My Christmas Day Ride

[tenacious]

After a pretty lousy Christmas day lunch with the family (reminds me why I only visit them a couple of times a year), I knew I needed something to clear my head, and I knew that a ride was the only thing that would cut it today. So I took my girlfriend home, went back to my place and fired up the Busa. I didn't really set out with a clear plan on where I wanted to go , but I figured that a ride down to Batemans Bay via the twisties of the Clyde Mountain couldn't be half bad, so that's where I headed. I could have counted the numbers of cars I passed from Canberra to Bungendore to Braidwood on one hand. However, as I began the descent into the maze of sweepers, left-right switchbacks, and the two or three tight hairpins thrown in for good measure that make up the Clyde, I came upon a line of about nine cars crawling down the mountain (isnâ€t that always the way?) With a good 7kms of twisties before any decent chance to overtake, normally I would be chomping at the bit, annoyed that my attack on the corners was being halted in such a fashion. However, today I was oddly content to just sit back off the pace and follow the cars through the bends. In fact, even when the chance to overtake came I was still there behind them, just cruising and taking the opportunity to relax (as much as you can on a bike I guess).

Anyway, I get to the Bay and find that Iâ€m still feeling pretty fresh so I decide to not pull up or turn back, but push on further down the coast. Iâ€m making it up as I go along, but my old school holiday haunt of Merimbula, is looking pretty inviting.

After making it to Moruya, some 20 kms south of the Bay, the dipping fuel needle begins to draw my eye. In the haste of leaving town I hadnâ€t given thought to the fact that there may not be a fuel station open today in the smaller coastal towns. Again, on any other day this might have concerned me. But today I think “Stuff it – if push comes to shove Iâ€ll pull in to a motel for the night (or better yet a pub) for the night. Or maybe I'll just camp next to my bike". (despite the fact that all I've got with me is the clothes I'm wearing).

Fortunately I get to Narooma and there's a petrol station open so I fill up and continue. The road beyond Narooma all the way to Bega is foreign to me - I've never been this way before. But what I find is a great stretch of road littered with my favourite kind of sweepers. Thereâ€s little to no traffic on either side of the road and Iâ€m yet to sight the so I decide to chance it and ride this stretch fast and hard.

I arrive in Merimbula about an hour later, and my legs are starting to cramp up, so I take the opportunity to pull over at the beach. Sitting there on the beach, by myself, just watching the waves roll in, all I can think about is – well, nothing really.

How much time passes Iâ€m not sure, but I eventually awake from my blissful stupor and decide thereâ€s nothing else for it but to head home, only because it gets me back on the road . This time, however, I donâ€t even bother filling up, even though I wonâ€t make it back to Canberra on what I have left. And Iâ€m sort of half hoping that I donâ€t find anywhere to fill up on the way.

The road out of Merimbula to Bemboka, a ride of some 50kms where I do not pass a single car, brings with it an epiphany. Up until this point in time motorbikes for me have been about speed, acceleration and cornering. Itâ€s also been about solidarity – being alone with my thoughts. But today it has been about something else more than anything, something Iâ€ve never experienced before – total freedom. No thoughts about friends, family, uni, work., or the rest of my life in general. Just me, the bike, and the open road. I have thought of nothing else, and, for these five or so hours of my life, nothing else has mattered.

[black13]

good report, i did much the same on xmas day, got a new rear tyre fitted the day before, chose my fav bit of road & enjoyed the to & fro without distractions from anything or anyone, i always do a xmas day ride. well done

[LOAFIE]

Great write up, had a similar crissie..
I got back yesterday,after spending a Day and a half playing on the Oxley Hwy and Surrounds after doing the crissie thing. I really enjoyed the time to myself..

[BUSGO]

Thanks for sharing with us Tenacious. I love a good ride report when it is personal and has lots of feeling.

For your next outing or overnighter, I suggest you hit the Mt Imlay road down to the coast from south of Bombala and stay the night at the Mallacoota Motel.
One of lifes other great rides.
P.S. take your girlfriend and take it slow. She'll love it.

[Monyx]

Great report Paul...inspires me to get out and do pretty much the same thing.

[Madmax]

Great report Paul...inspires me to get out and do pretty much the same thing.

Busdriver and I did the Malua Bay Hamburger run with the Canberra Riders. I have never seen so many cars on the road. The Kings Highway was like a solid phalanx of cars and four wheel drives quite a few of whom were hauling boats and trailors full of camping gear. The ride was excellent, had a few frustrated car/fourby drivers honking their horns at us when we did the quick double yellow line hop past them in their droves.

The hampburgers at Malua Bay are legendary. The eye candy - distracting.

We had our hamburgers and rode back to Canberra, the traffic was a lot better, we were still being honked at and waved at by poor old frustrated cage drivers, any wonder they were frustrated. Hot weather and few places to pass.

A really good ride. Gotta do that more often.


Max

[copperjosh]

Really enjoyed that Paul, felt like a short story from a book, excellent writing buddy. You should start some sort of motorcycle diary, lol, heck i don't know but now i feel like hitting the road!!

Happy New Year guys!

[abusa]

Yep nice right up Paul, its a great place to be wandering the country with no real plans or schedules.