The existential Motorcycle Librarian

An adventure is good for the soul!

2008-09-03T04:48:00.001-07:00

RIMG0204, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

Managed to string together 4 days for a motorcycle ride. Catching up with my friends Bryan and Bruce from Victoria and heading in the general direction of outback NSW.

gs departure

2008-09-03T04:44:00.001-07:00

gs departure, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

A week of preparation was as much fun as the trip. Trying to find that optimum balance between weight and necessity. First time I had used soft panniers (Andy Strapz). I was very impressed with these bags, better than the headcase BM panniers. Also used a mountain design waterproof tough sack (blue bag) which was awesome. Intend to buy another one.

The night before leaving I had a big night out attending the Australian Himalayan Foundation dinner. It was a great night and an honor to hear Peter Hillary talk about his famous father Ed. The next day we. The 6:00am start was a tough call. Said my goodbyes to my wife and kids and headed off.

Goulburn Cafe

2008-09-03T04:43:00.003-07:00

Goulburn Cafe, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

The rendevous point was Goulburn at the Rimbolin Cafe. I discovered the Rimbolin Cafe 10 years ago and always drop in for a coffee and a snack; being 2 hours from Sydney it's a great first port of call for southerly trips. The food is excellent and healthy; which is not always the case in some of the town cafes on offer. After a refuelling for the bikes and humans we set off for Griffith.

rd to boorwa

2008-09-03T04:43:00.001-07:00

rd to boorwa, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

We passed through Crookwell and headed on to Boorowa. The road was a combination of sealed and gravel sections and the scenery was absolutely brilliant. Rolling hills with granite boulders strewn across the landscape. This was an area of Australia that I had not travelled to prior (true for much of this trip) and once again demonstrated just how diverse our country is with regards to scenery.

Guzzi at boorwa

2008-09-03T04:42:00.003-07:00

Guzzi at boorwa, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

At Boorowa we stopped to regroup. Bryan riding an 80's BM r80 road bike could not negotiate the gravel sections with the same finesse as the GS and Quota. Ahh yes the motoguzzi Quota is a fine bike indeed. Those Italians know how to create a beautiful motorbike!

temorra wet weather

2008-09-03T04:42:00.001-07:00

temorra wet weather, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

The weather slowly deteriorated so we decided to stop and change into the wet weather gear. Once you are wet on a motorbike it quickly becomes a miserable affair as wind chill quickly combines with damp gear.

20km outside Griffith

2008-09-03T04:41:00.005-07:00

20km outside Griffith, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

Our plan was to camp at the Coccoparra national Park on the outskirts of Griffith however; with the continuous rain and the onset of dusk we came to the conclusion that the dirt roads would be to muddy and the site itself would be hard to find at night. The soil around Griffith is a reddish orange clay and when wet becomes extremely slippery. Bryan's BM was fitted with narrow road tyres so we thought he might find the going difficult. The up side was a nice warm motel!

Breakfast and then lunch at Griffith

2008-09-03T04:41:00.003-07:00

Breakfast and then lunch at Griffith, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

Griffith ended up being a place to indulge in food and the odd glass of wine and beer. We headed out and found an excellent Indian restaurant, the $25.00 banquet was superb. The following morning we visited the local bakery and had breakfast, coffee, morning tea, more coffee and then headed off. Should we become stranded without food we figured we would be OK for at least 7 days considering what we had consumed. Griffith was a great town, very prosperous in appearance and multicultural with regards to the population. I will certainly return to Griffith and also visit the Coccoparra National Park which had been much anticipated in the planning of this trip.

road to Lake cargelligo

2008-09-03T04:41:00.001-07:00

road to Lake cargalligo, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

From Griffith we rode to Hillston. The country side was relatively green for such an arid climate. At Hillston we stopped at the Local Cafe and had a chat to a guy from Dubbo who was waiting for 6 other riders. They were headed to the Flinders Ranges and then up the Birdsville track. We were very envious of their trip but unfortunately with only 4 days off it was not a possibility for us. We have pencilled in a 10 day desert adventure for next year!

