Saturday, February 27, 2010

27 Feb 10 - Toongabbie and Cowwarr Weir




The morning started with a thunderstorm and for a short time torrential rain. Just as I was concluding that there would be no bike ride today, it all stopped and the sky cleared. Great! Rosa quickly shortened my Dragin' (kevlar lined) jeans, and off on the Honda to Toner's Lane where Mark and Rex were attending Dog Obedience training. Watched them go through the paces (Rex is coming along well) and then rode to the Traralgon Crematorium to check out the carpark as a possible practice location for slow manoeuvres on the bike. It was great. A line of trees provides the perfect opportunity to practice weaving and u-turns. After practicing for a while I hit the road (figuratively) and headed towards Toongabbie. Stopped at the shop for an icecream and then on to Cowwarr Weir where I hadn't been for a long long time. A lot of work has been done here and it's now a fantastic spot for a picnic, swimming and a few people were kayaking. Spent 20 minutes here and decided to head for home. The trip home was quite interesting as a strong gusty wind had developed. Altogether an enjoyable ride and clocked up 100 km.


Start Odometer 35, End Odometer 135.  Distance travelled 100 km.

In the beginning....(26 Feb 10)

Today's the big day. Booked in at 08:30 at Ridetek in Sale to do my pre learner training and the test for my Learner's Permit. Got there a bit early and it turned out I was the only student on the course. This gave lots of time to practice on the Honda CB250 provided and after many many turns, emergency stops etc. I undertook the practical test which I passed. Then off to the written test which I passed with one error. Must have been nerves. By 13:00 I had been issued with my permit, and rang Traralgon Motorcycles to let them know to get the bike ready. Picked the bike and gear out a week earlier. It's a Honda VT400 cruiser.




After an hour of paperwork (rego, insurance etc) I was finally ready to start the Honda and get the feel for it. A bit more substantial than the little bikes at Ridetek, and I drove around the backstreets a bit to get the feel of it. Very comfortable and initially a bit scary, but after a while I felt ready to head on to the Traralgon - Glengarry Road and headed for the Tyers Service Station. Stopped there to get an icecream to settle the nerves and then rode home - all up 35 km. Mission accomplished - what a day!

Start Odometer 0, Finish Odometer 35. Distance travelled 35 km.