I recently had lunch with a fellow I went to school with 21 years ago, and during the course of the conversation, he asked “What’s your indulgence“? I was stumped for an answer, as I could not think of anything in my life that I’d deem an indulgence!
I’m a practical person, enjoying what I have and not wanting for much (to the lament of the rest of my family who are asking where’s my ‘Christmas list’). Overall, I’m not sure I have any indulgences – I have a broad interest and can get stuck into many different topics, read various articles or books and have conversations with many different people on varied topics.
I’m wondering if I should adopt an indulgence in 2012 and see where that takes me. What do you think? What do you think my indulgence could be? More importantly…What’s your indulgence?
At many of the places we stopped along the way, the local Lion’s Clubs put on a morning tea/lunch or afternoon tea for the Black Dog Riders. At the events I attended, I took a picture of the volunteers as a small gesture of our thanks for the time, money and effort they put into hosting us. This is my page of “Than You’s to the Lions Club members:
Cowra
Cowra Lions volunteers
Darlington Point
Darlington Point volunteers
Mildura
Mildura volunteers
Port Augusta
Port Augusta volunteersPort Augusta Lions Legends!
Now that my 2011 Black Dog Ride adventure is over, there are a number of people I need to thank for everything they did for me and my ride.
First & foremost I’m sending out a huge THANK YOU to my wife Eva and my boys. 2010 was an adventure and a wonderful event, however backing this up with another Black Dog Ride turned out to be an enormous sacrifice to my family in more ways than one.
In 2010 the event catalysed my decision to move on from my previous job role and let my life take a different direction. This year my goal was less about life-changing and more about enjoying a ride with great companions for a great cause. The ride, however came at a huge sacrifice for my family in both time and money. Although I had enough money to complete the ride, The necessary servicing of the bike plus loss of income for the two weeks put us behind financially – it also coincided at a time where I’m working less & being paid less than this time last year (all a necessary part of my future career journey). In hindsight it was probably not the best use of finances in our current environment.
The biggest saving grace was to change our journey to be home on Father’s Day – this was a great thing to do and one for which I am happy to have done.
Other Kudos
I want to send out a big “Thank You” to Kim (mum on the trip) who drove the support vehicle and supported us as we rode. In truth I could carry everything on my bike that I had brought, but being able to put the soft panniers (containing my tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat) in the car made the ride easier. Kim’s contribution to the ride is immeasurable, from providing advice, sharing stories or helping to get James moving in the morning! Kim undertook this adventure at great personal sacrifice and needs to be recognised for her commitment to the cause.
I want to acknowledge DazzaB (who did an awesome job in 2010 with shooting on-bike video) who overcame the odds to be able to participate in the BDR this year. Dazza had carefully saved his pennies for months to be able to attend the ride, and unfortunately was struck with the flu part-way through. Dazza, it was an honour and a pleasure to ride with you again, it’s a shame you needed to turn back at Port Augusta.
James, thanks for being there to help out with any mechanical issues for anyone along the trip. It was great that you were only ‘needed’ a couple of times on the trip so you could focus your time on riding. I am sure Peter from Hills Ulysses is eternally grateful to you, too!
Rod, Thanks for sharing your story so candidly with us in Coober Pedy. As I’ve mentioned before, through our own personal stories do we learn more, teach others and invite others to become part of our world. You’re doing a wonderful thing with your group on Facebook and it’s a pleasure to have met you on the ride. It’s through people like you that help me understand depression even more.
I’d also like to send a shout-out to Monty Hamilton from Telstra who’d arranged for the use of a Telstra Elite wi-fi 3G modem for the use by the NSW members of the trip (arranged through Tony Hollingsworth). This allowed us to blog, upload pictures, Skype with family members and keep in touch with Facebook, Twitter and email whilst on the ride. Thanks for supporting the Black Dog Riders, Monty (and the @Telstra Team!
I departed Coffs Harbour relatively early to make time to visit Mal from the Port Macquarie Men’s Shed to discuss our visit on Oct 1st. The day started out with a few clouds and a bit cool but otherwise the conditions were perfect for a long day’s riding. I had a quick brekkie then said goodbye to Dave, Nerida & Kim before heading off to fill up at the first major stop I came to out of Coffs Harbour – Boambee. Once I was underway I was headed for Port Macquarie. I wasn’t aware of where the “Town Green” was but found it easily enough at the end of Horton St, one of the main streets of Port Macquarie.
Winston
I met with Mal & Dennis & their wives for breakfast where we got to chatting about various topics, including depression, riding, cruising and what we wanted to achieve with our upcoming ride to the Men’s Shed (as part of Riding4aCause). I headed off a little later than I wanted and hadn’t worked out which route to take so just barrelled down the Highway until I needed to stop. A quick pitstop in Kempsey, then continued on until the Taree Service centre where I stopped for a stretch and to refuel. It was here that I sawa sign to the Bucketts Way. I’d heard of this road before from other riders and here was the sign I was looking for – I had to take it! After a few km of this road I wondered what the fuss was about – the road was very bumpy, full of potholes and debris (leaves, logs, sticks, twigs, gravel and mud) and after about 15km I was thinking of turning back. As it was getting on for lunch time I decided to press on as Gloucester is a great place to stop for lunch.
