The Journey To Parkes

I've always been told by others and to a certain extent believed myself that a road trip is more about the journey than the destination.
This trip is at least as much about the destination than the journey, if not more so but the journey is still pretty important.
Some of us will have a day trip, for others it's a overnighter, some will ride alone, others in a group, what will your journey be?

For Rayman06, myself and Kaylah ours will be:

Leave Adelaide on Thursday 5th at about 6:00am, travel via the SE Freeway/Princess Hwy to Tailem Bend, Mallee Highway through Lameroo, Pinnaroo, Ouyen and meet SuzySuzuki at Piangil around lunch time, the 4 of us will then travel onto Balranald then take the Sturt Highway to Hay where we'll meet up with spanna and madmax from Melbourne and barry_mcki from the Apple Isle who will also have his pillion, by all account's his pillion is a bit of a dog though  .

The Friday will see us all head off towards Parkes, at West Wyalong we'll say good bye to Barry for 24 hours as he takes a detour to the nation's capital to attend a wedding, as for the rest of us, back on our bikes and off to our destination.

I trust you are all safe .........well ....& 3 parts pickled at this stage 

I got home at about 12.45pm today.  The route was: Parkes, Eugowra, Cowra, Boorowa, Canberra, Cooma, Bemboka, Home.  Right on 500kms.  

Thanks to all for a great weekend. 

Home safe and sound around 4pm. 
Myself and Chris rode with Pete (Recycled) to Bathurst, where KiwiSteve caught up with us. 
A loop of the track and on to Rylstone for lunch. 
Bylong Valley Way to Denman and on to Newy, loosing Steve at Singleton as he headed for Dungog on his way to the Oxley and home. 
Thanks to everyone who attended and a huge Cheers to Chook for all the hard work that went into our  t-shirts. 

Glad everyone had a good time.
I will make a big effort to attend the next one. Didn't miss this one by choice.  
Good work by everyone to organise the event and time off and leave passes.

J
G'day All, great to see everyone again and to meet previously unacquainted acquaintances. I had a fantastic time in Parkes. It was hard to catch up and have a drink with everyone as there was so many of us there. Friday nights conversation with Ewok was particularly memorable as the more red wine was consumed, the deeper the existentialism expanded. He was asking such poignant questions as, " why are all the planets round and not square? " to " what is dirt made from? " and " what came first the dirt or the tree? ". Well, why would you want to be anywhere else? I haven't really slept since as I keep waking up in a cold sweat pondering these vexing questions.
Had a terrific half day trip to Forbes to check out the car museum. Some classic vehicles there and the fella who owns it was quite a character and very entertaining. Well worth the visit. Went to the Dish in the Arvo, it was big and it was a dish, pretty cool to look at though. I'm sure there will be plenty of pics posted on here of all this stuff by Jim Coleman and Suzy Suzuki.
Had a great ride back to Temora ( the back way ) with Jim, Baz, Tag, Brett, John and Matt (to Grenfell ). Left them at the Aviation Museum, I had to get home and do the shopping.
All in all a fantastic trip and can't wait for the next one. Big Thankyou to Chook for getting the shirts done. In the words of KiwiSteve they look Choice Bro Aye. Cheers all, thanks for being great company, Jimmy.

Ewok is a bad man.  He hurt me.

Tag wrote:Ewok is a bad man.  He hurt me.

Pictures or it didn't happen...............

Not appropriate. It appeared he hurt himself more than he hurt me.
Photogenic was not an accurate description of us.
Ask Jimmy - he'll tell ya.

So what you are saying is that our cute furry little forum member is sometimes prone to venture into the " dark side "

No.

He took us on a journey to the "Red Side" (immediately following a long visit to the "Brown Side")

It's a dimension where planets are square and their inhabitants don't know where dirt comes from.

Ah yes I remember seeing the aftermath of the hurt, it wasn't pretty.

Thoroughly enjoyable ride and meet & greet. I'm just glad I didn't venture into the red side.
 
The line up at Parkes Suzuki Dealership.
 

