Good Friday, no work, no alarms, sleep in – YES!!! well at least until 7:00am anyways cos we are riding today. Bags and bikes packs, breaky done……let’s go!!
Ready let’s go!!
Our crew: Karl, Leonie and me (we are meeting the rest of the Sydney crew at our destination).
Destination Tallangatta (Ta-lang-gatta), don’t pronounce it wrong the locals get upset. Big slabbing ride today straight down the Spume Highway to Gundagai where we were supposed to have lunch but there were eleventy-ninety million people with that exact thought…damn them. Anyways we’d managed to catch up the rest of the Sydney crew here and decided to just fuel up and head on to Tumut for lunch. And someone ordered a side of “flies” with their lunch…they were eveywhere – very annoying (Leonie blamed Karl…lol).
Tumut
A bit of light reading while waiting for lunch…..LOL
Bacon Busters..he he he
The group splits and the 3 Mouseketeers head through Batlow and Tumbarumba and how nice are the roads – open sweepers stretching like bands on black ribbon…noice 🙂 Then it was onto Granya for a quick stop before hitting Granya Gap.
Daisy’s first visit
Leonie, looking stunning!
Can I just tell you here, that Daisy loved Granya. Corner after corner, dipping and tipping in, dancing the dance of twisties! I sat on Karl’s tail nearly all the way….ha ha ha (doesn’t happen often). We arrive at Tallangatta before 5:00pm and before it started to sprinkle. Lucky!
The rest of the crew arrived in just before we headed out for dinner which was at the pub (not a bad feed). A catch up on the days events and we are done and it’s time for bed. There’s not many pics today sorry.
Saturday 19th
Ward and Cathy put on a bang on breakky for us – thanks guys!!! before we headed out for a what was expected to be a great days ride.
Leonie’s next upgrade. She was pretty excited!!
Seeing as this is Ward’s playground he led the way and a pace that, well, Daisy just couldn’t keep up with. But that’s ok, everyone waited for us and Ward’s mates and the end of Cow Road to catch up… thanks guys.
end of Cow Rd
Off again headed to Harrietville, the road through here is nice too! Stop here cos Dan wanted morning tea. Thanks goodness, cos I needed a ladies stop…phew! T’was just a bit cooool 🙂 I say, see youse later cos I going slow, you guys will round me up soon enough and besides I want to get photos.
Bella’s Cafe Harrietville. Must go back there.
Karl and I meander up the climb, the scenery is lurvely and the road is curvaceous and a bit chilly. I’m not feeling the mojo this morning, just can’t figure out what’s going on with me.
The long and winding road…..
how good is it!
We stop at the top – Hotham and yep you guessed it, grabbed a pic.
Hotham
Oh, but wait there’s some more (can’t waste a good opportunity).
Birdy & Daisy at Hotham
Over the top of Hotham and the descent to Omeo. This is a great road and ordinarily I would enjoy this on Angel but I just can’t get things together on Daisy today. There are sections that have gravel on them in patches (like a quilt) and mid corner or through your line and the surface at times makes it difficult to distinguish. Nevertheless, the fast guys fly through there and make things look easy.
Saw several of these throughout the entire weekend.
Think they are trying to tell us something? hmmm
Omeo bakery for lunch…..NOT! Way to many people waiting to get served. Leonie is still to arrive but we are keeping an eye out. Karl and I head down to the milk bar (which was empty…excellent) and order lunch which is served in a flash! Yes!! We find Leonie and most of our group have lunch in the park. Lunch done, time to go and Ward leads us out to and up the Omeo Highway / Mitta Mitta Rd.
Now this section of road to Mitta Mitta, Leonie and I haven’t done before so we are happy to just hang back. Karl goes and has a play and it’s not long and I am riding alone, the rest of the group way in front of me. Dan, Wayne and Leonie are stopped along the way so gave me time to rejoin them. From there on Dan sat with Leonie and I for this next section. There’s a heap of road and leaf litter all over the place which for me didn’t make it very enjoyable and I just couldn’t get it together still on Daisy.
Most of the group is stopped (I don’t know how far up) waiting for us and we are advised we are about half way and have a break. Phew! Don’t know what happened here (but am thankful) but something clicked with Daisy (YAY) and the bends didn’t seem that difficult (the road was cleaner too and I was following Ward and his brother). Just quietly, Ward is lovely to watch ride and follow and soon I fell into a rhythm all of my own and decided to overtake them and head on my way. Having fun – finally (it’s only near the end of the day….lol) when I come across a fallen rider (not one of ours) and stop to offer assistance. Everything is under control but by this time the group behind me had caught up and stop to find out what’s up. All good we are on our way. The road to Mitta is good and somehow easier to ride now but it all comes to an end with a 60kph sign – we are in Mitta Mitta.
Regroup and out to Dartmouth Dam. I’m enjoying things now and the road out to the dam is nice. Scenic and sweeping and that dance I had learned earlier starts again 🙂 The boys go do boy and bike things, we just watch.
Daisy and Dartmouth Dam
Birdy and the Dam
Leonie & I
Spectacular – Dartmouth Dam
Time to go but not before the group photo.
Omeo Muster Crew
Leonie and I are the last to leave and mosey on out. We eventually come across Karl waiting for us at a different exit to Mitta Mitta Rd (ha ha ha) – he knew I’d go back exactly the way we came in (cos I don’t have any sense of direction) while everyone else took the short cut…oops!
