27 June 2010 - Noojee

Another winter ride today with the Ulysses club. About a dozen bikes, some with pillions participated. The aim of the ride was to end up at the Noojee Trout Farm where some people planned to fish for trout or salmon. You pay by the kilo. Given my lack of interest in fish or fishing I spent my time heating my feet in front of the fire at the Red Parrot Cafe instead. Despite about 10 minutes of rain it was a great ride and I discovered a few roads I had not travelled before. What more could you ask for?

Total Distance 218 km.

26 June 2010 - Licola

Woke up this morning and the weather in Traralgon looked less than hopeful. Checked the BOM Radar and found that all the rain was in Traralgon and to the south. North of Traralgon looked fine, so I decided to ride north to Licola. This is a great ride out through Toongabbie and then a short cut via the Cowwarr/Seaton road. As you draw close to Glenmaggie the road follows the McAllister river plain for a while and then heads right into the mountains. About 10km before Licola as you cross the mountains there are several wonderful views of the river below. 

Had lunch at the General Store in Licola and then rode back the same way. What a great bike ride. Back home everyone was thinking I was cold and wet (which it was in Traralgon) but actually I enjoyed sunny weather all the way except for the last 10 minutes coming into Traralgon.

Total Distance 172km.

21 June 2010 - Gormandale, Rosedale and Cowwarr

During the past week the weather has been terrible for motorcycling, lots of rain and gusty winds. Woke up this morning to a beautiful clear sky. Very cold this morning, but nothing thermal underwear and heated handgrips couldn't tackle. Rode to work (about 45 km all up)  - then joined Sian, Rosa and Nicole for lunch (Sian's birthday) and then home to chair a telephone meeting. By mid afternoon all the work was done and the sky was still blue so took the bike out to Rosedale via Gormandale. This is a very quiet road and great for motorcycling and with the clear skies an exhilarating experience. Over the big bridge at Rosedale and turned left onto the Heyfield Rd. Then home via Cowwarr and Toongabbie. A short ride but a beauty.

Total Distance 96km.

14 June 2010 - Birthday Ride

Celebrated my 66th birthday with a ride to Fish Creek with the Traralgon chapter of Easyriders. Beautiful sunny day and about 20 people showed up on bikes of every size and shape. Rode via Mirboo Nth, Leongatha and Meeniyan to Fish Creek where we had a great lunch at the local pub.

After lunch we rode through Foster to Yarram for a quick stop at the Bakery Cafe. From there back to Traralgon over Powers Hill and through Gormandale. A great day out and the heated handlebar grips worked great.

Total Distance 245 km

11 June 2010

Yesterday the Honda went in for the 6000 km service and to have heated handlebar grips fitted. That means I've covered a lot of K's since getting my L's just over 3 months ago. The hand heaters are fantastic -  nothing other than these can keep your hands warm in the winter on a bike.

Today I undertook my motorcyle licence test in Sale. All the riding really paid off. The test took about 10 minutes - the paperwork considerably longer.

5 June 2010 - Fish and Chip Run with Ullyses

Had my first ride with the Traralgon chapter of Ulysses today. It was a "fish and chip" run to Port Albert which is held on the first Saturday of each month. Ulysses is a MC club for 50+ year old riders although you can join as a junior member at 40 (www.ulyssesclub.org). Very friendly bunch of people and a very enjoyable ride. The return trip was via Tarra Valley and Mt Tassie and we finished up for a coffee and a chat at the Traralgon Ice Creamery. Can't join yet as I don't have a full licence which I'm going for Friday next week. I'll be joining the club after that.

Total Distance 163 km.

3 June 2010 - Thorpdale, Narracan Falls

Another beautiful winter's day and time for a ride. However after a couple of kilometers the bike didn't feel right and I thought the front tyre was down. Checked it at the Tyers service station and it was down 10 psi. As I've had to top it up quite often I decided to call into the motorbike shop in Moe and install a new front tube, which took about 40 minutes. That cut the available time and had to content myself with a trip through Trafalgar, Thorpdale and as I passed the sign to Narracan Falls it brought back a lot o memories from years ago so couldn't resist turning in to the parking area for a visit. I can remember back to the 50's when Mum and Dad took us there as kids to cool off in the water and try our luck at fishing. The swimming worked alright but I can't remember ever catching anything there. Can't believe that's 50 years ago!

I'm booked in for my full licence test next Friday.

Total Distance 105 km.

1 June 2010 - Stratford, Briagalong

The first day of winter and fabulous weather. Took a break and rode to Stratford via Heyfield, Tinamba and Maffra. Lunch at Wa-De-Lock in Stratford consisted of a Smoked Ham and Blue Vein Cheese sandwich and a cafe latte. Tuesday lunch time and the place was full of people, I suppose the great weather brought them all out. Took a detour via Briagalong and then back through Maffra etc. From Heyfield to Rosedale and then home on the highway to practice highway riding. A fantastic little break.

Total distance 173 km.