The Cormanus Chronicles: The Dolt Report

[Cormanus]

9 of 2017

Introduction

One of the many reasons I hung around on this forum was because some people seemed to appreciate what started out as modest little ride reports. Of course, they became larger and larger and larger, although I hope they retained their essential modesty. Of course it was purely selfish on my part: there was some need in me to write. But, with something to write about, fuelled by positive feedback, there was no stopping me.

Time goes by, though, and, while the enjoyment both of riding and writing continues, life's circumstances have conspired to leave me with less time for both activities. More than that, though, I've found it a bit hard to get motivated to write about roads traversed and described before. And how many lanyard-cam photos of bits of road does a person want to see?

That's why this report's been a-while coming. It's also why it will be abbreviated as I'm not going to spend too much time talking about roads already ridden a number of times.

The other reason for abbreviation is that the dastardly Pterodactyl [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=11837]scooped many of the interesting bits of the ride.

Which brings me to the title of the report.

Australia, some say, is blessed by the gift of an immigrant reporter, employed by the global empire of the former Australian, now US citizen, Rupert Murdoch. The reporter's name is Andrew Bolt and he hosts a television program called [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bolt_Report]The Bolt Report. Not being a Foxtel subscriber, I have no access to cable TV, can't watch The Bolt Report and make no comment on it. I will say only that Bolt is a darling of the political left, curiously not because they agree with a word he says, but more because they'd lose another whipping boy if he were silenced. As with all successful agents provocateur, Bolt's opponents have failed to realise the wisdom of ignoring him.

Anyway, as Pterodactyl was kind enough to refer to me as a 'dolt' in his essay, the Dolt Report this shall be.

Day 1: 16 October 2017, Brisbane to Walcha (598 kms)



[url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=1oWwJ_vrf_RSeq9H1ibsmebQZiJqaHs67&usp=sharing]Link to Day 1 map

The forecast was for rain until late in the day. It was overcast as I left home and I was ready for a quick stop to put on the wets. After the [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10537]Ride Down Under, when I spent days with boots full of water, I'd bought some new over-boots. I was faced with one of the motorcyclist's dilemmas: do I want it to rain so I can see if my new kit works, or would I rather never know? I now don't remember how long it was before I stopped and put on all my waterproof gear; I do know I was over the border into New South Wales before I got showered on.

That was to be the pattern for the rest of the day: dry patches then showers. I kept my wets on all the way to Walcha where I checked into the local pub for the night.

The waterproof over-boots worked well.

My route for the day took me along the Mt Lindsay Highway over the border; down the Summerland Way to Grafton and then up the glorious Grafton-Armidale Road to the top of the Great Dividing Range. There's a description in [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10076]this ride report.

Other blokes on their way to the GP and staying at Walcha invited me to join them and we made a reasonable evening of it.

The CB outside Fusspots Tea House at Ebor, a welcome oasis in an otherwise rather bleak and chilly spot


A milestone passed somewhere between Ebor and Armidale

There are no other photos. It was too miserable.
Day 2: 17 October 2017, Walcha to Sydney (649 kms)


[url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=1K9wlMiWsHqEDAKKQmCp7mv3tcm04MGBO&usp=sharing]Link to Day 2 Map

Although perhaps not in showroom condition, I was up early and on the way. The forecast was better, but it was overcast and I wondered how long it would be before the wets came out again. I recall the mist closing in as I rode down Thunderbolts Way, but I didn't put them on and from Gloucester on the weather got better and better.

I've written often about Thunderbolts Way. There's one report [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=4414&pid=66273#pid66273]here.


Just outside Walcha at the start of Day 2


The flat, quick northern part of Thunderbolts Way with slightly ominous weather to the south


Heading into the mist

At Gloucester I stopped for fuel and then found a quiet spot where I could haul the bike on to the centre stand and give the chain a good lube. It had been making an occasional clunking noise during the morning and I hoped it was pretty dry from the rain day before. I say 'hoped' because it had actually started clunking on the Ride Down Under-where it got seriously wet and pretty muddy as well-but I'd kept it well lubed and it had been OK in the succeeding months.

I also took the luggage off the bike and put the AirHawk cushion on under my newly acquired sheepskin seat cover which, while a great improvement on the stock seat, was not quite enough for my apparently over-sensitive backside.

After a cup of coffee, it was off to Singleton via Dungog along a road I enjoy more every time I ride it. It's covered briefly in the report linked to above, including telling of an uncomfortable period following a cattle truck.


