iNinja

2020-02-02T11:42:00.000+11:00

Canyonleigh was not to be

2011-01-16T15:04:00.001+11:00

This Thursday Ride was certainly one to remember... let’s take it from the start. We all know what it is like to wake to a perfectly grey old ride day morning. I could have easily made another attempt at deep sleep, but it was Thursday and Ulysses was calling. Most importantly: it was dry out there and with a backdrop of ever rising QLD floods and unsettled, rain drenched days of the past week, this was certainly a bonus. However, I thought , just in case, I’ll pop on my wet weather gear...

It came in very handy as I stepped out of my front door, where that grey sky had decided to dump its content in one big pour all the way up the coast from Austinmer to Stanwell Tops. Once I hit the Highway the rain miraculously stopped and by the time I got to the meet point at Heathcote the sun glimpsed upon a completely dry road. As I was making good time getting there I had been wondering if anyone would turn up on a day like that and was surprised to find that our usual corner was brimming with well polished chrome. The boys were umming and ahhring wether to even put their wet weather gear on...”hmmmm...trust me – you don’t know it yet, but you’ll need it !”

As we headed South we decided to stay away from the coast where the wet stuff had shown up on the ’bom site’ and made our way via the old highway to the Albion Park turn-off. By that time the rain had caught up with us and we walked into our favourite Jamberoo morning tea location. Once we were seated they brought out the mop and bucket to wipe up the puddles we’d left behind on the floor where we were momentarily standing, drenched and dripping, whilst ordering our coffees. But there were smiles all around and our conversations were as usual loud and exciting and not once did we hear anyone complaining about the weather. ..

Gary checked the ‘bom’site again to revise the route ahead and found that it should subside around our next stop at Robertson. Good news! Up the hill we go!

The moment we gained elevation, we were surrounded by low cloud and fog, which in some places made for visibility of less than 10m ahead. With ride speeds according to the conditions, hovering between 20 and 40km/h, that was certainly the slowest trip up the escarpment that I have ever done in my life! Crazy! I had done that trip on so many occasions in the past, loving the changing landscape and views, but there were times when I had absolutely no idea where I was. With few recognisable landmarks, at times I felt lucky to even see the road! Greatful to sit riding behind Gary and Al, I had some lights to follow and crossed my fingers (not literally), trusting that those boys were equipped with 20/20 vision.

Somehow we got to the intersection at the Illawarra Highway and we actually had to listen out for any approaching cars before crossing to the safety of ‘The Robertson Pieshop’ carpark. With fog patches wafting around us we regrouped and revised our route once more. Canyonleigh was scrapped from the itinerary and the Bargo Hotel was our chosen culinary final destination. The ST 1300 rider (whose name escaped me) shared some local knowledge and took us down the Tourist Road just off the Macquarie Pass, which he told us would in his experience get us out of this surreal brew. Three cheers to the ST 1300 rider, who steered us in the right direction. The moment we hit that dry road the sun smiled upon us once more and by the time we got to Bargo to refresh with lunch, the strange weather we had just encountered had become a distant memory...

...until we slipped on those wet leather gloves again ...

...but I am not complaining! It was a great day, doing exactly what we love doing:
To ride is to live!

Three cheers to our fearless leader Gary, who once again managed to lead us safely on yet another adventure on two wheels. Thank You!

Ps: May that chrome be polished and glisten in readiness for yet another Ulysses ride experience.

Parkes Elvis Festival 2011

2011-01-13T22:26:00.000+11:00

Mechanic Needed -Wollongong

2010-12-08T08:40:00.000+11:00

MaxPower MotorCycles Position Vacant, Motorcycle Mechanic needed, A grade plus, must be able to diagnose and repair late model Jap bikes, must have positive attitude. Call Steve on 0242 859793 Learning potential for Suspension, Dyno Tuning and Bike fabrication.

Close, but no Cigar!

2010-12-06T11:48:00.001+11:00

Not quite lost in translation...
somewhere around Hurstville.

Dirt

2010-12-04T22:23:00.010+11:00

Hey, how good do I look on this little beauty, hmm????

My good riding buddies at IR have one by one gone off road and what used to be an almost regular weekend road ride turned into a maybe bi-monthly...boring! They really got into it in a big way and I wondered what all the fuss was about.

At a recent Loftus BreakfastTorque meeting I picked up a flyer from the HART stand, a Motorcycle riding skill development organisation, which listed an Off Road introduction amongst other really useful courses.

I always freak when it comes to dirt roads on my sport bike and my top speed hovers around the 40km/h mark (if that!), making it a lonely and scary trip once all other group members have flown past me at at least twice that.

Shortly after that meeting my friend Lindy visited me and we both agreed that we needed to have a go at this. Once we'd booked it, I started to get all panicky and with a month to go took myself off to the Gym to send those hibernating muscles a reminder message: it is time to be on guard.

Today was the day.

The alarm went off at 5:30 this morning and I was excited and scared at the same time. After all, people don't just take up dirtbike riding at my age! And there are a couple of reasons for that...my lack of fitness and flexibility and then there is the reaction time...or better the lack of it.

It was a good two hour drive to get me there. It had been raining during the night and we knew to expect 'The Big Wet' on the trail.

We soon realised that we needed to forget all we knew about cornering and handling bikes. It is such a strange feel to actually lean out of the curve and then to stick your leg out into it.

HART at StIves in Sydney's North sports 42 acres of 'playground' with a variety of tracks to suit every level of rider skill. As I mentioned earlier, our track was pretty wet and the puddles quite deep. As time passed we made a bit of a mess of the circuit and things got quite slippery, but Paul, our instructor did equip us with the necessary skills to cope with that.

First things frst, we got the talk, then we got the bikes and then we got the ride. When it actually came to doing the dirt bit, it really hit me that I am about to push my fear boundary and immediately tensed up and forgot all I had been taught, but it did not seem to take long until we made good progress.

Once we got going along the track, Paul took us to a 5 meter high, almost vertical, rocky and slippery incline, got us to stop the bikes, take our helmets off and pointed at it. Our eyes widened and jaws dropped. For a moment there was stunned silence, then a gasp of relief when he laughed out loud as he saw our reaction and said "just kidding- we'll leave this one for advanced students".

There were only four of us and Paul's teaching strategy of demonstration and active, personal feedback worked really well. I enjoyed his positive attitude and relaxed manner. He's been doing it for seven years and certainly enjoys his job.

Well, at first I was trying to avoid the rocks and roots on the trail (as you'd do when you don't know what you are doing), but soon enough I was seeking the thrill of mastering the bumps. It did not take long for me to stand up and whooping across the crests before the puddles and following the ruts and using the camber to get me around sweepers quicker. Fun...fun...fun!

...and over lunch at 'Torque', Concord Frasers, a Sydney Harley Dealership, we decided that we'd do the next level of those courses some time soon.

What a thrill!

A great day had by all and I am still smiling...and mighty proud of myself.

Ps: perhaps before next time I'll do a couple more push-ups at the Gym...

More Rain...

2010-12-02T04:26:00.005+11:00

December is here in Australia and we expect to enjoy the Beach, the pool or take the bike out for an afternoon spurt, but oh no! Not here. It has been pouring for three days and there is no end in sight.

Which makes me think about gear.

Back in the 'good' old days I used to own a high quality set of sailing overalls, which were lost somewhere roadside in Italy and sorely missed ever after. They were signal orange and certainly did not leak. Sure, they were a little bulky to carry (I am certain that's the reason why they got lost), but they fitted well in all the right places and they were made to be seen.

When I first got my Ninjalista some six years ago, I bought myself another wet weather overall. It was my Rjays yellow and black one piece and didn't I cop flak for wearing that thing...(rolls eyes).

"it looks like a parachute...yellow submarine...bumble bee..."

It was a great suit, especially after I had asked my daughter to give it a bit of a wipe down and she happened to be a little heavy handed on the detergent. The next time I had to use it was on a trip South through the Reefton Spur and boy did I have a great time sliding my bum from side to side in those tight 35s...it seemed effortless. (until the next day when those leg muscles started to re-introduce themselves :()

But, it started to leak where it counts and where most of them give in under pressure: the crotch.

So I went to MCA to buy me another one...ummm... "discontinued, but there is a range of colours here, hunney" says this young Westie chick and she points at a rack filled with black and gray, gray, black, dark blue, black with a bit of red, but no bright colours at all.

Hello! Wakie, wakey! Isn't high visibility a priority anymore?

I'd hate to blend nicely into the background in the rain on my bike. Don't you?

So why do they discontinue something that works and replace it with the dull stuff?

Good luck to you fashionistas!

IR Snowy Ride 2010

2010-11-23T03:03:00.012+11:00

Four days of great weather, great roads, great riders = bliss!

The hotel we stayed at in Orbost

Falls Creek vista

Falls Creek parking lot regroup

Roadside picture near Mt Hotham

Thumbs Up at Mt Hotham

Omeo- early morning fog

Mt Hotham tunnel

Same T at the same place one year later (Taralga)

The River Road

Jindabine Lake at sunrise

and one more ... this one was shot by my buddy Rocky.

and here is one Damien took of the i98 CONVOY riders(click on it to see the whole picture)

and the coolest video of all, directed by Damien and starring...moi

Pink Ribbon Ride 2010

2010-10-24T20:49:00.010+11:00

http://www.pinkribbonride.com/

You have guessed right: it rained!

Unfortunately I missed the final estimate of attendee numbers, but if I had my uneducated guess it would have been around the 300 mark.

By 8 am it was still bucketing down outside my window and I was uhmm-ing and ah-ing whether I should get out there and brave the elements. After all I was going to help out! But hell...I checked the weather bom site and was looking at an array of colourful patches, whilst being optimistic and thinking that I might even miss them as I was headed West.

No such luck.

By the time I got to the venue I only just caught the start of the ride, as I had got lost twice before I finally decided to stop and gave the navigator a go...

I should say here that the event was absolutely well organised and they even had a pdf file with a map I did download, printed and left safely on my kitchen table. Doh!

Did it ever stop raining? I may have missed it for all the spray from bikes and four wheeled oncoming traffic on the wet, wet road.

By the time we got to the pub at Picton I wanted to pull out the camera, but it was soo wet that I did not dare to keep shooting. So I followed the lead of others who just wanted to get back to Club Marconi to get a hot meal and a cuppa. However, when I finally got all the gear back on and was ready to go, the bulk of the riders had vanished in a Westerly direction.

Not long and I spotted a couple of riders I had recognised from the Picton pub, one of them sporting a couple of pink ribbons and the other had the enviable red plate 'R6'. I pulled up to R6 and checked if they were going back to the club and he nodded. Cool... no need to get that Navigator out again.

The three of us rode along in formation and after about 20km R6 turned off to the right and 'pink ribbon man' kept going straight ahead. Hmmm...what now? A split second later I had made the decision to follow pink ribbon man, which, 5km later started to feel like a mistake. I pulled up next to him as we rode along Northern Road and I called out to him. He smiled politely and nodded. I was relieved.

5km later, at another roundabout I thought better of it and stopped next to him. I asked again: ARE you going back to the club?
He looked perplexed and then realised what I had done. He shook his head and called out: "No! I'm on my way home!"

Arrrrrgh!

I had just almost followed this complete stranger home and had no idea at all (nor did he) how to get back to the club. Bugger!

That's when I started to really feel the Wet.

By the time I got there I had a puddle in both of my once 'waterproof' boots and my wet weather gear was soaked. My hands were stained black from my summer gloves and my hair showed nothing of its early morning bounciness. It looked as flat as I felt.
I must have appeared like some wayward astronaut with my helmet still on and dripping like something the cat dragged in when I approached the Club Marconi reception.

A petite stiletto clad faux blonde, wearing a lovely skirt suit and a smile, took one look at me and asked whether I'd like to first get changed in the bathroom before I'd sign in.

Yessss, thank you! Thank YOU!

By the time I had emerged from the ladies powder room I was laden with all the wet gear and as I walked towards Hayley (a PRR committee member), my boots sounded like 'squish-squish, squish-squish' with every step I took. At last I got to the counter, my hands still stiff and cold and shaking, and ever-so-sweetly Hayley filled out my ID slip for me, whilst I signed it left handed... great effort Hayley!!!! We'd make a good team...
Harley Davidson is a major sponsor this year and one person actually raised about $12000plus all on his own. Good on you!

Tex and Bundy

My personal 'winning' choice of 'best dressed male'

It was a good day.
Amongst many others I got to meet up with BIG AL, my Ulysses riding buddy of Ducati fame and we headed back to the coast together.

That was my first ride back in the country and I felt right at home.

I seem to recall someone addressing the crowd and saying something like:

"It was a BATTLE...
and you were all warriors" (hear, hear!)

By the time I got back my man had run me a bath... mmmmmh! :))

Back Home

2010-10-23T00:10:00.002+11:00

Now that I have finally made it home I find myself trying to re-connect with the life I had to leave behind back in May. I got caught out a couple of times already. The most disappointing one was that the Ninjalista needed to recover her spark...a new battery, since the old one gave up the ghost. I guess she must have felt a little neglegted and decided that she needed the beauty sleep. Fair enough. I can relate to that...

Maybe she's found out about my little HD indiscretion and spat the dummy?!

The chain's got a little rust on the side and the front mudguard is still missing, as I had it fixed just before I left...she looks a little rough and ready.

This afternoon I tried to get her up on the rear paddock stand and felt her stubbornly pushing her weight around. Such unruly antics...

...it's time to show her who's the boss!

HD Infection!

2010-10-10T17:09:00.006+11:00

I want you all to know that there has been an attempt on my ’life-as-I-knew-it’. I am the victim of a very clever conspiracy. It caught me completely unaware and I walked straight into their web. How can I escape? Here are the facts:

It appears that over the course of this European summer my undoubtedly K-green blood has been infected by a virus of yet to be seen force. At this stage I have seen some evidence that it may have been infiltrated by shades of orange and watermarked HD.

A few months ago this seemed too preposterous to even imagine in my wildest dreams, but after the last two days of road riding experience I am convinced that there has been at least a subtle change in my DNA. We all know what that means, don’t we?! It’s about the way we are seeing things, feeling and handle things, our general perception of the world we live in…

The ‘coup de gras’ took place over the last couple of sunny, 18 degree top-temp days. I was given 24 hour access to a 2011 black fatbob. Madness! Absolute madness! What else could possibly come to mind when considering the immense temptation that took place. How could I resist such seduction????

Allow me to bring you up to date with recent developments. My friend Uschi bought herself a Harley earlier this year, which is a pretty hot piece of machinery featuring a claw for a sidestand and an amazing dungeons and dragons design on the tank, loads of chrome and a weight to match its size. When she handed over the money to HARLEY NORD, they also gave her a voucher for a day of HDing, which was then passed on to me as a present. (I can see right through her strategy now!)

