Fab's Motorcycle Trip to Tasmania

Tasmania on Motorcycle. Part 2

2010-03-18T19:05:00.001+11:00

Tasmania on Motorcycle. Part 1

2010-03-07T03:16:00.002+11:00

Sydney to the Central Coast.

2009-11-19T04:34:00.003+11:00

Sunday 8 November.
After nearly 20 days riding my bike south to Victoria then Tasmania and all the way back to NSW in near perfect weather I woke up this morning for my last hour of riding to my place and my kids in the Central Coast with clouds looming and the skies about to open up....and off course it did!
I could not believe it! Although lightly, it rain all the way from Sydney to Gosford....at least I can say the gear stood up to the test! Specially the "Rainoff" over gloves.
All in all, I could not have asked for a better trip though. I got to do my first ever motorcycle trip in arguably Australia's best twisting roads.
The bike? it did not miss a beat and apart from the little petrol incident (Not the bikes fault off course!) all I had to do was turn the key each morning and it would be ready to go with me on my little adventure.
I am extremely lucky I can do something like this and I hope that I can continue to do it for a long time yet and into much more faraway places. It is such a beautiful thing to get up each morning, jump on a motorcycle and ride somewhere, anywhere!
I've travelled around Australia by car and campervans and although travelling is always enjoyable, when you travel by car, you're just another tourist and locals just want your money.
It didn't matter how big or small the town was where I stopped in for petrol, lunch or for the night. Every time somebody would want to start a conversation....Which way you're heading?.....where're you riding from?.....what kind of bike is that?
In Lois Pryce's book "Lois on the Loose " she quotes someone else saying something along the lines of....."Travelling by car is like watching a movie but, travelling on a motorcycle is like being in a movie"....and I think I could not have come up with that myself....

Melbourne to Sydney

2009-11-19T04:26:00.003+11:00

Saturday 7 November.
After the previous night of a feast of Venezuelan cuisine and the best that South America's greatest wine making countries have to offer at the "El Gran Bar" restaurant, I left Melbourne at around 10.00 am and headed straight up the Hume Hwy again.
Although my original plan was to come back through the Snowy Mountains, Ralph's invitation had put an end to that so I needed to put in a good effort to get home at a descent time on Sunday.
The weather again was perfect..... (Off course? I was riding my bike that day!).....so I made good progress and would have reached Canberra by 6.30 pm. But, being eager to get home now, I said to myself, what if I keep going to Goulbourn rather than taking the exit to Canberra?(Where I was planning to spend the last night)....what the heck? it’s almost an identical distance from here!.....so I kept going knowing that ones in Goulbourn I was only two hours from Sydney, and three and half from the Central Coast.
I could be sleeping in my own bed by 9.30 tonight I said to myself.
Now, I know for a fact, (from previous mishaps) that I can get around 250 Km out of a full tank on this bike. Actually, 247 km to be more precise.... (Shut Up Patch!!!)
My reserve kicked in at about 190 km and the signs said.....Goulbourn 15 km.......Goulbourn 12 km......Next thing, cough, cough!! Noooooooooo!!!!!
I was out of petrol in the middle of the Hume Hwy 10 Km out of Goulbourn at 7.00 pm with only 206 km on my odometer counter....
I can only put it down to the extra weight on the bike???
Anyway after an hour of cursing myself, the road service turned up with 10 ltrs of unleaded for which I had the pleasure of paying $2.00 p/litre.
This meant that I did not reach Sydney until nearly 10.00 pm and by then I was really bugged, so I dropped in my brother's house and spent the night there.

Back in Melbourne

2009-11-19T04:25:00.001+11:00

Thursday 5 November.
I boarded the ferry this morning for the crossing back to Melbourne at around 8.30 am. And in contrast with my crossing into Devonport ten days earlier, where there would have been at least thirty or forty other motorcycles, I was the only one...being a weekday the boat was not as crowded.
The trip itself was a very smooth crossing and I spent the nine hour journey catching up on some reading. I disembarked in Melbourne at around 6.45 pm and made my way to Ralph & Mary Ann who had insisted I come back and stay with them on my way back before continuing the following morning on my way home.
They were organizing an architectural presentation at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and asked me to go straight there from the ferry terminal.
When I got there, Ralph came out to meet me and after asking how my Tasmanian adventure had gone he said, we’ve been invited to a "Venezuelan Night" tomorrow night in town! Why don't you stay an extra night and come with us?
I said, Mmmmm....I really want to be home by Sunday....then Ralph outed the magic words.... there'll be a selection of Argentinean & Chilean wines to try.....
What can I say....? I am human after all....!!!

