Freer Wheelin’ 16 May 2020
The winding back of restrictions makes for an ability to explore much further and to experience greater appreciation of not only the countryside that we explored but also the newfound freedom that has come with the change of restrictions.
150km is a long way but it is also not a great distance. It is not yet far enough to be able to visit family but it is far enough to be able to explore with friends of like mind. Our Saturday is much longer than anticipated with a 7.45am on road to meet friends then a departure from there to Kilcoy via some spectacular scenery.
I am familiar with this area but not the roads we took today and for that I am grateful to our ride lead. He plotted this adventure and he found some amazing places to motor through.
We pass under a cathedral of trees on a few occasions. To me, there is nothing nicer than the arms of the trees wrapping over the top of the road, their reach far and wide, intertwining and yet still individual. The comfort such vistas bring to me is unexplainable. I stumbled on some roads near Byron Bay that were like this. Today’s ride starts beautifully and with such innocence.
Having said this, it is also a day for ignorance (failure of car drivers to appreciate that there is anyone else on the road as they simply change lanes without even looking in mirrors) and for the seemingly suicidal motor bike riders, who give the rest of us a bad name, being out screaming along, being impatient and generally behaving like dicks. There is the power ranger on their superfast bike, all kitted out with matching leathers, there is the “I’m tough look at me” in his German-warstyle helmet sitting low with high handlebars, there are the adventure type riders (like us) on bikes that will eat up non-bitumen surfaces decked out in our sensible riding jackets and pants, nothing matching yet absolutely necessary and appropriate. It is such a wide range of people, bikes and gear from such different walks of life. I cannot say that there is a common interest as such because the reason for riding is quite varied. The only thing in common is the means of transport – a motorbike. Separate from this is the increasing number of muscle 4WD vehicles out there – the RAM or the Tundra with all the bells and whistles – makes you wonder whether this is compensating…
The ability to venture away from the city is wonderful and mind-clearing. You can do this in a car but it is not quite the same as the immediacy of the smells, the taste of the air and the feel of the weather which is lost through the enclosure of the car – not saying I don’t drive one nor find a use for one, I very much do (carting groceries home on the motorbike is not so much fun).
Our route takes us from north side of Brisbane, through to Dayboro to Kilcoy, Blackbutt, Crows Nest, back through Mt Glorious, north side of Brisbane then home. We cover about 420km during the course of 11 hours out. We travel roads where the fine dust coats the trees, making them almost spectre like. I see the cycle of nature where man has made iron sheeting and hewn timber to assemble in a building, the buildings’ use has changed and it falls to ruin, weeds and trees and nature taking back the building and slowly, over time, it disintegrating back into the ground from which the components came.
It is diverse country through this area and very dry country which looks pretty but the creeks are puddles, if you are lucky. We cross the Brisbane River a couple of times and Stanley River which is near Somerset Dam. There are other rivers and creeks too, but these are the biggest ones we cross and where they are situated, they are not enormous.
We pass trees that are shedding their bushfire burned coats, growing new shoots, and disdainfully showing their fresh growth and less scarred side. We come through dams which are quite low, riding over the walls and motoring down to near the edge. It is a beautiful time of year to ride – you can layer clothes, taking off the jacket to remove the jumper, putting the jacket back on, then deciding whether to remove the long-sleeve t-shirt so that all that remains under the jacket is a short sleeve t-shirt, whilst leaving in place the scarf that is tucked around your neck, where the jacket meets the helmet. My jeans are not proper riding jeans – they are on the update purchase list as the last ones shrunk in the cupboard. However, my jeans are designed for wind resistance and they stack up pretty well, until late in the day we pass through some heavy showers. Then, they become sticky and damp, cooling as we pause for a break then slowly drying as we ride the last stage home.
In this time, the colours of the sky and the last vestiges of sunlight through the broken clouds of weather tantrums, are beautiful. I capture only one photo of this – most photos do not do justice to the beauty of what nature has provided for us to look at and observe.
By the time we arrive home, my cheekbones and my forehead ache from my helmet, my knees have already sounded their dissatisfaction and general protest, my earplugs (fitted ones) are suctioned in place, the cool of the night air and the higher altitudes we have travelled through reminds us of the brisk weather and the coming of winter, and the evening makes it a whole new challenge for motorbiking. But, this is what it is about – the experience, the freedom, the indescribable emotions that pass through during the course of the day.
I am not ride fit – 420km over the course of the day is easily travelled in a car but not so easily on a bike. It is not so easy to stretch, getting off the bike after sitting in that spot for a while, using your feet and knees to brace reminds you of your age and the abuse you have given your body over the years but I will do it all over again because of the endorphins such a day releases. This is a sanity break and saver, next up camping…
For now, I have wearily climbed into a lovely warm shower, made a simple dinner and enjoyed a well-earned glass of Australian sparkling with my darling husband who has negotiated all the twists and turns of the day with gusto. My task, on the back of the bike is easy – take in the scenery, self-appointed responsibility of taking photos, make sure I am a “good” pillion and just enjoy. His task is a whole lot more demanding – watching for drivers and riders and anticipating their moves and riding defensively, observing the condition of the road and a whole lot more. When not being a dick on the road and riding solely for speed and adrenaline, motorbiking is amazing. It opens up a wholly different appreciation of the world around you.
So that was day 1 of the weekend. Day 2 is just taking life easy. It is a little grocery shopping and then considering whether I should do some more on a project for Julian but I am easily distracted. It is absolutely necessary, right in this moment, to sort through my sewing stuff where there are shiny things and tidy my little set of drawers that have ribbon and elastic, hook and eye, punches, buttons, Velcro, scissors, needles, thread etc, then I need to go through my patterns and left over fabric as well as the projects ahead – because one must have a tidy workspace….in which to procrastinate.
I have laid out the jacket outer, now I need to mark it for the darts etc, then I need to cut and do the same for the lining and then there is the interfacing – oh, this is too much for one day, and look I have some left over bits of flannel from the sewing project earlier this year (for bushfire affected animals) that I can turn into a cover for my tablet…there’ll be plenty of time to sewing the jacket…
If nothing else, I hope this brings a smile to your face.
Go exploring, fuel is not too expensive at the moment and there are some amazing places to see, roads to travel and lovely little cafes and nibble spots that can do with a little bit of patronage as we get out feet back under us and the restrictions loosened. We stopped at Crows Nest (The Nest Café for a nice spot of lunch and a local made soft drink). Spend some time exploring this amazing part of the world before the restrictions loosen further and the tentacles go farther. The weekend has been about fantastic roads and beautiful people (2 couples) to ride with – the swapping of stories, comraderie and good old-fashioned simplicity.
Until next adventure, whatever form that takes…
