Below is a photo of the Trumpy and Duc, bags laden and ready to go!
Odometer reading at the start of the trip below. Sam's bike has had the speedometer replaced, so it looks like he hasn't done much riding at all!
Filled up at the BP across from Sydney City Motorcycles on Epping Rd. Sam had a moment where he thought he didn't bring his wallet. He'd unpacked both his sidebags and was getting a bit agitated by the time he got to the top box. He eventually found said wallet in his jacket pocket.
Taking the glorious 'back way' through Sydney's west and ingesting fumes from the finest WRXs, we made our way along Homebush Bay Drive, Hume Highway, Silverwater Rd, then the M5. There was a brood of ducks on the Hume Highway and I noticed Sam had braked slightly to avoid them. I had changed lanes to avoid the upcoming danger (I didn't know what it was since there was a Subaru between Sam and I) and witnessed a duck massacre. The Subaru was too close to Sam and had not seen the ducks, nor did he try to avoid them. I saw bits of duck rolling under his car from the next lane. I death stared the Subaru (as best I could with a dark tinted visor) before overtaking him.
I had booked a 9:00am appointment at MJM Custom Motorbikes in Goulburn to have my bike seat modified to accommodate my vertical challenge :) Mick was a great guy who really knew his way around bike seats. When he came out to greet us, he was covered in specks of foam! I sat on the bike so he could assess what needed to be done and were told to come back around 1pm. Mick had recommended going to The Roses Cafe as opposed to the well-known Paragon, so Sam and I went along with his recommendation. A man who was dropping off his blue Harley for seat mods was giving his two cents about cafes in Goulburn and routes to take down to Echuca.
Below is the result:
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| Poached egg on buttered sourdough, fetta, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes and balsamic vinegar |
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| BIG BREAKFAST - enough said |
Mick called at 11:45am to inform us that the seat was completed. Apparently it was peak hour when we'd arrived, but it had quietened down and Mick was able to work unimpeded.
He was able to take 42mm in width from the seat! I felt the difference immediately since I could touch the ground easier.
With new seat fitted, Sam and I set off for Jindabyne via Quenbeyan just after midday. It was mainly freeway driving, which is quite long and tedious. It was also extremely windy across every single open plain! At times there were gusts of wind that I struggled to stay upright, let alone lean into. There were many that would push the bike sideways and I'd have to nudge it back to the centreline. I half expected to have one wind just pick up the bike and carry it away. Later when watching the 6pm news, there were 100km/hr winds at Thredbo. I'd imagine that the wind speeds were not far off 100km/hr! The only advantage a car has is the comfort - the driving is still long and tedious.
On average, we had 10 minute breaks every hour, partly because of my gammy left knee which gets stiff if in one position for too long. While having a lemonade in a town just beyond Quenbeyan, the clouds started rolling in. The weather cycled through patchy rain, bright blinding sun and sun showers for the remainder of the journey. Travelling behind Sam, I could see the cloud shadows gain on him, then eventually envelope him in its grey cloak Upon the final approach to Jindabyne, dark ominous clouds were seen over the mountains and the rays of the sun highlighted sheet of rain in the distance. It was a race against the clouds.
We arrived to Jindabyne at 4:30pm and checked into Lake Jindabyne Hotel Motel. As the name suggests, the hotel motel is located right on the lake. All safe and sound, I have Tiger Balmed the place out, hoping that that gammy knee will recover for tomorrow.
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