All throughout this 2010 season I accompanied them to all the HD events I could possibly fit in on my busy schedule. There were the Hamburg HD Days, Luebeck, Fehmarn, there was MoGo, there were rides, there was Hoopte. I was introduced to all the nice people she and Erwin knew who ride cruisers and most of them ride Harley Davidsons. They quickly became my ‘family away from home’. For five months I was immersed in their talk and surrounded by the merchandise.

To be honest, had you asked me a few months ago, I would have been politely declining the suggestion to hop on a cruiser and go for a ride, but it has been so long since I rode my Ninjalista, that I had a hard time remembering what it was like. The last I had heard of her was that her battery is flat…jeez! I won’t be going anywhere in a hurry on that!

Well, time has been an issue for me on more than one occasion, but we finally made a date to suit everyone. Uschi even took a day off work. How sweet is that???! Or was it???

I must admit that I had procrastinated big time. I was quite scared. The sheer size of these things terrified me more than I could express. My mouth was dry, my hands sweaty, my heart beat so loudly that I thought it was about to jump out of my chest.
I was unsure wether I could handle it quite literally: 330 kg of steel horse between my legs! Simply insane!

My mother called after me: ride carefully!
‘Of cause! I always do!’ But was I sure?
Not in the least.

Erwin gave me a lift from Ashausen, a sweet little village not far from Hamburg’s Southern border, where we met Uschi and Rudi. It was just the four of us who spent the day riding together.

A couple of days earlier I had been on the phone to HD Nord, checking if they were ok with me turning up on Wednesday to claim the ‘prize’. I spoke to Piet, who had a really nice HH accent and a calm voice. He seemed ok with the whole arrangement and was quite positive and relaxed about it. When I explained that these new friends of mine had dragged me all over the country side on their Harleys and now wanted me to try it too, he said ‘well, that’s the way it should be…’ and booked me in for Wednesday 10am.

We arrived and I got straight into panic mode; I could hardly think.

Piet was a slim, tall man with long grey hair kept neatly in a ponytail. He had steel blue eyes, the knowing kind that look straight into your soul, but fill you with confidence. I told him that I wanted to start on an ‘easy’ ride, so he got me to try a couple of bikes for seating positions and for size. Don’t ask me what bikes I had a go on, but we soon settled on a black fat-something.

Piet explained the basic layout and handed me the key with the rego papers. I couldn’t help but notice a twinkle of intensity in his eyes. I had seen that before back in the 80s. It reminded me of Bhagwanian people belonging to his Orange Ashram. It was the kind of look that says it all: I know what makes you happy… but I didn’t get it then and there. I was totally consumed by self-doubt and shit scared that I was going to be in over my head here and I’d drop this street something. Stupid!!

21 thousand Euros…when I overheard the price-tag of this beast I could not help but ask whether I was insured, as my travel budget would certainly not cover it.

It was time for take-off.

As I started the sweet sounding engine and slowly let go of the clutch an employee winked at me and called me “Rockerbraut!”, which made me laugh out loud as he was just so far from the truth and we both knew it.

My feet paddled along the carpark, but as soon as my body realised where to put them, things started to settle and I took my first corner out of the safety of the remote premises onto the busy road. First gear, shift, second gear, then a green light turning amber…the breaks, the breaks!!! Hmmm…ABS! phew!!

The handlebar seemed made for me. The footboards took a little getting used to and I hardly used the gear-lever set-up to its full advantage, but the seat hugged my butt and it was very comfortable. I hardly felt the bumps in the road. Its 1600cc made city traffic, open road and Autobahn riding a breeze and the sound it made was sheer bliss.

The sun finally broke through the grey, fog laden morning, just in time for the ride through the autumn coloured country side. The road Uschi chose was like a golden chain speckled with small villages, featuring the old homesteads one would expect to see in a German travel brochure. We were on our way to Ploen, a little picturesque country town built alongside a big lake.

The four of us, three Harleys and a Moto Guzzi, rode well together. The pace was…well, what do you expect from cruisers? It was relaxed and I caught myself thinking that this could be some solution to an ever-growing problem of keeping that license nice and clean.

We had lunch at a restaurant by the water and walked along the shore amongst trees with red and orange foilage, enjoying every one of those 18 degrees the autumn sun had provided. What a great day it had turned out to be!

Our next stop was Scharbeutz, giving a momentary urge to go for a ride into Denmark a miss for Mario’s icecream… yummy! Marzipan!!!

Little did I know that the seduction of all my senses was at work here…they are a clever lot indeed those ‘friends’ of mine! Was it possible that I had encountered the clutches of an HD sect? Were they all just ‘members’??? Spooky…after all, it was October and those tared roads were punctuated by displays of bright orange pumpkins.

Orange…black and orange…orange…

Our roadside-parked hogs had become the object of public fascination. Quite a few people had stopped and stared when we readied ourselves for take off. Or was it because we had discovered that Erwin had got lucky and some dirty seagull-shit bullseyed right down the front of his all-American HD leather jacket.

Once he’d been cleaned up we made our way along the Baltic seaside to head inland to Hoopte along the river Elbe, a popular hangout for bike riders. Over a Latte Macchiato I had to decide wether to take the baby home or return it there and then. Uschi had it all worked out: “that way you can ride it tomorrow as well…”
It sounded convincing enough and to my surprise I had memorised the Harley Nord phone number…040 41 30 300. Piet was on the line and I told him that I won’t be back until the next morning. He said to have fun and not to stress out if it wasn’t there exactly on time. Great!

I took it home, showed it off and hardly slept a wink. It rained. The next morning I rode into the village to get the paper and bread rolls. It felt great to turn up in leather and on a hog, but where was everyone I knew? Unfortunately the place seemed suddenly to be inhabited by a bunch of complete strangers. What a shame! I would have liked to have made a lasting impression…

I picked up Erwin, who’d made breakfast for me, and we made our way into the big smoke. Stop and go, short spurts, lane changes, sudden stops, ever changing wet road surfaces…nothing the bike could not handle. I had confidence in the bike, which made me feel like quite a competent and happy rider.

Piet opened the garage door and came to greet me. He had that knowing smile again and this time I got it in one: He knows exactly what makes a woman like me happy.

It must be nice to be convinced by the product you sell…and he’s just the man to do it.

There was I with a grin on my face that reached from ear to ear.

Then I simply had to come back down to earth.

The rest of that grey old day I spent being moody and quarrelling. I think I was somewhat depressed, but certainly sleep deprived.

Orange…black and orange…orange…

Is there hope? Who can I turn to? Who can I trust? I can feel a fever coming on, a little obsession starting here and there…their 2011 catalogue is now on my bedside table. It helps me cut through the fog. Is there anyone who knows how to administer the antidote?

http://www.harley-hh.de/

2010-09-28T23:32:00.001+10:00

FEHMARN DAYS OF AMERICAN BIKES 2010

2010-09-01T00:24:00.009+10:00

(just kidding)
In Burg/ Baltic Isle of Fehmarn 27.- 29. August 2010

This was one event I’d been looking forward to for quite some time, as I had never before spent any quality time on the island of Fehmarn. (Some may argue that I have still not succeeded to do so, but I’ll question that.) The island is located opposite Lolland, a Danish outcrop across the Fehmarn Straight, about 250 plus km from where I am staying.

Well, by any measure this place is not massive, but there is much ado on and off shore. When we cruised across the Bridge…and by the way, I wonder whether the bridge does not make it sort of part of the mainland anyway…but that’s of course beside the point…we were greeted by a vision of hundreds of colourful kites cutting through the air, transporting their precious cargo across the bays. It seems kiters have taken over from the windsurfers of the Eighties.

The previous couple of days were wet and ugly and it was touch and go whether we’d take the bike or pop over in the car, which would have cut the fun-factor by at least a half. Erwin decided it was time to take the bike when he woke to a sunny Saturday morning and the promise of at least a days worth of break in the cloud cover. What a good decision it proved to be, as we were unbelievable lucky with the weather both days.

This meeting was one of the better ones I have been to. What it lacked in numbers it gained in enthusiasm and spirit. There was of course the obligatory parade and parcour, but this time the ride was cut in half by a stop-over and a free feed of Chilli concarne in one hand and a beer substitute in the other…well I call it that because it was non-alcoholic. Many volunteers were at hand to help distribute the brew and direct the flow of hungry punters.

The ride was quiye picturesque and took us along huge wind farms and countryside without much oncoming car traffic. Most of the small towns featured cobblestone streets, so at times it got a little bumpy, but generally the group ride went very smoothly. A lone guy on a red Ducati, sporting an orange vest kept flying past us, only to be seen again and again, marking a corner with a big (I want what he’s having) smile on his face.

Our hotel was in Avendorf, which is, as the crow flies, about 8km from town. When we got there the owner informed us that one of the rooms had unfortunately been water-damaged and was courteous enough to provide us with a holiday flat a short stroll up the road instead. It worked out beautifully, as the boys were all self-proclaimed heavy snorers and we could get away to our own little pad. The whole experience at the ‘Gruener Jaeger’ was pleasant and I can wholeheartedly recommend the place…especially the breakfast buffet. I was most impressed with the variety and quality of their fare and the kindness of their staff.

Once we got ourselves a taxi into town we met Uschi and Rudi, who had booked into the main hotel in town. They had been there for a while and showed us the ropes. The town square had been transformed with a stage and forecourt/dance area and there were plenty of merchandise and food and beer stalls. There were enough chairs and tables and loads of space. Every one was friendly. I did not see one single scuffle all night…the closest it came to it was me telling some weirdo to shove off, because he hovered a little close to my chair. He had a strange dress sense, wearing a Che Guevara scarf around his head…wrong movie, mate!

Harry and his band did all the right songs…his playlist was a mixture of Westernhagen and Torfrock with a little ZZ Tops thrown in for good measure. Super ‘time of our lives’ stuff for a largely middle aged German audience…well, who else should be able to afford the luxury of riding an All-American bike, hm?

The company was simply magic…I certainly got to feel those facial muscles…the beer whet the whistle and the laughs got louder. Like everywhere else in the world: you pay out and get payed out…what a hoot!
Here is one I picked up…Two guys hover over the urinal…one turns to the other and says with an all explaining smirk: ”VB in- Fosters out.”
(just substitute your not so/ preferred beer brand!)

Sadly all good things have got to come to an end and even though I could have easily added a couple more days to this trip, it was not to happen. The return journey had the additional thread of a cloud heavy sky and we decided to make our way along the coast for as long as possible. We were quite lucky and avoided that all too familiar road-side dance to get into our wet weather gear all the way home.

Most of us postponed going home for a little while longer with a quick trip to Hoopte, a popular bike destination by the Elbe river, where we put a local fish restaurant through its paces and recounted the events.

I had a ball and’d do it all again in a flash …once the rain subsides.

Harley Weekend Luebeck 20.-22.08.10

2010-08-28T00:49:00.004+10:00

www.harley-weekend-luebeck.de

This is an annual event held in the Northern German UNESCO-World-Heritage township of Luebeck, celebrating the HD lifestyle and providing a platform for dealership and customisation merchants to address the ever growing fans of cruiser-dom. The three-day program was impressive, counting fortyeight bands and other entertainment items performing on two stages. One of the highlights was the band Torfrock, a well known rockband that convinces with distinct Northern dialect and humour laden lyrics.

The whole Harley Village area along the Hansa-Harbour was well worth exploring and provided plenty of interest and great variety of food and beverage stalls, Rainer Schwarz, a German stunt rider was showing off his skills and impressed with balance and control. It is pretty amazing to see a Harley being taken through its paces, popping wheelies, stoppies and drawing doghnuts.

briefing of safety staff

We were there on Saturday to participate in a massive parade through the town centre and out to meet the Baltic Sea at Travemuende. It was amazing to see the amount of cheerfully waving people lining the streets of Luebeck, as we rode by heritage protected buildings that have been there since the 15th century. The course was well organised with many officials keeping the traffic at bay and the riders well paced. Once we got out of town we rode along the Autobahn -pretty straight forward, but I guess that’s just what the average cruiser is built for: going straight down the road…

Even along the Autobahn, across the overpasses hundreds of spectators were waving, cheering and enjoying sights and sounds of loud pipes. It was quite a spectacle!

Once we arrived at the Baltic beach promenade in Travemuende.. Beach and Bikes is a somewhat strange combination…it was suddenly populated by a strange mix of people: some wearing bathers and others leathers…what an outrageous culture clash! We took a quick breather, sat down in a café and enjoyed a good gork at the passing crowds.

Back on the road I can’t stop thinking about how much time and money bikers in Germany spend on their bikes to customise them. I saw a trike that was made up of the rear half of a VW Beetle. I saw a glow in the dark Harley, a multitude of appendices, plenty of skulls and chrome and chrome and more chrome. Winter is a time to think up innovative enhancements … customisations…time to pull the bike apart to add bits and pieces…to create the individual touch.

Compared to what I get to see at home, it was a mind blowing meet…especially riding in such a huge numbers and seeing the public right behind us. So much of our time is spent taking an ‘us vs them’ approach, but here we were amongst friends. It feels great to be approved of!

On our way to the meet, in an ever growing group of bikes and these being mainly loudly piped, powerful Harleys, I could not help but notice that people either shake their heads or smile knowingly as we rode past…and those that smiled way outnumbered those that expressed their disapproval, which made me feel great to be a biker. It is good to see that there is increasing support for the average biker out on the streets. Let’s move away from the notorious 'us and them' and enjoy our status as an acceptable middle aged subculture, an integral part of society. No longer the realm of the 1%er, the outcast, but accepted for who we are: a growing number of individuals, who share their love of a largely perceived semi freedom, a love of the road. Vive la difference!

A different choice of club names is highly visible via the ‘colours’ worn by German bikers. Some hit the nail on the head, but others certainly put a little smirk on my face. Amongst those I recall are ‘The Lion Kings” and “Rugrats” and believe it or not: “Wild Hogs”! it makes me wonder sometimes… some German translations are a bit dodgy too, but I guess I could be guilty of that at times as well.

Germany in August

2010-08-16T00:04:00.002+10:00

The weather is pretty average over here. Just like our Australian winter..only add gray sky.

The roads are a dream. Smooth, well sign posted and an invitation to twist the wrist. However, one does get a feeling of being hunted. It is Speed Camera Haven over here. They really go out of their way to conceal the gear.

Shame, shame, shame!

