A bit of a ride: homeward bound

[Cormanus]

Yes, Ferret. Our road safety authorities have arrived at the conclusion that alcohol and speed and other drugs are significant causes of accidents. I don't think there's much doubt about the alcohol and drugs, but there is some substantial argument about speed. Our legislators have given police power to conduct random breath tests. It's been the law here for many years now. Speaking personally only, it works as a deterrent.

Since they realised that people who have a big night probably carry some level of intoxication into the next day, they've started doing early-mid morning random breath tests. Particularly on Saturday and Sunday.

[Cormanus]

Day 27: Uralla-Pomona

747 kms

[url=https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zwzS5Q1Lo7Yk.kmoEMMvkx3I8]

Determined to get home, I was on the road reasonably early, passing a milestone just before 0730.


I’d decided the night before that, good though it is, I didn’t really want to ride the Nymboida road from Armidale to Grafton again, so I pushed north up the New England Highway to Glen Innes where I had breakfast before heading down the beautiful Gwydir Highway to Grafton. It was every bit as good as I remembered it, and just as pretty. There aren’t any photographs. It was cold; I can’t work the camera with thick gloves; and I wanted to reduce the number of stops I made.


Leaving Grafton the jacarandas were magnificent.

The road to Kyogle is quick with not many cars. I’d decided to complete the trifecta and see the only son I’d not seen on this trip. That meant calling into Brisbane. Probably because I’d ridden both the Lions Rd and the Mt Lindesay Highway a couple of times recently, and to save some time, at Kyogle, and because it’s a fantastic ride I turned right for Murwillumbah. What a great road it is.

I stopped to take this photo for RandyB to give him comfort in his view about the upside down nature of this part of the world.


Just before Murwillumbah, the rain set in again so I donned the wet weathers for the final time. I stopped for petrol and a bite to eat before making what for me was a curious discovery. I’d only ever arrived and left Murwillumbah from relatively isolated inland routes, so I had a view it was an isolated sort of place. Leaving this time, I immediately found myself on a substantial road which had me back to a major built up area in only a few minutes. A quick look at a map later showed me it was almost a dormitory suburb for a major coastal hub.

The rest of the ride home was on the freeway and not worth describing. I stopped in Brisbane for a cup of tea with my son before heading north again to Pomona.

On the morning of 8 October when I left home.


On the evening of 3 November. Home again.

I’d travelled 7,560 kms according to the odometer, visited four Australian States, melted in the heat and ridden in cold, rain and snow. I went to a MotoGP. I fulfilled a dream and rode a motorcycle from my home to Tasmania. I got to see all three of my children. And I had a fantastic time. The CB performed brilliantly in all the conditions it faced. It really is a fantastic general purpose bike.

Thanks to Pterodactyl and Jalalski for being such excellent riding companions. For the bits we did together, I had a great time. I’m sorry you weren’t with me for the rest. More thanks to Pterodactyl for his advice and tips on great NSW roads to ride. There are some really good ones.

To all of you on the CB1100 forum who’ve waded through this epic and encouraged me to keep going, thanks. I really appreciate your support and your kind words.

[redbirds_imp]

Kudos to you Cormanus for such an interesting post. I really enjoyed it.

[the Ferret]

" I’d travelled 7,560 kms according to the odometer, visited four Australian States, melted in the heat and ridden in cold, rain and snow. I went to a MotoGP. I fulfilled a dream and rode a motorcycle from my home to Tasmania. I got to see all three of my children. And I had a fantastic time. The CB performed brilliantly in all the conditions it faced. It really is a fantastic general purpose bike."



The words, used by the members that chose to comment (and we know for every one that comments there are 9 lurkers reading and enjoying), like awesome, epic, and outstanding do not begin to describe the trip you took. Nearly a month on the road. Wow! What an adventure. For you to share it with us, through text and pictures is truly a gift..for us. I am in awe of the whole thing. Thanks so much for sharing.

That you found two people to share the road with for bits and pieces, who you enjoyed their companionship and riding with, is another gift.... for you. Good riding companions can be difficult to come by, and you and Ptero have seemed to found an outstanding bond, brought together by a love of adventure and motorcycling. Happy for both of you.

As someone else commented, I really appreciate your contributions to this forum, and the day you quit riding and writing and photographing will be a sad day for all of us.

As an american friend of mine likes to say. Ride on Cormanus, " RIDE ON"

[Rocky_imp]

" I’d travelled 7,560 kms according to the odometer, visited four Australian States, melted in the heat and ridden in cold, rain and snow. I went to a MotoGP. I fulfilled a dream and rode a motorcycle from my home to Tasmania. I got to see all three of my children. And I had a fantastic time. The CB performed brilliantly in all the conditions it faced. It really is a fantastic general purpose bike."



The words, used by the members that chose to comment (and we know for every one that comments there are 9 lurkers reading and enjoying), like awesome, epic, and outstanding do not begin to describe the trip you took. Nearly a month on the road. Wow! What an adventure. For you to share it with us, through text and pictures is truly a gift..for us. I am in awe of the whole thing. Thanks so much for sharing.

That you found two people to share the road with for bits and pieces, who you enjoyed their companionship and riding with, is another gift.... for you. Good riding companions can be difficult to come by, and you and Ptero have seemed to found an outstanding bond, brought together by a love of adventure and motorcycling. Happy for both of you.

As someone else commented, I really appreciate your contributions to this forum, and the day you quit riding and writing and photographing will be a sad day for all of us.

As an american friend of mine likes to say. Ride on Cormanus, " RIDE ON"

Well stated. I couldn't have expressed it better

[CA200_imp]

In some strange way I almost feel sad that you are home and your trip is over.

[nhawk7504_imp]

As my brother would say, A-mazing! Cold and cloudy damp again in the Northeast USA so really appreciate the pics and stories from the road, Cormanus. Meat pies! I can get the Turkish/Armenian version nearby at an Armenian store and there's nothing like a good meat pie. Had em in Scotland, Ireland and Britain. - Keep the rides and stories coming! Would make a great coffee table book someday!

[emptysea]

Thank you for putting so much effort into providing us with an entertaining and informative journal of your "bit of a ride". Nhawk is right; you should print this with the pictures into a bound document so that your friends have something to read when they stop by your home and find that you are out on some new moto-adventure.

Well done.

Where ya off to next?

[Cormanus]

Thanks all for the kind words, folks. I'm pleased if you've had some pleasure from the tales. I enjoyed the riding, and writing up has given me some pleasure too.

MTC, no plans yet for future rides. I'd like to head south to Phillip Island for the World Superbikes in February, but I've some work that's been hanging around that may come to fruition early in the New Year. If so, that would, sadly, have to take priority. If I can't make the WSB, I'll see if I can talk Pterodactyl into a ride north of Sydney sometime before we come to the US in May.

[CIP57_imp]

C,

I could not have been more informed about Australia from a movie or a book. The combination of maps, pictures and documentation of your trip are first rate. In reverse order (or upside down)the climate is close to to what we would encounter in the spring up and down our east coast. Tasmania is a place I've always heard of but I now have a new respect of its origin. Thank you for sharing your beautiful country with us.