Ahem, Hello, Hello Hello - anyone else notice an echo in here?? - Well here I stand in the BAD MEMBER corner "yet again!
Guess it was just one of those days of the month!!, PMS, shitty day at work. kids driving me nuts and to then to top it all off I took three of Dr.Phil's green ones and went loopy for 48 hours, I am back on the red ones and all is ok. Must have been a rush of blood to the head, trying to figure out which one though lol.
Damm Dr.Phil those "Green" ones sure turn ones world upside down, now wonder Clyde goes all weird!! {no offence Clyde, ok mate, just taking the piss}
To those very special people thanks {you all know who you are!}
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN SPONSORED BY Dr.PHIL'S "RED" PILLS.
THE ONLY ONES TO TAKE WHEN YOU TOO GO WEIRD!!
Australian6
Take care one and all, Ride safe and stay safe
Day 5: Road Trip - Canberra to Janolan Caves
Woke up on our last morning in Canberra and rode down to the Canberra Motorcycle Centre in Mitchell. The regulator hadn't arrived yet and we were a bit nervous, but they assured us it should arrive this morning. We left the bikes there and went next door for a coffee (good coffee joint if you're a coffee junkie like me). Dim decided since we were waiting around to get a haircut. Finished the haircut and got the call that the bike was ready at the
same time (see it was meant to be!). The guys were brilliant, replaced the part under parts warranty from Yamaha and didn't even charge us for labour.
Late morning we headed out of Canberra on the Federal Highway and cruised. Thoroughly enjoying just being out riding again and on the adventure. Pulled in to a rest stop along the
highway, and had views of a wind farm in the distance... see Adam shows us how it's done:
Then we cruised on till we got to the Big Merino in Goulburn. Fuelled up the bikes and ourselves before heading on. The freeways had numbed our brains so much that Adam said "The twisty long straights" were his favourite roads (?!?!)
We rode on to Taralga where the roads were very rough. Nice and windy but very rough. Once we got past Taralga the roads got really good. We pulled in for a photo op:
Adam had a wee on the fence (he said it wasn't electric, but I dunno, he's been acting strange ever since!)
From this point the roads became awesome. Beyond awesome actually!! (Dim's favourite road here). Big sweeping curves and bends and up and down hills with great views. One very very steep twisty decline, followed by a very steep and twisty incline, then the road stretched out nice and windy again until Black Springs. Wanted to go back and re-do the Taralga to Black Springs road over & over. Do it if you get the chance.
Next stop was Oberon for fuel, then we headed down to the Janolan Caves. Noticed a few signs as we got closer to the caves, which said that Trucks and Caravans were not allowed to go down that road. I knew something good was coming up... Dim's literal diary entry after doing the ride down to the Janolan Caves goes like this: "OMG crap that was a scary ride. Down down down the very steep mountain side with all those 15km p/hr bends and all that camber on the road! Barely one lane wide with vans and 4wd's refusing to move over to the edge while they were heading up the mountain and we were coming down."
Booked into the hotel and were given a free upgrade due to a school coming in and taking the motel rooms. So we got a beautiful "Traditional Stay" room with antiques and fantastic mountain views (but no TV). Checked in and explored the grounds for the evening.
Day 6: Road Trip - Janolan Caves to Sydney
It was hard to fall asleep last night with thoughts of having to go back up that mountain and dreams of "The Shining", which Adam had told me about because the traditional hotel had reminded him of the hallways in the movie. After breakfast we headed down to pick one of the cave tours. We picked the Orient Cave tour which was great. Lots and lots of stairs and tight passages but well worth doing. Spectacular views of the cave
with stalactites, stalagmites, and other rock formations. Nature is incredible, makes you wonder what else of such beauty lies in dark caves undiscovered!
We decided not to take the mountain road up and out, and instead to take the only other way out of Janolan Caves, which is a less steep but longer windy ride out of the mountains. This road happens to be closed between 11.45am and 1.15pm daily, as it's one lane only for part of the road, so they close it to allow only bus tours to come in. So after the cave tour we had a bite to eat while we waited for the road to open.
Light misty drizzle and fog started as we headed out of the mountains. Much nicer roads, still twisty but nowhere near as steep. Just before Lithgow, pulled off the road to check the maps, and an older local guy pulled up in a ute to see if we needed help.
Headed into Lithgow looking for the Bells Line of Road. Great start to it with a cop car having pulled someone over to the side of the road right before the beginning of Bells Line. Mostly 60 - 80km/hr speed limits and we have to say, a very disappointing road. Sorry to all you Sydney folk who think it's brilliant. A small section in the middle at 100km/hr was okay. Maybe it had been over-hyped because we've heard about this road so much, or maybe because we'd just come off such great riding the day before (e.g. Taralga to Black Springs), but it's not a road we'd recommend to people or that we'd make an effort to do again.
Came in to Sydney and for the first time ever had to pull over to a pay toll booth on the bikes (I'm sure that novelty will wear off quickly). Went through a few other electronic tolls as we got closer (must remember to set up a toll account) and we rode in over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Unfortunately there was a lot of traffic so we had to keep eyes on the road for braking traffic, so didn't get much chance to enjoy the experience or check out the scenery. Once we were in the city we started looking for the street our hotel was on. When we finally got to it we were in the right lane but the hotel was a left hand turn. So we had to keep going and I thought we could just go round the block... but this is Sydney hey? So noooooo... once we turned right, we found we couldn't do another right at the next block, and so we were on a wild goose chase to get back to Point A. Finally got there & checked into our hotel. Set up the toll account & time to unwind. We got a call from this strange bloke, they call him Al... made plans to meet Al & his wife Coz the next day.
