Island Parkes

Crappy

Premier Member
#1
Planning had me scratching my head zig zag South along the Great Dividing range ? head west ? Loop up North it might be a few degrees warmer ? In the end I decided to head where it should be colder for a 2500K/36 hr run which seemed fitting for an Inaugural muster. So a really boring route straight down the highway to the Phillip Island enabled some just under 600km legs. I wanted to punch out some miles as a build up for a 3000K/ 36hr attempt to the Border in August. A 1000km run to the Moree FarRide had started the ball rolling.

A 2am start in Lismore for a run across to Woodburn had all sorts of fog, the thick rain like fog and the mystical floating fog that sits just above your helmet line making you feel like you doing 100 miles an hour sitting on 80km . I remember being in the roadworks around Mclean surrounded by trucks in both directions with poor visability because of the fog, every electrical aid I had pumped up to beat the cold thinking hang on a run down the highway isn't supposed to be this hard.

There a bit of a shortcut near Grafton called Centenary Drive with some resident Kangaroos always there. They are pretty well behaved so I tried to get a photo without great success.



Lights of Grafton in the back ground.



After fuel at Heatherbrae I headed into the Sydney for a Henry Parkes Statue shot this was a late decision on Thursday after seeing Ox's picture in Parkes of a Henry Parkes Statue. When I googled old Henry I found this "a large-brained self-educated Titan whose natural field was found in Parliament"and seeing how it was an election day decided to get both statues. Centenary Park, wow what nice place in the middle of Sydney.



Going through Sydney went quite well for a country person with a GPS until I hit the M5 tunnel on the way out which had ground to a halt with one lane closed at the end . So I filtered all the way through a real test in itself , steady at the start thinking I can't fit through there to picking gaps with centimeters to spare by the end of it.

South through the cold to Tarcutta for a second fuel stop and a warm up as the cold had crept in bit. I have been asked about riding a naked bike in these cold conditions with one simple answer ........ don't do it LOL.

Down into Melbourne for my second City in one day this was an opposite experience for me normally avoiding highways and Cities. I noticed the traffic behavior changing the closer we got no one was creeping (sitting just above the limit by a few kays) to move through the traffic. The next section was scary with lots of roadside speed cameras that left me a nerves wreck . These thing were worse than the roos out West looming over not knowing when they would pounce I swear they could smell the gum leaves on me. It was drizzling enough to make the visor lights up with tail lights of the surrounding traffic.

Heading over the bridge onto Phillip Island drizzling rain and windy thinking yep the weather is pretty right for the Island. I grabbed some fuel made a call home then grabbed a few hours in the swag at the track , Gate 4 entrance was a good spot out of the mud. The rain had stopped with some stars out and slept soundly until the alarm went off not wanting to get up into cold.





The GPS decided to chuck a right off the freeway and head through Melbourne and I decided to follow it not really knowing any better . At this early hour in the morning it was a cruisy run through the streets.
I treated my self to breakfast with ample time up my sleeve after clearing Melbourne it was a good way to kill some night time with easier daylight traveling not far away.

North through Shepparton to Narrandra for fuel where Tele rolled in, after ridiculously long stop for an IBA ride including more food ,more coffee, a phone call and a chat with Tele we headed North.
We had some cars to play to break the boredom of the Newell and came across an accident where it looked like a car had tried to park in a caravan but bounced off instead leaving bits of caravan strewn everywhere. Everyone was relatively OK and the Police freshly on the scene were still letting traffic filter through.

Signing off at the BP it was nice to get a ride completed after missing the last two, hitting a roo in the RTM06 Rally and missing a FarRide window at Moree .I grabbed a photo with Sir Henry the large-brained self-educated Titan to celebrate.



I had squeezed all I could out of the heated grips




I really enjoyed being part of the Muster knowing everyone was pumping out some distance to get there.Unfortunately we didn't get to play cricket on the Parkes dish but I had brought a bat just in case.




Honda's now come with Satellite TV





The run home was great with a spirited run through Mendoran up to Narrabri to cut through Kilarny Gap with enough water in the crossings to make it feel adventurous.Grabbed a bit of fuel at Inverell then had a race with the sun pulling up at home just after sunset in the fading colours of last light.
 
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tj189

Premier Member
#3
Don't do it!!! great advice but not taken by you :) mate you still punch out those miles without too much trouble. thanks for the write up, great catching up and sorry we did not use the cricket bat;)
 

Ed.

Premier Member
#4
Never under estimate the naked distance bike! (mine shall live again)

Bloody fantastic to have a beer or two with you again,Crappy.
 

Kimmie

Well-Known Member
#6
Who ever said we like to take the direct route to get somewhere

So many stories of the cold.....you certainly tested your grips to their limit.

Glad you bagged it Crappy.
 

TripleTreat

Well-Known Member
#7
Ah, this is the other LD planning technique in practice. Keep riding until you run out of Australia to ride in! You're a machine!