The Cormanus Chronicles: March 2017

[Cormanus]

Chapter 8
In which there is a cleansing; the Ride Down Under is declared officially completed; occurs and matters take a slightly surprising (but probably predictable) turn

25 March 2017: Around Sydney


[url=https://goo.gl/maps/E8oGAYzDMMz]Day 13: Link to Map

I stumbled downstairs to find Pterodactyl dressed and hobbling around. It was clear Mrs Pterodactyl was not completely satisfied with his state of repair; nonetheless she went out to run some errands and to see whether she could find him a Moon Boot. He, meanwhile, forced his swollen foot back into his riding boot which continued to provide great support to his injured ankle.

We adjourned to the garage where there were three filthy bikes and, having placed a supervisory stool and foot rest for Pterodactyl I set about cleaning my bike. Supervisory stool? Foot rest? Be blowed to that. Pterodactyl was up and down like a Jack-in-a-box continuing to refuse to rest his clearly painful foot. He seemed to find it more entertaining to clean my chain.

Having cleaned my CB and checked and lubed the chain, I moved on to Inhouse Bob’s bike which had to be cleaned before being returned. It almost persuaded me to get rid of the CB in favour of a plastic fantastic. The whole cleaning business is a great deal less painful!

Shortly before I finished, Mrs Pterodactyl returned and even though I managed to have her husband on his stool looking like he’d been there all the time, she announced that he was off to the hospital to have his foot looked at. He offered surprisingly little resistance and I was left with a set of keys for a car and instructions to collect Inhouse Bob from the hotel should he call before they returned.

I got the worst of the grime off Pterodactyl’s CB and made it look kind of presentable again. Then Inhouse Bob rang and I set off to collect him. Of course people were digging up the middle of Sydney just to inconvenience me and I had to do laps of various blocks to find a way into his hotel, but I got there in the end and we made our way back to Chez Pterodactyl and, under instruction, helped ourselves to lunch.

Inhouse Bob had decided he was unlikely to ride the bike in Sydney over the weekend and that he’d like to take it back that afternoon given that the shop would be open briefly at 4 pm. He agreed that I would lead him there and he would climb on the back of my bike for the ride back. We also lashed his large suitcase to the rack. I should have taken a photo! Inhouse Bob, Cormanus and a large green suitcase doing duty as a top box.

He confessed after the event that it was the first time in his life he’d ridden pillion. Choosing to try it in a strange city where they drive on the wrong side of the road behind a bloke who didn’t know where he was or where he was going or how to get there in notoriously crappy traffic was an act of considerable courage.

The news late afternoon was that Pterdactyl required surgery on his foot to pin it in place while his torn tendons healed. That was to occur the following day and he would be staying in hospital until then.

The plan for the day had Inhouse Bob taking us out to dinner as a generous thank you gesture. Mrs Pterodactyl had booked a table at the [url=http://merivale.com.au/coogeepavilion]Coogee Pavillion. But Bob and I went alone We were a bit early and stood for a while looking at the beach, the ocean and the many beautiful people. Appropriately, it drizzled lightly on us.

The Pavilion is a great barn of a place full of young, beautiful people. It had a great menu and we both had trout and a couple of beers.

Trout for dinner. Bob had changed his T-shirt a couple of times between getting off the plane and now

Inhouse Bob had a Bombe Surprise for dessert and I had a glass of wine. We drank a toast to a great—if slightly damp—ride.


Chapter 9
In which farewells are said and I ride home

26 March 2017: Sydney to Cessnock (205 kms)

The original plan had been that Pterodactyl and I would deliver Inhouse Bob to the airport and I would then start my ride home. Pterodactyl intended to join me for some of the trip and was still talking about it the previous day as he didn’t sit on his supervisory stool.

Mrs Pterodactyl had a long-standing arrangement to be away for the coming week and, after a stern talking to by their daughter agreed to go. My taking Bob to the airport would not really be feasible, so I decided to leave a day early and get some kilometres under my tyres.

I packed up and went to see Pterodactyl in hospital. He was already chafing at the bit, not sure when he would be operated on. The nature of his admission meant that other surgery would take priority.

We said our farewells. I went and had lunch with my eldest son and his partner, before heading back to Pterodactyl’s house, to load the bike and make my convoluted way back to Inhouse Bob’s hotel to say farewell.


[url=https://goo.gl/maps/JuJwvFjDiPU2]Day 14: Link to Map

It was a glorious day and, by the time I got to the other side of the harbour, I was missing my companions. It was odd looking in the mirror and not seeing the other bikes behind me. I was sorry, too, that it may well be a while before I get to ride again with Inhouse Bob. He was an excellent companion both on and off the road. A great bloke, and welcome Down Under any time.

As I say, it was a lovely afternoon and I made my way north on dry roads, past a number of landmarks from our first ride with Inhouse Bob.

It was a bit late for a pie




Bridge over the Hawkesbury


Photo opportunity for someone

Somewhere at the lower left of the flare in the next picture one can discern the sign for Lemming Corner (oft written about by us Australians). Authorities, bored with scraping bikes and bikers off its surface, have spent lots of money ridding of it of the decreasing radius that provided all the fun. It’s still a splendid bit of road, although I prefer the longer, sweeping corners on the top of the hill to its south.


At Wollembi I turned right onto the road for Cessnock which I’d not ridden before. Another excellent ride and worth another visit someday.

Not far north of Wollembi I passed another milestone




Wollembi to Cessnock

I stopped for fuel at Bellbird, essentially a southern suburb of Cessnock, and realised I was tired, so I started looking for a hotel. I chose the Hotel Cessnock for no reason other than it was there. It turned out to be a good choice. The owner gave me a garage to lock the bike in; the room was clean and even had a television; the bed was comfortable; a simple breakfast was included; the beer was cold and the menu was good. I had duck with poached pear and a glass of wine or two.