2010-08-02T01:39:00.002+10:00

Click here to see the Harley Days Hamburg Photos at Youtube

2010-07-26T01:10:00.006+10:00

A few weeks ago I discovered a German beer bar, the 'Klimperkasten', in a place just outside of Hamburg’s city limits. It’s run by Achim, an ex Hells Angel. “Hmm how ex does an Angel get?” I ask myself, as he cruises into the carpark on his black fatbob.
The first time I’d met Achim was when he’d organised the ‘Steller Bike Meet’, a festival of promising proportion, now in it’s third year. There was live music on a sizable stage and Achim was in charge. He asked my name and where in Australia I was from, then leaped up on that stage to grab the microphone and introduced me, telling people to make me feel welcome. The beer flowed freely for me after that! And I am asking myself why the hell nobody has ever done that for me before?! Free drinks just because I live in the Gong… surely that’s got to be worth something where-ever I go!

The next morning I vaguely remember an approximate double digit number of beers that I was almost forced to politely consume and am surprised that one Panadol actually did the job. I also remember that I got told to meet the gang at this season’s next big be-there-or-be-square event. Harley Days Hamburg attract around 60 000 enthusiasts each year and recently there’s been a little political controversy marring the event. It almost did not go ahead this time…however, we are back in business and Achim’s patrons have decided to meet for a run to the big smoke on judgement day. Hamburg is a harbour city and in it’s industrial area is ‘The Grossmarkt’ with plenty of space and facilities for this event, which is well organised and a great number of volunteers assist in the smooth operation. The three-day festival sports plenty of entertainment in a variety of city locations. There are bands, there is a shine’n show with prizes to be awarded, test rides, stunt displays and loads of food and drink and of cause bike related paraphernalia. The highlight of the weekend is undoubtedly the ride on Sunday. Ten thousand Harleys rocked up to ride the Harbour route.

Whilst I did not get to catch up with Achim, I was happy to run into Erwin again, with whom I had made the acquaintance at an earlier bike event. He suggested for me to hop on the back of his Road King, which sent me into a bit of a spin. About 30 years ago I had promised myself never to pillion again unless in case of an emergency…
‘But I don’t have a helmet’, was my response.
My friend Ursula then dragged me along to a number of helmet stalls to fit me into a brain bucket that was just about as protective as a pushbike helmet…nothing like my brand new SHOEI, which is gathering dust on the Australian home shelf. The HD test ride people were prepared to lend me a proper HD helmet and Erwin draped me in his XXL jacket.

Half an hour later I noticed that my cheeks were hurting from grinning so much at all those people lining the streets, waving and cheering as we, amongst ten thousand Harleys, thundered past. Who said HD riders don’t greet?! I have proof they do!

I felt safe and unusually comfortable leaning against the Road King’s backrest. Erwin is clearly an experienced rider, who’d done the miles and recently returned from a trip of Route 66. He is totally converted! It was a sunny summer’s Sunday and all roads were sectioned off and traffic lights deemed un-obeyable by all. At one stage the convoy stopped and things got a bit hot around us, but it was short lived and simply meant we got to chat to other bikers complaining about the heat. None had ever been caught in full leather gear in Sydney summer traffic jams, so there was no point to disagree.
By the way, I’m getting a tan over here, while you guys are hog-ging the heater! Jealous?

Ps.: Ursula has got me lined up for a test ride at HD HQ in Hamburg…hmmm, which one will I choose?

Love,
Taina.

New Gear

2010-05-08T18:45:00.001+10:00

I finally got to MCA with my voucher (those that handed it to me know how long ago I got it)
I bought catcrap, motul factory finish chain lube and a back protector I wanted to add to my wardrobe for quite some time.
THANK YOU IR!

...and then...
I went back to the Helmet Warehouse to purchase another Shoei.
https://www.shoei.com.au/store.php?crn=290&rn=939&action=show_detail

The girl at MCA kept calling me Sweety and Darling... there was no way I would spend any money on overpriced boots and helmets when I am treated like that. I should have called her 'petal', except she wasn't anything like it...

The guy at HelmetWarehouse (https://www.thehelmetwarehouse.com.au/store.php)treated me with respect and was straight with me. $850 and he threw in a dark visor. MCA was not going past $860 and no extras.

Oh...how tight they feel when they are new! Methinks I'll have a couple of head-achey rides ahead of me...

The Island (WSBK 2010) Getting There

2010-03-04T10:13:00.002+11:00

The World Superbike Races at Phillip Island have become a little more interesting for me this year. Chris Vermeulen dropped Suzuki Grand Prix and went back to the litre bikes. This time he rides for Kawasaki...good choice I say (being currently a Kawasaki rider).

It was my first time and I really only decided to attend when I realised that the ride I actually had planned to go on up North could be rained out.
So...I winged it big time!
No ticket, no accommodation, just me, my bike and good luck.

Most people did book months ahead.

Da Man wanted me to go with other riders on the Thursday, so I hooked in with Bazz/Barry's group of 14 riders. Barry and I've been on previous Illawarra Riders trips together.
This time was different. This time I had invited myself into a group of his friends and he was probably too polite to say no. Sorry Bazz! But it did work out really well... and your friends are as gentlemanly as yourself. The old saying...show me your friends and I tell you who you are ...worked splendidly.

So, let me tell you about the trip.

We met(3 of us) at 6:30am (or thereabouts) in Mt Ousley and rode to Bungendore, where we linked up with another couple of riders and had breakfast. Lunch at Jindabine and via Khancoban onto Bright, where we met the rest of the gang and stayed the night.

The road between Mansfield and Whitfield is one of my very favourite places. I got to do it tagging onto Peter and we were truly enjoying the 35s, one set after the next. Apparently the view was quite stunning, but we had no time to look.
The Mansfield Bakery is a 'must' stop-over for the hungry rider. It has plenty of road-food, as in pies and cakes and saussage rolls and COFFEE!

Barry's friends had booked into this place in Bright and luckily for me I decided to do the same. We had lunch here with the Illawarra Riders on our wet Snowy Ride in Nov 2009. I can recommend the pizzas...and this time the beer as well. It was great to have my own room and shower at the end of a big ride day that saw us negotiate some hot fresh tar in mountain ranges.

Tallangatta is a nice little place to refresh and recount your trip experience so far. The bakery does a good job feeding the needy and the public toilets are a welcome sight... basic needs covered...ah yes, and the park provides some shade and a grassy knoll to stretch those limbs.

2010-03-03T19:31:00.010+11:00

As I said, WSBK is a new thing for me and I must admit that other than Haga and Vermeulen I really had no idea who was actually out there laying rubber onto tar. They just fly past at hair raising speeds and more or less distinguishable noise, but I was thankful for those huge screens, even though the commentary on the loudspeakers was often drowned out. The crashes are not a welcome sight to me, although many a punter gets a thrill out of those. However, I witnessed Haga and Reuben's collision right in front of me. Suddenly there is a cloud of dust, bodies skidding after machinery and then there is a frozen moment of disturbing anticipation, of disbelief, of disappointment, of hope, of best wishes, of stillness...and then they get up.
They get up!
Slowly, but determined to deny the crowd the exit on a stretcher, they walk towards each other...there is tension, an apology, a couple of orange clad bodies inbetween them, buffering the emotions, as they are led off the track.

The guy in Orange on the left is Big Al. I know, it's a bit dark and too far away, but you'll just have to trust me on that one. LOL

Ah I have to share another very funny moment...and ehemmm 'what happens on tour, stays on tour' so I'll mention no names or bike make. By the time we reached Khancoban it had been a bit or a spirited ride and the day had reached its top temps. Whilst I got some petrol the other riders rested under some trees opposite the servo in the shade, recounting the trip and stretching those legs. So, Mr X decides to change out of the wet wear into his Jeans and whilst he is standing in his undies, using the bike for cover, his sidestand had sunk into the soft, moist ground and the bike fell over. No damage, but his cover had gone in one foul sweep!

I did not notice any of this, but when I rejoined the group with a full tank, I was told about it and for the rest of the trip my imagination had me crack up thinking about it on more than half a dozen occasions.

This is where I ended up staying for the three nights. It was fun...even though at times I wished I had my own shower, but the atmosphere is very special and money can't buy that!

Cowes shops have some interesting items for sale. These blinged Wellingtons are now added to my wish list. Thank goodness my very limited luggage arrangements restricted me to only buying a jacket and a T shirt, or else I would have been in even more trouble when I got home.
A flock of bikers taking a dip at Cowes Beach. I wish I had taken those swimmers along, but then the weather changed...

The bikes were locked up on the tennis court over night. Some people actually brought bike covers. I thought that the 4am thunder storm was god's bike wash service, but she missed a few spots.

The bunk bed in the metal shed.

2010-03-03T11:50:00.005+11:00

Here are some photos from the track.

This Kawasaki did catch my eye...well at least the seat did at first...then I had a closer look at the writing I thought read "Kawasaki"...pfft!

These were displayed in the vintage pit section and did race on the day...although lacking a sense of fairness, as they were all lumbered in one class together.

...and this is my favourite...Chris Vermeulen posing just for me...not!

Yes, it is a bit dark...that's just the way the weather was for us...one day the temperatures are in the high 20s and then a thunderstorm at 4am rages wildly, keeping us all wondering whether we have made a good choice staying in metal cabins in metal frame bunks...

2010-03-03T11:31:00.004+11:00

When I arrived at my Island accommodation I met a few people who had claimed a picnik table just outside our cabin. We got talking, as you do and I asked where they were from...Coledale!

Not kidding! They were all from my neighbourhood.... funny world! I had never met them before...except for one, who announced loudly:

"I have sprung you once before when you were riding your broom stick"

I was not too sure how I should be taking this and there was a bit of an awkward silence, but then I remembered an Illawarra Riders breakfast ride to Husskisson... and cracked up! LOL!

We women folk went off to the toilets and there was a broom leaning on the wall and I could just not resist the temptation to entertain, playing the wicked witch, just in time to get spotted by one of the IR male members.

Even though he hated to have his photo taken... that's him the morning after a fairly big picnic table session...sorry! LOL

Click on 'Older Posts' to continue...

2010-03-03T11:16:00.003+11:00

On the way down we took one wrong turn, which bypassed the Reefton Spur (don't worry, I got to do it on my way back) and sent us down a bit of a goat trek, which was most windy and enjoyable until the logging trucks came our way. Wow! Just made it!
...and then there was the Gravel Road!
26km of dirt!
The most I dared to do was 40km/hour on the straight...
I kept telling myself: Stay off the front brake and don't fight the bike. Hold on with your knees and don't swear so much! The Ninjalista knows what she's doing!
Those downhill 25s were a worry where the gravel had been pushed into heaped lines, but it all worked out for myself and the Goldwing behind me....everybody else had been taking off at great speed...ah well at least we did not have to 'eat their dust'.

When we finally arrived at the beginning of the bitumen it was such a relief that I had managed that road without any disasters and just quietly I have to admit that I was very, very proud of myself too.

The Island (WSBK 2010) Time to go home

2010-03-03T10:03:00.005+11:00

I was supposed to meet the Ducati gang at the San Remo petrol station at the civilised hour of 8:30am. My Sunshine Coast room mates had warned me that the alarm will go off at 5:30 in the morning, which was fine with me...(it had to be...they were not going to change it on my behalf, were they??!!) So it went off. It was dark and Nev's booming voice piped up from the double bed bunk, telling us all about how he had just been on the set of MASH and certainly enjoyed the company of HotLips...

"She is really hot!"

"and did you know that Radar is really quite short???!"

..."and that they have huge Goannas living under their floorboards!"

That's when I could no longer contain myself and I burst out laughing. What imaginative dreams that guy has!

Another one of those Nev-Moments was to follow...ehemm, guys...sorry, but we have a bit of a mishap here...pause...the alarm went off an hour early!

Aarrrrgh!

They were the first to leave the camp thundering through the gravel and down the road.

Now that they had got me out of dream world at 4:30am I made it to the meet-point about half an hour early. I had some time to inspect the drive chain that had suffered from a big dose of gravel road riding. It was dry and dusty and in need of some lube, which I thought to have brought under the pillion seat, but when I went to grab it I came to realise that I had left it at home on the shelf.

What's a girl to do...other than relying on the kindness of her friends? Rely on the kindness of Motorcycle shop owners!
What a coincidence! I look up and there is this sign.

Thank you for lubing my chain for nix! The Ninjalista and I very much appreciated it.

2010-03-03T10:01:00.002+11:00

Lunch at Bega. If there is one other thing those Ducati boys are good at it's picking the good spots for lunch...I'll certainly be back to get another serving of Spinach&Fetta Pie at that coffeeshop. (Name escapes me, but it's just North of the CBA)

2010-03-03T10:00:00.005+11:00

We stayed over night at Curryong in Victoria. It was touch and go to get accommodation for the night, as there were so many of us bike enthusiasts on this pilgrimage.

The tourer Ducatis I was travelling with did have a much larger tank capacity and range, so I had to fill up more often. The last leg of this day trip was the long way round the hills to catch some more twisties, but that also meant more spirited riding and less townships. By this time my petrol was deminishing quickly and Big Al's Multistrada with its topbox and panniers created a good slipstream for me to get to the next stop for a refill. The only trouble was: no fuel!

Closed!

So we just coasted into Curryong...17.28 litre! Hmmm...made it!

The picture was taken the next morning at breakfast with the Ducati Boys Chris, Tony and Al. The owner-baker was also one of us (pilgrims that is) ...he'd just returned from his stay on the hill near Siberia (the camp site by the track).

2010-03-03T09:59:00.002+11:00

The sun is setting on yet another great day on the road...time for a cold beer!

...a crisp morning ...even the moon wanted to linger to watch us take off on our journey home. Just ahead: Khancoban to Thredbo, a great twisty section with a 60km speedlimit on the top and the usual boys in blue picking the cash crop. There are many sections freshly tarred and gravel left unswept...great (not!) timing, when they know that there will be a lot of two-wheeled traffic coming through the mountains!

Click 'Older Posts' to continue

Returning from The Island (WSBK 2010)

2010-03-03T08:52:00.015+11:00

A quick stop-over at the Waterside Cafe in Bateman's Bay with my 'ride buddy' Big Al on the phone home, announcing his return after a month on the road doing the Tourismo in Tassie and the Great Ocean Road before marshalling the SBK race at Phillip Island.

2010-03-03T08:11:00.001+11:00

Home Sweet Home
Exhausted, but happy...

2010-02-08T20:08:00.004+11:00

Gresfield Crossroads Hotel

2009-12-20T12:13:00.002+11:00

Deus Ex Machina

2009-10-14T08:16:00.007+11:00

Our visit to Deus
was long overdue. Last time we've attempted to do coffee there ended in disappointment. It was closed! Today we made it... and it was as interesting and as gadget lust arrousing as I had imagined it to be.

Getting a carpark in front of the building was a small miracle and as we walked around the corner they'd fired up a custom bike right next to the entrance. It made the kind of sound one wants for their ring tone

....bobobobobobobob.....bobobobobobob......bobobobobobobob.

