Over the shoulder: Rides of a decade

**glitch_oz** · 6th August 2012, 14:01

Early February and the heat had subsided for a few days...

Richard (K1W1) and I went for a short gawk at those guys who can get bikes up sheer roackwalls and across 4 foot logs.

Just a quick run through the backblocks of Kurth Kiln and Gladysdale before we dove into the apple-orchard, onto which the Trials terrain borders.

Those guys are just incredible !!

And that includes the kids!!

...and some of the visitors

More pics, at far better quality, here:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3907

**glitch_oz** · 6th August 2012, 14:02

Rob (a86) and later Pete (Vtwin) led us along some new roads on another Gippsland Sunday....mid February.

Richard (K1W1)...Goodie...Chris (chriswill) on the GS12...and yours truly met up with Rob (a86) and Pete (Vtwin) in Yarragon.

Discovered some beautiful backroads between Yarragon and Mirboo Nth...then lots more from Boolara onto the Grand Ridge and back through.....I don't know...zigzagging our ways without towns or anything but hills, cows and bends, bends, bends.

All the pics and more:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3929

**glitch_oz** · 6th August 2012, 14:06

Late February

It had gathered steam very slowly... and then they came from all around Australia.
What a meet up, what a show....GREAT STUFF!!
Fantastic to see so many new and old faces, see the travel-passion in those glowing eyes, the crowds on the grass of the river banks watching the movies late into the night....this was old-school "Good Time" stuff....BRILLIANT!!

Even getting there and getting back wasn't shabby...the Sat morning ride a bit of a rush along main roads, but the return trip was fun with a capital F.

Chasing a bunch of roadies up Mt. Hotham and getting them so involved that they wanted to turn onto the Dargo High Plains dirt with us

Then the re-discovery of a long-forgotten pearler of a road through Gippsland.

Richard (K1W1) was along....and Rowan (Row1) on the Tiger

One of Richards shots

More:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3943

**glitch_oz** · 6th August 2012, 14:08

March
2 weeks....which felt like 2 months. Yes, there was that much packed into it, despite the fairly short distances travelled each day.

What an absolute RIPPER of a trip!

Things had taken a while, there was so much to do and dig up. Info wasn't too thick out there and in the end it was a bag of bits which had to be cobbled together into a 2-week ride on the spot and on the fly.

Nev and Jo came along....Tassie-Dave from Hobart...and Rob (RobbieB) from Launceston....Bernard (platypus121) lives on the North Island anyway and had just bought a brandnew, little XT250....having Latte-Dave along was a real boon (and hoon :wink

....Goodie and myself, of course.

2 stumping weeks, that still get me into instant dreaming the second some NZ image flits past my eyes...it's all back there, right in front of me.

The laughs, the valleys...the mountain ridges and endless water, clear as glass...the dodgy Clarks Junction Pub after the day on the Danseys Pass and the rivetting, boggy High Plains of the Old Dunstan Road.
That pub...and THAT sunrise!!

The backroads into Waiau

The stunning Port Underwood

The "Molesworth"

The one that wraps it all into one

Until the next one comes around and leaves you gobsmacked again!

The Maruia Saddle was a gem

THe crew got me a new bike

Up the McKenzies, the Haka, the Meyers....

Big Sky Country

The morning at Milford

...and nature's most stunning at the Mavora Lakes

...and riding past the brumbies into paradise near Walter Peak, to ship the bikes to Queenstown across the lake on the old Lady Earnslow steamer.
Christ, what a superb day!!

Breathtaking stuff on the way back up north

Nearly ran "the ton" on the Haldon Rd.

Skimmed above the fog of the Canterbury PLains at Mt. Hutt

...and yours truly nearly threw it into the Okuku River on the last day.

Reckon, we all have one thing in common: we LOVED IT....every bloody second of it!!

All the juicy bits and ALL OF THE ~1600 PICS
TO LEAVE YOU STUMPED!!

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3990

**glitch_oz** · 6th August 2012, 14:10

Another Bayles meet on the first Sunday in May...

Some outstanding shots in this thread:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4039

**glitch_oz** · 6th August 2012, 14:11

A late-May Sunday

Michael (Williamson) rocked up...and Steve (stevegt738)...Tim (Sir Francis) with his Tiger...and Doug (dougman1) on the comeback-trail !....Tim (TimC) and Rob (a86)...Pete (Vtwin) and Andrew (Hayesy) both on their DR's now...Goodie for the start until she was "quietly ditched" .....and "The Dishrack".

Damn nippy in the morning, but things cleared up.

The yarns and more pics from everyone

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4069

**glitch_oz** · 6th August 2012, 14:13

Early June saw this one kicking off, hopefully, a series of local rides, discovering the smallest and narrowest thoroughfares of the local neighbourhood.

Richard (K1W1) and Ian (squizzy) showed up for this one....and Derek(Crustyvarmint) and Michael (Williamson) and Peter on the 650 Dakar (doonap)....another Pete (Vtwin) and Steve (stevegt738) ...and Tim (SF) on the Scrambler....Cam (camstrom) ...and "the Dishrack".

The numbers were certainly a surprise.

Cold and grey turned into a great day.
Rode all day and were never more than 40km from home.
And barely knew half of it :glu

Lots more here:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4082

**glitch_oz** · 6th August 2012, 14:14

Only a few weeks after the first 'Hood ride, this late-June ride started off even colder, then also turned into a beautiful day as long as we stayed south of the northern hills.

Tim (SF) on the Scrambler, Steve (stevegt738), Derek (Crustyvarmint) and Tim (TimC), before adding the "Dishrack".

Not a bad start....

....through a convoluted maze of backroads, tar and dirt, spectacular views and fantastic scenery under, sometimes, dramatic skies.

A late lunch on a wind-blown ridge...

...before Derek led us astray, sliding down some muddy hills sideways :bs

Yeeha!!

More pics and tidbits:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4136

**glitch_oz** · 6th August 2012, 14:16

Due to the previous bad weather flood-warnings alore, but also being one bike short for technical reasons, this early-July bash turned into a "recce-drive", scouting for new roads and through-routes for a later-in-the-year ride.

Certainly found enough "new material" for at least one day- ride!

Combined with some other "goodies", there's easily enough exciting stuff in the bag for a weekend, not far from home.

More pics and route info:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4121

**glitch_oz** · 6th August 2012, 14:20

Late July....
....and what a weekend this turned out to be. An overnighter to Yarram, where "roadies" and "muddies" would merge again to bullshit the night away.

A whopping 20 rocked up for the weekend, pretty much a forum record for a weekend ride.

The bleak skies abscured the views, but it was all hands on deck anyway as the slipping and sliding was pretty intense. To say the least.

Derek showed up on the "Tripod".....there was the Tiger Squad of Matt, Tim, and famous Rog....Big Rod on the GS pairing TimC... and a glitch-in-a-ditch-on-the-ridge, this time the lonely Strom in the pack.

Discovered some brilliant road, doged and weaved to stay on the Grand Ridge and enjoyed the Sunday morning stretch immensely.
We'll certainly run this one again when things are a little drier through Spring/ early summer.

Pinching Matt's shot here....he didn't really have to hurry to take the pic.... it was just about impossible to stand up straight, never mind lifting the "The Dishrack" back on its legs. :muahaha:

http://i1257.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3853.jpg

More here:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4168

**glitch_oz** · 6th August 2012, 14:29

And this is it.. caught up with the latest.
The yarns for next week's ride have to wait a few days. :-)

Might see some of the North Islanders in November when we're across for the NI loop.

Cheers'n beers

and thanks to whoever might've looked in and possibly found some bit of interest.