Eildon Campfire Ride_last weekend :) ....long

What a ride, what a weekend
After some confusion, all found the starting point in The Basin:
Jason(Viffer8) and Sarah (Zeal), Suz (Kwaka7), Stef (Peg), Gunther (Peg),
Frank and Fred (F650), Danny (TT6), David Cooper (CBR6), Mick(ZX9), Sasha
(ZZR250) and myself on the Strom. Clouds were still a bit low and the
overnight rain made the Mountain Hwy to Sassafras pretty wet. A dotted line
of some oil out of a truck's diff or so at least made it colourfull...

The Mt. Dandy Tourist Rd was drenched in oil that had spread to about
half-lane width with the rain and the going was careful and slow.
Monbulk, then on to Yarra Junction where we picked up Dave (Mountainhitter,
GSXF750) and pillion/wife Janet, great to see them join in after their ride
from their home in Gippsland that morning.
Up the Reefton Spur and things were not just wet but also dirty, at least it
didn't rain.
From Cumberland Junction towards the Lake Mountain turn-off and things got
really interesting within a few kilometers.
It got bloody cold, the sky broke open in parts and then the snow started
alongside the road.
The higher we climbed, the thicker it got...tree ferns had white-coated
droopy leaves, the blooming canopy of wattles added a mighty splash of
colour.
Some 4WD before us had cleared some of the snow on the road and left clear
tyre-tracks to follow, slushy snow everywhere else.
Then we came around a lefthander and it was a stunner:
The white ground, snow-laden branches and undergrowth, the yellow wattles,
the white road with narrow black strips, the bare smooth trunks of the
alpine gums with a background of pure blue skies and brilliant
sunshine...WHOW, what a sight !!!
The snow receded after the Lake Mtn. turn-off and the road started to dry
out on the way to the Marysville Bakery, time for a coffee.

Then off to Buxton and Eildon, (roads were dry from here on for the rest of
the weekend) where half the group disappeared into town, since the corner
marker decided to quit the job half-way and follow the first mob.
After some Telstra-share -boosting between Eildon town and the Mt. Pinniger
Lookout (where Stef tried a mountain-goat interlude and dropped the Peg we
all finished up at the end of the twisties and Jerusalem Creek Boat-Harbour
for a bite to eat.
Nothing has changed there and cooking up burgers/sandwiches for a dozen
hungry bikers still took the customary hour or so, but the views across the
now slowly filling lake from the half-open verandah compensated for it.


Back into Eildon and the Skyline Rd (hazy views towards Mt. Buller and
Stirling) beckoned with some nice twisties and no moss growing out of the
pebbly asphalt this time, into Alexandra for some shopping for the night's
bbq.
Danny had carefully packed a half-dozen eggs for next morning's breakfast
which had splattered themselves neatly between pillow and fartbag, glueing
the whole thing solid in the afternoon sunshine )) One pissed-off Danny,
hehe....
Well, at least the bacon made it through
David Cooper left for a lonely ride home in sparkling sunshine, all of us
sorry to see him go.
After stocking up with food/ petrol and drinks for the night's bbq and
breakfast itwas back up the Skyline and into Eildon.
Stef put in another showstopper by hitting a decent-sized rock midcorner,
getting the "shakes" in the front-end and running off the road while still
on the anchors, before dropping it in the gravel.
Again, very little damage, no injuries....but he certainly had the knack for
it that day...
40km of glorious twisties on the Jamieson road finished the day at the Big
River Camp, where Graham/ Joy and their "kids" had already started the old
Lister-Diesel generator and lit both fires.
Gunther couldn't make up his mind which stand to use on the softish ground
and let his Peg drop as well, a bad weekend for the Pegs ( But again, no
harm done, this time not even a scratch.
Things certainly lit up from there before deteriorating with Grahams
home-brews into the early morning-hours, he makes some mean stuff in some
dark backroom )
A freezing morning saw some early-risers back on deck cooking up breakfast
on the bbq.
Laughter came back quickly and things got underway after a quick cleanup,
back to Eildon, Skyline, Alexandra. A cold morning, but the sun was out for
a sparkler.
This time Mt. Buller and Stirling were clear and sharp, the roads dry and
the run from Alex to Yea was a thrill. Some nice cruising out there....
Towards Flowerdale, then across to Glenburn and towards Yarra Glen saw the
group wide-spread, then things tightened up again towards Toolangi and down
Myers Creek Rd., which still hadn't dried completely in the early afternoon.
Lunch at the Ice Creamery in Healesville where the baked potatoes seem to
get bigger every year, across to the Warburton Hwy to get Dave and Janet on
their way, shortly after the group split up for each to make their way home.

What a weekend.....great to catch up with some I hadn't seen for a while,
great to have Dave/Janet along.
Great riding, plenty of tricky stuff from snow to prolonged stretches of
nearly invisible gravel... what a weird day the Saturday turned out to
be:
"feeling" our way through the snow under leaden skies, biting cold, 2 hours
later following eachother along the dusty dirt road to Pinniger lookout in
glorious sunshine, taking the liners out of the jackets.

Great company, good fun, everyone had a ball.....and plenty of twisties as a
side-dish

Thanks to all who came along, we'll do it again one of those days.
Whoever wasn't there missed another good'un.

cheers
pete

 

Sounds like an interesting ride Pete! Sorry I missed it

Jas
CBR600F

 

Yep, had a ball, was my first 'real' ride on the 9 too...

A BIG thanks to Pete, as well as Graham and Joy for everything.
I think I speak for all present when I say that.

I'm already looking forward to the next one!

As a side note, anyone planning a ski trip would be wise to think
about inviting Pete (new name Frosty) - does this guy know how
to find snow or what!!!

Mick G
'98 ZX9

 

BananaRama... 5 weeks and COUNTING ))

Let's see if we can find some snow in the back of Brissie
cheers
pete

 

How is Myers Creek Rd. for bikes? its fantastic for cars, but with all the
cambered corners, the change of direction might be a bit hairy on a metal
horse.

 

Cars? On Myers Creek? Nullabor is great for cars.
They should be permanently banned from that stretch!!
It's first rate for bikes, nice flow, but because of cages it's one of
"THOSE" roads (like Reefton/Kinglake-St.Andrews/Arthurs Seat, Mtn.
Hwy........)

cheers
pete

 

Erkk... that road rocks!!!... I think in Motorcycles 101 they teach that
cambered corners = more traction = greater cornering speed with less lean
angle and less effort which equals lots of fun on that road.

Nev..
'02 CBR1100XX #2 lives on !! no ZX12R yet...