The show room was brimming with masterpieces. There was a whole row of six or so twin WR Kawasaki, Vintage Harleys, Ducati, Yamaha... the heart beats faster and eyes got wider as the grin got bigger. What else can't I afford????

Ohhh to have and to hold!

To turn the key and twist that throttle...

My man bought me a T Shirt.

(You don't look a gift horse in the mouth)

Dinner Show

2009-09-30T08:42:00.003+10:00

We are amidst rehearsals for another Fawlty Towers Dinner Show. This time we'll bring you "The Kippers and the Corpse" , a melodramatic slapstick brimming, hillarious physical comedy.

The dates are 23/24 Oct and 29/30 Oct 2009 and it is performed at the Black Duck, The Bowlo. We are now limiting the ticket sales per night to make for a more comfortable envionment for our dining audience. So, be quick to get your ticket, as you know it'll sell out.

Scarborough Wombarra Bowling & Recreation Club Ltd
578 Lawrence Hargrave Drive
WOMBARRA NSW 2515
Phone:(02) 42672139 Fax:(02) 42683259

I've been published!

2009-09-26T06:15:00.005+10:00

Derek Powazek, formally of HP Magazines, has collaborated with Australian photographers to publish a glossy colour magazine about the Duststorm that hit the eastcoast on Wednesday 23 September 2009. Three of my (straight out of the camera) pictures were used for 'Strange Light'. You can imagine how exciting this is for me! Right place, right time!

Here is a collage I made for a friend of mine...

Strange Light Magazine
read about the magazine in
Time com

Duststorm Wednesday

2009-09-23T21:55:00.005+10:00

My first impression of today had a bright tinge of orange...

The window seemed covered in coloured translucent wrapping paper and I just knew instinctively that I had to grab my camera and make a run for it.

The first thing I could get a hold of was a pair of brown pants, which were to come in handy, as they did not show the dust so much...yep, we were covered by a fine layer of dust particles, which had been swept up somewhere out west in our red centre and had now come to visit the coast.

It was eerie...I had never seen anything like it here in Australia. Dubai looked a bit like it gets this kind of thing on a weekly basis, but here? Never!

I get to the beach and there is no horizon. It looked like thick red fog had settled on the water...life on Mars. A lone figure crossed the beach like a lone survivor after the holocaust of doomsday.

People huddled near the surfclub's changerooms, getting ready for their daily exercise...I remember thinking 'Why would you bother? Surely this can't be good for you?!' But it did not matter that the air was filled with pollutants, Joggers jogg and swimmers swim. Why change the good habit of a lifetime? So they go about their daily routine, as I look on, with my trusted artificial memory in hand and at the ready to record the day of dusty dawn.

View the Illawarra Mercury Reader's Slideshow

The Southern Loop -IR

2009-09-20T11:00:00.015+10:00

I am sure we have all had these irritating moments when we thought that something is amiss but we can't quite put our finger on what exactely it might be... Today I woke up to the radio- alarm blaring a commercial jingle about football, meat pies and some car dealership. I knew then that I meant to change that station days ago. But that was not it...

Last Thursday I noticed a bit of a flat spot...some sudden drop in power. It only happened once for about two seconds, but that was enough to make me think about

oil
battery
petrol filter
air filter
electrics

the works!

Two days later I wake up, still thinking about it!

So, I decide to drop into my master wizz mechanic Steve at MaxPower on my way to Kiama...just in case...and to calm my nerves a little.

The moment I get on the bike I feel the day is going to be beautiful. The temperature was perfect and the sights, sounds and smells of this spring day confirmed my first impression. Steve added a drop of oil and tigtened my ever so annoying mirror bolt and off I went to...it was Kiama, wasn't it?
I reach for the phone to confirm...it was left at home...doh...

DaMan had issued me with a fifty, which I greatfully stuffed into my pants' pocket upon departure and when I get to the latte meeting spot at a leisurely 9:30am, I realised that I had not zipped it and at first grab it revealed nothing but a couple of silver coins...bugger! A lengthy search began and ended in the knowledge that I carry too much stuff in my pockets. Who needs three different coloured lipsticks and two combs on any one bike ride????

I went back to that original pocket and found the fifty...she rolls her eyes at her own incompetence...pheew!

Jock had brought his new Ducati and it looked smick. Mick and Terry were there too. Jeff Rhodes turned up and then LittleKath arrived on her Monster. Tracy, Jordan and Riley got there in the car. They had decided to do the Kiama foreshore walk (just an excuse! the real reason was to let me hold the baby!)...and once Tracy had wrestled all the gear out of the car and made her way in, the boys arrived on their bikes.

LittleKath was going to meet her friends at the bends, so we were off to welcome them. First off was a shiney SP2 sporting an impressive and spirited lady rider...then, after a long while of nothing...the rest of the group arrived. All female, all fully licensed and itching to go. Nice to see!

IR took the lead through the bends and our first fuel stop was Nowra for the SP2. I topped up too and as I introduced myself, I overheard that Bateman's Bay for lunch was discussed by the girls.

Off we went due South, but we all got a little separated by traffic as we were leaving the petrol station and that's when I thought that I was caught at the back of the girls' pack, when in fact I was not far off the lead rider, whom I promptly overtook in some lovely sweepers (of which there are too few on that stretch of road). So, off I went in search of the boys..."typical", I thought to myself..."they always seem to get lucky with the traffic."

Then there was the roadworks where they are building the new bridge to straighten those lovely 35s and I managed to get past a few cars during the red phase, but still no sight of the boys. "Aarrrgh! They must have got through in the last green phase..."

When I saw nobody pulled over at Milton, Ulladulla or Bateman's Bay, I decided to just stop at the BB roundabout to wait for the girls. Maybe they were privi to some more info where the guys intended to fill up or meet again.

DZ turned up first and he copped a musli bar laden "Where were YOU?!"

They had filled up at Ulladulla. Zippa had sent me a message on the mobile, which was sitting at home...doh. No sight of the ladies' pack, which was a shame, as I wanted to say my goodbyes, but apparently they had stopped for fuel along the way too.

Ahh well. The Kings Hwy was a fun ride, but towards the end I got a bit dehydrated from waiting in the sun and riding in leathers and I had to pull back...survival instinct had enough of my challenges.

When we arrived in Braidwood, we stopped to park the bikes at the NRMA servo, as always... but usually that is on Sundays when the place is closed. It's open on Saturdays and the owner came over to check what's going on and gave us permission as long as we are not blocking his door...ooops!

The service is always good at the Braidwood Deli: fast, friendly and delicious.

By the time I had devoured my lunch, enjoyed the company (although by then we had lost Terry somewhere along the way) and re-lived the experience, I was far too blissed out to remember my deminishing fuel situation, which all too soon was about to come back to haunt me.

A few km out of Braidwood we swung a right due North to Tarago and rode through some fascinating countryside on pretty good roads promising a few fine sweepers. It had been quite a spirited ride up until then and my clock had counted 260 something kilometers since I had last filled up. 265....270 is my usual upper limit, but as we approached 282 it was time ro roll down a steep hill to come to a complete standstill on a bridge... in the middle of nowhere.Picture by Damien

After contemplating how we could survive the night, Damien ate his muesli bar...our last supplies....Zippa decided to give up his gatorade and made a run for it. Broken little finger and all, he's the hero of the day!

The Ninjalista enjoyed her gatoraded-fuel and her life returned to a roar, as soon as it hit the spot. Good girl! Now ladies, I must apologise for your husband's unusual lateness. I will vouch for let's say...any delay of up and not exceeding two hours...nudge, nudge, wink, wink... after that they'll have to come up with their own plausible excuse.

Whilst the boys went off to check out the new race facility, I filled up at Marulen and shortly after they all had a full tank. Then Damien took us to an amazing place called Badgery's Lookout on our way home. He might as well have taken us right through a snakepit, as either side of the road was lined with deer on one and a herd of 50 or so head of kangaroos on the other. Pheew!

The lookout truly took my breath away. Can't wait to take DaMan up there! The sheer beauty of the place, the mighty valley, the river, the amazing canyon almost brought a tear to my eye, as I did not bring my camera! Picture by Damien

Then it was time to find our way via the back of Moss Vale to Robertson's Famous Pieshop to say hi to Will and Jen (we forgot that they are still in Vietnam...) and farewell to each other.

My trip down the Mac Pass was more annoying than ever. The traffic was horrible and it was almost stop and go all the way down. By the time I got home i was exhausted. Happy and blissed out. A beer, a shower and the first fifteen minutes of the Broncos vs St George Illawarra game put me straight into dreamland.

This morning I had to ask what the score was...

Thank you LittleKath for initiating this ride and for your company Terry, Damien, Steve, Jock, Mick and Jeff!

Ps: Thanks to Damian for those photos!

Meeting Ulyssians

2009-09-15T21:36:00.003+10:00

Last night I went to my first Ulysses meeting. New members have to hold a speech...

"In 1978 at the IOM I watched this elderly woman step off her BMW. I thought to myself...hmm...I hope I'm doing this still when I'm her age...I reckon I am now a couple of years older than she was then. I guess I'm livin' the dream!"

Another lady rider introduced herself telling us that she rode a bike to school at 16. She rode to her new school, a catholic school and little did she know that she arrived inside the gate right in front of the Head Nun (or whatever she may have called herself). She wore her school uniform, but the headmistress spoke up when she took her helmet off to put the bonnet on. So she goes..."and your parents let you ride that thing?"

"No," she answered a little too quickly, "I pushed it all the way here"...

She got expelled.

Now, that was quite a story!

Fawlty Towers is on again!

2009-09-15T06:53:00.004+10:00

After the success of our last Fawlty Towers dinner show "The Builders", we have begun rehearsals at the 'Black Duck' for another episode of the show. This time it will be "The Kippers and The Corpse" and it is simply hillarious! The cast is now complete and we are doing four shows at the end of October (23/24 and the following weekend-TBC).

We already have 90+ bookings, so be quick to secure your seat at the Wombarra Bowlo.

Scarborough Wombarra Bowling & Recreation Club Ltd
578 Lawrence Hargrave Drive
WOMBARRA NSW 2515

Phone:(02) 42672139
Fax:(02) 42683259
http://www.bowlo.com.au/index.html (but not sure if it is being serviced regularly)

Tahmoor - Ulysses

2009-09-10T18:51:00.001+10:00

A glorious sunny spring day awaited our presence. It had been two weeks since I've had my last Thursday ride fix and nothing was going to stand in my way this time!

I live a little farther down the coast than most. Rather than riding up that boring 'F whatever it is' to meet the boys (and all too rarely girls) at the Heathcote servo, I arrange pick up points along the way South, which today happened to be at the top of Bulli Pass. Gary is so used to my morning phone call that he no longer awaits my question...which way are you going today?...and by now the group has got used to me appearing somewhere along the way and taking off again at the end of the day.

Well, the turnout was impressive and Gary's route as usual most enjoyable. The group stayed together very well along the Freeway and when we took the Haywards Bay turnoff. I lost count at about twenty bikes making their way through the picturesque Albion Park hinterland (complete with a knee deep creek-crossing) as we approached the foot of the pass.

Now, that is my backyard road and I hope you forgive my eagerness to get to the front of the pack, but what a girl's got to do is what a girl has got to do (the Ninjalista makes me do it!)! Those twisties are second to none and were meant to be taken at reasonable lean-angles...

...dream on! We share the road with sluggish, diesel dripping trucks and then there is the speed limit and those double lines mean 'no-go'! Bugger!

There was still a tiny crispness in the air when we got to the top of Macquarie Pass, turning off via the Tourist Road on the scenic route that is bypassing Mittagong. My brandnew Ulysses sloppy joe did the trick and made me feel snug as... How nice is it to smell all those spring blossoms appearing almost over night along our roads?! (ohhh I feel for those of you who suffer from pollen allergies!)

I have come to truly enjoy my Thursday rides, as they have taken me on beautiful roads and into country side I have not seen before. This trip took us through some interesting back roads via Yerrinbool and Yanderra through Bargo.

Who would have thought Tahmoor had such a fine Bakery? Here we encountered quick and friendly service, a great cuppacchino and good variety of food to choose from. Nobody went hungry and I certainly did not hear any complaints. Everybody had a smile on their face and a good day was had by all...doing exactely what we wanted to be doing. To ride is to live!

After brunch Gary took us via a spectacular scenic ride beneath some amazing rock and alongside a mighty high freeway bridge, followed by a couple of nice serpentines to Picton for a quick fuelstop. From here we headed toward Appin and of cause that meant negotiating more lovely twisties along Broughton Pass...and this time without any traffic!

Then it was the Appin Road towards the coast and that's were I left the group, hoping all got home ok and enjoyed this day of fine weather and top notch riding as much as I did!

Witness to an Accident

2009-09-10T06:39:00.003+10:00

Yesterday I witnessed an accident. A shiny, silver fourwheel drive ute hit a pedestrian at the crossing. At impact the guy was hurled into the air and hit the bitumen hard. The driver got out of the car, asked him if he was ok and checked if there was any damage to his front.
It was at a busy intersection and I sat in second row but still in full view of the incident. The lights changed and all drove on except for me. I watched as the driver patronisingly offered to drive the victim home, calling him 'mate' and making light of the whole thing.
The pedestrian did cross at a red light. Two lanes of traffic had stopped at Corrimal's Railway Street/Northern Distributor intersection and there was a break in the traffic turning East, but the driver of the 4WD ute tried to quickly make it across the line and accellerated before breaking hard and hitting the pedestrian.
I made sure that the driver was aware that he was being observed and I wrote down his number plate. As they drove off the driver leant out of the window and patronisingly reassured me: "he seems to be alright". "Well, I don't think so!"
He dropped his guard and looked like he was going to jump out and pounce...quite threatening!
When I drove to the police station to report what I had seen, the person at the desk kept jumping to conclusions...

"I'd like to report an accident."
"You don't have to do that anymore, you know! Unless someone got hurt that is."

"Yes, that's why I'm here. Someone got hurt."
"We did not get a call about that...and the vehicle has to be towed?"

"No. He hit the pedestrian and then loaded him into the car and drove him home."
"Ah, that's kind of the fellow, I suppose." (Yeah..that's exactely the spin that he was after...and he certainly would have threatened him with the cost of possible panelbeating on his way home...since ya were crossin' at a red light, mate!)

Well, I did not think that's exactely what should have happened...He may have been intoxicated...
Do you have the number plate? What kind of vehicle? Etc. It all got scribbled on a bit of waste paper and she said she'd pass it on to a police officer and if they have time they'll look into it....yes sure...and I am the tooth fairy ...

