The Cormanus Chronicles: March 2017

[Cormanus]

Chapter 3
In which Inhouse Bob, Pterodactyl and Cormanus venture south, make a new acquaintance, enjoy tea, scones and cream and another rider joins the team

17 March 2017: Sydney to Targo (369.5 kms)

Day 5: Link to Map

Early the next morning we were off again to meet Inhouse Bob. Nothing was left to chance and we left Pterodactyl’s house fully armoured against the rain. Inhouse Bob was similarly prepared when we arrived.

We set off in overcast, but not too appalling conditions and made our way out of Sydney. Our planned ride had to be changed as an inlet in the Royal National Park was closed by flooding, but we had an alternative that would at least allow us to see the southern part of the park. By the time we got to Waterfall, where we entered the park, it was raining again and we dodged the leaf litter and debris as we made our way along what would otherwise have been a most agreeable ride.

At Stanwell Tops we stopped to show Bob the view …

Photo courtesy of Pterodactyl

… before making our way down the hill to ride along the Seacliff Bridge. There are some photos of that bridge towards the end of [url= [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10076&pid=163755]http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10076&pid=163755 - pid163755] this post but, even though there was much less rain at sea level, my camera was deeply buried.

A quick ride up a hill from which we were going to see nothing, and it was down to sea level again to refuel and meet with aussie59 and his wife. Prudently, they did not arrive on aussie59’s CB, although it would have been good to get a photo of this low-mileage machine. We had to make do with photos of aussie59 and his wife in the dry of the Figtree branch of Macdonalds.

aussie59, Inhouse Bob, Cormanus, Pterodactyl

Inhouse Bob, Mrs aussie59, Cormanus, Pterodactyl

The obvious lesson from the morning’s ride was that height and rain intensity were directly proportional. Macquarie Pass—a splendid and beautiful ride from near to Figtree to Robertson—was closed due to flooding, another omen that climbing the range again was not a good plan.

But, unencumbered as I was by reflection on the morning or contemplation of the omens, I led the team up through the Jamberoo Valley to Robertson. It was raining properly at Robertson with reduced visibility and a certain relentlessness. We soldiered on and turned down into Kangaroo Valley, a new road for me and an otherwise pretty and entertaining ride. The nearer we go to the bottom, the more the rain eased and the final leg of the ride to Bomaderry was mostly dry.

Following Tezza’s excellent instructions, we found his sister’s house and were greeted by Sue and Lou with a cup of tea, scones, jam, cream and an inspection of Lou’s car restoration business. Thank you Sue and Lou. It was a welcome respite.

We were also greeted by a limping Tezza. Gravel, rain and weight had conspired to land a heavy weight on his leg. It’s his story to tell.

From Bomaderry we were four on the ride to Tarago. It didn’t rain, but there are no photos as we weren’t game to take off our wet weather gear and my camera was buried somewhere in my luggage.

There’s this photo as we arrived at the [url=http://www.loadeddoghotel.com/]Loaded Dog Hotel where we spent the night, warm, fed and lubricated.

End of Day 1 at the Loaded Dog, Tarago

The Loaded Dog is named for a short story by Australian writer Henry Lawson, which can be read [url=http://alldownunder.com/australian-authors/henry-lawson/loaded-dog.htm]here.

18 March 2017Tarago to Cooma (420 kms)

[url=https://goo.gl/maps/LmqfX8EBZYU2]Day 6: Link to Map

Inhouse Bob started the day with an introduction to Vegemite. He ate but a smear. Wise man.


The first part of the day’s ride took us to Canberra, Australia’s capital, where we rode a lap of the Parliament before heading out again and on to Braidwood. Of course, on the way to Braidwood, it started to rain again.

Tezza bought something from a place called Bob Moto and claimed a sticker for Inhouse Bob’s bike





On the road to Canberra

Approaching the Parliament which is built into a hill




And now, the moment we’ve all been expecting: wets on. No more photos!

At Braidwood we stopped for a cup of coffee and food for some. If I lived in Braidwood, I’d have to go there at least once each day. Over coffee, Pterodactyl explained that the ride around Canberra had not been quite what he hoped as a bit of his audio set up malfunctioned and he couldn’t hear his GPS. We were also derailed, as it were, by road closures which meant at least one view point I wanted to take in was inaccessible.

We also refuelled and set off with Pterodactyl in the lead in search of a back road that would take us to Cooma where we were to meet noroomtomove.

Knowing Pterodactyl had ridden the route before I didn’t worry when he sailed past a sign pointing to Cooma. I’d already forgotten about the malfunction in the GPS set up.

We made our way down what could be a lovely road if it weren’t pouring with rain until we came almost to Araluen where Pterodactyl pulled over beside an intersection. He confessed he’d missed the turn off. GPS and Google were consulted and we realised the road to our right would take us to Captains Flat, on the road we wanted to take. I set off in the lead past the ominously named Catholic Cemetery Road and Church of England Cemetery Road—apparently the sectarian divide near Araluen is profound.

The road was not good and before too long I saw that the bitumen was going to give way to gravel which looked rather too greasy for my taste. I pulled over for a team conference and Pterodactyl sailed past. Shrugging my shoulders metaphorically (maybe literally too; I can no longer be sure), I set off after him with Inhouse Bob then Tezza bringing up the rear.

The road was greasy and it began to climb. At one point, negotiating a rut, I slowed down too much and had to stop. As I started off again the bike started to fall away underneath me. The adrenalin rush allowed me to haul it back up and save myself being muddy as well as wet, and I was grateful to Inhouse Bob who insouciantly parked the BMW and gave me a push. In the light of later events, I suspect Inhouse Bob was actually enjoying this bit.

Further on, I started to turn into a corner and saw Pterodactyl standing in the road pointing up the hill. I stopped and gradually it dawned on me that he was standing and his CB was lying on its side pointing down the hill. There was a large tree across the road.

And still the rain fell.

I should have paused, dug out the camera and taken photos. But I didn’t. It seemed a bit heartless. Pterodactyl and I righted his bike with some difficulty and it became apparent he’d sustained a minor injury. He stopped for the tree, tried to turn the bike, got his foot caught in a rut and the bike went over on it. The foot-peg dug into his ankle, which he thought he had twisted to boot and he was in some pain. But he could walk and ride the bike.

The CB, by the way, was fine. It had been a very gentle put down and, other than a coat of mud on the Staintune and other right-hand extremities, it was in perfect working order.

Which, as it happened, was just as well as the likelihood of any traffic where we were was approaching zero.

It was no at anti-climactic riding back down the hill. It was a relief to get off the mud and on to the gravel. By the time Inhouse Bob, Pterodactyl and I made it to the bottom, Tezza was in conversation with a bloke in an ancient Land Rover who was telling him that just past Araluen was more dirt.

So back we went to Braidwood where we stopped for another coffee before retracing our steps almost to Canberra to find the less interesting route to Cooma.

Noroomtomove was waiting for us and we abandoned our plan to ride to Jindabyne for the night and found two rooms in the Alpine Hotel. We put Pterodactyl in the single room and it began to dawn on me that things were not good when he turned down a beer in favour of lying with his foot up the wall and his ankle wrapped in ice.

Even though it was the first time four Australian CB1100’s from the forum had been in the same place at the same time, I was too tired even to think about a photo.