 
Elvis was in town
 

 
 

 

 
 
that's me driving, this is an excellent museum at Forbes
 

 
we stopped at Temora Air museum on the way home
 

 
Our accommodation at Adelong, the Pub
 

 
Adelong Main Street
 

 
It really does swing ... the floor boards flex as well
 

 
Must be something in the water in Adelong
 

 
Then road home on the Snowy Mts Hwy ... thanks for the new hot mix whoever put it there for us
 

Baz

great pictures Baz .............I see they made you wear the regulation helmet in the green machine 

Thanks for the photos, Baz.

...and thanks for coming.

I left home just after 8 on Thursday morning followed by a trailer, (well, the missus in her car). I had Zoe, my daughter on the back till we got to Armidale. Next stop was for lunch at Tamworth. On heading down the Moonbi hills, the temp began to climb. When we left our lunch spot, I'd neglected to fit my earplugs, so a stop on the other side of town was called for. The next stop was at Gunnedah, as I'd lost my trailer somehow! When my missus showed up, I'd gotten out off all my riding gear & drained a 1l water bottle. We stayed at some really nice digs in Gunnedah, as soon as my gear was in the room, I headed to the pool.
Friday we headed off, & when we got to Coonabarabran, I had to rug up a bit more, what a difference from the previous arvo! By the time we got to Gilgandra it was time to peel off the layers again. Then on to Dubbo for lunch. After that, the final push to Parkes, where upon arrival I was greeted with a nice cold beer thrust into my hand. Many thanks JTB.

What a top few days. Baby Brother and I left Lake Macquarie at 6.30am on Saturday, skirted Sydney and travelled the Bell's Line to Lithgow and then on to Bathurst where some sort of speed/motoring festival meant that the main straight at Mt Panorama was blocked. Never mind, we rode as much as we could, but it somehow seems just so wrong to ride the circuit clockwise!

From Orange we went further northwest until we reached Parkes. With perfect timing we arrived just as the members were about to marshal for the group photo in front of the local Suzuki dealership. Then out to the Dish where I got an impromptu photography lesson from Suzy - thankyou

Saturday nights pub meal was good as was the continental breakfast on Sunday morning. Whilst at breakfast we chatted with Craig 67 who ended up riding with us back to his home at Coonabarabran. Craig is a friendly bugger - within an hour of meeting us he had teamed up with my brother to take the piss out of me!

After leaving Coona, we stayed overnight with relatives at Gunnedah. Monday morning saw us leaving Gunnedah for Tamworth and Kootingal to see more relo's. Then north via the New England highway to Bendemeer for the anticipated right hand turn onto the Oxley Highway. The first 30/40 kms into Walcha is a bit rough in places but the descent from the tablelands to the coast would be one of the most enjoyable bits of bitumen I have ridden in a long while. (plenty of video on YouTube) As well as offering extraordinary views to the east, the Oxley has many kilometres of winding bitumen with signposted corner speeds between 25km/hr and 85 km/hr. As we came through, we saw a number of rather sad roadside memorials with crosses and fresh flowers. Although extremely enjoyable, the Oxley is not without its risks.

We spent last night (Monday) at Wauchope and this morning we headed for home. We made it to the Port Macquarie interchange before I returned to Wauchope to collect my phone and charger that I had left in the motel room! We then started the day again!

We got home at 1.30pm today, Tuesday. In total we covered 1550 kms. We had great fun, enjoyed seeing some different country and roads, enjoyed the camaraderie of other Forum members who attended and once again reflected on the wonderful experiences that motorcycling can provide.

Thankyou to all the friendly folk we met who made my brother and I very welcome.

Cheers

I left home early on Thursday morning to meet up with Spanna and his better half Anna. Of course Melbourne turn on the weather and the traffic for us.
Before I'd gone 5ks I was crawling along at 30 on a freeway getting soaked!
With Homers help we made our way slowly to Wittlesea, where we sampled some fine dining at the local golden arches. Soon after breakfast Barry and Axel turned up and after topping up the tanks we headed out through Wallan, Rochester, then onto Echuca where it was time for lunch and more fuel. Heading out of Echuca then through Deniliquin after that the road becomes very straight, flat and boring. Stopping only once for a stretch and to let Axel out for a walk. We arrived at the New Crown Hotel in Hay at about 3pm. A little while later Chook, Dancing Pillion, Rayman06, and SuzySuzuki all arrived. Meals at the New Crown were excellent, the rooms were also very good, for $45 for single with an ensuite.

