With the new year well and truly here, 2024 has been a slow start for me riding wise. Life has been busy! Saturday 10 February, I was out the door at 1:30am to head down to the servo in Phillip to collect my starting docket.
Dark O'Clock and ready to roll.
Bike fueled up, it was out onto the Tuggeranong Parkway, followed by the Barton Highway. It was a perfect night for riding, temperatures in the mid-high teens with the stars shining brightly.
Starting docket at the local servo.
It was a good run down the Hume, before taking the Sturt Highway to Wagga. Plenty of trucks, a few cars but everyone behaving themselves, it was just a matter of watching the miles roll away in the dark. Stopped briefly at Wagga for photos and to fuel up.
Just flying by
Still just flying by
I was ahead of schedule, so with nothing open for a coffee, I continued onto Narrandera in the inky darkness. There was even less traffic now, I made good time to Narrandera, and pulled into the Truck stop for a brekkie of B&E roll and coffee. Even at 5:20am, the service was excellent! Leaving 20 minutes later I had a 5-minute discussion with the driver of a B Double that had just pulled in. I had passed him on the Hume and he was intrigued to see what my light setup was. After 5 minutes of swapping notes on LED lights we both went our ways.
Narrandera Truck stop in the pre dawn darkness and its time to have short break off the bike.
The ride to Hay was uneventful, the sunrise was sublime, a new day without a cloud in the sky. Fuelled up in Hay to collect my corner docket and pointed the bike southwards to Deniliquin. The miles rolled away, with Moama/Echuca signaling the crossing into Victoria.
Sunrise on the Hay Plain
I was still ahead of schedule, so I stopped at the Rochester bakery to sample their wares, which I can report were very satisfactory.
Rochester Bakery, worth the stop!
The reverse view from the bakery, a beautiful summers morning in Rochester
Will be back sometime! From here it was an easy ride through Huntly to Bendigo in the bright sunshine, where I spent a wonderful 45 minutes with Lynne and Fatman.
Moi, arriving in Bendigo
As always, the clock is not your friend on a IBA ride, so I reluctantly bade LTP & Fatman farewell and made my way toward Tallarook to collect my next corner docket. That done, it was head northwards on the Hume, droning along in the low to mid 30’s temps.
Tallarook, Victoria. The swimming pool next door was looking very attractive with the temperatures nudging mid 30's
Stopped at Holbrook to collect a bonus photo of the submarine and then stopped again at Tarcutta as I was concerned at the prospect of getting fuel at Tumut. (I don’t know why I was concerned) It was with relief I finally took the turn off the Hume onto the Snowy Mountain Highway. Corners at last!
Fish (submarine) out of water?
Adelong, Snowy Mountains.
Kiandra on the Snowy Mountain Highway.
The temperatures plunged from the low 30’s into the low teens, yikes! I was in summer gear, so it got chilly, followed by same light showers near Cooma.
The setting sun behind me, and storm clouds gathering ahead. And it was cold!
Once I collected a docket at the Maccas in Cooma, the last 100kms into Canberra was in deepening twilight, but clear of showers. I rolled back into Phillip at the servo to collect my finishing docket just after 9:0pm, feeling very satisfied!
Finish docket. Job done!
A great day out, with 1,652kms on the clock, a good way to start 2024!
My route from my Spotwalla
Dark O'Clock and ready to roll.
Bike fueled up, it was out onto the Tuggeranong Parkway, followed by the Barton Highway. It was a perfect night for riding, temperatures in the mid-high teens with the stars shining brightly.
Starting docket at the local servo.
It was a good run down the Hume, before taking the Sturt Highway to Wagga. Plenty of trucks, a few cars but everyone behaving themselves, it was just a matter of watching the miles roll away in the dark. Stopped briefly at Wagga for photos and to fuel up.
Just flying by
Still just flying by
I was ahead of schedule, so with nothing open for a coffee, I continued onto Narrandera in the inky darkness. There was even less traffic now, I made good time to Narrandera, and pulled into the Truck stop for a brekkie of B&E roll and coffee. Even at 5:20am, the service was excellent! Leaving 20 minutes later I had a 5-minute discussion with the driver of a B Double that had just pulled in. I had passed him on the Hume and he was intrigued to see what my light setup was. After 5 minutes of swapping notes on LED lights we both went our ways.
Narrandera Truck stop in the pre dawn darkness and its time to have short break off the bike.
The ride to Hay was uneventful, the sunrise was sublime, a new day without a cloud in the sky. Fuelled up in Hay to collect my corner docket and pointed the bike southwards to Deniliquin. The miles rolled away, with Moama/Echuca signaling the crossing into Victoria.
Sunrise on the Hay Plain
I was still ahead of schedule, so I stopped at the Rochester bakery to sample their wares, which I can report were very satisfactory.
Rochester Bakery, worth the stop!
The reverse view from the bakery, a beautiful summers morning in Rochester
Will be back sometime! From here it was an easy ride through Huntly to Bendigo in the bright sunshine, where I spent a wonderful 45 minutes with Lynne and Fatman.
Moi, arriving in Bendigo
As always, the clock is not your friend on a IBA ride, so I reluctantly bade LTP & Fatman farewell and made my way toward Tallarook to collect my next corner docket. That done, it was head northwards on the Hume, droning along in the low to mid 30’s temps.
Tallarook, Victoria. The swimming pool next door was looking very attractive with the temperatures nudging mid 30's
Stopped at Holbrook to collect a bonus photo of the submarine and then stopped again at Tarcutta as I was concerned at the prospect of getting fuel at Tumut. (I don’t know why I was concerned) It was with relief I finally took the turn off the Hume onto the Snowy Mountain Highway. Corners at last!
Fish (submarine) out of water?
Adelong, Snowy Mountains.
Kiandra on the Snowy Mountain Highway.
The temperatures plunged from the low 30’s into the low teens, yikes! I was in summer gear, so it got chilly, followed by same light showers near Cooma.
The setting sun behind me, and storm clouds gathering ahead. And it was cold!
Once I collected a docket at the Maccas in Cooma, the last 100kms into Canberra was in deepening twilight, but clear of showers. I rolled back into Phillip at the servo to collect my finishing docket just after 9:0pm, feeling very satisfied!
Finish docket. Job done!
A great day out, with 1,652kms on the clock, a good way to start 2024!
My route from my Spotwalla