My last day in Tasmania.

2009-11-19T04:16:00.006+11:00

Good Bye Tassie....

Leaving Devonport for the crossing back to Melbourne.

Really bad view of Launceston!!! but it'll have to do as it's the only photo I took there.

I thought I'll keep going all the way to Perth...

Wednesday 4 November.
After my forced lay off yesterday I woke up this morning feeling a hell of a lot better. The weather had done a 180 degree turn too and I was starting to think the motorcycle gods where firmly on my side.
I left Triabunna around 10.00 am and rode north along the east coast towards Swansea. The lost of a day’s riding yesterday meant I was going to have to cut my trip short and will miss out on riding all the way up to St Helens and then northwest towards Derby, Scottsdale and Launceston.
Although the sun was out and the rain was gone, the temperature had dropped considerably and the wind chill was cutting through my gloves and jacket zipper like butter. I had to stop and for the first time during this trip I pulled out my rain gear to help me shield the wind chill factor.
I've got a pair of "Rainoff" over gloves and they worked a treat. I normally wear a pair of thermal gloves under my riding gloves, but these worked better as the thermal ones tend to make my fingers and hands feel a bit stiff and tight inside the leather ones.
From Swansea, I cut across straight to Launceston where I had lunch and then off for my final leg in Tassie towards Devonport and my last night in this beautiful island before boarding the Spirit tomorrow morning.
I arrived in Devonport around 5 pm and stayed at the Argosy Motor Inn in East Devonport where I had a nice buffet dinner and watched a bit of TV until the usual pack of overweight, loud, fifty something Harley Owners Group turned up and took control of the remote control and I decided to call it a night.
These guys were everywhere in Tassie and apparently there was some Harley's meeting on, so some 2000 Harleys had made the crossing that week. And off course they would look at me on my little Japanese bike and give me no respect what so ever.
But, I got comfort in the fact that these wankers had spent $30,000 or $40,000 on a bike to do the same trip I was doing on an $8,000 Jap bike. And they're so tough that they all have to go out in packs as they're too scare of doing it on their own....

Stuck in Triabunna

2009-11-19T04:09:00.003+11:00

I spent the day drinking plenty of water and watching telie...

Tuesday 3 November.
I woke up this morning and as I bent down to put my boots on, I nearly hit the deck as the whole room started spinning around....
At first I didn't think much of it but after I got up, it progressively got worst. I think all the walking around Port Arthur the previous day in my heavy motorcycle gear and not enough drinking of water had really caught up with me and I was dehydrated.
Last night when I arrived at the local caravan park and asked for a tent site, I was offered for an extra few bucks to stay in their shared backpacker's cabin, which meant not only not having to pitch the tent but also a bed and a TV in the kitchen area. As it turned out, it was Melbourne Cup Day, and outside the weather was really crap.
Rain & wind where going sideways (first day of rain in this trip) and as I looked out the window feeling really dizzy I said to myself..." Yep, I am really sick today".... and decided to stay put.
Drinking plenty of water I watched Corey Brown riding "Shocking" win the Race that stops the nation.

Hobart to Port Arthur.

2009-11-19T03:16:00.013+11:00

Back in the early 1900's the house operated as a hotel and when the film crew of the movie "For the Term of his Natural Life" was in town they stayed here.

The Commandant's Residence.

The road leading to the Commandant's house with the military barracks on the right.

Convicts were buried on the lower side of the island on unmarked graves. Everybody else was buried on the high side and their head stones can still be seen.

The Island of the Dead.

The ruins of the Broad Arrow Cafe where the Memorial stands today.

The shell of the Broad Arrow Cafe where twenty people died. It is a very sad place to say the least.

The events of 1996 are still very raw.

The cross bearing the names of the victims of the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.

The year the church was built.

The ruins of the non-concecrated cathedral where catholic & protestant convicts attended services until it was destroyed in the bushfires of 1897.

The cells for convicts in isolation.

The water fountain in the central gardens.

View from the bay.

Leaving Karsten & Annisa's house in Hobart.