Climbing onto the ridge between Gloucester and Singleton

From Singleton, I headed for the Putty Road, a favourite of Sydney motorcyclists. Boring as bat guano when you first join it, it is not too long before you leave the plain and make your way into a long valley. This section-the '10 Mile'-towards the northern end is famed for its twisties. The surface is excellent; so too the scenery. Pterodactyl, Tezza and I rode it on the way South to the Ride Down Under-see [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10537]here.

I stopped for Lunch at the Grey Gum International Café somewhere south of the 10 Mile.


A Grey Gum burger for lunch

A bleat: Australians like their bread and in recent decades more and more speciality bakers have appeared offering tasty and interesting bread. So, why do fast food shops continue to install otherwise excellent burgers with equally excellent trimmings in tasteless rolls (buns) made of unhealthy white flour?

Fortified by the burger, I decided it was such a glorious day that I had time to ride the 10 Mile the other way and then make my way down the Wollombi Road to the Old Pacific Highway. The remaining stretch of the Putty Road is a good ride, but the 10 Mile is better and the stretch of the Wollombi Road from Wollombi to Central Mangrove is quick and really enjoyable.




On the 10 Mile

Leaving the hamlet of Wollombi, the road takes one through a valley and gradually uphill until you come to Lemming Corner, famous as a decreasing-radius corner on which motorcyclists come to grief. Its approaches are set about with dire warnings to slow down. Apparently they're not very effective as people keep falling off there.




Warnings on the approach to Lemming Corner. It's a relief to get through it without coming off!

The Old Pacific Highway would be a glorious ride if it were not ridiculously speed limited; even so, it's much more enjoyable than the slab and there's a couple of OK cafés where it's good to stop for a late afternoon cup of tea. This time I stopped at the Old Road Café where I made one of those gender-based assumptions of which modern man should be ashamed. There was a middle-aged bloke in a well-worn leather jacket and an attractive young woman in smart black leathers sitting at a table chatting and drinking tea. A beautiful red Firebird and an older smaller bike were clearly theirs and I made the assumption that the older bloke was taking the younger woman out for some practice. When the woman got on the Firebird, I realised the error of my assumption.

From there I rode a little further before joining the slab for the run into Sydney where I spent an agreeable evening with my son and his fiancée.
Day 3: 18 October 2017, Sydney to Moss Vale (234 kms)


[url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jcUyUrnU3iv3B3cIsPRnJOu1Jq8loJm0&usp=sharing]Link to Day 3 Map

After breakfast with my son, I set off across Sydney for a cup of coffee with Pterodactyl. We hatched a plan for the following day and tightened and lubed my chain in the hope that it would cure the noise it was making.

I then set out for the very pretty Royal National Park. For all that it's heavily speed limited and over trafficked, it's a great ride and, on a good day, deposits you pretty much on Stanwell Tops.





Views of the Royal National Park. I followed the bloke on the cruiser all the way through as there are very few places to pass and, anyway, there's little point. I had occasion to reflect, not for the first time, that, from the rear, the riders of that style of bike look more than a little odd.

I stopped at Stanwell Tops for lunch. Last time I was there-on the Ride Down Under with Pterodactyl and Inhouse Bob-it was a hideous day- [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=11837](see Pterodactyl's report).

This is part of the view Inhouse Bob would have seen if the weather hadn't been quite so vile on the day we passed through

I then followed the route Pterodactyl was to take the next day, although my ascent of the Macquarie Pass was completely the opposite of his as there'd been accident.

The approach to Macquarie Pass


But it was a slow ascent


I had time to kill so I treated myself to a sneak preview of Kangaroo Valley


The bridge at Kangaroo Valley


The Great Dividing Range from Kangaroo Valley

I had a hilarious night with my relatives in Moss Vale during which I uncovered this remarkable piece of research.

Day 4: 19 October 2017, Moss Vale to Braidwood (356 kms)

[url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UKUc7KUVt2qXJ5gfCMEr4Bxg039wZ6ZA&usp=sharing]Link to Day 4 map

Feeling slightly second hand, I left the relatives early-ish in the morning and treated myself to another ride down Kangaroo Valley and then via a beautiful road to Berry. It was not in spectacular condition, but, hey, it was lovely.

After a healthy romp back up the escarpment via the beautiful Jamberoo road, I met Pterodactyl at the Robertson Pie Shop.


On the road between Kangaroo Valley and Berry


it was a glorious day! On the slab heading north to meet Pterodactyl

Heading up the Jamberoo road to the Robertson Pie Shop

From this point, things get a bit complicated from a narrative point of view as the Pterodactyl scoop covers the ensuing events.