The Queensland/New South Wales Chapter of the CB1100 Forum

[Cormanus]

Part 4—Tuesday 12 August 2014

Galas in 4WDs was one problem; the other was the prevalence of livestock wandering about on the road. Often they looked like they didn’t appreciate being interrupted.




We forged on, eventually coming to the valley along the upper reaches of the Macleay River.




I thought wistfully of stopping, producing a thermos and having a cup of tea while contemplate the river. Another dream: I wasn’t carrying a thermos.

Pterodactyl was in front of me and I startled a young cow which then insisted on running along the road in front of me. I probably could have chased it all the way to Bellbrook and established its top speed, but I kept stopping in the hope it would move far enough off the road that I could pass it without startling it. It obviously felt like being chased and ran along happily in front of me for quite a way before finally leaving the road.

By then the Pterodactyl was a long way ahead, although I didn’t know it. I spent the next 20 or so kilometres wondering whether he’d pulled off the road and I hadn’t seen him or would be waiting for me down the track. I decided to keep going and not long afterwards returned to the sealed road and allowed myself to ride hard onto the small town of Bellbrook. There, waiting for me in front of the local pub was Pterodactyl.


I’m not sure why, but he looked happier than me about it.


As we rested briefly, I admired the dust collected on Pterodactyl’s oil cooler


A car full of locals stopped, climbed out and admired the bikes. I realised with some alarm that they were all clutching ‘travellers’—Australian for beers carried in the car to quench the thirst between watering holes. Amusing, at least until you realise the likelihood that these blokes are working on ‘travellers’ for much of the day bringing about a gradual but certain reduction in driving capacity. Wouldn’t want to meet them later in the day.

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful except for two things. The first was the really excellent road from Bellbrook to Kempsey which, after carefully negotiating 90 plus kilometres of dirt down the hill, was truly a delight. We both indulged ourselves with an absence of traffic and some quick riding.

The second thing was that my enjoyment of this road was very slightly marred by the real wheel starting to slide out from under me on a right-hand corner. I think I hit a rock because the tyres gripped again immediately. But it caused me to slow down for a bit and contemplate how I managed right-hand corners in particular. This concern was to stay with me most of the way home.

With the benefit of hindsight, I wonder whether my subsequent insistence that I must have hit a rock or gravel or something didn’t plant the seeds of [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=3758]this splendid rant in Pterodactyl’s mind to germinate and bloom at Lemming corner on the way home.

In any event, it was my responsibility entirely.

We spent the evening in South West Rocks, a lovely spot and a favourite haunt of Pterodactyl’s. I thought the fish and chips ordinary—there was no gravy on the chips this time, Ferret—and my comrade worked assiduously on his sustained assault on my memory capacity.

Sleep again came easily.

Part 4 ends here.