Sunday 1 November.
Arrived in Port Arthur at around 5 pm and went straight into the visitor's centre to book my walk tour for the next morning. Because the pass is valid for two days I made the most of the time left that afternoon to walk around the site to take some photos.
After that I set up camp at the near ground where I cooked some dinner and spent the rest of the night in the tent trying to make inroads into Lois Pryce's book Lois on the Loose which I brought with me for the trip.
The following morning, Monday, I was up early and ready to take my guided tour walk through this amazing historical site. If you're ever in this part of Tasmania and are a bit of a History buff like me? Port Arthur is definitely for you.
You'll learn a lot about what was it actually like living in a penal colony in the mid 1800's and how it has shaped the country Australia is today. Port Arthur at the time of its establishment was a radical new experiment in criminal's punishment, where the first steps were being taken to change the "lock them up and throw away the key" attitude with one of trying to rehabilitate convicts by way of teaching them a trade so that they might actually be of use to society when their sentences were completed. Something that is at the heart of today's penal system in all western countries. Or at least it is supposed to be....

Tarraleah to Hobart

2009-11-19T02:56:00.006+11:00

Annisa's fav photo pose...

We rode to Southport to the southernmost point you can get to in Tassie on seal roads.

The famous Salamanca Markets.

Annisa & Karsten. Cool People!

Elizabeth St Pier.

Hobart's Waterfront.

Friday 30 October.
Made it to New Norfolk, just outside Hobart, by lunch time with rain drops starting to fall on my visor for the first time since leaving the NSW Central Coast on the 19th October. I called my HU contact as agreed so that we could meet up that afternoon and after spending a few hours updating my blog at the Bridgewater McDonald's I rode to their house in Hobart.
Karsten & Anissa were my host for the following weekend showing me around the place and having cappuccinos in soup bowls. They do! Here in Hobart you can order a bowl sized cappuccino that you have to hold with two hands in order to drink it as there's no handle on it.
Kartsen, a Rock band guitarist & Ale Connoisseur, migrated from Germany about three years ago to take up a position as an Academic in Geochemistry at the University of Tasmania with Anissa, a Chemist, following him three months later and currently working at the Cadbury chocolate manufacturer. And yes, she does love chocolate, and no she did not get me any!!!
They break the mould when it comes to motorcycling as it is Anissa who is the motorcycle rider with Karsten happy to tag along as a pillion. She took me for a ride along the loop road that takes you from the City through Kingston down to Margate and Huonville then south all the way Southport, the southernmost point you can ride on seal roads in Tasmania.
It was a great afternoon of enjoyable riding with easy long sweeping bends that just kept coming one after the next, again and again and again....
Karsten & Anissa were extremely fun people to hang around with and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their hospitality and generosity in having me for the weekend.
The most enjoyable aspect of my stay with them was the long chats after dinner and breakfast over a glass of good Tasmanian wine or coffee we had at their house. As I rode away on Sunday afternoon from their house to make my way towards Port Arthur I left behind two very special new friends that I hope I'll be able to see again in the not too distant future.

2009-11-01T14:50:00.001+11:00

The Enchanted Forest Walk.

Cradle Mountain to Tarraleah and the West Coast.

2009-11-01T14:42:00.007+11:00

Somewhere outside of Queenstown.

Made it to Zeehan.

The Cradle Mountain Lodge.

The Enchanted Forest Walk.

Apparently if you do this walk at night all the animals come out and that is why they call it the Enchanted Forest.

Cradle Mountain Natinal Park.

Had a few locals visiting that night.