The next morning after breakfasting at a local bakery we headed out for Parkes. We made several stops along the way, making it a very relaxing day. Fuel and Rankins Springs then lunch at West Wylong. Finally arriving at Parkes at about 3pm. Only to see Jimmy the Boy frantically trying to change his room. It seems Hammy had made a booking for the two of them, unfortunately the room was a double not a twin, oops!

Not going to go into too much detail about Saturday as others already have. Fair to say, Car Museum in Forbes - Photo shoot outside Kinsela Motorcycles then the Dish in the late afternoon.

Leaving Sunday morning was a casual affair, we didn't get going until about 9am. With Barry & Axel joining Spanna, Anna and myself we headed out to Forbes then onto Grenfell and then Young. Barry Left us at Young and we continued south to Cootamundra. Thinking Cootamundra would be a good time for lunch. when we got there it looked like a ghost town so we continued on to Junee. At Bethungra I turned into a old servo think it might be ok. What a mistake, as soon as I walked in the door and smelled the place I lost my appetite. Thankfully they weren't cooking. They tell us there was a Fair on in Junee and suggest we try there for lunch. So lunch at the fair in Junee then onwards to Wagga Wagga and the onto Holbrook. At Holbrook we visited the Cafe at the Submarine for a brief afternoon tea, stretch and fuel. Leaving Holbrook we headed down the Hume to Wodonga.
We stayed in the Burning Stump motel/hotel, a little expensive but well worth the extra comfort.

Monday morning I headed out on my own. I had chosen a route that didn't suit two up riding. My route home included the scenic area around Yackadandah, Beechworth, Whitfield, the awesome Whitfield-Mansfield Rd, Mansfield (for a quick fuel stop) then "We're heading for Bonnie Doon" As this was the last day of a Victorian Public holiday the traffic was getting busier and the cops were out in force. I got pulled over in Yarck because of my headlight. Luckily the guy let me off with a verbally warning and then just carried out a breatho and licence check.
Of course all that traffic I had managed to pass earlier passed while this was happening. They probably thought I was getting a speeding ticket! After Yarck it was down to Yea and then turning into another awesome road. the Kinglake-Healsville rd. After Healsville it was down to Woori-Yallock, Cockatoo, Berwick and onto home. Getting home exactly 5 hours after I had left Wodonga.

Another great trip (as long as there are no surprise letters in the mail) great to meet up with the old faces and some new ones. Thanks Chook for the great T-shirts and Steve for the leg work organising it. can't wait for the next one

Yes Bosco I washed the bike today

madmax wrote:Only to see Jimmy the Boy frantically trying to change his room. It seems Hammy had made a booking for the two of them, unfortunately the room was a double not a twin, oops!

What do you reckon their offspring would look like?

#Tag wrote:

madmax wrote:Only to see Jimmy the Boy frantically trying to change his room. It seems Hammy had made a booking for the two of them, unfortunately the room was a double not a twin, oops!

What do you reckon their offspring would look like?

My avatar!

Since everyone is posting their trip routes / memories, I feel compelled to do the same.

We came..
We saw ....
We ate ......
We left ......

It started off cold ..
Then it warmed up ...

Some food was good ...
Some other food wasn't...
Some people spoke a little ..
Others a lot ..

The roads were straight ..
And some were not ...

We saw some good jap bikes  ..
And then there were the others ...

Nice to meet you all & hope to see everyone next year.

lol Sam, Good one!
Say hi to Anna for me, it was lovely to have another lady to chat too, gossip with, and drink coffee. Wishing the trip had been a bit longer (the stay, not the travel)
Im yet to get my thoughts all together to write a Swan Hill, Hay, Parkes route report, so possibly tomorrow.

#Tag wrote:

madmax wrote:Only to see Jimmy the Boy frantically trying to change his room. It seems Hammy had made a booking for the two of them, unfortunately the room was a double not a twin, oops!

What do you reckon their offspring would look like?

I'm sure they'd have a great personality.

Jimmy the Boy wrote:

#Tag wrote:

madmax wrote:Only to see Jimmy the Boy frantically trying to change his room. It seems Hammy had made a booking for the two of them, unfortunately the room was a double not a twin, oops!

What do you reckon their offspring would look like?

I'm sure they'd have a great personality.

Great personality ........So they would look " that " bad then eh