I checked in with Pterodactyl’s daughter. He had not been operated on due to the number of other more pressing patients; she hoped he’d be done the following day.
27 March 2017: Cessnock to Brisbane (878.2 kms)


[url=https://goo.gl/maps/w6p5nZL4PUm]Day 15: Link to Map

It was a good-looking morning. Of course. There was no longer any need to impress overseas visitors. I had a cup of tea and something to eat before making my way downstairs and loading the bike. Although it would be a long ride by my standards, I thought I might have a go at getting home that day, while remaining willing to stop early if I felt too tired.

Things got off to an irritating start: I realised I was riding into the sun; but it quickly got worse when, within about 10 minutes, I hit a section of gravel road, some of which was under repair. It was new base, just being graded and it was, without compare, the worst surface I’d ridden on in a trip that had thrown up a few. It was loose and slippery and I was very relieved indeed to get through it and back on to a firm surface without falling off.

Then, as I closed in on Maitland, the fog settled in. I wasn’t too worried, but after a while I realised it was insidious and slightly worse than the pouring rain of three days ago. Your visor slowly but certainly mists over and can fog up inside. You can’t ride nearly fast enough for the wind to blow the water off, and you get gradually wetter. It’s like putting a frog in cold water and bringing it to the boil.

By the time I reached Wollarobba the fog had blown away and I rode the final section to Dungog warming gradually and enjoying the sun.



I stopped to change my gloves for a pair with a rubber membrane that allows me to wipe my visor and these chaps were curious.

I refuelled and took coffee in Gloucester before pressing on up Thunderbolts Way. It was Monday, there wasn’t much traffic and I made good time to Armidale where I again refuelled.

Leaving Gloucester












Gloucester to Armidale


Evidence of bushfires on the road to Armidale


Grazing country on the plateau of the Great Dividing Range


Another milestone about 6 kms south of Walcha


Walcha
The knocking sound that seemed to be emanating from the chain at low revs was back as I left Armidale. I stopped and pushed and pulled and tested the chain tension and could see nothing wring other than a mountain of dirt, so I kept going on a quick sweep across the plateau, before beginning the 100 km decent to Grafton. I’ve said enough about this road in the past and it was every bit as good this day as it’s ever been.

As I was getting ready to ride on after looking at the chain, three swiftly moving sports bikes went past. I caught glimpses of them occasionally, but they were travelling faster than me. But somewhere on the way down the hill to Grafton, I was following a car around a corner and saw three blokes pushing a sport bike out of a ditch at the apex of a sharp turn. I slowed to see if they needed help, but was quickly waved on.




At Coutts Crossing I stopped to respond to nature’s call. I took this photo of the bike but didn’t notice the sign until days later when I uploaded the picture!

The sport bike boys rode past again—all three of them—so I assume little harm was done.

I refuelled at South Grafton, had a long, lazy cup of tea, took pity on a young man and bought a can of wonder goop for cleaning and waxing the bike without washing it. I also gave the chain a good dose of oil which I didn’t think it needed. Apparently it did. The knocking noise went away.

And then it was onto the highway—it does not rate as a slab for a good 130 kms north. It’s old and pretty enough and, although there’s lots of traffic, it moves well.

I’ve always really liked the northern rivers of New South Wales. They’re wide and slow moving and pretty as they wind their way through sugar cane fields. There are some pretty old bridges too, of the kind that use counterweights to lift a centre span. No doubt the endless reconstruction of the highway will soon render them redundant.


Approaching this second bridge, you get to read a new sort of road sign in Australia. It warns you of an Average Speed Safety Camera.


The gantry in this picture is fitted with the dreaded cameras which photograph your number plate as you pass. It is then photographed somewhere further along the road and a computer works out whether your average speed has been within the limit. If not, it’s demerit points and a fine.


From a little south of Ballina to the Queensland border, the highway is now dual lane both ways. This modern-looking tunnel is a feature. Further north are two substantial bridges crossing over the road. They are covered in trees and bushes and were put there for wildlife in an attempt to reduce the amount of road kill. It was dark when I got to them so there are no photos.


Another cup of tea at Chinderah and then it was back on the bike for the final 120 kms home. It had been a long day—about 11 hours and nearly 880 kms. I was pleased to be home. All up I’d ridden just under 5,500 kms in the 15 days I’d been away.

An exchange of texts during the day told me that Inhouse Bob’s departure from Sydney had been delayed by 5 hours—which must have been very frustrating for him. His message said two hours of it had been to change a light bulb! I was home well before he got as far as Dallas. Pterodactyl’s surgery had been delayed again and reports had him very frustrated.

The weather had not been kind, which was a great pity for Inhouse Bob who had come an awful long way to ride around in a rain proof suit. Notwithstanding the weather, I enjoyed nearly all the riding as well as the chance to ride with friends old and new. I also enjoyed seeing four CBs together in one place. Can’t match the US rally or our Taiwanese friends, but it was OK just the same.

Thanks for coming Inhouse Bob. Thanks to Tezza, noroomtomove and Pterodactyl for the support, advice and assistance leading up to the ride and along the way. And not to forget aussie59 who turned up to say g’day and aussieflyer who was prevented by work from joining us in Omeo.

I know from other posts that noroomtomove, Tezza and Inhouse Bob have been riding again. Me too. Pterodactyl as at the time of writing is mastering his crutches in good spirits. He’ll not be back on the bike for a number of weeks.

As always, it’s a treat to ride the CB1100. It just keeps on going. And it was a real joy to ride the final 100 or so kilometres in the dark. I’ve always like riding at night when there aren’t things that jump out at you; the glow of the CB’s instruments makes it a real pleasure.