Snowies Trip - doin' tha loop

Still buzzing from a great ride around the Snowy Mountains on Friday and Saturday with a mate of mine from Adelaide. Both of us on Honda Fireblades. We packed light. Very light. So light we had only our bike gear - full leathers and bike boots - to wear.



Friday was just a quick run down to Jindabyne, where we stayed at the pub, down by Lake Jindabyne. Beers in the pub after dinner, talking and watching video clips. Laughing and having a ball. In gear. Heh, heh.

Woke up at 4.00am to have a slash (well, I had been drinking), went outside to look at the night sky. Awesome - the Milky Way was brilliant.



Saturday we headed off around 9.00am to do the loop around the mountains - from Jindy we went cross country (and low level flying) to Adaminiby - home of the big trout.

Then quick blat up to Kiandra along the Snowy Mtns Highway - the road was warm, tires were grippy, was nailing the corners - best run through there I've ever done. Then up to Cabramurra and Tumut Pond. The area still badly affected by the big bushfires in 2003.


However the road just got better and better. Roads were in good condition, not much traffic, so could let 'er rip. Some days everything just works - setting up corners, braking, having the confidence to power through the corners, then braking hard and setting up for the next corner. Down through open farmland to Khancoban for lunch. Checked out one or two of the dams which form part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme.


Up to Scammell's lookout for some pics of the main range, then round to Geehi, Tom Groggins and Dead Horse Gap.

These roads are simply awesome, good range of twisties and sweepers, reasonably good road surface, spectacular countryside, and best of all, a very sexy mate to ride with.



We reluctantly parted company at Thredbo, with him turning back and riding back down the Alpine way to Khancoban and then on to Melbourne, while I headed north solo for Jindabyne, Cooma and Canberra.

Bloody heck, I am so going to do that run again - soon. Maybe also stay a bit longer and get in some of the Victorian High Country too.

Here's a map for those interested in the route. About 330kms around, then another 160km back to Canberra, via Cooma.

Fang to Kangaroo Valley

Tried to convince some mates to go riding today and drew a blank - so went solo to the Southern Highlands and Kangaroo Valley. What a great day it turned out to be! Cool, (actually a bit cold, just in leathers and no dryrider jacket over the top) but clear; dry roads except in a few corners.

Left Canberra via Mack's Reef Rd - a nice fang there - did some more low level flying with a couple of other bikers, who shot past me out beyond Bungendore. Passed them at the Loaded Dog Hotel in Tarago (Only because by then they had stopped and were getting off their bikes).

V. quick run up to Goulbourn and then on to Exeter. Stopped and had a chat at the Robertson Pie Shop (just about obligatory if you're on a bike), then tackled Macquaire Pass and back up again. There were a few bikes out, but not as many as I expected.



Snapped a couple of pics of one guy coming over the first railway bridge on the Pass. Got to get better at my action shots, I think.

One of the good things about riding by yourself is you can go where the whim takes you, so I found myself exploring lots of side roads in and around Robertson and Kangaroo Valley too.

The ride down Fitzroy Falls rd to KV was great - absolutely no cars or trucks in the way, had the road to myself. However the traffic coming up the escarpment was very heavy. I sort of hoped it would be gone by the time of my return journey.

I was planning on having a steak at the Friendly Inn in KV, but there was a folk festival on so the town was packed. The pub has great steaks, but it can be slow at the best of times, so I made do with a beef burger at a cafe across the road - as their ad said - the best burger in the business. It was damned good.



Even with the incessant traffic, the Valley was magnificent - lush and green after recent rains, trees and shrubs in bloom, temperature mild - and no flies (yay !!)



Came back via Bundanoon. I've been meaning to spend more time in this town. Took a few photos of the main street and the soldiers memorial hall. Would have liked to have sat for a while and have a coffee, but it was starting to get late and the light was fading - the road from there for the next 50 kms was pretty much straight into the setting sun - even with a tinted visor, that's hard on the eyes.

Things I wanted to photograph but didn't - will have to go back again I suppose:
the escarpment around Kangaroo Valley;
old buildings in Penrose;
line of ghost gums by the road at Wingello, glowing in the late afternoon sunlight;
my shadow racing along beside me, on its own bike.

Took a few shots at the lookout over Lake George, but it was a little later than I hoped, so the light wasn't quite what I was after.



Finally as I rode into Canberra, I saw Vladimir Putin's aircraft (an Ilyushin IL 62, which was stabled at Canberra Airport during APEC) fly overhead - too dark too get a decent shot.

Great day, but now tired - oh damn, got the ironing to do now :(