Really sorry Andrew, Julie & Loz couldn't make it. Most of the roads we did were great and I only missed one turn off (shhhh... I told RSJ it was on purpose :-), we had a good night Friday and you guys would have fitted in well.
Jim & I met @ Pheasants Nest around 445pm (perfect timing I chased Jim up the off ramp to the servo). After getting fuel we headed off to Yass down the F'wy. Only passed one copper south of Goulburn (between south Goulburn and Gunning turnoffs). Just saw the glint of metal in the afternoon sun and hit the brakes, before he appeared in a clearing in the trees on the median strip. I got the speed down from 130plus to about 115... phew!
The road to Boorowa is a little bumpy but a good run. We fuelled up @ Boorowa and rang Tim, confirmed where they were and headed off to Cowra. The run from Boorowa to Cowra up the Lachlan Valley Hwy was fine except for the sun in the eyes every now and then. We got to Cowra about 7:45pm. The Lachlan Valley pub was good but a tad strange.... sort of trying to be upmarket but not quite making it in the pub area. The accommodation was basic but fine $65 a double.
They have 2 main parts to the pub - the restaurant, including a really nice alfresco area at the front, which is detracted by the view, it overlooks the BP across the road! The other half is the public bar. When we got there the dining was a mixture of families, younger folk and a few groups of primarily ladies. It seems the men drink in the upmarket bar and get blotto and the ladies drink/eat outside until the men are blotto and the band/singer/dj (whatever they're having that week) comes on then they go inside. What was strange was this pub that was trying to be a bit trendy/upmarket yet didn't attract a young crowd (most were our age - the poor buggers :-).
RSJ & I picked up our key and found we'd lost the toss with Tim & Jen over which room to have and were sleeping next to a local junkie that the housing commission were putting up in the hotel until they find her a house, ain't welfare states great! Her life seemed to consist of playing music loud until someone paid her some attention by telling her to shut up. Really sad life, and god knows how you get out of the rut if you let yourself get this entrenched. Felt sorry for her until she started the music @ 545am on Sat. Such is life, after bashing on the wall failed, the ear plugs were well utilised and a second round of sleep ensued for a couple of hours - so I felt mildly human on Sat morning.
Over dinner on Friday, we played 20 questions for Tim and Jim regaled us with his coloured (errr.. psychodelic) history... next time it's Tim's turn. Again the restaurant was trying to be up market with the menu but just wasn't quite there. One amusing part was the sign on the bar (in the day the restaurant is another bar) saying they won't split the bill because it is too time consuming. I suggested we all sit at separate tables until we'd ordered to get around but the alcohol was kicking in and the coordination was going out so we didn't bother :-)
After dinner, we retired to the main public bar with the local guitarist/singer and the overage audience, the purplish anti-drug lights and the Archers drinks on the counter and no, we didn't have one, although I drank the real man's drink cider, and RSJ went from poofy Vic Beer to some kind of gay mixed drink. Sorry Rocket man, had to get in first :-).
After an interesting evening of normal no-blouse shitstirring, and some pool (we each one a game and I must say Jen & I were the best players which is a real worry as RSJ & Tim can really play - it must have been the speed with which they were drinking affecting their game). After the singer finished sometime between 12-1am Jim got into a discussion with a local red-neck. RSJs subtleties were lost on the guy and a juke box war was started with our local hero playing (literally) red neck rebel songs and Jim replying with volleys of Underground Lovers and other selections from the Triple-J playlist.
About 130am I left the battlers to it. Sometime around 3am RSJ stumbled in - having declared a moral and physical victory over said red neck. RSJ proudly announced the red neck's sons declared this was the first time anyone had stood up to him and he had definitely lost. I think Jim thought the 3am effort really worth the victory :-).
A little disorganised on Sat - alcohol haze can do that - but we were finally off just before 930. Our junkie friend had the music blaring and her kid out on the verandah in the stroller as his plau area. It seems we were her entertainment of the morning as she spent a good 25 mins, standind in her doorway looking at the bikes and riders. Tim couldn't resist saying gooday to her kid, in lieu of local dogs, or possibly just getting some practice in for next year.Could have backfired, as he then had to get a away from the lady ^H^H^H^H errr...... whatever, as he was in danger of being the next highlight of her Saturday. After an abortive discussion about bikes "is the red Suzuki yours", Tim made it back from enemy ground :-)
We also threw the run sheet away - I had wanted to finish around Orange/Cowra after lunch and go back over the Mountains. As Loz didn't make the run either, I decided to stay with group all day. So my rationale for changing the run sheet was gone, so I can't remember we we still went with a new plan but what the hell, it turned out a good run. A careful ride out of town on the Mid Western Hwy to Woodstock (in case of blue lights) and then the Canowindra turnoff and on to breakfast - at a reasonable 140-160 pace. Forbes is a nice little town, but don't order the croissants (RSJ can describe) other than that, a little bakery and coffee shop in the main street are pleasant enough. From Forbes we decided to head south and have lunch at Murrem Bateman pub. We'd thought staying closer to the southern highlands would keep us cooler as a hot day was forecast, but in reality it wasn't needed. The cloud cover (even 2 drops of rain and the smell of rain near Canowindra) meant the sun didn't get the heat up until very late afternoon.
After Forbes, we headed out on the Lachlan Valley Hwy and then took the Gooloogong turn off, through there and on to Grenfell, then Young to Boorowa.
It was quite cool @ Grenfell @ 1230pm where we stopped for a 5 min pitstop in the shade of the trees in the park while we waited for RSJ to catch up. Thought he might have an accident trying to dodge a stupid Jack Russell that thought it could bite a chunk out of a Thunderace :-). Seems the locals think its fine to picnic in the park with the kids and watch their dog get run over. Jim managed to extracate himself from this, as we asked politely the father if he'd get his dog off the road. Funny, I thought I asked politely but he packed up and left!
We did a straight transport run to Yass, where we decided it was too late for a decent punch (already 2pm) and MurramBateman was too far, so we decided to head straight home. We were going to take Jerrawa, Dalton and Gunning Rds, but didn't want to do too much on bumpy roads - considerin Jen's condition, and the Boorowa-Yass Rd was a bit bumpier than she felt comfortable with.
Sorry I crept ahead on the Fwy - once headed for home the bike was like a horse at a riding school :-). Only had 1 incident with a copper. The sneaky bugger was in the emergency lane with some other vehicles near one of the Goulburn exits, not the median strip so I nearly missed him, managed to get the speed down to 110 before I went passed him.
From leaving work on Friday did a total of 1070 for the day and a half (technically 25 hrs as I left @ 340pm and got home @ 445pm). I was a tad saddle sore when I got home. I hadn't stopped from the Yass servo until I filled up @ St Marys a whole 275km and 260km before hitting reserve. The Hume Fwy adds a whole dimension to fuel economy but is boring as hell :-).
It was a good ride, but I think doing the Hume both ways (500 of the 1070km) is not the best route to take. The way Tim & Jenny went, over the Mtns to Oberon and round to Cowra then back along the Hume is a good alternative.
Well (except for the booze effects :-), Tim & Jenny look well and seem well suited to taking the responsibility of a bub early next year - good luck guys!
As usual it was good to catch up!
For those after another 1000K weekend, I'm heading off to Melbourne on Sat 30th Nov. Looking at getting down to the Vic side of the Snowies on the Sat night, and then off to Mt Eliza/Frankston for the Sunday night. Anyone interested in a Sat ride south could end up at Blue Duck, or Tintaldra etc... ? I'll carry on south on the Sunday and any blousers that need to be back for work on Monday can do the loop up the Princes or back through the snowies :-)
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