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St Albans accommodation options
Day 2
We were all to meet at the top of Mt Panorama for a group shot before heading out for the day. MT and I started heading out but then decided to refuel just in case so headed back to town before hitting the road again.
Before long we were on the bridle trail which was a barrel of fun though a bit dusty. There were a couple of tricky bits but on the whole a fairly easy ride (as long as you ride within your limits). From there we headed into Hillend but were too early for them and nothing was open so Rylstone was the next target. There was some tar for a while before turning onto another great dirt road that had pockets of bulldust spread along it. After Rylstone I had 2 more “moments” where I came into a turn too quick on really loose gravel and everytime I touched the brakes (front or rear) they would lock up and on both occasions I skidded to the very edge of the track before getting it under control.
My final “moment” was the biggest and could have been deadly. I was hooking along a nice dirt road at a decent pace when I spotted a cattle grid that was built up and looked like a good jump. Problem was that it was just where the track comes out onto Lue road and with embankment on either side of the intersection that obstructed my view of what was coming and also stopped them from seeing me until I was almost on the road. I skidded towards the road with no way of stopping in time and no way of seeing what was coming. I wasn’t even game to look as I hit the tar thinking if I was going to be wiped out I didn’t want to see it coming. Luckily the road was clear and now harm done but it was a hell of a fright, I had the Gopro going too so you can see what happened when I post it.
At some point along the Bylong Valley Way MT’s bike stopped for no apparent reason. Luckily it started again and we headed for Bylong to refuel. Somehow though we missed it and decided to detour to the next nearest fuel which was at Sandy Hollow as MT was concerned that he had been on reserve for a while a may not make the next scheduled fuel stop.. MT set of in front and as we got to the Golden Highway we were to turn left to the fuel but MT went right and in towards Denman. Fortunately we made it and after refuelling determined that the best option to rejoin the route was to head directly to Jerry’s Plains and rejoin near there. We had only gone about 5 k’s out of Denman when MT’s bike again lost power then stalled all together. He tried restarting it but there were some horrible scrapping noises coming from the motor (Possible ring damage we thought). I rang TB to let him know we would not be finishing the ride and he must have rung Steve from Adventure Moto (a Friend of MT’s) who then rang MT and set about making the trip from menai to pick him and his bike up.
We made a tow rope from some tie down straps and I towed him a couple of K’s to a rest area just out of Denman where there were tables with a roof over the top for shade. I headed into Denman and picked up some food and drinks for him then made my way home from there once help was on the way (I forgot to give you your change too MT :blush ). The worst part is that I have a flat in Denman for when I am working up that way but didn’t have any keys for it with me, otherwise we could have sat in air conditioned comfort with a TV while he waited. Hope you got home safe mate and the wait wasn’t too long.Not much in the way of pictures as there was a long way to go and a short time to get there.
All up for me 812Km with a moving time of 12 hours 43 minutes
A couple of other memorable moments were;
Fishfinger hitting the ground at St Albans in the first 50 meters as he was heading out Saturday morning.
Flying Fish with her mighty WR tank deep in Deejay’s Swamp
The laughs and stories shared over a few drinksA big thanks to TB for organising the route, loading all the GPS’s and even printing out route sheets for everyone.
Thanks also to MT and all the other riders for making it an enjoyable weekend.Bridle Trail
My weekend started around 2.00pm on Friday when I had run out of patience for the ride to begin and so headed out for St Albans on my own. I had my first “moment” for the weekend coming through the Wattagans. I was looking at my GPS while riding along (not that I even needed it at that stage) but as the road was a bit rough I had trouble reading it. I looked up to the road then back down at the GPS but didn’t really see anything when I had looked up. Finally managed to see what it was I was looking for and looked up to find myself already on the wrong side of the road and right on top of a sharp, downhill left hand bend. I immediately went into panic mode and the only 2 thoughts I had were, “this is going to hurt” and “you can’t turn with a handful of front brake”. In my mind I had frozen not knowing what to do but then I noticed I was now sliding sideways. Just when it got to the point where I thought I was going to drop it, the bike straightened up then slid sideways again to the point of dropping it before straightening again at which point I was through the corner and pointing straight down the trail. I t took me a moment to realise what had happened but it would seem that while my brain (and the rest of me for that matter) had frozen, my right foot had been calmly working the rear brake and getting me through the corner, well done right foot.
I arrived at St Albans to find TB talking to Lefty and Wigster and set about getting my room organised for the night and getting a beer. The rest of the crew started to drift in in small groups and the bullsh,,,,,,,,,errrr, I mean meaningful dialogue began. Many drinks were partaken of as great stories flowed through the night.
The next morning TB and PTW were first away at 6.00am while the rest of us took a little longer (some much, much longer) to get up dressed and on our way. My ride partner for the weekend was MT and we hit the road just a few minutes before 7.00 in light drizzly cool conditions.
Day 1 of the ride went reasonably well although I felt like I was constantly fighting with the front end of the bike for grip in the corners. The only real incident was again due to looking at the GPS at the wrong time and looking up to see a T-Intersection in front of me. Luckily it was in a quiet area with god visbility to the left and right so with no cars coming I slowed as best I could then rode up the embankment on the other side of the road (“moment” number 2 for the weekend).
MT and I missed a turn nearing Capertee and decided to just carry on along the tar to the servo for fuel and a feed. After lunch there was an option to take a loop along a railway service line or go straight to Turon gates. MT and I took the service line route which was a really good run. Only problem was that I had been hitting some rough stuff throughout the day and my top box was getting looser by the minute. Eventually we pulled over after MT noticed my right indicator hanging by the wires and upon further inspection found that the rack had cracked, a number of bolts were loose and 1 bolt was missing. We spent at least 30 minutes on the side of the road fixing it all with cable ties and pulling it half apart to gt to some other bolts that were loose. With that much time lost and because most of the others had gone straight to Turon gates we decided to cut out some of the route to get to Bathurst as it was already 3.00pm.
Once again rooms were organised, drinks were had and stories flowed, with a big feed after a big day I was headed for bed by 9.00pm.MT
Gardens of Stone