Wow! What a waste of my time that was!
The driver got away with it and the poor bugger will most certainly be sore for weeks to come.

Really, what was most disturbing was that I felt that there were at least twelve vehicles sitting at that intersection and I was the only person stopping. What is wrong with you people?!

Aussie Dave R.I.P.

2009-09-09T10:04:00.005+10:00

'Aussie Dave' was killed by a deer on his trip of a lifetime in the US IronButt ride. This is such a tragic event, leaving the Motorcycling community in shock and mourning.
Our thoughts are with his family and those touched by him throughout his remarkable lifetime.

If you have an hour, why not listen to an interview with Dave on motorcyclemania:
click here

Halfway House Blues

2009-08-30T21:21:00.003+10:00

I still can't believe that this was my very last photo at the Halfway House before it burnt down. We loved that place!

Kogarah Bed Race - Ulysses

2009-08-30T17:44:00.004+10:00

Those sunny days were a thing of the past when it was time to ride up to the big smoke. It was overcast and as soon as the Ninjalista hit the coastroad it was time to regret not taking the wet weather gear along on this trip. It did not stop raining until I crossed Tom Ugly's bridge and even then it sprinkled every few minutes... I was doing good time and the leathers held off most of it. When I got to Kogarah I recognised a few bikes, but they were going the other way. Hmmm?! I guessed they lived further down the road and would swing a U-turn somewhere to meet up around the corner.

When I got there, there were only a few bikes parked and no congregation. Some Brassband was getting ready and when they started to march down the road, playing their tune in perfect step timing, I got worried. Hey, I thought we were supposed to lead that parade!
That's when I met 'Fuzzy Wayne', who filled me in on the fact that we were supposed to meet an hour earlier than advertised on the website. Aaarrrrgh!

I was quite disappointed about missing out, but then I started to watch the races and that made up for it. People had dressed up and decorated the hospital beds with great imagination and they had a great time running, pushing, stacking it, jumping along the road in potato sacks...
Lots of laughs were had by all and the street was lined with an ever growing crowd. Not even the occasional sprinkle put a damper on the proceedings.
The big bonus was a street fair just around the corner, where many stalls offered ethnic foods and new and second hand goods.
Fuzzy accompanied me all the way to Heathcote, where we said goodbye. My first instinct was to go home and get on with the chores of the day, but the sun was out and chores can wait when the old highway beckons and the view from Bald Hill is glorious.
Riders started to arrive from North and South and everyone had a big smile on their face...being there...chatting away, meeting each other, loving the way the day had turned out.

Koala Beach (Ulysses)

2009-08-20T20:11:00.005+10:00

Koala (Callala) Beach is near Jervis Bay and is one of the most beautiful bay areas I have seen. All I wanted to do when I laid eyes on it was to package it and take it home to share with those less privileged. The 20-30 cm waves crashing onto the white, squeeky sand made a perfectly relaxing splashhhh from left to right with a couple of seagull sound effects thrown in....aaah!

For the first time this season I didn't wear a Tshirt layer under my jumper... the sunshine reflected off that white beach was truly producing some heat. It might soon be time to take out the winter insert...ah I can't wait for things to get back to 'balmy'.

Back on the bike after that quick visual feast and it was time for lunch at the Callala township. This is the second time I have been here with Ulysses. There is a little shopping centre, a fish n chip place, amenities and plenty of parking on Thursdays. The group usually divides and congregates around a few scattered tables along the North facing grassy areas overlooking the bay.

Discovering new places is always a pleasurable side effect of motorcycle riding with groups.

Hartley Vale- The Comet Inn (Ulysses)

2009-08-12T20:46:00.009+10:00

It was a 9am call for the ride to Wollombi. I was all set to go to meet the GirlsRideOut ride at Berowra, but my battery went soft on me...
Popped it on the charger and waited...waited...waited....no green light. Called the NRMA guy and by 10:30 I was on the road with a recommendation to take the Ninjalista for a good run.

I'm not too familiar with the Wollombi run, so in the end I decided to meet my Ulysses chapter up at the Comet Inn at Hartley Vale for lunch. I got there before every one else, having unknowingly passed the group stopped for 'morno' somewhere along the way.
My regards to Bronwyn Herrman's relative, who gave me directions when I was under the impression that Hartley and Hartley Vale were just about the same place. His invaluable advice saw me avoid another bit of dirt....aaargh...gravel and I don't get on...if I only knew what happened to my GPS headphones...

We had lunch at the Comet Inn.

Photo by Ulysses'St George-Sutherland Branch "grumblebum" Garry/Publicity Officer

I think on my way back to the Gong (via the Northern Road) around Narellen I spotted a few of the GRO ladies going the other way.

OBERON

2009-08-02T19:29:00.021+10:00

Heavenly Oberon...a chilling experience!
Yes, it was cold. It was a sunny weekend and shockingly crisp, clean, fresh air met our lungs the moment we got out of the car on our way to the front door of the Casey's Farmstay property. The house instantly feels like home, is set on a ridge, overlooking the most spectacular granite country and is cosily and centrally heated by a log fire fuelled stove.

On the edge of the Blue Mountains, this place is blessed with amazing rolling hills and valleys and a view framed by blue tinged highland ranges in the distance. A few thick furred cattle graze happily in the adjoining paddocks. The view alone instills calm, but it is the quiet, disrupted by the occasional garbling of magpies and the kookaburra's call that does the trick. This place is as peaceful as you'd want it.

I've owned my Canon since before Christmas and have taken a few thousand shots by now. The zoom lens is my constant companion, but I had never ever heard its motor buzz before... Isn't it amazing how much background noise we are putting up with in our every day lives. That constant hum of city life just falls away and reveals peace and quiet....the rat race is passing us by and it's time to simply chill out!

Here are some more images from the weekend...

I am looking forward to my next visit.

Black Ice

2009-07-27T08:48:00.002+10:00

On Saturday 25th July I was on my way to Wentworth Falls for a Christmas in July overnighter at the Grand View...(can strongly recommend...done it two years in a row!). There were about twenty of us and we started the ride from Albion Park, up the MacPass and at the outskirts of Robertson there was a warning sign...Frost next 7km...

It was 8:30 by the time we got up there; it was sunny and whilst there were some occasional moist patches under trees, things were very ridable...well that was until we came upon a 300m stretch of straight road that was covered right across all lanes with black ice. We were warned, but that was way back there and I reckon that was more like 10 ks that we had done, but never mind...that's another story.

I rode fifth in the front pack and enjoyed the sunny scenery and had a really good run up the pass, felt good and right on top of things, doing about 80km/h, when the guys in front suddenly slowed for what I thought no apparent reason...did not see brake lights either...

I hit the rear brake and thats when I knew why they had slowed! Ice!
The rear started to step out...it felt like slow motion...got off the brake,I started to correct it...it swung the other way...sending me into a series of four or five tankslappers...so I had to carefully hit the throttle to pull out of that one, but that's when you are between a rock and a hard place, as it can send the rear off again...AND I was gaining speed whilst my mates slowed down, potentially turning me into a giant bowling ball that was about to take them all out!

Thank goodness there was no oncoming traffic and I had space to gently steer the bike, clutch lever pulled, holding my breath, eyes wide open, listening intently, heart pumping, passing all of them at considerable rolling speed...
The next breath was a deep one and I exhaled screaming 'F@@@@@@@#k!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

We rode on.

I was still shaking 5km down the road, but felt very alive...when another rider caught up to us to tell us the bad news.
Five of us had hit the deck. One rider broke five ribs and a collar bone and had to be carted to Bowral Hospital, where he remained for a week. His pillion was fine. Two of the remaining three fait-stricken bikes were rideable after minor repairs.

Every rider wore the right gear and no skin was lost nor blood spilled.

We were very lucky!

Ulysses

2009-07-04T05:22:00.012+10:00

Coming of Age...
Maybe I should rephrase that...Joining Ulysses..sounds much more adventurous. doesn't it?
Well, I had been toying with the idea for a while. Every Thursday morning on my way to work I used to see them gather at a petrol station I pass regularly. "Here I am off to work and they are about to have a whole lot of fun...one of these days I'll chuck a sicky and ride with them"...wishful thinking...never liked pretending to be sick...never happened that way.

It took six month from my first internet search to my first actual ride with this 'motley crew'. My current circumstances saw me in the fortunate position to work part time for a little while and Thursday is my day.

So far I have joined them on trips to Canyonleigh, Currarong and Cordeaux Dam...must be 'C' month! Each time they got me to discover new and interesting roads (...and that is not because the Alzheimers is getting worse).

The pace is different and I wonder sometimes what they think of me and my grasshopper when I overtake the slower cruisers to get to the front of the pack...

I've met some very nice people in the group.

One of which happens to write the ride reports. He told me at the recent outing that he had mentioned my taking part in their rides. Out of curiosity I asked for a rendition, upon which he stated "I refered to you as the mysterious woman with a beautiful accent"...

"Have you gone mad?", I asked, "that's how you make me enemies!"

He looked stunned and asked "How?"

"You all have wives, remember?!", I replied with a wink....and we laughed.

But I sure hope to meet the women soon, so I wont get a reputation I can't live up to...

The city at night

2009-06-14T08:21:00.005+10:00

Last night I attempted to watch the fire/water show at The Rocks, but for me personally it was very disappointing. People stacked 10 deep to get a glimpse, frantic parents, lost children... and you can forget about photography...the boardwalk vibrates with all those people walking around in semi darkness and I can't even count the times my tripod legs got bumped into...mid shot.

So, I made the best out of the night and roamed, giving the show a miss. It was a clear and balmy night and the place was buzzing...

Captain Cook Bridge...gateway to god's country...lol

IR - Huskisson for brunch

2009-06-08T11:49:00.004+10:00

I tried really hard to be on time.

I made it. Just!

Why is it, that every time I am about to go for a ride with people I discover that I need to get petrol?

My life is one big crisis management... planing and preparing for my activities does not seem to be a priority. However, it seems to provide some sort of thrill that takes me to the edge...one way or another.

So, once I got on the road and the fun bits were out of the way, I decided to take it easy and take some pictures along the way. Did a bit of corner marking...almost had Wendy falling off her bike laughing at my antics, but you got to have fun while you wait! I stuck with DZ and Onya, who is on her L's, to give her some feedback once we got there. She did not need any.
The day was simply gorgeous. It was filled with a really pleasing tinge. All the people that turned up were lovely and everyone had something positive to say.

The food was accompanied by an old timer's jazz band, which made everybody tap their toes at one time or another and as a bonus we had front row seats to watch a procession of antique bikes go past on their way to Berry.

Fun, fun, fun!

On the way back Joey and I accompanied Onya to Kiama, but she stuck to her speed limit of 80 and of cause we gained a little distance. Deciding to wait, we pulled up behind a couple of police cars...I know how bad that must have looked! But no, it was not the case! The only thing that worried me a little was that there was a sign saying strictly no stopping...police vehicles only... doh!

Going home via Jamberoo was just the ticket. Hardly any traffic!

Nice catching up with everybody! See you soon.

The Big Wet

2009-06-04T09:19:00.003+10:00

The Big Wet is starting to annoy me. I'd been looking forward to my leisure days, but I have not been blessed with good riding weather. The situation is beginning to enter the desperation stage...some kind of 'cabin' fever is making me edgy and a little frustrated. My gadget lust has trippled in yearning power and I might have to let it overcome me to get on with it... where's the car key? Where is my credit card?

I'm off to TJ's to try on a helmet or two.

Wish me luck...

MotoGP Italy

2009-06-04T09:06:00.003+10:00

I don't do Fox and I am reluctant to keep everybody up just because I am addicted to MotoGP, so last Sunday night I found an exciting alternative... a chatroom!

It was quite a pacey conversation between at least five other participants and from what I gathered none of which knew each other. There was a guy in Hervey Bay, who wrote a running commentary for us and we responded with more or less appropriate comments. It was hillarious! The heart rate was up in any case and the suspense: out of this world, especially at one stage when we were led to believe that we had entered the last lap (and it was yet another one to go...)

A great alternative to TV. It certainly stretches the imagination. Man, was that a colourful race!
LOL

Goooo Casey!

Festival of Lights, Sydney @ The Rocks

2009-05-31T12:06:00.004+10:00

Saturday Night in the Cittey...yes, it was raining...on and off...but I had made a commitment to do the 'Festival of Light' walk in Sydney to learn more about night photography. It was not as busy and I got some nice captures.

There is a fair bit on offer: there were a couple of installations I could not give two hoots about...especially the last one on Observatory Hill, but there are at least a dozen or so exhibited and it looks great and feels a bit like checking out the Chrissy lights in your suburb.
:))

It adds interest and makes yet another visit to the City much less mundane. My advice: have a couple of whet-the-whistle stop-overs or a hot cocoa at the chocolate/coffee shop on the corner of Argyle and George...or go to The Orient to keep warm.

Woohooo! I'm published.

2009-05-28T19:33:00.003+10:00

IR-TJ Loop

2009-05-24T06:34:00.004+10:00

Have you ever been so excited to go for a ride that you kept checking the glow from the digi clock every time you come close to consciousness?
12:45...rediculous!
3:30...not even close
5:47...I could check the BOM site, but don't want to wake DaMan
6:01...I wonder if the bike will start. The battery is new. Why should it not start? It's been two and a half weeks!
Did I leave the grips on? I did not use the grips on the last ride...relax, it will start.
6:36...oops! I was asleep just then...doh!

6:40...I'm checking the BOM site
6:41...I am writing this. Weather looks good enough...take wets in case...

We have been penned up for a week with rain and another with work. My last ride was the Baton Ride and its memory is fading.

Today we'll have lunch by the water...it'll be nice to catch up!

Time to get up and going...

Thanks for this pic, Trevor!

Well I was on time for a change!

We experienced half a dried Mac Pass...the top half was misty and still sporting a fairly debris-rich road, but pretty good riding. Saddleback lookout featured a sensational view to be enjoyed with plenty of mist in the air and some lovely tourists joining us. To think that this is our backyard...well put Leonard!

Then we made our way down to Greenwell Point, where the Angler's Rest provided great service and frrrrresh blackfish for lunch.

Wendy and Alan found us too.

Trevor took a grand group photo too. Thank you...nice to see myself for a change...

Re: Being Fifty...

2009-05-23T08:37:00.002+10:00

Happy 50th Birthday Barbie!

(Thanks Trish for sharing this with me...now I don't feel so bad...what a fine rolemodel Barbie has become!)

A Baton Ride from Brisbane to Albury

2009-05-06T19:28:00.005+10:00

Picture by Damian (DZ) Zanni

Today I went on a nice little outing...I met the Cancer Council Twowheeled Baton Ride at the Lighthouse...mainly ADV riders... went up to the Pieshop, then along the Illawarra Hwy off towards Bundanoon, Fitzroy Falls, Kangaroo Valley (total deja vue), then down KV Road to Berry and then home. The weather was amazing and the country side looked awesome.

