No Moon Tonight, From Summit to Sea, and More

[Pterodactyl_imp]

[/size]G’day All. Time for another post. Once again a dilemma, Seat Time or CB1100 Photos? There’s definitely some photos but also a little, very abbreviated, seat time narrative. I’ll go for Seat Time and hope that the other riders involved help to flesh out the narrative with their own story and photos. There is also a little “More” thrown onto the mix; totally unrelated to motorcycling but those with an aviation/military background may be interested. Let me get started.

In late January/early February, Cormanus and I embarked on a ride to the Snowy Mountains and adjacent coast. No real plan, just enjoy the ride and see where it took us. Accommodation would be split between camping and hotels, depending on weather and our mood. From Brisbane to Sydney return, Cormanus has another 2200kms and four days on the road over me, so we planned to spend eight days on our Snowy ride. In addition, Noroomtomove and Aussieflyer would ride northward from Victoria (Sale and Melbourne respectively) and join us along the way. Thus we anticipated that, at stages, we would have four CBs on the road together. Could be fun. And it was.

No Moon Tonight

At the end of day one of our ride we meet up with Noroomtomove at the town of [url= http://www.visitbraidwood.com.au]Braidwood . Staying at the Royal Mail Hotel we had our usual pub grub washed down by the usual refreshments. Experience has proven that these refreshments are absolutely critical to the proper and precise preparation of a perfect plan for the next days ride.

Dawn came early and perhaps a little too bright. With only a hazy recollection of the aforementioned plan three CBs set out from Braidwood through the Deua Wilderness area (30kms or so of dirt) and then over the wonderful Alpine Way and on to the western side of the Great Divide. In the late afternoon Cormanus led us to Indi Bridge and we made camp for the night. Indi Bridge Camp is a reserve on the banks of the upper Murray River, favoured by those who care to fish, kayak or swim. The intrepid CBers chose to eat, drink and watch a total eclipse of the moon. A Blue Moon Eclipse. Spectacular, and considering that the next for Australia is 2021, and my advancing years, I thought it prudent to stay up and observe. Over a three hour period from 11pm local the Earth’s shadow glided across the Moon and, at totality, turned the moon to a beautiful blood red orb. Difficult to photograph a total eclipse with an iPhone but the lead up will give you an idea of the perfect night for it. The CBers were very, very, impressed, perhaps even a little awed.








The Day After

Noroomtomove briefs Cormanus on the perfect plan for the day ahead



And then bathes. For those of you who have heard bad things about the land of Oz, there are no crocodiles in these waters.



The Summit

Well, someone said the Moon’s a Balloon. But that balloon had burst and we were heading for the “Roof of Australia”. When I write that, and I have done so previously on the Forum, I have a feeling that you blokes who have taken your CBs, or other, over the Rockies, the Swiss, German or Austrian Alps, the Himalayas, the Carpathians or almost anywhere, will crow that yours is bigger than ours. Well it is all we have got and we are proud of it, so go ahead, have your fun.

Above the snow line



Me, Last Blast and the Australian Alps



It’s not Marquez, it’s Cormanus getting it on



Last Blast, locked and loaded, checking the alpine scenery




On we went, twist and shout, through the Alps and on to the town of Bright where, waiting at the Alpine Hotel, was Aussieflyer and his immaculate caféd CB.



After a refreshment at the Alpine we enquired about accomodation. Camping was out of the question as a caféd CB is not the best for carrying all required. All booked out, something to do with bicycles. Cormanus finally found us lodging at a place on the outskirts of Bright. Off we wobbled to the Bright Cabin and Accomodation Park. A bit beaten up, about one star. First impression, not good. But the owners and staff were totally obliging and friendly. The majority of stayers seemed to be itinerant fruit pickers, mainly Asian, or European backpackers looking for an extended visa for rural work (don’t ask me to explain). The owners provided us with refreshments, but the kitchen was closed. Cormanus to the rescue, as usual. The CB1100 has many fine attributes but I feel it is a little over capacity and over-torqued for a pizza delivery bike. But not so. Versatile, I would say.



We slept well.
With the aroma of the Garlic Prawn Supreme and good Aussie beer, no, great Aussie beer, filling my Shoei we set sail from Bright. A good ride over the Great Alpine Road to Bruthen, on the east coast.



What good looking roosters are these




At Bruthen we said “hooray” to Noroomtomove and the three remaining CBers headed back across the Omeo Valley Highway to Mitta Mitta. What a ride, what a great ride. I led the way but became conscious of the howl of Aussieflyer’s PipeMasters beginning to intrude on my peace and quiet. Let him go I thought. Well he did go. Great lines and body movement through 100kms of very twisty road. I had to push it to keep him in sight; Cormanus said, “I’ve never ridden so fast”. With my camping gear on board I trashed another set of feeler pegs to keep up the pace. Good stuff. Thanks Aussieflyer, we loved it and want more. Much more mate, much more.

