Over the shoulder: Rides of a decade

[glitch_oz]

September ....
Fall, man!!...not autumn!
That's for the Northern Half of the globe, and that's where we're heading again.


Not Switzerland or Slovenia this time around...

....nor the Route 66 for us...not even the Highways.

But the byways of the Great NorthWest, the National Parks and Natural Reserves and wonders of Southern Oregon and Northern California.

There's also a V-Strom to fix after I tried to skirt the issue for years...the bike's proven a basket case...shunted quickly out the backdoor of various dealers ...for years!

Those 3 weeks would turn out fatefull...and throw a lot of misconceptions out the window.

California, here we come....dusk creeping up the slopes of Mt. Ashland, views into Northern California



Giant coastal Redwoods










Mt. Shasta, NorCal, late summer, 4300m/ 14.000+ft, one of the highest peaks of the Cascades.








Rogue River near Hellgate Canyon




Oh man.....
the Bear Camp Rd., a crappy single-laner through the coastal mountains....
the rugged, rock-strewn Oregon Coast...
an old bridge across the Smith River







Mt. Hood near the Washington border




Stunning Lava fields in the Willamette NP




Some stunning local hospitality



Heated pear-orchards










Gobsmacking Crater Lake





Sawyers Bar, Salmon River and BigFoot in the NorCal forests






What a ripper of a place....and...what a screamer of a ride
WHOOHOOO!!!


For another bible-sized yarn with a lousy 550 pics, clickety-here
Oh....better get a box of tissues, yer dribbling already !:so

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3211

[glitch_oz]

Just back from Oregon, we couldn't let this one slide.

2 Steves (KaptainKaos) and (SteveGT738), Goodie and I...perfect day!



The Loch Valley out of Noojee, cutting through to the Woods Point Rd.

















More....pics near the end of the thread.
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3214

[glitch_oz]

The usual Cup-Day weekend fitted perfectly and made a 4-day weekend.
The previous heavy rain had flooded the High Country and the weatherfrog promised more of the same across the whole weekend.

Everyone quit, we got weak-kneed as well...and took the cage.


Still turned out a GREAT weekend!!

Let the pics tell the story.




Discovered the "other Ensay Pub"





















More pics, some nice stuff
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3285

[glitch_oz]

Early December....and Richard (K1W1) has called around for a Sunday at the Trials.

Those guys are UN_BE_LIEVABLE!!














For some brilliant pics here:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3304

[glitch_oz]

More rain and flood damage everywhere in Victoria made us lock up the bikes and grab the cage and walking boots.

Having the use of a ski-lodge at Mt. Buller made it an easy choice.

This one's mainly a pictorial then.
























What a pearler of a week to close the year!!


More alpine pics (incl. the whole series of that sunset):
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3350

[glitch_oz]

Late February

Another Gippy-Sunday and again Pete (Vtwin) led us through a maze of tiny Gippsland backroads, dirt and tar.

I can't find anything posted, but strangely got the pics sorted and ready to link on the server.

I'll pop a few more in here then.

Pete (Vtwin) and Tracey (canary)....Richard (K1W1) was there as well as Goodie, myself and Bernie (bjay), Steve (stevegt738) and Andrew (Hayesy) made it an all-Strom affair.

Where the hell was Doug?...he hadn't stuffed his back at the time yet, I think...














ANYTHING for THAT shot! K1W1 getting comfy...

[glitch_oz]

Early March saw the Strommers Annual Bash in Bright.
It turned out a sorry affair as a meet... but the getting-to and getting-from more than made up for things.
A 3-day weekend looked after the time-slot, some great dirt and twisties looked after the entertainment .


Mt. Hotham






Pete got adventurous, taking a dip in a creek in Bright....and squirted through the eye of a needle from 10ft away for the next few days.





Cheers girlz...Mrs. CeeBee13 and Mrs. Hayesy on the right






More:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3452

[glitch_oz]

Late March, 2 weeks

What a cracker of a time!!

First the meet at Wynyard with a couple of rides together...then roaming the northern half of the Apple Isle for the best of the gravel spiced with the tightest and curliest of the tar.


Caught up with Annette and family, Jim (Iffy) was there to escort us out of Devonport, Rob (Robbieb) and Indie and Tassie Dave from Hobart, another 3 locals....MickG and Chris (5footnothing)...Kenny (Kenlow)...Pete + Tracey...Feff (Chally) and better half from Maryborough in Queensland....Ian from Bingara, northern NSW....the list goes on and on....


Awesome breakfast BBQ's with all the trimmings.



Punctures, busted tyres..... and cracked chains (Andy/ DonQX) on day1..... to cruising the backroads near Interlaken




Some rough and rocky stuff, running into the dark and thunderstorms without a headlight



Lighting fires under someone's bum




Beachriding at Musselroe Point and lateron at Strahan...


Mt. William National Park





Rode some lonely roads in the West









Watched a Steam-loco pushed by hand






Discovered the story behind this one



Carved more twisties






...and finished up in Wynyard again







WOO-BLOODY-HOO!!!