Very, very special!

When I watched WIN News, I was on it! Taking feature photo: the mean green machine!
Now that was a day well spent...
Picture by Damian (DZ) Zanni

Sydney

2009-04-29T23:07:00.010+10:00

We stayed in town at the old faithful, The Menzies, where the city is a stone-throw away and the possibilities are endless. Originally our aim was to go and see "The Boat that Rocks" down at the Quay, but the Concierge gave us the wrong time and we had to spend an additional couple of hours wandering around town taking photographs. Life just does not get much better! We had a fine time playing with focus and street lights...

Mambo Dogs in the gallery window caught my eye.

A hot chocolate and a mocca warms the belly and satisfies the sweet tooth.

Creatures of the Night. Over sized emus and lifesavers on stilts greeted us just down from the Opera House.

...but when a girl's got to go, a girl 's got to go... (The Opera House powder room)

as the famous Dame graced the Harbour.

cake

2009-04-29T22:47:00.005+10:00

I know...this has very little to do with motorcycles, but I just had to show it off. Taken with the new nifty fifty lens and eaten in a flurrry of guilt and wildly enthusiastic taste buds, my set of scales...successfully avoided since that fateful day...butt...oops...but wondering wether those Draggins still zip up without a hitch.

Oh BTW: Here is proof that you can have your cake (photo) and eat it.

2009-04-22T23:32:00.003+10:00

2009-04-22T23:32:00.002+10:00

My world -so far

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

DOING DUBBO

2009-04-20T19:57:00.008+10:00

What a weekend!

No pictures...no camera.

There is always a certain excitement the night before going on a trip. Sleep is hard to come by when I am about to take off, so I decided to make the most of my evening and went to see Neil Murray at the Bulli Heritage Hotel. A very special treat that has not come around for about ten years or so. He's one of my favourite Aussie Balladiers.

Not many people turned up, but that made it quite intimate and I enjoyed the novelty.

We even bought his latest CD. Couldn't quite come at the book...

There was even an interpretive dancer doing her thing, winged by half a crotchered tablecloth and armed with an earthenware flute thing, which none of the musos mastered by the end of the night...nor did she by the way...

Back to the Dubbo trip.
I had organised the trip a couple of days before take off with my friend Phil and Joey joined us as well, which was a good thing, as she turned out to be my Lady in shining armour later on, when I got stranded.

I got to the meet point on time (YEAH!!) to find Phil filling up and telling me that he'd left his phone at home, which he needed to stay in touch with a volatile health situation at home. So off he went to fetch the phone whilst Joey and I caught up on some funny gossip and enjoyed our morning coffee.
Phil led the ride, which was absolutely wonderful, taking all the pressure off and enabled us to really relax into the ride.

Picton, Wallacia, Penriff, Wilberforce...PUTTY!!!!!...Halfway House...This is where I left my life behind. I only found out that I had been that stupid just about a hundred and fifty kms later. I had left my handbag sitting on a table...
We were 35 km out of Denman and we had no reception when I noticed it missing. Our next stop was a fuel stop and we were running low...so we pressed on towards the closest onroute town.

The lady at the visitor's centre in Merriwa rang the Halfway House from their landline and handed me the receiver, when I heard an affirmative voice ... "yes, it's here!"

O M (f) G !!!!!!!!!

If you've ever lost something of importance and some good samaritan has done the right thing with their find, then you know how elated I felt..how that knot in the stomach and the tightness in your throat instantly disappears and makes your life liveable again...yes! It was there.

There was no way we could turn around and do that trip twice again so we went ahead and Joey offered to get me through the weekend.

After the Hunter the landscape gets a little straight and flat and by that time somewhat tedious. The young one was hanging out for a ciggy and the advanced guy felt the arthritis...I just felt every bump via my filled to capacity bladder! ...and no toilet in sight!!

Torture!

We cruised through Dubbo town to find an acceptable Hotel for the night and one of the things both Phil and I later commented on was how we had a dejavu at one point. We rode past a place that looked just like the spitting image of Tamworth! It was interesting to see and it gave Phil reason to voice his opinion that country towns are starting to slowly loose their identity. Hmmm... a bit like what Westfields are doing for shopping malls across the world...

We found a place to stay, The Castleraigh, got a good pub bistro feed at The Amaroo and once Phil made a beeline for bed (zonked by effective pain killers), the town was waiting for us girls to paint it red...

After a couple of games of pool (the Antz Pantz!) with the local indiginous population (...go Lorna-Sis! You rock!) there was the opening of the very first Night Club in Dubbo to look forward to. It only took a couple of bars of "shakin' that a.." to get me up to be the very first ever shaker on the dance floor.

However, our company, Leif Morris (check him out on Facebook), was tempting us to listen to some live music and original songs on the hotel balcony. Much better! He's got some top songs happening there.

A cooked breakfast made the next morning much more bearable and after a momentary scare...I had switched the kill switch...and immediately convinced myself that the charging system had finally given up the ghost... we took off towards Bathurst.

Again, long stretches of flat and straight roads, but the early morning light with its long shadows turned everything into the most picturesque landscapes. Especially the turning leaves...the colours are simply stunning. There were rows of bright yellow poplars and deep red trees dropped into the dry and blonde grass flats like drips of blood...a feast for the eyes.

Bathurst by ten o'clock. Phil's mate's ashes were to be sprinkled on Mount Panorama.

Then we headed home (for me there was that little detour in store though!). It started to rain in Lithgow, allthough I had hoped that the mountains would keep the clouds confined to the coast... no such luck. Once the other two headed off down the Highway, I conquered Bell's line of Road and The Putty in torrential downpours...in my leathers. The closest I came to wet weather gear was a set of dishwashing gloves I keep in my pack....aaarrrrrrgh!

Riding along, the rain stopped pouring occasionly, but being so high up in the Blue Mountains, the mist from the clouds and the fog made it hard to see through the helmet's visor. At one stage the fog rose dramatically from the road and amongst the trees. The road seemed to follow the crest of the mountain and on the right the fog was white and pure, but on the left, looking down ito a tree lined gully I saw black fog rising...ooooh I thought: the devil's kitchen! It was strange. I'd never seen anything like it and I was intrigued! A couple of hundred meters later the mystery solved itself...it was the ZigZag railway's chimney...I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can, which puffed along beside the road, below the treeline...

It stopped raining at the Halfway House. In fact, it was dry as a bone...for a moment. I was drenched and shaking, my icy cold hands tightly wrapped around the cuppaccino, I grinned from ear to ear: I had my bag back!

Back down the Putty Rd, it started to get dark by Penrith and by the time I got to Appin, down Bulli Pass and home, all I could think of was that long hot shower, a nice warm cuddle and a glass of vino...

Thanks Phil, thanks Joey! That was one cool weekend!

Here is my co-traveller's blog entry

'just a click away'

Trouble

2009-04-18T19:34:00.003+10:00

Last Tuesday I went for a Digital Treasure Hunt with Al and Wendy. By 8am that morning my battery was flat as a tack once again, preventing me from meeting them at the agreed time. This has been happening a couple of times before, especially when I don't ride as frequently as I would love to. My companions came by my place whilst I popped the battery on the charger. A chat and a coffee later we had a go at pressing that starter button, but no go...

Ok. It's time to call roadside assistance.

NRMA's Terry arrived within the hour, started the bike and left (us with a great impression.:..Terry:"Ah, a bike! See, that's why I like my job...variety!")

Wendy and Al had agreed to meet me at Picton for lunch, so I got on the bike and seeing that I was running on empty, I rode to my nearest petrol station down Bulli way, where I had to call the NRMA again (and wait around for another threequarters of an hour), as the Service station attendants were unable to help me fullstop! Not a set of jumper leads in sight! Some Service station! No way I'm going back to Bulli for a fill. Just not good enough guys!

Another NRMA guy got me going again (thank you, thank you!) and this time I rode up the Pass and all the way to Picton in no time. A momentary scare...revving high to recharge the battery at a good speed it started to struggle. Ah-oh!

No lunch at the Picton, but Wendy and Al turned up just as I got there myself. We had a drink, a chat and then took off, fingers crossed as I started the bike without problems. A few miles down the road we stopped for some fast food and petrol, but once their bikes were filled, mine momentarily refused to start.
That was a bit of a scare...so I took off to do a quick 10 kms at pace and high revs...fun! By the time I got back our food was ready...yeah!

By the time I got back home via the Pieshop at Robertson, everything felt ok...

...until DaMan and I were going for another ride a couple of days later, on Thursday and it played up again. That's it! I'm ringing my mechanic!

My WONDERFUL mechanic Steve told me to get down to his Russel Vale workshop (MaxPower) and pick up a good second hand battery to check wether it was the battery or the charging system. I knew I was in good hands then! Drove down and picked up the battery, swapping it for the old one. Thank goodness I noticed that the little nuts that are wedged in the bottom of the terminals had been removed, so I asked and was handed a couple. One of them appeared to be smick and shiny...that was the one I had to put in the vice and file down about a millimeter to fit it in the hole...

DaMan and I saddled up to get on our way to Gerringong and we stopped over at MaxPower to check that the battery was being charged sufficiently and when I told him that I was about to do Dubbo in a couple of days, he told me to leave the second hand one on the bike and pick the new one up when I'm back. Generous! Thanks Steve and Nat!

Gerringong was no problem..just a beaut ride via Jamberoo with DaMan taking it easy on the pillion seat...

To think that that was one of the last sunny afternoons to be seen for some time! We certainly made the most of it.

Happy Easter 2009!

2009-04-12T08:28:00.003+10:00

Happy Easter to all my friends and loved ones!
Ein paar frohe Ostertage wuensche ich meinen Freunden und der Familie!

My latest obsession

2009-04-06T17:10:00.003+10:00

The laptop is getting on and if I had a dollar for everytime it told me that the startup disk is almost full, I'd be right to buy my next laptop.

Since Victoria's bushfires destroyed many lives and property and memories lost forever, it's been on my mind to get some of my favourite shots out of the dark depths of the CD wallet section of my cabinet... out of the closet, into the light of world pixel access. Flickr is my new 'Galleria d'el Taina' and I see some good results already.

'click here to get to my Flickr pages'

Roses

2009-04-03T19:01:00.001+11:00

Roses, originally uploaded by A rider's journey.

I've been getting more into the photo shoot mood over the last couple of months. This one was taken with a Canon 450D kit zoom lens at Spencer. I like the different stages of development/growth and it reminded me very much of the human condition...while the going is good...

Heels 'n Wheels @ Frasers

2009-03-21T14:50:00.005+11:00

Last Wednesday evening I had booked a spot at Frasers Women's Night to join in the fun. Unfortunately work commitments made it difficult to get there in time to participate in the workshops, but it was good to catch up with some of the other IR women and take a seat on a couple of bikes I like...just for size and feel...

There were three Ducatis I liked to try on. An ST (but unfortunately it's yellow) and a couple of red numbers...a motard and a sportsbike. Hmmmm! I also wondered how comfortable DaMan would be on the back and when the friendly sales person told me to hop on the back whilst he holds the bike, I must say I felt a little awkward, but once I got over my never-again-a-pillion phobia, it felt quite comfy on the back of the motard at the very least. The ST wins hands down on that score.

The sales person explained to me what I have to do to go test riding with him. "Take it out for an hour or so"

I'm still a little nervous about that. Have never felt comfortable about riding a bike I don't own. Yet, so many people I know endeavour to make that their weekend entertainment.

One of my buddies told me that he always comes undone when he goes on test rides. He reckons he always wants the bike so much more after he's ridden it. I guess once you've looked at it long enough, compared the stats and accepted the price tag, it's harder to say no when you also like the feel of it.

Well, Frasers motto is "The right bike for the right person". I like it.

In the past I gave the place a wide berth. The price tags where a little more than I can get away with and the show room somehow as glitzy. It's nice to have met the staff on a more personal level. Next time I'll walk in the door I know who to ask for...

Hey, and did I mention that there was beer, vino and pizza too? Pitty... I was on a diet...

Windy Bald Hill

2009-03-08T10:32:00.004+11:00

Soft Sponge

2009-03-04T22:12:00.002+11:00

My weekend had been planned for a while, so unfortunately I was unable to be in two places at once, which meant that I had to give the monthly a miss...once again! Since last year I had intended to join a few of my close friends on a trip to Tassie, but an important career move came my way and suddenly taking time off was out of the question. So i decided I'd join them just for the day on their trip South. We took off...no, let me start that sentence again: They took off at 7pm from Albion Park and I got there 5 minutes later to encounter a bike-less car park...doh!

Catching up was fun.

I arrived in time to see them get off their bikes at Bewong Truckstop...

We made our way down to Tathra, Bega for lunch, up via Brown Mountain to Cooma, where I had to decide whether I should take a sicky or brave the deadly Hume... the job won.

The weather did not hold back! We had anything from drizzle, pouring rain, to thickest fog on the mountain and lovely warm sunshine all the way back via Robertson and down the freezing Macquarie Pass and then last but not least up the coastal F6 home.

What a day! I'm yet to work out how far I rode that day, but I was buzzing when I got home. After 28 alcohol free days I truly enjoyed that glass of chilled vino...

PS: Those buggers are sending me all these amazing ride photos on my phone, making me green with envy... Ahh well: Such is life...
Here's a sample of those...aaarrgh, I am envyous!

2009-02-26T22:12:00.002+11:00

“All of life’s problems can be solved with two things—duct tape and WD40. If it moves and it shouldn’t, you need duct tape. And if it doesn’t move and it should, you need WD40.”

whoever said that must surely ride a motorcycle

Seeing Chris...

2009-02-14T18:49:00.010+11:00

...made me go all starstruck and girlishly tongue-tied. It's been a while since I've been this close to a celebrity of such calibre. I guess the build-up to that precious moment made it even more special. Putting complete trust in my ability to program my Navigator saw me taking a half an hour detour and then the traffic in the rain! Aaarrrrgh! I was just about sure that I was going to miss this opportunity and I had soooo been looking forward to it. By the time I finally made it there about 45min late for the opening, Chris was smilingly facing yet another 50 or so happy customers...so I took my place in the queue. By the time it was my turn I got quite flustered handing him my helmet for the second time in two years and asking for my jacket to get endorsed as well...oh dear!

At one stage he mounted this black and white Katana 1000 and said:"My dad would have liked that one! It's certainly a bit more comfortable..." I could totally relate to that!