Alas, our fun is cut short due to an unmarked Mr Plod tailing a couple of cruiser riders in front of us. He finally nabs a customer heading the other way and we get going 🙂
Ward and Cathy put on a BBQ for everyone before we head inside for coffee and the telling of tales new and old.
Sunday 20th
Today is our day off!! Leonie has friends coming to have lunch with us at Walwa today (so we get a sleep in!). Karl and I go for a morning stroll (not much happening) do a spot of shopping (window anyways) and meet Leonie for a coffee at the bakery.
Busy Easter Sunday in Tallangatta..lol
On the way back we stop in for a browse in the olde country store and my beautiful friend bought me the loveliest scarf (a belated birthday pressie) – Thanks Loni xxx
BTW, the rest of the group have gone out for a day ride to Mansfield.
Exciting cos we get to do Granya Gap again today and now Daisy and I are on the same page, I’m looking forward to it 🙂 It’s a fresh morning with overcast skies but perfect to enjoy the ride to Walwa.
We meet Mary & Les, tell you what Leonie has some very lovely friends and it was a pleasure to have met them.
Mary, Les, Leonie, Karl & I
After lunch, Karl, Les and I went for a walk so Mary and Leonie could have time to themselves. Where does the time go and before you knew it, it was time to say good-bye.
Time to head home and he he he we get to do Granya again – darn…lol. I’d said to Karl I want to take some pics on the way cos the countryside is so green and spectacular.
first stop
stop 2
You can’t deny that the views are spectacular and breathtaking. They’ve obviously had a decent amount of rain.
Back early afternoon and more time to relax, have a cuppa and wait for the rest of the crew. It’s fend for ourselves tonight and we decide to try the local and new Indian/Italian cafe and Ward & Cathy joined us. The feed was good and if they are still there when we next go back, Dan has asked that Ward make a reservation for us all for one night.
We go and met another riding buddy who we are advised is in town for the night before heading back for an early night as we head home tomorrow.
Monday 22nd
No sleeping in this morning. It’s time to get packed, thank our wonderful hosts and be on the road – homeward bound.
We are waiting waiting for everyone to gear up and finally get going when Karl takes off. Still waiting, I decide to get going and catch up Karl and I think “well maybe I should wait at the end of town for a bit”. Waiting, waiting and Dejan goes past. More waiting and then I decide “bugger it, I’m goin’, everyone else will catch me up”.
What a beautiful morning, fresh, crisp, duey and perfect for a ride. I haven’t seen anyone from the group so just toddle along enjoying the gorgeous scenery and the fresh country air.
A quick stop of a pic of this beautiful old pub. Karl and I have stopped here previously for lunch and the photo opportunity (just can’t help it, the setting is lovely).
Koetong Pub
Toddling along and enjoying the curves and bends and most of the crew catch me up and go on past me before heading into Khancoban. It’s chilly so hot chocolate for me and coffee for others to warm up before we tackle the Alpine Way.
Quick stop at Khancoban
Dan and the crew stopped at Scammel Spur Lookout for their photo op but Karl, Leonie and I have been there done that so keep on going.
I was looking forward to doing the Alpine Way on Daisy but unfortunately, there is too much oncoming traffic. What really irritates me, is that they think they deserve to drive on my side of the road too. It’s not pleasant and you are forever operating on “spidee senses” round the many blind corners.
Finally, we reach Dead Horse Gap which looks down onto Thredbo Village and wait for Dan and the crew to arrive. We thought it would be cold here (it’s normally about 4 degrees with blustery winds) but for a change it’s quiet warm (possibly about 10 degrees…lol). Time for more pics.
Dead Horse Gap
Leonie and I when we were last here together took a selfie, so in the name of tradition…….
Leonie & I at Dead Horse Gap
The view is spectacular from here.
Spectacular view from Dead Horse Gap
I just help myself…….lol
Gorgeous view
We re-group and head on through to Jindabyne for lunch.
Nuggets Crossing Jindabyne
Jindabyne to Cooma and then the long slab up the Monaro to Queanbeyan. Everyone fuels up and we agree to make our last stop at Suttons Forest. The 3 Musketeers head out of Queanbeyan and weave through the traffic and before long we are in Tarago. Dan and crew are nowhere to be seen but we figure they wouldn’t be far behind and continue on through the back way to Bungonia (Oallen Ford Rd). This is a nice piece of road, not much traffic….one of those forgotten gems I think, which brings you out at Marulan. Back onto the highway and into Sutton Forest service centre.
Coffee please, thanks Leonie and the bathroom, phew. Time to wait for everyone else and have a bit of a relax. I find that Daisy has broken her spotlight bracket and the light is dangling. Karl waves his magic and it’s temporarily sorted. As much as we all love going away and riding some magnificent roads that feeling that home isn’t far away seems to overtake everything. The crew finally arrive and we discover that one of the guys had a problem with his bike in Queanbeyan.
We say our goodbyes here and all hit the highway for that finally leg home. Alas, the traffic is atrocious and it’s not long before we are down to a crawl and at time stopped completely…..argh!!!! In our traffic jostling, Karl discovers Daisy has no headlight….yikes!, so we pull over and investigate. I have high beam and it’s decided that I sit between Karl and Leonie for the rest of the trip home.
Finally we arrive home just before 7:30…it’s been a long day.
Let’s see, 1894 kays for the weekend, some good memories and time to prepare for the next one.