Aussieflyer, after showing us how, next morning said hooray to us and headed for home. Cormanus, positive as usual, said, “Let’s hit the hills”. And we did. After good days riding we found ourselves at Leather Barrel Creek. At 1500m AMSL it sits in the Kosciusko National Park.



A hewer of wood



And a drawer of water



The CBs



A fine fire



Cormanus contemplative




To the Sea

Cormanus and I headed east. Across the high country and down to the coast. Gillards Beach. I’ve posted about Gillards previously but am still struck by its beauty.









A beach with only your own footprints is good





The Way Home

Briefly, from Gillards to Abercrombie. Good camping again. Inland and a little dry, but good.



Then to Gloucester.

Very civilised





Next morning, Cormanus and I parted company and made our way home. Cormanus to Brisbane, and me to Sydney. Another good ride and I'm looking forward to the next.

More

On a recent ride north (that’s my excuse to post here) I looked in at an Army Air Base that I helped established in 1970. there is now an army aviation museum there. This photograph was taken with me beside an aircraft I flew several times in early 1966.



What really struck me was the aircraft was in better shape than I was. Ah well, "Such is life".

Another interesting aircraft I flew in 1969 was also on display. American cousins may recognise this as an O-!A. Yep, a Birddog. Not in its original paint scheme, but there are reasons for that.



This aircraft was “written off by battle damage” by the owners and delivered to us by CH47 at a quant little hamlet set amongst the rubber trees, namely Nui Dat, in exchange for some good Aussie beer. Our fitters worked their magic and, lo and behold, it was ours to play with. Unsurpassed as an observation and FAC machine. After years of heavy metal I still look back with affection.

Cheers

[cookiemech]

Such beautiful scenery! And it looks as though a good time was had by all . . .

[RLS_imp]

Great stuff. I am jealous.

[emptysea]

Great report about great rapport.

Thanks, Pterry!

[the Ferret]

Enjoyed that immensely..... smiling and laughing most of the time. Well done!

Any mountain is a good mountain Ptero, regardless of height, especially those followed by a trip to the sea. A Bi-fecta.

I love looking at pictures of camping (yours looked very much inviting), and I have camping gear, but the truth is I just don't enjoy doing it that much anymore. Hard to get up and down off the ground (especially a couple times a night) and can't walk on my knees anymore.

Airplanes are magical machines, as are CB's.

[VLJ_imp]

The Old Man and the SeaB1100

[jdinaz_imp]

Good Gawd....does that make ya want to get on the bike and go or what? Great write up. I hope there's a limit on the number of stories like this that can be posted, I can't take too many ! Well Done !

[pdedse]

The Old Man and the SeaB1100

Haha...nicely played.

[/size]G’day All. Time for another post. Once again a dilemma, Seat Time or CB1100 Photos? There’s definitely some photos but also a little, very abbreviated, seat time narrative. I’ll go for Seat Time and hope that the other riders involved help to flesh out the narrative with their own story and photos. There is also a little “More” thrown onto the mix; totally unrelated to motorcycling but those with an aviation/military background may be interested. Let me get started.

In late January/early February, Cormanus and I embarked on a ride to the Snowy Mountains and adjacent coast. No real plan, just enjoy the ride and see where it took us. Accommodation would be split between camping and hotels, depending on weather and our mood. From Brisbane to Sydney return, Cormanus has another 2200kms and four days on the road over me, so we planned to spend eight days on our Snowy ride. In addition, Noroomtomove and Aussieflyer would ride northward from Victoria (Sale and Melbourne respectively) and join us along the way. Thus we anticipated that, at stages, we would have four CBs on the road together. Could be fun. And it was.

No Moon Tonight

At the end of day one of our ride we meet up with Noroomtomove at the town of [url= http://www.visitbraidwood.com.au]Braidwood . Staying at the Royal Mail Hotel we had our usual pub grub washed down by the usual refreshments. Experience has proven that these refreshments are absolutely critical to the proper and precise preparation of a perfect plan for the next days ride.

Dawn came early and perhaps a little too bright. With only a hazy recollection of the aforementioned plan three CBs set out from Braidwood through the Deua Wilderness area (30kms or so of dirt) and then over the wonderful Alpine Way and on to the western side of the Great Divide. In the late afternoon Cormanus led us to Indi Bridge and we made camp for the night. Indi Bridge Camp is a reserve on the banks of the upper Murray River, favoured by those who care to fish, kayak or swim. The intrepid CBers chose to eat, drink and watch a total eclipse of the moon. A Blue Moon Eclipse. Spectacular, and considering that the next for Australia is 2021, and my advancing years, I thought it prudent to stay up and observe. Over a three hour period from 11pm local the Earth’s shadow glided across the Moon and, at totality, turned the moon to a beautiful blood red orb. Difficult to photograph a total eclipse with an iPhone but the lead up will give you an idea of the perfect night for it. The CBers were very, very, impressed, perhaps even a little awed.