Thursday 29 October.
I dropped the bike this morning. Fuuuck!!!
Leaving the car park at the camping ground at Cradle Mountain, there's a kind of roundabout in front of the office and instead of doing the right thing and going around it to get out, I cut across the wrong way to save me probably I'll say about 1.5 seconds... and Ranger's 4WD was coming around the corner, I stopped but because it caught me by surprise I didn't put my foot down on the ground fast enough I guess and the bike just leaned too far to the right.
As it started going I tried to hold it together but the weight of all the gear was too much and all I could do was to try to let it fall as gently as possible. The guy in the 4WD had to get out and help me lift it up again as there was no way I could pick the thing up by self again.
No major damage to the bike, although the same cannot be said for the owner's pride...
After that little incident I went and did the Enchanted Forest Walk at the National Park before leaving for Zeehan, Strahan, Queentown and finally Tarraleah where I would be spending my next night.
By far, today’s ride was the best so far. Best ride of my life come to think of it.
Think of the most winding stretch of road you've ever been on and then imagine doing it over, and over, and over for I don’t know... maybe one or two hours.
And then when you thought it was all over there's that sign again with the winding arrow that says "Next 45 Km". Unbefuckinglibable!!!!
Apparently, this is the section where they run the Tagart Rally and it's no wonder that they've chosen this part of Tasmania to do it on.
I reached Tarraleah, a quiet little community that I think makes a living from the canoeing & trout fishing tourists that visit the town, by 6.30 pm and I was happy with my progress as I can now take my time tomorrow and get to Hobart by the afternoon to meet up with my HU contact there.

Left Arthur River to Cradle Mountain

2009-10-30T14:36:00.012+11:00

The End of the World Lookout at Arthur River. The logs are carried by the river current and dumped on the surf which in turn deposits them on the shore.

A local told me that today the sea was calm

I don't normally eat this well at home you know!

Wednesday 28 October.
Made a hearty breakfast before leaving at 10 am back towards Wynyard where I'll start heading south towards Cradle Mountain National Park.
But before that, I had to go and see "The End of the World Lookout"
On my way through Smithton I heard that a local guy from South Forest had died when his motorcycle hit a ute head on not far from Stanley the night before. Around the time I would have been sipping JD's in my tent in Arthur River this poor fellow was laying on the road dead. I thought of what his family would be going through, what they'll be telling his kids...

The ride all the way to Cradle Mountain was spectacular and if you're ever in Tassie make sure you visit this World Heritage Listed National Park. I wish I had covered more distance in the first day after arriving in the Island because I would have preferred to spend at least a full day doing some of the amazing half day walks, instead I'll have to settle for a short walk tomorrow morning as I need to cover some ground to be in Hobart by Friday afternoon.

Arthur River to Cradle Mountain

2009-10-30T14:08:00.004+11:00

The camp ground at Arthur River where I spent the night of my 42nd birthday.

The single lane bridge at Arthur River heading North.

The Boat Ramp at Arthur River.

Wednesday 28 October
Made a hearty breakfast before leaving at 10 am back towards Wynyard where I'll start heading south towards Cradle Mountain National Park.
But before that, I had to go and see "The End Of the World Lookout"
On my way through Smithton I heard that a local guy from South Forest had died when his motorcycle hit a ute head on not far from Stanley the night before. Around the time I would have been sipping JD's in my tent in Arthur River this poor fellow was laying on the road dead. I though of what his family would be going through, what they'll be telling his kids...
The ride all the way to Cradle Mountain was spectacular and if you're ever in Tassie make sure you visit this World Heritage Listed National Park. I wish I had covered more distance in the first day after arriving in the Island because I would have preferred to spend at least a full day doing some of the amazing half day walks, instead I'll have to settle for a short walk tomorrow morning as I need to cover some ground to be in Hobart by Friday afternoon.

From Stanley to Arthur River and Tasmania's Rugged West Coast

2009-10-30T13:51:00.007+11:00

Coming down on the Chairlift from The Nut.

My 3 year old son wanted me to pack his car toy to take with me. I thought it was a good Omen...

View of Stanley from The Nut.

The port at Stanley.

Tuesday 27 October
After a quick breakfast and a ride around town to take some more photos and film, I headed towards Arthur River on Tasmania's Rugged North West Coast.
On my way there I rode through the town of Smithton where I refueled. The ride there was very pleasant one through the green country side with plenty of dairy farms around and some of the greenest grasses I've ever seen.
Another stop at the Tarkine Forest Adventures for lunch and a slide and walk through the sink hole. The slide is this "Slippery Slide" thingy that takes you all the way down to the bottom of the sink hole where you begin your walk.
Reached Arthur River around 3.00 pm where I set up camp in the local camping ground after getting some essentials for the celebratory dinner. Today's my 42nd birthday and for the first time in my life I am going to spend it completely alone, by myself with a couple of JD's & Coke and listening to Leon Gieco in my iPod. Ahhh life does not get much better than this!!!
Although I know I am going to be in trouble with Anni cos I can't ring the kids so they can say happy birthday! No mobile reception here....