From Hillston we headed off to Lake Cargelligo. The road to lake Cargelligo was predominantly dirt and we had a lot of fun speeding across the gravel road. We sat on around 100kph as the big duel purpose bikes soaked up the ruts and bumps. This is what we were searching for; great roads and an awesome semi arid backdrop. The sky was a deep blue and the horizon was far off due to the flat nature of the geography. I'm sure it gets as hot as hell here in summer but on the day we passed through it was a beautiful mild day.

Guzzi on the road to Lake Cargalligo

2008-09-03T04:40:00.003-07:00

Guzzi on the road to Lake Cargalligo, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

I love this photo; the bikes and the road stretching out ahead. Umm makes me want to jump on my bike and head off again!

Bryan and BM road to lake Cargelligo

2008-09-03T04:40:00.001-07:00

Bryan and BM road to lake Cargelligo, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

Bryan found the going on the gravel sections a little more challenging on his road bike. He had a great ride just had to travel at a slower speed. We would stop every 30-50 minutes and re-group.

Lake Cargelligo

2008-09-03T04:39:00.003-07:00

Lake Cargelligo, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

I wish this road had continued for another 500km, just didn't want to stop. So much fun!

Lake Cargelligo

2008-09-03T04:39:00.001-07:00

Lake Cargelligo, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

We arrived at Lake Cargelligo and dropped into the local visitor information centre. The volunteer in the info centre was fantastic and recommended that we camp at the weir; 20km out of town. Before we headed off we dropped by the local pub for a beer and a 6 pack of old. Life was good!

I was surprised to see that the lake was full. The volunteer in the centre referred to a natural disaster in the area over the last Christmas period when the whole area was flooded. The road leaving town was still being repaired from the damage of the floods. This was a land of extremities! Supposedly a number of dropouts live around this area. People who have opted out of society to live a simple life; occasionally coming into town to collect their social security payment and buy suppliers. Well that's what a friend said who worked in the mines around here? The life of the hermit has it's appeal, but I'm sure it's a hard path to take.

Lake Cargelligo Weir

2008-09-03T04:38:00.003-07:00

Lake Cargelligo Weir, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

Another great road to our destination. After; well an easy day, it was time for a beer on the banks of the creek. The words of my friend Peter rang in my head, 'watch out for red river gums; they are widow makers'. He was referring to where we placed our tents; i.e. not under a tree. But when I looked up at the trees on the bank I could see a huge branch dangling above, ready to let go at any moment. I raised the stubbie to Pete and had a swig in honor of he's sagely knowledge.

Lake Cargelligo

2008-09-03T04:38:00.001-07:00

Lake Cargelligo, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

A camp fire; is there anything better than sitting around a fire with the stars above. We sipped our whisky and talked into the night!

Road to Condobolin

2008-09-03T04:37:00.001-07:00

Road to Condobolin, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

GS Road to Condobolin

2008-09-03T04:36:00.001-07:00

GS Road to Condobolin, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

condobolin cafe

2008-09-03T04:35:00.001-07:00

condobolin cafe, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

Lake Wyangala

2008-09-03T04:34:00.001-07:00

Lake Wyangala , originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

Lake Wyangala

2008-09-03T04:33:00.001-07:00

Lake Wyangala , originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

Lake Wyangala camp fire

2008-09-03T04:31:00.003-07:00

Lake Wyangala camp fire, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

Lake Wyangala

2008-09-03T04:31:00.001-07:00

Lake Wyangala, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

Lake Wyangala Kangaroos

2008-09-03T04:30:00.003-07:00

Lake Wyangala Kangaroos, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

Lake Wyangala

2008-09-03T04:30:00.001-07:00

Lake Wyangala, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.

Lake Wyangala

2008-09-03T04:29:00.003-07:00

Lake Wyangala, originally uploaded by Rossco2008.