Ride To Melrose 23rd August 2014

We gave the bike a quick polish (doesn't happen often) and checked all the fluids and air pressures on Friday. Coolant hadn't been checked for at least 6 months and it was still ok so no loss since last time. Air pressures were ok as well after not being checked for the last month.



On Saturday morning like Friday we awoke to a nice bright sunny day unlike the last week or two when we'd be lucky to see a patch of blue and a glimpse of the sun.

Being only just over 100 km from home to Melrose we left home about 10:40am for a casual ride over arriving at the car park at about 11:45 with the North Star Hotel in the background.

I bought a new Samsung mount for my Galaxy Note 8 Tab and the ride was it's first use. An 8 inch tab might seem large for a GPS but it also contains the fuel log etc. for the bike.



Looking towards Mount Remarkable which is right next to Melrose from the car park. A history lesson http://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/melrose.htm



While waiting for the others to arrive we went for a walk down what would be the main street of the town. Heather was a little hungry so we went into a café and bought a pie for her and then crossed the road and sat down so she could eat.

From the seat I took these few.

The Mount Remarkable Hotel



A push bike shop which was mainly a hire a bike business.



I'm sure every kid in Melrose that I saw was riding a bike, here's one of the girls



And looking back up the road towards the Hotel we would have lunch at.



When Heather finished eating we walked back up to our bike and as we got the first of the 1300's arrived, so good timing. After a little while we all walked inside and ordered lunch. I didn't worry to much about photos inside but some where taken by others so they might get posted on the Ozstoc site

I did take this one from inside of my bike, plus a BMW (GS ???) (their version of the Honda X tourer comes close) and a Harley in the middle



and this one of inside the hotel



After lunch we all walked down the main street.

Heather spotted this.....a fitting end to one of our older cars: an FJ Holden (about 1952-58) ute complete with tree growing through the LH headlight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_FJ .



A little further down the street is the court house museum



and the local law enforcer



And then back up to the car park and getting ready to leave. Just as well the local servo was open as some need fuel for the trip back home.



Two red, two black 1300's and my blue 1100.


Rather than return home the way I came http://goo.gl/maps/v1qKL

I went this way http://goo.gl/maps/hO7ju

And we got back home about 4:10pm. I only used the GPS on the way there but it recorded a max speed of 115kph and an average of 82kph for a 105kms and a total of 211kms for the day.

2014 Wharfest Port Augusta

After a frosty start to the day this morning we put of leaving for Port Augusta until 10:30. By then the sun had warmed up the morning a little and it wasn't to bad for the 125 km ride over.

Not sure what the temp was outside but 1C was showing on our lounge room clock when my partner Heather crawled out of bed this morning. Our back yard this morning

We stopped in Orroroo for ten minutes to say "hello" to Heather's brother as he was there selling citrus.

At 12:10 we were at KFC Port Augusta for lunch and half an later down at the shopping centre car park for the Wharfest. I guess the name sounds better than Port Augusta show and it is held on the old shipping wharfs that are no longer used. Even the rail line is still place

I managed to find a place to park the bike.

Helicopter flights were quite popular but at $30 a person for a two minutes seemed a bit pricey considering two people a time means $60 for two minutes.

The helicopter take off/land point is behind us and we were starting the walk through the show area so I took so pictures as I went through.

Some farm animals making it a sort of kids zoo type event

A calf I think, Heather managed to pat it whatever it was.

Behind the lamb there is a piglet lying on the ground. This is the second shot as the owner walked in front of the camera (what's wrong with people these days) and then the lamb walked in front as I took this one so I left it at that. I just managed the shot before the female walked in front as well.

Our delightful boys in blue had a display as well

The Fire Brigade as well. SES (State Emergency Service) and Navy were in the same area.

The jet ski belonged to the coast guard

Coast Guard display

Looking back towards the emergency displays from the middle of the selling stalls

Towards show rides from above

The start of the side shows and rides and pictures say it better than I.

A large stuffed dog in the middle of the show stand

Heather liked the three coloured toy bears

I took a 10 second video of the above ride

 



This was the first time this ride was here. Usually see it in the city show but not a country one. Not to sure if I want to be upside down in something like that. The bridge behind crosses the top of the gulf. Head west (Left of pic.) to all points West (Perth) and North (Darwin). Go East for the opposite (East Coast and South to Adelaide)

 

When we got fed up with walking around we went to a couple shops before heading home. All up we did 259 km for the return trip and arrived home just after 4:00 pm  and even then the chill factor was starting to take effect the closer we got to home.