Devonport to Stanley

2009-10-30T13:16:00.006+11:00

Tulip Fams at Table Cape.

Deep Falls Rain Forest.

Table Cape Light House.

Monday 26 October .
After docking in Devonport this morning at 6.00 am and disembarking by 6.30am I started to make my way through the north coast of Tasmania.
Riding through the beautiful coastal towns of Ulverstone, Penguin, Burnie and Wynyard to finally reach Stanley were I will spend my first night under a Tasmanian sky.
Stanley is an old historic fishing town with a lot of charm. The main road in town is full of 19th century buildings that really take you back to what it would have been like when early settlers first came to this island.
A visit to the local cemetery really brings it home when you see all the headstones with lots of children and young people dying from decease and accidents.
But the thing you can not miss is the main attraction of the town, and that is "The Nut". The Nut is this huge rock outcrop that is visible for miles around and the best way to describe is like this....It's Uluru by the sea.
It's got it's own chair lift that takes you to the summit and it is a must if you're in town I reckon.

Melbourne

2009-10-30T13:07:00.006+11:00

Outside Docklands Stadium after the game. Note all the bikes parked on the footpath...

Melbourne Victory's Hardcore Supporters.

Teams coming out.

Federation Square. What a great use of public space....

Those steel beams? Not two are at the same angle!

Friday 23 October.
Arrived in Melbourne around 3 pm on the 23rd October and got in touch with Ralph & Mary Ann from the Horizons Unlimited Community who had offered to put me up while I waited for Sunday to come around when I'm supposed to get on the ferry to Tassie.
Ralph first offered for me to stay when I contacted him through the HU website to ask for advice on any camp grounds near Port Melbourne and I was a bit uneasy about just dropping in on some stranger's house to take over their couch. However, Ralph also happen to mentioned in his emails to me that He and his wife Mary Ann had ridden two up all through Central and South America as well as Asia and wanted me to come over so we could chat over a vino or two, I could not refuse the invite....
As it turns out, they run a very successful architectural and access consultancy practice and have a number of projects in South America as well as various NGO charities that they're actively involved with and support.
True to his promise, we talked over dinner about their adventures and drank the most beautiful Chilean wine I've ever tasted. These people have obviously been transformed by their travels and have brought home with them a hell of a lot more than just an album full of spectacular landscapes and happy snaps.
They are PASSIONATE about Latin America and their day to day activities, be it work or leisure, reflect this passion that they have for that part of the world.
Saturday morning began with Ralph and I riding to Melbourne's Queen Victoria Markets for breakie and then a ride through the city. Melbourne is such a great motorcycle friendly city that even the weaving through traffic felt safe behind Ralph on his 125cc scooter.
The great thing about Melbourne for motorcyclists is that you're allowed to park your bike on the footpath anywhere in the city, unlike driving a car you can just pull up anywhere and park within a stone's throw of where you want to go.
And this is something that all Melbournians have Ralph to thank for, or at least part of it, as he was the Chairman of the Victorian Motorcycle Council at the time it was advising the Victorian Government on this matters. G'Onya Ralph!!!!
In the evening, it was off to Docklands Stadium for another great passion that I share with these two individuals. The World Game!!! Where the ball is kicked not picked up, hand passed or knocked with a closed fist. Once again I was chasing Ralph in his scooter with Mary Ann as a pillion this time through the traffic of this great sporting city where we parked our bikes "on the footpath" right outside the main entrance to the stadium and watched "El Clasico" between Melbourne Victory & Adelaide United.
For the record, Victory flogged the Reds 3-1 and my hosts had a smile from ear to ear all the way home after the game.
Sunday morning came and I went for a ride that was to take me through the mountains and back to Melbourne which is supposed to be Australia's premier motorcycle touring road but with my GPS playing games with me I didn't want to risk not being back on time to get on the Spirit of Tasmania at 6.30 pm that evening.
So I got back to Ralph & Mary Ann's house to pack the bike and say my good byes to my new found friends and headed to Port Melbourne.
Ralph & Mary Ann were great hosts. I was humble by their generosity and hope that I can return the favour in the not too distant future when they're riding through my patch of the world.

Canberra to Wodonga

2009-10-26T08:35:00.005+11:00

Parliament House.

I had to stop and take a photo of this one!

