Monday, September 17, 2012

Chomp and Chat to Moonrock Café – Sunday 16th September 2012.

The crew at Tidbinbilla

Participants:
Andrew and Catherine Campbell – GL1800
Darryl Cullen - 1250 Bandit
John Dunn 1500 Goldwing Trike
Peter Schrieber – SV650
David Greig – Triumph T’Bird
Jen Woods – V Star
Denis Paulin – R1200GS
Larry Greetham – Honda Transalp 650
Alea Colquitt – Yamaha XVS650
Gary Dunne - Yamaha XT1200Z
Ian Paterson – GL1800
Steve Mills – SV650
Kevin Shanley – Bandit 1250
Shelley Shanley – ZX6R
Hartmut Kehm – R1200GS
Gary McDonald - BMW R100S ('77)
Trevor McLeod - FJR 1300
Jennifer Buchanan – Triumph Bonneville T100
Mary Coutts – Kawasaki 1000

The weather was promising us a sunny 18 deg, but as we left home in foggy Belconnen I was finding that all a bit hard to believe. However in true Canberra spring style, by the time the ride got under way just after 10am, the fog had cleared and although a bit cloudy it was a pleasant 12 deg!

Nineteen bikes and 1 pillion (moi) gathered to hear the plan for the day. We had two new members on their first ride with the club. Larry, who had taken up the fine art of motorcycling only last year to enhance his brain plasticity and Steve, who was returning to riding after a break. John Dunn also brushed the cobwebs off his trike for the first time in a while. It was great also to see Jen Woods on a ride (we do miss her) and she brought along a friend Denis, who claimed he was the President of the Ulysses club – as if!!!

Now I know you all know the way the way to Moonrock via Uriarra so won’t bore you with details other than to say that I don’t know why they have to run bike races(of the treadly type) on those roads when we want to ride on a Sunday. Never the less it was a great run there, got to check out the new Cotter Dam wall (it’s BIG) and the twisties are always fun.

When we arrived at Moonrock Gary realised that Larry was lost. So Gary went back to look for Larry.
The usual assortment of health food was consumed (chips ARE a vegetable you know), tall tales were told and the usual fun was had. By this stage we still hadn’t seen Larry or Gary and as we had no Barry to go and look for Gary who had gone to look for Larry, we were hoping they were OK. We had no way to contact either of them as that big dish out there renders your mobile phone useless.

Eventually Larry turned up – he’d almost been to Wee Jasper, but didn’t seem too scared by his first Ulysses ride. Gary was later found by Ian, still looking – he’s like a St Bernard – never gives up til his man is found.

For most of us home was via the back streets of Tuggeranong. By now the sun was shining through the clouds and it felt very spring like – finally!!!

Catherine Campbell