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A ride for Eric
I was more distressed by the news of OldF7Guy’s sudden death than I expected. Why would I be so saddened by the death of a man I knew only from his written words on a motorcycle forum? Maybe it was because there’s been a recent death in my wife’s family and the tragic loss of a colleague’s wife to cancer at far-too-young an age. Maybe it’s that everyone who spends time on the forum takes on a character that we all get to know and we develop some sort of relationship with them. Maybe it’s all of those things. In any event, the whole business of dying is a bit close to the surface of my life this week.
Call me self serving if you will, but I decided the proper way to commemorate Eric—a friend I never met—was to go for a ride on my CB1100. I was disappointed when I got up to grey skies and a weather map that showed an enormous rain front crossing the hinterland towards me. I settled down in front of the computer to check the forum and the news and do some other on-line chores. After a time it dawned on me that the rain had stopped and the sun was struggling to make its way through the cloud.
The weather radar looked good, so it was on with the gear and onto the bike.
[url=https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zwzS5Q1Lo7Yk.klagUj4cQhWw]
Click on the map to link to the Google Maps Engine if you want greater detail
I had some errands to run, so decided to do them on the way. Hence my route took me first to Cooroy and then to Noosaville. Somehow I found myself on the scenic route between the two. There’s a really pretty ride along the ridge from Cooroy and then down into Noosaville. Business transacted, I turned my nose east. My only obligation was to be back in Cooroy before 1645 to collect the trousers I was having repaired.
I rode straight out and over the Highway, turning left to take a detour over Gold Creek Rd which I’ve only just discovered. A great diversion on the CB1100, scenic and some lovely twists and turns. I also detoured along Moy Pocket Road which took me a little out of my way. It’s a nice ride though and it makes available a lovely twisty section of the Mary Valley Road.
Of course I stopped to have an excellent hamburger and a cup of coffee at the Bellbird Creek Tea House. Mine host, Peter, told me of an interesting ride he’d done a bit further east-southeast and out to the coast. I resolved to do it another day.
The CB1100 at the Bellbird Creek Tea House, a favourite haunt. You turn right at the end of the drive and you’re straight into the twisties
Heading south, Bellbird Creek sits towards the northern end of a really excellent set of twisties. It was a pleasure to turn south and ride them again. I never tire of them. As I came out of them I noted a bridge with a sign to a road on the other side of the Mary River. I’ve not ridden it, so I added it to my mental list.
Just before Conondale, I stopped to take this photo of the Mary River.
The Mary River near Conondale. The pushed over tree to the right is an indication of the consequences of 15 inches of rain in 48 hours. The river drains quickly
There’s a difficult choice just east of Conondale—keep on the main road for the fantastic climb up the hill to Maleny or turn right for a quick ride along the fun and mostly deserted Ahearns Road to the Postmans Track. I took the latter.
Leaving Conondale. Maleny is at the top of the range in the background
The upper reaches of the Mary River can be seen along Ahearns Road
The countryside along Ahearns Road is very pretty
Ahearns Road turns into the Postmans Track. I’ve mentioned in another report that it has a number of dips designed to keep traffic to a reasonable speed. I suspect you could easily bottom out your suspension and then get airborne if you took one at at speed coming down the hill
Postmans Track exists onto the wonderful Maleny-Stanley River Road. It’s better climbing it, but it’s still a lot of fun going down it.
I promise there is a steep descent on the other side of this sign
The Glasshouse Mountains in the distance, seen from the top of the Maleny-Stanley River Road
At the end of the Maleny-Stanley River Road I turned left onto the Kilcoy-Beerwah Road. There are some excellent downhill corners before the road straightens out. Luckily I turned off it at that point and followed Commissioners Flat Road (which I’ve only recently discovered) to Peachester.
Entering Commissioners Flat Road
Commissioners Flat Road
From Peachester, my route took me along the Old Gympie Road to Landsborough where I joined a main road for a bit before turning off and getting back onto another section of the Old Gympie Road. That took me to Eudlo and Palmwoods. I pretty much gave up the back roads there. I needed petrol and it was time to get a move on towards home.
A curiosity. Occasionally, while deploying the Ferret method of motorcycle borne photography, I find I’ve accidently taken an extraordinary shot. This is one of the better examples.
On the highway heading for home. The Golden Creek road winds around the base of that pointy mountain in the distance
I thought about Eric, the OldF7Guy, quite often during the day. I remembered all the posts in which he tried to persuade himself he was really happy with his Nighthawk. I remember him checking if it was OK to ride it to the rally in May. I remembered, too, his excitement when he finally bought the 2013 CB1100 which fairly quickly made him realise that what he really wanted was the 2014 DLX. A man careful with his money, but generous to a fault with his pleasures.
I would have liked it if this man I’d never met, but whose posts I’d enjoyed so much, could have been on this ride with me. I would like to have shown him Peter’s collection of Honda 4-cylinder bikes at Bellbird Creek. I would like to have shown him some pretty parts of this little bit of Australia that I’ve written about often. I hoped he would have enjoyed the ride. Sadly, that will now never happen.
Vale Eric.
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