perfect blanket of green grass. No wonder the cows like it here and the dairy industry is doing as well as can be!
Turning left onto the Snowy Mountains Highway just east of Bemboka, we enjoyed a spirited uphill ride through Brown Mountain – until we had to drop to a frustratingly slow pace by a few slower vehicles out for a Sunday drive. A brief stop at the junction of Monaro Highway and Polo Flat Road, and we parted ways homeward bound.
A great day, thanks to all who attended.
Chris
Riders:
- Chris Dietzel (ride leader) – Kawasaki GTR1400.
- Kevin Sherman – BMW R1250RS.
- Bill Henshaw – Triumph Explorer.
- Scott England – BMW R1250RT.
- Dieter Walter – Ducati Multistrada 950.
- Aeron Johnson – Suzuki SV650.