Going through Horrock's Pass on the way back home we caught up to a few cars that were behind an 18 wheeler and the last car couldn't even manage a RH bend without going over the centre line.

Ride Map

Ride To Mannum 26th April 2014

This was one of our Ozstoc   (www.ozstoc.com ) club RTE (ride to eat) meets and it wasn't until the 22nd that we decided to attend or not.

We had sunny days leading up to the 25th but the weather for the 26th forecasted clearing showers at home and at our intended destination. Upon waking on Saturday morning the skies were overcast but the clouds to high for rainfall of any type.

After making sure the wet weather gear was on board, our cooler bag for drinks and camera etc we left home at about 8:30am for the 270 km ride to Mannum which I estimated would take us about 3 hours plus one rest stop about half way. We stopped at a small town called Robertstown for our rest stop and arrived at the Pretoria Hotel in Mannum at 11:45am.

Our route http://goo.gl/maps/sjZr7

This little ride was also a test for the GPS function on our new Samsung Galaxy Note 8 tab. Apart from a minor issue with the mount the tab performed as expected and will become my GPS. The colours of the map allow it to be visible in most light conditions plus most of the text is large enough to read without my glasses.

I forgot to take pics of the bikes and the few that we took inside on the phone weren't to good but it was a new phone and still working out how to use it. These were the best.

 

Three hours later it was time for us to leave for home as we wanted to be home before it got dark. The bike was refuelled and took 15 litres for the 273 kms we'd done in the morning.

 

We retuned home the same way as we come and this time stopped at Eudunda. While there we went to the lookout and took a few pics.

 

Looking towards the towns main street and the way we leave town. The Hotel with the red roof on the RH corner is still in business.

 

A close up of the above shot and where the main street begins at the taller white building.

 

 

Eudunda is the centre of a farming community which used to be serviced by rail. The grain storage is now serviced by road transport. This is typical of  many towns in South Australia now.

 

 A not so green 13th hole at the local golf course

Looking North towards the way we go.

Heather taking in the view

The bike in the car park

The Eudunda roadhouse. We've often stopped here for food and sometimes fuel in years gone by while riding/driving to/from the Riverland area when we used to live in Adelaide.

 

We arrived home at about 6:15pm after doing about 540 kms for the day and just over 6 hours riding time.

 

Ride To Hawker

We had to pick up a car that Heather's aunty had given her yesterday.

When it came time to leave the weather seemed more like a cold wintry mid winter morning rather than a warm summer day that's normal for summer. Though rain was threatened, nothing more than a few misty droplets was evident on the screen but that cleared with a minute or two. The further we rode north, the less cloud cover and by the time we reached Hawker 90 minutes later we had mostly blue skies.

The 145 km route http://goo.gl/maps/RkTbF takes us up the eastern side of the northern Flinders Ranges so there's a couple of not to steep hill climbs, some not to long straights and lots of high speed sweeping bends for most of the 90kms north of Orroroo. For most of that distance the road gradually rises up a couple hundred feet and then the next 5 kms or so the road descends down to meet the Quorn to Hawker road. There's also quite a few creeks crossings and no bridges as the water doesn't flow that often even if it does happen to rain.

Apart from Orroroo there's only three other towns to go through. Once thriving railway towns in the days of stream not much exists anymore. The hotels are still in business and supported by the local farming community and tourists these days.

It was about 10:30 when we arrived in Hawker and spent the day with Heather's aunty and cousin.

During the afternoon we went for a walk to the old railway dam which is now used by the locals to water their gardens. Lindy, the cousin took the dogs for a swim.

This is one of the many ranges of hills that are around the area. Taken with zoom on max at the dam site.

The Hawker hotel is next door and I took a couple pics of that. The last time we were up in town we bought pizza from there and Lindy mentioned that they might be expanding their take-away menu as well.

We were going to leave at 4:00pm but it was nearer 5:30 before we did so. I intended to stop and take more pics on the way back home but due to our late departure I wanted to get back home before 'roo o'clock. Heather drove the Magna which was loaded up with potted plants and I had the bike to myself.
The return trip was 288 kms all up and the fuel gauge hadn't reach halfway (usually 250kms). Most of the way up we had a tail wind which was the same headwind I had going back home. With Heather not yet used to the car the ride home was closer to 80/90 kph as I followed her. All up we had a good day and the only expense was the $27 cost for the bike fuel as lunch was provided and there wasmore than enough fuel in the car to get back home.