The Day After

Noroomtomove briefs Cormanus on the perfect plan for the day ahead



And then bathes. For those of you who have heard bad things about the land of Oz, there are no crocodiles in these waters.



The Summit

Well, someone said the Moon’s a Balloon. But that balloon had burst and we were heading for the “Roof of Australia”. When I write that, and I have done so previously on the Forum, I have a feeling that you blokes who have taken your CBs, or other, over the Rockies, the Swiss, German or Austrian Alps, the Himalayas, the Carpathians or almost anywhere, will crow that yours is bigger than ours. Well it is all we have got and we are proud of it, so go ahead, have your fun.

Above the snow line



Me, Last Blast and the Australian Alps



It’s not Marquez, it’s Cormanus getting it on



Last Blast, locked and loaded, checking the alpine scenery




On we went, twist and shout, through the Alps and on to the town of Bright where, waiting at the Alpine Hotel, was Aussieflyer and his immaculate caféd CB.



After a refreshment at the Alpine we enquired about accomodation. Camping was out of the question as a caféd CB is not the best for carrying all required. All booked out, something to do with bicycles. Cormanus finally found us lodging at a place on the outskirts of Bright. Off we wobbled to the Bright Cabin and Accomodation Park. A bit beaten up, about one star. First impression, not good. But the owners and staff were totally obliging and friendly. The majority of stayers seemed to be itinerant fruit pickers, mainly Asian, or European backpackers looking for an extended visa for rural work (don’t ask me to explain). The owners provided us with refreshments, but the kitchen was closed. Cormanus to the rescue, as usual. The CB1100 has many fine attributes but I feel it is a little over capacity and over-torqued for a pizza delivery bike. But not so. Versatile, I would say.



We slept well.
With the aroma of the Garlic Prawn Supreme and good Aussie beer, no, great Aussie beer, filling my Shoei we set sail from Bright. A good ride over the Great Alpine Road to Bruthen, on the east coast.



What good looking roosters are these




At Bruthen we said “hooray” to Noroomtomove and the three remaining CBers headed back across the Omeo Valley Highway to Mitta Mitta. What a ride, what a great ride. I led the way but became conscious of the howl of Aussieflyer’s PipeMasters beginning to intrude on my peace and quiet. Let him go I thought. Well he did go. Great lines and body movement through 100kms of very twisty road. I had to push it to keep him in sight; Cormanus said, “I’ve never ridden so fast”. With my camping gear on board I trashed another set of feeler pegs to keep up the pace. Good stuff. Thanks Aussieflyer, we loved it and want more. Much more mate, much more.

Aussieflyer, after showing us how, next morning said hooray to us and headed for home. Cormanus, positive as usual, said, “Let’s hit the hills”. And we did. After good days riding we found ourselves at Leather Barrel Creek. At 1500m AMSL it sits in the Kosciusko National Park.



A hewer of wood



And a drawer of water



The CBs



A fine fire



Cormanus contemplative




To the Sea

Cormanus and I headed east. Across the high country and down to the coast. Gillards Beach. I’ve posted about Gillards previously but am still struck by its beauty.









A beach with only your own footprints is good





The Way Home

Briefly, from Gillards to Abercrombie. Good camping again. Inland and a little dry, but good.



Then to Gloucester.

Very civilised





Next morning, Cormanus and I parted company and made our way home. Cormanus to Brisbane, and me to Sydney. Another good ride and I'm looking forward to the next.

More

On a recent ride north (that’s my excuse to post here) I looked in at an Army Air Base that I helped established in 1970. there is now an army aviation museum there. This photograph was taken with me beside an aircraft I flew several times in early 1966.



What really struck me was the aircraft was in better shape than I was. Ah well, "Such is life".

Another interesting aircraft I flew in 1969 was also on display. American cousins may recognise this as an O-!A. Yep, a Birddog. Not in its original paint scheme, but there are reasons for that.



This aircraft was “written off by battle damage” by the owners and delivered to us by CH47 at a quant little hamlet set amongst the rubber trees, namely Nui Dat, in exchange for some good Aussie beer. Our fitters worked their magic and, lo and behold, it was ours to play with. Unsurpassed as an observation and FAC machine. After years of heavy metal I still look back with affection.

Cheers

I love this photo. Very cool trip. I usually do my mc camping trips on my KLR650 but this summer or next, I hope to undergo another CB1100 OR/Midwest trip, but camping instead of hotel$. Now I see what type of tent I want.

[Rocky_imp]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading that! Great job and obviously a super trip

[Cormanus]

There may—or may not—be more to be said about this trip in due course. For now a couple of matters deserve mention.

The first is that the record should show it was Pterodactyl who led the field into Mitta Mitta with AussieFlyer sticking like glue to his tail. I was a distance astern.

The second is that strange things happen when there's an eclipse. This phenomenon was recorded a day later.