Chris is still the even keeled, charming young man he was two years ago when our paths crossed last. Fame has not gone to his head and I doubt that it ever will. If I was his mother, I'd be a very proud mum. So I wished him a very successful and safe season and I hope he won't settle for less than he's worth! He's one of our most outstanding Aussie sporting heroes and we should all be right behind him!

Canberra

2009-01-19T21:50:00.015+11:00

These garbling, content little beauties created an authentic Australian soundscape for us, as they settled on their favourite branch to cope with the rest of this hot day in January.

The Girl is in the middle of HSC anxiety and we attempted to provide her with some research opportunities by making our pilgrimage to Canberra's War Museum, the Australian National Art Gallery and the Australian National Museum. 1940s Australia is her field of interest for her Individual Project in Drama Costume Design.
It is not that far..a couple of hours down the Highway and ...bingo!

We splurged and rented the Novotel appartment for the night...oooh how I love sleeping in king-sized 'egyptian cotton' sheets! Our car was happy as Larry too...it got to spend the night in the lockup garage with a blue Maserati.

I took loads of pictures in the War Memorial, but both the interiors of the Gallery and the National Museum were no-go zones for cameras. I respect that. However, the surrounding park lands had sculptures galore and I had a ball, greatful to have had another chance to work with the new camera.

The Sculpture Garden at the Australian National Gallery featured some interesting work. Never mind the artist's intention. To me these heads were a haunting reminder of the Vietnam War and actually coming face to face with what human beings endure for what they felt does their country good.

This is my favourite picture of the whole trip. It is a (wo/)manmade landscape in the sculpture garden. As we walked amongst the trees a fine mist of water was released to cool down the air and create this daytime fog scene.

This area became a bit of a playground for us..in this shot I liked the shadows all lined up in a row of basic shapes.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

Oh,oh!...

2009-01-11T10:11:00.002+11:00

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Congratulations to DaZippas on the successful production of one female... Welcome to our world Jordan Emily!
May your life be blessed with plenty of sunny Sundays!♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

The Elvis Festival in Parkes

2009-01-10T21:56:00.004+11:00

'click here to read the report and see the pictures'

You can't buy this grin...

2009-01-08T19:18:00.025+11:00

Firstly, here is the short version:

I've got blisters on my gas hand!

The weather was amazing. Three days of heat and nice and cool for the last homebound leg.

The food was perfect and the beers cold...(swishing down the dust of the road and quenching our mighty thirst).

...you can't buy this grin!

Thank you Phil, Paul (great to see you come thus far!), Will (and Jen for letting him out to play!), Ralf, Joel (hope you'll get home allright!) and DaMan for fulfilling my sweet Oxley dream.

...

The long version starts here:

Scrap what we had planned ...

We are back and boy, was it a great trip! DaMan is my hero...2000km on the back of my sports bike and he did not complain once... now that's a challenge well met.

We ended up making it a four dayer and found ourselves in Glen Innes via Waterfall Way and Grafton...well, I guess if you've come that far, you might as well go the whole hog...

I don't have to tell you that I was late getting to my own ride, but I'll own up...when we finally arrived at the meet point, some 10 minutes late, we were greeted by five guys doing a choreographed tap on the wrist (which was very funny!)...and then I still had to go and fill up! Bad form!

I had it all planned out how we'd get to the Putty Road, but when I rattled it off to Phil, he said...here's what we do...and it sounded a much better option to go via Picton and Wallacia, then via Appin and Campbelltown...doh!

So, he got to lead us all the way and we followed gladly.

Picton -Wallacia -Wilberforce -Putty Road -Stroud -Dungog -Gloucester -Walcha (o/night)

I remember distinctly looking at my milage and I had done a measly 20 km since Fairy Meadow, thinking that I'd be doing onehundred times that over the next couple of days. The grin widened...

Our first stop was the Caltex...(BTW these days I prefer Caltex...no ethanol!) at Wilberforce, just before hitting the Putty Road. We had planned a regroup and refreshments at the Halfway House, but did not want to pay the exhorbent petrol price to refuel there. I know it's only a couple of bucks, but it all adds up...

The Halfway Roadhouse on the Putty Road does the best milkshakes! Iced coffee was not on the menu, but that coffee flavoured milkshake was heavenly!

Singleton saw us make a wrong move, but a quick shortcut got us straight back onto the road less travelled. An overturned truck at the Jerry's Plains turn-off was just about all the excitement a road that leads through the open cut mines has to offer. It looks like the surface of the moon. No life...nothing at all. Quite the contrast.

Not long after the moonscape we headed along some interesting backroads in some 40 degree heat when I experienced what I thought was a gradual loss of compression on all four cylinders. No matter how hard I throttled the throttle, I could not get it past 5000rps and it seemed to get worse! The boys were almost out of reach and I tried to get their attention by flicking the light on and off highbeam and waving. There was not one bit of shade anywhere along that road...and the last thing I wanted to do was to sit on the hot bitumen next to a hot engine on a hot and sunny day without a clue about what the problem might be.

Ralf slowed to meet up with me after one of my handsigns got his attention and he stayed with me until the next stop. I thought maybe the engine is overheating and it has some sort of an automatic cut off point... good idea, actually! So I pulled the clutch and let it roll down the hill and bingo! At the bottom of the hill I had my full compression back. A few kilometers later it happened again...and that's when we had some lunch in the airconditioned comfort of the Gresford 'Crossroads Cafe' just about 20 kms out of Dungog. Once I got back on the bike it had fixed itself again... I realised then what the cause of the problem was...my grip glue had deteriorated and I kept pulling the grip, not the throttle cable. Nothing Joel can't fix... a couple of cable ties later and I was back in business.

After the Putty Road, Thunderbolts and Bucketts Way are two more roads mentioned in the Australian Motorcycle Atlas. Great to tick them off as we went along.

The bike was humming along perfectly and the added weight made it sit right and comfily on the road. I can't thank Steve enough for the last service. He's just a Magician for my ZX6R. After Gloucester the roads were a bit of a mixed bag. Some stretches of the Bucketts Way were quite well prepared, whilst Thunderbolts saw us dodge pools of melted tar right on the line on 25s and 35s.

This is where we saw a Dingo by the side of the road. It was the first Dingo I've ever seen out in the wild...a very healthy dark orange specimen...prancing off into the woods. It was surreal. I always associated these animals with the desert sands and was surprised to get that glimpse.

Thunderbolt's Way lookout turned Ralf into a Knight in shining armour for a desperate couple. Earlier we had passed a broken down car on the side of the road, but as we approached the driver closed the bonnet and started it up. He looked a little resigned, but seemed to have it under control. They turned up at the lookout...which was a much better option...looking for water for the car, but there was none left. Ralf rang the NRMA for them. It turns out that they have not paid last months bill, have no credit card and no phone. They did have a problem (both he and the woman). Ralf was very kind to help out.Enjoying the view

That night we stayed in Walcha at the Apsley Arms Hotel, where the unmentionable happened... No-one dropped it, nobody was hurt or endangered. The incident delayed our morning departure a little and one of our patrons did not feel as relaxed as the rest of us, but it was all worked out in good time. "What happens on tour, stays on tour!"Early morning Walcha

Walcha's township is littered with imaginative wood sculptures. Some of the verandah pillars were made of bellies and busts... my early morning walk produced some interesting pictures...

Oxley Highway -Ginger's Creek for coffee -Raleigh -Waterfall Way -Bellingen for lunch Dorrigo -Ebor -Grafton (o/night)

The Oxley...
The Ginger's Creek guestbook now reads
"6/1/09...Finally made it...for Don! ZX6R Illawarra Riders".

The big sign out front has gone and another one, about 150 m from the entrance reads 'Closed Tuesdays'...it was Tuesday and my heart sank. However, I just could not believe this: the owner had opened a little while earlier, as he could see that it might get busy... oh boy, did I feel lucky!

It was an emotional ride there, but little did I know that there was so much more to come. After a most pleasant cuppa under a shaded verandah, surrounded by lush rainforest, a quick photo session and my obligatory Ginger's Creek cap purchase, we found ourselves back on that magical road heading towards the coast. Well, if riding the twisties through the forested hinterland of Port Macquarie does not do it for you, then just wait for the view to open up along the green slopes...it was just simply too beautiful to hold back those tears of joy!

Once we hit the coast we avoided the highway until Kempsey, but then we had to join the heavy traffic on the Pacific Highway to Raleigh. Ralf's fuel light decided to play up and he went straight ahead to have it checked out in Coffs Harbour's Harley Dealership. Whilst we went off on another adventure up The Waterfall Way via Bellingen where we stopped for lunch and Dorrigo to Ebor, we planned to meet up at Grafton to head out to Glen Innes. However, by the time we finally made the meet point we've all had enough and whilst looking forward to a cold beer, decided to tackle the next part of the route in the morning.

We stayed at the 'Australian Hotel' in Through Street. It was a shocker! Cheap and worth every cent. 'Grin and bear it' was the motto. There was not even a mirror in the Ladies bathroom. Downstairs was a different story. A lot of it was in the process of being renovated, but the beds (and sheets) were unbelievably well used and the covers had seen better days twenty something years ago. The man and I ended up in two singles, as the only available 'double' had been slept in, which I discovered when I pulled back the cover, as I was curious about a bump in the middle of the bed.

They did lock up the bikes on the premises, which made me feel a little better about the Outreach Centre being across the street and the interesting clientel in the bar.

I always believed that things happen for a reason. Same here: Had we not stayed there, we would not have discovered a magic little place to dine at. It is the 'South Grafton Bowling Club' (the little one at the end of the road ...1 Wharf Rd), which sports a Thai Restaurant with a verandah that has outstanding views up and down river and is right opposite that amazing double level Grafton Bridge, which is quite a show stopper as the light changes in the evening hours. I must not forget to mention those thousands and thousands of fruitbats, which emerged as if on cue from the island in the middle of the river. What an experience...delicious food, great views and a bunch of top blokes to share it with!

Joel decided to keep going North along the coast that next morning. From Grafton we were happy to turn our back on that accommodation to take off along the well maintained Gwydir Hwy towards Glenn Innes. Thank goodness for the single lane roadworks at Mulligans Bluff, as it slowed us right down...enough to take in the view across the 'Mann River' bed, as it's water bubbled at a fair pace across smooth well worn boulders and pebbles... a flyfisher's paradise!

Nothing prepared me for the steep incline to Glen Eling. Of all the roads we've travelled I enjoyed that one the most. It may have been because the temperature had pleasantly changed a little as we climbed up along the side of the mountain range. The rainforest vegetation of staghorn lined trees, pencil cedars and palms was lush and provided shelter from the sun. Luckily the wildlife did stay in it's habitats, which almost gave me a heart attack, when I spotted a rather large and dark lizzard...not a bluetongue, not a goanna...not sure what it was there at the lookout, but I let out an involuntary scream, when I saw it move quite suddenly about a meter in front and I mistook it for a snake... hey, I'm a city slicker...kind of!

Glen Innes -Tamworth for lunch -Singleton (o/night)
A couple of kms out of Australia's Country Music centre, the home of the Golden Guitar, Will let us have a taste of what was to come. He turned up his CD on his BMW spaceship ...very funny! He intended to cruise into town like that with a straight face... but did he? "What happens on tour stays on tour!"

By the time we hit Tamworth I was famished and the Ninjalista in need of chain lube, which I did not carry. So we got our priorities right and decided to leave the bike shop until we've eaten somewhere along the main drag in an outdoor cafe on the footpath. This is where Phil almost got hit by a reversing 4x4 Volvo driver, who in true Volvo shite fashion did not find it in him to take responsebility for his actions, but proceeded to make a joke of the situation. That just made my blood boil and genuinely spoilt my lunch, whilst he and his Trophy wife flitted off to do a spot of bling shopping. No idea!

To my surprise Ralf showed me another way of oiling the chain...and here I was, thinking I'd know how to do at least that! Apparently you'd want to do it on the inside of the chain, so the centrifugall forces push it out through the o-rings...well, I never... keep an open mind and you never stop learning... thanks Ralf!

A freshly oiled chain makes for a smooth and quieter ride...or was it my earplugs I was beginning to enjoy?

The Imperial Hotel (The Impy) at Singleton had very basic, but much cleaner accommodation available for us. They too allowed us to lock up our bikes at close of Bistro business and even though I had to shower in the Gents, as the Ladies' shower was shot (I had a guard by the door on both occasions), it was still a much more civilised experience. The food at the Impy was excellent. No complaints here!

Broke -Wollembi Rd -Old Road -Tom Ugly's (even the ride through traffic was fun!)-Sutherland and Coast Road home
Heading off on a grey and finally much cooler morning, there was even a little drizzle about. I felt a little weary about doing the Wollombi Road. So many people had come to grief on this rough and ready goat track! It had a little sandy corner slide in store for me and that was all...thank goodness! it seemed to me the road had a lot to offer for a sightseeing afternoon drive, but I just did not catch much of it this time.

Once we got to the Old Road we got to do both ends and had the obligatory 'Pie In The Sky' stop over (now, that Road Warriors is no longer, they must get a fair bit more business)...their Vegie Pie is not as nice as Will's though!

More photos to be added as they become available...
Ginger's Creek
Thousands of Fruitbats
Due West
Western side of Grafton Bridge at dusk (the view from the Thai restaurant)
Thunderbolt's Rock

This one was taken by a friendly passer-by...thanks Phil!
...and here is a link to Phil's report
'Half of my life'

The Oxley

2009-01-04T22:52:00.001+11:00

Finally we are going to do the Oxley...and Waterfall by the looks of it! This has been a long time coming and there is going to be six of us. Can't wait to start that adventure...

Day 1
Wollongong to Walcha, via the Putty Road/Bucketts/Thunderbolts.
659kms

Day 2.
Walcha to Glen Innes, via Oxley Highway/Pacific Highway/Dorrigo/Waterfall Way/Grafton/Gwydir Highway
659kms

Day 3
Glen Innes to Wollongong, via New England Highway/Old Pacific Highway
691kms

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-12-31T18:09:00.000+11:00

Great Southern Rides- Mystery Ride

2008-12-29T08:22:00.009+11:00

What a perfect day to go for a ride! After all that rain last night I certainly started to worry about our outing, but it turned out to be just magical.

On our way to our meet point at Albion Park Maccas we had a timely reminder that this is still the DD zone, when a couple of well hidden police officers without any blue signage held up both of their 'guns', making sure to cover both southbound lanes ... but it did not worry us, as the traffic was travelling well below.

We met up with a few of my Illawarra Riders lady friends and Gina brought her friend Kathy along, who had just done the L's test the other day. She was going to brave 'The Pass', which was a good start... little did she know that the ride was going to get a lot worse in terms of twistyness and road condition! But she stuck it out and what's even better: no complaints! (Respect!!!!)