Gloucester
Once past Krambach the road improved dramatically, and I could see why the Bucketts Way is a favourite bike road – the road surface improved dramatically and it became enjoyable. I stopped at the Mograni Lookout where you can grab a great view of Gloucester and the surrounding valley – As you can see from the pics, the sun was out and the wind was low which made it perfect for riding! I continued the ride into Gloucester and felt at home amongst the 15 or so other bikes that were parked along the main street. I ordered lunch at the Roadies Cafe where I chatted with another couple of riders who were headed back to Sydney after an early morning jaunt to Gloucester for lunch.
Roadies Cafe
The rest of the Bucketts Way was equally as fabulous as the run from Krambach to Gloucester – smooth road, open sweepers, some twisty corners as well as open plains to ride through. Traffic was light, and most were obliging to give me room to overtake so I could enjoy the bike and the road. Eventually I met up with the Pacific Hwy again north of Raymond Terrace and followed the signs towards Sydney.
Road Warriors
A quick refuel in Beresfield before hitting the F3 Freeway for the run home….although I detoured at the Central Coast Hwy to hit the Old Pacific Highway (aka “The Old Road”) for a bit more of a fun ride home. In recent years they’ve dropped the speed limit on this road to deter speeding – however most people believe it’s a conspiracy to raise revenue and deter people from having fun. It was late afternoon by the time I’d stopped at the Road Warriors Cafe for a stretch and a quick drink & bite to eat, but it was good to stop with other riders who had been out on their bikes enjoying the day too. I was tired by this point but knew the next stretch would be fairly easy then all I’d need to do is battle the Sydney traffic on the final run home.
I made it home by 6pm on Father’s Day and spent a wonderful evening with the family after being away from them for 2 weeks. Keep an eye out for my upcoming posts!
Another cracking day was brewing and I was itching to get on the road early – I departed with Dave who would be my riding buddy for the day, final destination was Dave’s house in Coffs Harbour. We weren’t 100% sure what James, Kim and Sharon would be up to today – they’d let us know as the day progressed.
For me, today was the best day of the ride.
It was a combination of things that allows me make this statement: The early start to the day; the pace of the ride; the journey; the conversations with Dave throughout the day; listening to music through my helmet, and the weather. It’s quite often hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes something great, and for me today it was the combination of all of these things. Days like today make you appreciate why you ride
We departed Dalby quite early (we even beat Daryl onto the road, but only because he’d lost his glasses and had to turn back to find them!) First major town we came to was Toowoomba where we stopped for a quick drink break, and to navigate our way out of here onto the New England Highway which lead us into Warwick. This trip was decidedly chilly, yet I was steadfastly sticking to riding with my Hornee jeans, which are great in warmer weather, but nowhere near as warm as my leather pants when the temperature drops. Besides, this was Queensland with the motto: “beautiful one day, perfect the next” In Warwick we had a full pit-stop (fill the bikes and the tummies – with a pie!) and I spotted some motorcycles made from nuts, bolts and chain links, something James had been looking for all trip.
Bumblebee
Tenterfield was to be our next stretch stop riding through/past Stanthorpe (with it’s Big Apple) which is close to the Queensland/NSW border. We had a pretty traffic-free run so far today, with good quality roads all the way from Toowoomba. I would have liked to stop off longer in Tenterfieldbut we only needed a stretch stop, and we had other places to stop for longer later in the day. I decided to change into my full leathers to stay warmer as it hadn’t warmed up enough since starting the ride. I was instantly rewarded as I no longer shivered whilst riding (yes, I should have done it earlier!)
From Tenterfield we had a choice: head east through Casino and onto Grafton, or keep heading south towards Glen Innes. Here Dave showed some of his local knowledge by deciding we’ll head towards Glen Innes, but cut over at Dundee to the Gwydir Highway. We stopped at Deepwaterfor a fill and lunch (Here I had the 2nd-worst pie on the trip – the worst was the scaldingly-hot & sloppy pie from Cloncurry). This one was dry and warm-ish, with the consistency of an apple pie. Still, it had to do.
That way!
If the Warrego Hwy into Dalby was the bumpiest we’d come across in Queensland, then this little 11km stretch between Dundee and Bald Nob was the one in NSW. Admittedly this is listed as a minor road and you expect it won’t be billiard-table smooth, but it was quite rough, bumpy and full of potholes to be avoided. Once we hit the Gwydir Hwy, we had a great, cruisy run towards Grafton.
It was on this stretch of the ride where it all came together – due to the relaxed pace of the day, I could hear the music and simply go with the flow – the ride seemed easy and effortless, into and out of the sunlight through the National Park. We stopped off at a lookout overlooking the valley and Dave proclaimed “isn’t it beautiful? We’ll be riding down there soon enough”, pointing out the valley floor far below.
Sunshine
The weather was glorious – a few scattered clouds, patches of sunshine and blue skies helped make this ride fabulous. By 3pm it was colder than when the day started, however I was perfectly warm in my leathers now, and was thankful I made the switch earlier in the day. The Gwydir Hwy reminded me of Macquarie Pass in the NSW Southern Highlands with it’s scenery, twisty turns and a few hairpin bends. It straightened out as we headed down into Grafton for our last pit-stop for the day. Once Dave had fuelled up and we bypassed Grafton proper and headed toward Glenreagh & Nana Glen instead of taking the Pacific Hwy to Coffs Harbour.
The ride from Dundee to Coffs Harbour was spectacular, scenic and a great way to cap off a great day’s riding with Dave. Dave put us up for the night and we had a wonderful dinner with real vegies! Kim, James & Sharon arrived a few hours later after having had a scenic & longer trip home. I went to bed early as tomorrow was my solo ride home and I wanted to get underway before 7:30am.