Stay tuned for the next episode... Will Als try and push Dim & Adam off The Gap? hmmmmmmmm LOL
Dim & Adam
A Come to Jesus Meeting
There has obviously been a mistake, God seems to think I am to be a modern day Job. Lest you think I exaggerate, in the last 3 years I have been stricken/blessed with: vulvar cancer, Meniere's disease, uterine fibroids the size of North Dakota, diverticulosis, psoriasis - not on my elbows like most people, but on my scalp, ears, and nose. FYI - When you get psoriasis on your scalp, it takes out your hair. You could say I'm irked, but that really doesn't do my current emotional state justice. Speaking of my emotional state, I seem to be fighting a never ending uphill battle against major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
Did I mention that dad's Parkinson's has kicked into overdrive, seemingly overnight. Mom's doctor says she is in the early stages of dementia. Which means that I am now a caregiver to my adult parents. It SUCKS for all of us in different ways, at different times. For me it's like living with 80 year old toddlers. Willfull, spoiled, adult size toddlers. Occassionally I worry that I will get some great job in Atlanta and have to hire people to chauffer and care for my parents. However, with the economy in the crapper, and double digit unemployment rates, not just in Carroll County but in the entire state of Georgia, it seems I am putting the cart before the horse.
This is not how my life was supposed to be. I was supposed to be married with a few kids, a dog, and a house in the burbs by now.
Sunday 1 November 2009
Day 1: Road Trip - Werribee to Albury
Our bags pre-packed from the night before, we strapped them onto the bikes in the morning and headed off to fuel up on day one of our riding adventure. 
We're ready!!
We headed off towards Hurstbridge on a typical Melbourne spring morning - lovely drizzling misty rain which started just as we got on the bikes! Stuck on the freeway until we got out of Hursbridge, where the road started to improve. But as we headed up to Kinglake, we rode into a massive fog bank so thick that it engulfed us and you couldn't see the bike in front of you. We crawled up the hill averaging 15-20km the whole way. It was very spooky with blackened trees looming through the fog like burned match sticks standing on either side of the road.
Scariest ride I've ever had (at this stage of the trip), with hairpin bends and steep cliffs dropping away on one
side of the road, the road was barely two lanes wide and because of the fires there earlier this year, there were no armco or marker posts showing the edge of the road.
Stopped at Kinglake for breakfast (or really to change underpants), and met some other riders out front and had a chat.
As we headed out of Kinglake, through Kinglake West and towards Flowerdale, the fog got thicker and thicker. As we passed through Flowerdale, the weather changed. All of a sudden we were looking into massive sunshine and incredibly hot weather! The ride through to Yea was beautiful fast flowing roads and let us make up some time from our slow trip up the hill earlier.
Stopped in Yea for lunch and caught up with Adam's (aka "Rent-A-Hubby's") parents (pic right), then headed up the Maroondah Highway through Merton & Eildon. Crossed over Lake Eildon, but it's almost nonexistent (no water to be seen), then on to Mansfield. Found a brilliant road from Mansfield through Tolmie to Whitfield. That put a smile on the dial. Up and down the mountain, very twisty & enjoyable riding. Dozens of "high risk area for motorcycles" signs to put the fear into you. But we did good.
Continued on through King Valley to Wangaratta (pic of King Valley on left). Stopped for drink and to check out a local street festival, and within 5 minutes of being there, the heavens opened, a massive heavy thunderstorm downpour hit us and drenched everything. Talk about 4 seasons in one day! After this weather, not much could surprise us now.
Found another brilliant riding road, hilly and twisty, through Beechworth and then on to Albury where we stayed for the night (actually two nights).
After breakfast we cruised out to the Ettamogah Pub (Table Top, NSW). It was a nice, warm 32c day. Didn't realise we were there so early, and nothing was open yet, so we got to look around outside the place with no distractions. The Ettamogah Pub is based on an Aussie cartoon strip, by Aussie artist Ken Maynard. It's basically the comic come to life, with lots of Aussie outback humour.
After enjoying a drink at the pub (when it finally opened), we headed back to Albury and found a nice park on the banks of the Murray River and relaxed on the grass in the shade of a Coolabah tree. (singing...)Then down came a Jumbuck to drink at the Billabong... (oh wait, that's another story)
Well Adam relaxed, because I was being stalked by a pack of vicious killer ducks. One of which was faking a limp to try and get close to me with sympathy. It didn't work! (My fear of ducks is a LOONNNGGG story!!!)
Had a late lunch in Albury at The Burger Bar (on Dean Street) and the burgers were great, highly recommended (and the best crunchy beer battered chips we've had anywhere). Took a walk around Albury after lunch and explored the Albury Art Gallery (quite interesting & it was free).
Stay tuned for the next episode in our travels... Will Dimitra make it down the mountain to the Janolan Caves? Only one way to find out... LOL
Dim & Adam
I'm putting together a list of members that attend Americade in June or are planning to attend. I would like to meet up during the week. I sent manybikes a note if Custom Cruiser would arrange something. Have not heard back yet, I'll keep you posted. Leave me a profile comment.
Be safe, Ride safe
YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE, SO RIDE
Gene aka surfwer