Wednesday 21 October.
Set the alarm in my phone to 7.30 am as I had to check out of the camping site by 10.00 am.
Packed the gear up and set off for a quick ride to the city again and Parliament House before leaving for Albury, my next overnight stop.
The conditions where a lot cooler this morning with overcast skies. I even though, I may get my first wet ride of the trip earlier than expected. It didn't last very long, by 1.00 o'clock the clouds where gone and the sun was piercing through again.
The Hume highway all the way to Wodonga was deadly boring and I kept saying to myself why? Why? Didn’t I take the route down the coast to Melbourne?
The highlight of the ride had to be the HMAS Otway in Holbrook. As the sign explains, it was donated to the town when it was decommissioned.
At the local council meeting a few years ago I think it went a little like this....."Mmmmm what can we do to put Holbrook on the map?......I know, we'll bury a sub in the kid's playground at the local park!!!
It's a brilliant idea, before they put it there; you would've not even slowed down past the little town......now? Wowww....brakes....got a take a photo of that!!!!! And we might as well stop and buy some snacks while we're here too....

I reached Wodonga that afternoon and went straight to the camping ground. Set up the tent, quick shower, dinner and off to bed.
I was bugged...

Sydney to Canberra

2009-10-26T08:27:00.005+11:00

Sean and I in the city.

Sean's 109r.

My first night camping in Canberra.

Tuesday 20 October.

Left Sydney about 10 am and it finally felt like I had started the trip. After refuelling at the Crossroads in Liverpool, I was on my way to Canberra on the Hume Hwy.
I'm not sure what the temperature was exactly but it had to have been in the high twenties even low thirties. Cruising at 110-120 km/h in the hot wind was not ideal.
One stop over in between in Goulbourn and I made it to the Capital at around 1.30 pm where I set up camp at the Canberra Motor Village.
I met up with Sean, whom I've been in contact with throught the HU Canberra Community and got together for a few drinks in the city.
Sean has lived in Canberra for a couple of years and works in the finance department of the ACT government. He rides a beatiful Suzuki M109r that made my bike look like a toy bike when parked next to each other.
Sean, you were really good company and thanks for sparing me the boring evening by my self at the camping site!

All loaded up and ready to go!

2009-10-20T18:29:00.003+11:00

Finally!!! No more sleeps to my trip to Tassie!!!!
My underware is all sorted, the bike is packed and the bills have been paid, well most of them....
I'm riding to Sydney tonight to test how the luggage goes on the freeway and will leave tomorrow morning from my mother's house, after the compulsory three course breakfast, to make my way to Canberra where I'll hopefully spend the first night.
This last week has been a real rush getting my work all finished and trying to go through the final check list of what I need to pack before I leave and offcourse there was the last minute glitch too.
I went to fill up the bike this afternoon and my credit card had been blocked.....WTF????
rang the bank and sorted out.....after all I did say "most of my bills had been paid" didn't I?

A little bit about the bike for the "Tech Guys", my bike is a 2006 Kawasaki VN 250cc Eliminator. Although only a 250, I think it would be a good touring bike (it feels like you're riding your sofa). I'm not planning to break any records and the rego is a lot cheaper, so.... it will have to do for now.

My little Adventure

2009-08-02T22:43:00.021+10:00

The plan is to ride my bike from my home in Umina Beach on the NSW Central Coast down to Melbourne where I'll hop on the Spirit of Tasmania for the cross to Devonport.
Depending on the weather, I'll ride anti-clockwise, down to Hobart then back up again through the East Coast back to Devonport where I'll cross Bass Staight again to Victoria for my home run through the Snowy Mountains, Canberra and finally Sydney & the Central Coast.
The trip should take approximately 2 to 2 1/2 weeks. At least that's the time I've allowed!

I will be leaving on the 22nd October and hope to be back by the 8th November 2009, unless I miss my two boys so much that I decide the whole thing has been the stupidist idea I've ever had and turn around before I even reach Goulburn.

I've done the big 1/2 loop between Sydney, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin & back to Sydney about ten years ago, so camping & long distance travelling is not a worry for me. However, this is my first ever trip on a bike anywhere further than say an hour & half away from home and I'll be on my own too, something that I always wanted to do.

The video below is a little movie I shot while riding around where I live.

You'll need to turn the flash player off in my Music Playlist above first, if you want to hear the video's audio.