Well, the Mystery Ride took us to Shoalhaven Heads via a stop at Robertson, another at Kangaroo Valley, a re-group in Berry and then we had lunch at the 'Heads Hotel'...

I had the Bucket of Prawns, which looked like a huge serve, but most of it was filled with crushed ice. Fair enough! I would not have been able to eat any more of those fresh and sweet huge prawns anyway! All the meals looked scrumptious and the staff were caring and sweet... a nice change!

Sandra, Jenny, Gina, Kathy and Michaela from GRO and IR's Joey, Kelly and Wendy had a beautiful day out, exploring the great roads we sport in the Illawarra Region. On our way back Sandra joined us IR ladies for a quick detour to Jamberoo...nice twisties...beats the Hwy!

This was my first ride using my brand new GPS phone...and it had me challenged...can't wait to work it out! For those interested to give this place a go...51 River Road, Shoalhaven Heads...The 'Heads Hotel'...nice view across the river mouth too!(Thanks to Kelly for the piccies!)

The Seat

2008-12-27T21:26:00.004+11:00

My new seat!
By Metzi...
George at 'Metzi' helped me with the design

It's been three weeks since I looked at you...

2008-12-24T09:16:00.002+11:00

... the Ninjalista had a good check-up, a service, a new pillion seat and a good set of 2ct rubber. The weather turned unpredictable and then there were all these pre Chissy commitments. When I finally wanted to take her out to sparkle in the sunshine, the battery was flat...

Aaaaargh!

Merry Christmas 2008!

2008-12-24T09:13:00.003+11:00

May you have a safe and glorious festive season 2008.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-10T06:28:00.002+11:00

It's not the economic downturn that prevents us from getting our presents this year...

2008-12-04T19:52:00.002+11:00

"You've made this one of the best weekends of my life!" -A message from a castmember

Receiving that message certainly made my day. Well, one more performance to go this Sunday and then we'll get to bump out...

Fawlty Towers

2008-11-29T23:12:00.004+11:00

What a night! A fabulous audience, a full house, a sensational cast, an evening filled with laughter and applause. We had a ball! There was not a dry eye in the house and the evening was a total success, even though technology did let us down... twice. Once a sound effect decided to play itself ahead of schedule and the other time was when the lights went down for at least a five minute stretch. We were also quite surprised when at the beginning and the end of the show we had additional content in the guise of an intro and an unscheduled curtain call nobody knew anything about.

Everybody was happy and even though I had to tell an overzealous audience member to 'shut it' after he kept reciting Manuel's punch lines quite loudly... and ahead of time, the play worked well and we all got lots of compliments. Certainly a night to remember!

I am delighted at the effort made by the cast and crew.

Another show tomorrow...

Bryan rode to the venue and by the end of the night it was bucketing down with thunderstorms causing havoc on the roads. His black sheepskin seat cover on his Buell must have been absolutely soaked before he even started the ride home.

Wisdom

2008-11-28T20:46:00.006+11:00

Keep-The-Rubberside-Down collected a few shreds of bike rider's wisdom...

ATGATT

You go where you look, so look where you’re going!

When in doubt, gas it!

You can always corner harder than you believe.

The only time you have too much gas is when you’re on fire.

You meet the nicest people on a Honda.

If your brakes fail it’s OK to hit a moose! (That is just sooo USofA!!!)

Never test ride a bike you can’t afford.

Keep the rubber side down and the shiny side up.

SIPDE (Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute)

I ain’t lost if I still have gas.

Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things!

Everything is a road.

No such thing as bad weather just bad gear.

Slow in the straights fast in the corners.

Too much power is always enough.

Experience is the ability to recognize a mistake when you make it again!

There is no replacement for displacement!

Keep the big one out of the ditches and the small one in the britches.

Gravity always wins!

Don’t dress for the ride, ride for the fall.

I’d rather be riding my bike and thinking about God, than sitting in church and thinking about my bike.

Ride often, Ride Well.

The bike is more capable than you are, trust it!

If everything suddenly goes quiet don’t take off your helmet, you’re probably still in the air.

If loud pipes saves lives, imagine what learning to ride that thing could do!

ZZ Top - still rockin'

2008-11-27T19:40:00.002+11:00

30 something years later and these guys are still pulling an audience at the 'LoveRide 25' California Bike week...woohoo, have mercy!

Pictures from the show

2008-11-24T12:47:00.019+11:00

In the bike parking area

The black and white theme was what impressed me here. The tuxedo look...

Moto Guzzi re-discovered it as well

Here is Bunty and Tex

Paul at the neighbouring Netrider stall

Luvley ladies at the GRO stand

Show and Shine

Great artwork on this helmet by Browns Grafix at Albion Park Rail

Neat Aussie Battler

...and I wonder if anyone ever gets to ride this show stopper?

This one looked more like it...

...and this rider got bucked off by the looks of it

Love the exhaust...great leather work on the tank and panels and a top paint job here

R1

That matt black and gold design has been done before, but applied to the new R1 looks chic...stealth...007 eat your heart out!

chickenstripz

2008-11-24T12:46:00.001+11:00

My right side is always my more 'timid' side...but it is interesting to know that I still don't get my money's worth out of the left either. However, it was raining a bit and we were on our way back from some of the greatest roads Australia has to offer.

Motoshow...all cashed up and nowhere to go

2008-11-24T06:49:00.013+11:00

Now here is a bike I enjoy looking at. Did not get to sit on it, but I could imagine that it would suit me to a T.

More KTM dreams

Nice bold design here. RC8..racey...

The Sydney Motorcycle Show produced very little satisfaction. My GRO shift was (as usual) a good opportunity to give something back to the 'club' and I must have handed out some 70 or 80 broshures in my 3 1/2 hours of chatting to female and male riders. I even had some visitors from the IR, which was really neat. Thanks for dropping in!

It was great to get in before the crowds and get my ear molds done on the spot as well as being able to talk to non-jaded sales staff, who looked a little more stressed out by the time I made my second round at the end of the shift.

My shopping list included a camelback hydration system, a back protector, a new helmet and a summer jacket, none of which had been ticked off by the time I cruised down towards the car park exit.

MCA had a sale in one of the pavillions, but none of their jackets took my fancy. One of the shark helmets, sporting a matt off white and gold design had the price tag I was willing to accept, but there was none left in my size. No other gear matched my list. The only other thing I bought was my latest 'bikie chic' T-shirt (an annual event). Their stock looks great and wears well...even their diamonties stay on the fabric under rugged leather jackets and survive the washing machine.
I came away with the afore mentioned ear molds (they work sooo well! I wore them around the house to try them out and when I removed them I thought there was a car idling in my driveway, but it was just our fridge...) a renewed 2009 GRO membership, a couple of brochures and a Ducati poster.

Disappointing!

I want more accessories to be exhibited next year!

What's a man to do?

2008-11-20T22:42:00.006+11:00

Two Up with DaMan (Thanks Shredder! It's good to see what it looks like...it feels great)

The boyz are onto him to get his license and his own bike, but I don't think that it is such a good idea. It's not about me getting away, no, as a matter of fact I enjoy when he comes along and shares the adventure. It's not about having to buy another bike, which may mean that the budget gets stretched even further. It's not about me, it's about him: I just don't want him to get hurt!

A while back I rode with another group of guys and when the subject of doubling came up and they realised that my man is my pillion, they looked me straight in the eye and said..."I don't think my ego could take that"...

Yep, I can understand that.
There is guys that could not handle taking the back seat ....fullstop!

If it is not an utmost total emergency, I'd never pillion on anyone's bike and all it boils down to is that it's a matter of trust.
My man trusts me... with his life. Now, that's something! That's one of the reasons I married him.

Anyway...apart from that, he enjoys sitting on the back, not having to do anything and every now and then holding on...to me.

Win-win!

The Snowies

2008-11-16T21:11:00.020+11:00

The Alpine Way is one of the most spectacular roads I've encountered in Australia. Jindabine to Thredbo offers a perfectly maintained road surface and the twisties are smooth and predictable.

Khancoban dam is just on the other side of the road from the Inn

Walking into this joint dressed in our leathers...The Teddy Baer Shop where Zippa bought his 'bonus points' to take home

Simply stunning roses

No idea what kind of a tree this is, but it certainly knew how to create a show

Fresh growth, nice contrast

The ground was covered in fairy floss...looked like snow

Nighty-Nite

Another angle of the Khancoban Dam

Ralf!

Some luvvies

Da Boyz

One of the best roads Australia has to offer.

Good tucka is a must on rides like these.

The best thing since sliced bread...Braidwood Deli.

'Saddle Up' at Tumut Pond.

Typical country town...I thought that ute was familiar...

What's your number?

We had 300km of this...great T-shirt, Rob!

The view along the Murray

Khancoban Inn

Leafy, Oak tree lined Khancoban main road

...and then we were homewards bound once more..(thanks Zippa. Love this picture!)

2008-10-30T22:25:00.002+11:00

I am just trying this quote business... lets see

i had no idea this would work

so I never tried it...amazing what you can learn from taking a look at other blogger's 'source'!

Cambewarra Cafe

2008-10-26T20:33:00.007+11:00

Thanks for R1 Lorraine's pictures...

My phone has left me today. All my numbers gone and thank goodness a 99Dollar Prepaid mobile is not the end of the world. Make a positive out of a negative...look at it this way: I am going to find myself a bluetooth set with a voice activated intercom for my pillion... when the boat comes in.

Otherwise the first 'Great Southern Rides' outing came off without a glitch. It was a fabulous, sunny day with very little to complain about, other that my phone found the pocket's exit. We enjoyed a coffee at the Pieshop (Jen, you are a champ! Looking after me whilst the customers cued up all the way to the front door. I felt right at home!) and a lovely lunch at the Cambewarra Cafe. (Thanks Michaela)

I can only recommend the service and the quality of the meals. It's an amazing lookout and we even saw the formation fly-over at the Nowra Airshow from up there. Well worth the ride.

Thanks Peter, for your corner marking!

Michaela took this fabulous shot.

AaartyFaaarty

2008-10-18T19:30:00.018+11:00

Today was a simply glorious day and I decided to take on some macro shooting of plants and flowers. To get the 'real' picture click on it...

Here are a couple of my 'Snowballs' pictures. I used to have a couple of sizable bushes, but somehow the drought got to them and the heat did not do them a good deal. I love having them around. They remind me of German Winter fun and games...

This is The Bowlo, where the Farty Towels Dinnershow is about to be performed. The greenkeeper does have a green thumb. Here are some examples of his handywork.Isn't it a stunning shade of blue?!
This one is just saturated with colour and the texture of the flowers was quite like fine velvet.

These geraniums grown from a cutting have totally taken over my gardens and add a definite touch of colour to every corner. they bloom for ages and seem to be resistant to anything.
I like this picture below because this is not a look-at-me kind of flower, but rather unobtrusive and possibly a little under rated. However, the dappled shade allowed me to shoot it with a tiny little glimpse of rear light illuminating the base of the flower.
This is a stunning native. I only bought it last year and it has been battling some disease, but it has come through!

Some more...

Last, but not least, the side view...

Triffids (are fictional flowers)

2008-10-12T23:03:00.004+11:00

This one is special to me. My neighbour has given it to me before she sold her home next door and it is a very pretty style compared to my deep red ones that spring up just about everywhere I sprinkled the seeds last summer.
I have no idea what they are called...is it a lily?...anyone?!

8 is better than 4 until it drops...

2008-10-12T22:50:00.002+11:00

Yep, my constant companion took a leap of faith and landed on the sandstone tiles, bounced several times, unloaded its batteries and from that disaster stricken moment onwards refused to turn itself on for more than 2 seconds at a time...not enough to take a shot... this is the end my short lived friend.

...and the Fab ain't Fab for me no more. Chris, one of the new girls at IR has bought it. I guess its first in, first serve. It's back to the green Lance for me... Why not buy the new Fab? It's the one you wanted! I wouldn't want to spoil it for her. It's a bit like two girls turning up in the same dress...

Sometimes it's better to take a car...

2008-10-09T08:54:00.003+11:00

The day promised to be the first stinker of the season and by 10am the quicksilver had reached for the mid twenties. A couple of days earlier the liner in my leather jacket had met its summer destination: the wardrobe hanger... and I finally had spent a week making an effort to fit back into my Draggins.
My activity for the day was planned well ahead and the first thing on my list was to go for a ride up to Bald Hill to meet up with some IR people. It was a glorious view from up there looking out over the ocean and the Illawarra coastline.
Then it was time to get to the business part of the day. My first plasma donation!
I was done in 29 minutes...600ml of liquid gold, as the nurse called it...that's certainly good timing!(not that anyone in our group would get competitive about that!)
A milkshake and some good conversation with DaZippa later and we parted ways.
I was feeling fine.

Until I stopped for petrol at the Northgate Servo...
Loco was there and we chatted for a moment, then I started feeling faint and had to leave him behind to rush inside. When I started to pay for my petrol, things were going very slowly. It seemed as if they were moving at a snail's pace. I got impatient and had to sit down real quick. Everything around me turned white and I felt very weak. Thank goodness Loco sat down with me after he had moved my bike off the bowser. He is a wardsman in a hospital. I held on!
Just...! I think the prospect of getting recussitated by anyone present at that petrol station at that very moment made me hold on.

Loco seemed to think that it was heat stroke and a cool drink made me feel much better.
I got on my bike and off I went.

Would it have happened in an airconditioned car? Maybe not....so sometimes it might be a better choice...

Ps: GIVE BLOOD!

Nothing lasts forever...

2008-10-08T18:58:00.005+11:00

...and when it's time, it's time. We've all had our brush with mortality and that makes keeping death in mind quite a natural thought process.
If your loved ones are cool about having motorcycle parts sitting on the mantle piece, well, so be it...(mine would be more likely to end up in the garage... somewhere between the Honda lawnmower and that rusty old second hand pushbike I wanted to fix in 1992)

perfectmemorials.com

believe it or not...

2008-10-08T11:51:00.002+11:00

Stranded

2008-10-02T19:35:00.005+10:00

Phillip Island MotoGP- no go.
Northern Exposure Oxley trip- no go. (I just had a call from my mate Phil, who was walking along Port Mac's Hastings River as we spoke....oooh he knows how to make us jealous! He'll hit the Oxley after breakfast tomorrow, Stopping briefly at Ginger's Creek to take a picture... you may find his musings here)
I'm on holidays too and all I've done is Bathurst...
maybe Wiseman's on Sunday and Manyana on Tuesday, but I feel like really getting away somewhere...not just a daytrip, but a good getaway, adventure, pushing the boundaries a little...and I want my mojo back. Must be about time!

(picture from http://www.australiantraveller.com/site_files/s1001/images/easter-bargain3.jpg)