For the whole package of words and pics: :glu:glu


http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3494

[glitch_oz]

Mid-April

A Sunday out in the Yarra Valley

Going for a spin on the Yarra Valley Railway from Healesville.




MickG and Chris (5footnothing) came from down the Peninsula for this one... Richard (K1W1), ....Goodie and yours truly...and...and wotshisnameagain? Steve, that's it!!

The guy who bought the brandnew bike, tore it all down and built a "skinny" version before the first 1000k's were on the clock....then took it around Oz!!





And a bit of a bath before lunch











More:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3443

[glitch_oz]

Can't remember how this one came up...but man, it was a heap of fun...FUN!!

A Sunday in mid-May....followed by a week of muscle-pain that wasn't funny and just stopped short of calling for help when trying to wipe the bum, Jeezaz!

Trent and Cass from Trails Experience in Ballarat turned on a screamer of a show....and heaps were learned!


MickG and Chris (5footnothing) had started the whole thing somehow....Andrew (Haysey), Nev, Rob from Mirboo (a86) and yours truly.

Rob getting the goss from Trent







Andrew




Mick in the front, Chris in the back




Chris









Nev





Here's a bit of a thread...no more pics though.
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3526

[glitch_oz]

Mid-July....9 days

Melbourne to Rainbow Beach/ Qld via the backroads.
Then flying home...Fergusson Transport took care of the bikes.

A bit of a sentimental affair, as this was going to be last "Big 'Un" for the WTF1000...."The Dishrack" was waiting to get put on the road and take over.

And it wasn't just bikes...we rode a ferry across the Murray River





Discovered some (new to us) roads




Found a cricket game where nobody had moved for years




Bombed on the Bridle Track, then took the "Scenic Tour"




Rediscovered the Bylong Valley




Ran the Old Grafton Road and along the Clarence River for a while





The Paddys Flat Rd. to the Qld border.... and were enchanted by the Spring Creek Rd.







Met Christo and Brian (bb63)

...and rode the Cooloola Beach from Noosa to Rainbow




What a great ride!

For the whole yarn in words and another ~200 pictures:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3679

[glitch_oz]

Late August...and spring's early this year.
Just a little pootle not far from home.



Near Glenburn, Toolangi State Park















More here:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3720

[glitch_oz]

September

Jimbo had sweet-talked us into another 3 weeks, this time for more dirt, more out of the way places, brilliant weather, lots of laughs, lots of backroads, some wild'n whacky places and some smooth cruising wrapped in the STUMPING!! ~7000km loop.


As all good things...it started with a BANG.
Of Jimbo's brandnew TKC80 rear hoop, that is.





We skimmed the South Oregon border through the Klamath Muntains







Trusted some shady characters :-)






Checked out the "Painted Hills" of the John Day Fossil Beds








Cruised many of the endless South Fork, or was it a North Fork?, roads, this one in the Malheur National Forest





Had the most bizarre overnight stay EVER...at the (now in receivership) BearCat lodge in Seneca





The "Little Dragon" produced tears of joy ...and one HELL of a DR650 v. KLR650 paint-swapper.





Frequented classy neighbourhoods




Met Wyatt Earp in the tiny hamlet of Ola, loaded 6-shooter in the waitband, Stetson and all.

Folks enjoying Hot Springs at the side of the road





From Idaho, into Montana and quickly through Yellowstone into Wyoming
....ohhh man, LOVE that place!

Jackson Lake, Grand Tetons N.P. in the late afternoon





The backroads into Capitol Reef N.P....bloody speechless, what nature can come up with.












Bryce Canyon




...and the red roads of Zion N.P.





No ride around here without some mystery









Fixed this 'n that





Back into California, Bear Gully and Sonora Pass, Ebbett's Pass....and into the Sierra Nevada proper.










Lost our hearts at Lassen Volcanic Park






Had enough bends??
For a while!! Wore the glove to shreds, bugga!







For another tour-de-force ride report and around 800 pics (oh yeah, it's a blockbuster) :

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3787

[glitch_oz]

The forecast sounded crappy for this late November Sunday.

And boy, how well did it turn out in the end??


As always, discovered a few new stretches







Doug (dougman1) was there....and Tim (TimC)....Jeremy (aussieflicker)...and Steve (stevegt738)....more?











T'was a bloody good day! :glu



More here:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3826

[glitch_oz]

Yet another "inofficial" Australia Day Long Weekend, late January.

Off into the hills with tents and gear...


Starting off into the Strathbogies



The first proper trip for "The Dishrack"





Dave (Jafu) came along...Tim (TimC)...Steve and Linda (Stevegt738) for the first day...Michael (Williamson) and Helen joined in with the red ute....Goodie and I.


Dave, knackered after The Paps steep and loose, rocky climb in temperatures around the 40.





Rode the byways of Tolmie




...went up Mt. Buller...





...had guests at the camp...





....checked out the thick redgum slab as counter top at the Tatong Pub, had a long dip at Lake William Hovell.







....and watched the blackbellies roll into Swanpool....and out again.





Brilliant weekend....with quite a few surprises...and a ton of laughs.



Lots more here:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3899