Friday 27/07/07 - Dirt Day!

[oodeano]

My brother is coming down from Brisbane to pick up his NX650 Dominator - I'm taking friday off work to go do a bit of dirt before the trip home - see the weekend ride thread.

Should you have the day off and want to come for a derby - meet at McDonalds - the corner of Bowral road and Bessemer st Mittagong for a 10am departure!

Since we will be going via the Royal Nat Park we will be passing the toll gates on Farnell Ave (Sutherland End) at about 7:30 - another potential meet point. From there Up Lawrence Hargrave to Old Princes, Mt Keira, Mac Pass and into Mittagong - hopefully for the 10am meet.

From there we will go Wombeyan Caves Road, Bic Nat Trail, hopefully find a signpost I've seen previously that says "Jenolan Caves - 90km 4WD ONLY" and manage to get all the way along that to Jenolan then home via freeways!

It's a little ambitious considering how long it's been since James has ridden anywhere but that's the plan for now - we can always cut it short if we have to. From memory it's almost 500 k's. Another friend has done almostt his ride inc dirt on a scooter - how hard can it be?

[p10dc]

I can't believe this.
I normally have Fridays for riding (my weekend is a bit strange) but the 27th I have a meeting in Canberra!!!
Dean, why did your brother has to pick this one? :cry: :cry: :cry:

[oodeano]

Come on Pablo - blow off the meeting, do it another day! I can feel you getting too sick for the meeting now . .

Ride to Canberra, have the meeting really early - we'll wait at Mittagong till 11 to meet you. You could even meet us at Wombeyan caves - coming via Goulburn and Taralga -1PM.

We were going to do it the weekend after, I'm not sure why it changed - bloody James!

[oodeano]

We did the run down through the royal for James to get warmed up - it's been 15 years since he rode anything? By the end of Mac pass he was grinning from ear to ear (who isn't?) and beginning to get his eye back in.

A quick loop past the Mackers in Mitta to see if we had any late starters - no luck. A snack at the shell, tyres down, forks up and onto Wombeyan for the fun!

First stop lookout:

http://www.deangb.com/pics/IMG_2927.JPG

James was there too - just not in the pics!!

When we left the lookout he began playing with tyre pressures to try to get some grip from the old, hard road-esqe knobbies and let ALL the air out!! A backtrack and compressor job later we were off again!!

I followed on the descent - road tyres arent exactly the ideal attack weapon - not a lot of brakes? Stop for a pic at the river below - can't remember what it's called?

Upstream:

http://www.deangb.com/pics/IMG_2932.JPG

Downstream:

http://www.deangb.com/pics/IMG_2934.JPG

Us:

http://www.deangb.com/pics/IMG_2936.JPG


I managed to lead out and push him hard enough to back off uphill - mostly for fear of me zig-zagging into him - very slow on the sand covered hardpack corners then WOT on the straights. LMAO with lot's of too early on the juice pucker time fishtails - if for no other reason you should let your tyres down to make these easier to catch!! I had to stop at the top for a giggle . . :mrgreen:

Up the bitumen heading west from Wombeyan caves is not fun on 20 psi tyres - but then on to my favourite part - the bicentennial national trail!!!

I think James got a bit of a surprise (polite summation of his words ...) at how "big trailie" the Strom can be if you are willing to flog it senseless - I am. Bumpy, rocky, narrow, ruts, waterbars (most of them now with centrestand etc grind marks after them - whoops) - I caned it silly through most of it until . . .

Whoops once more - had the front wheel already in the air when I spotted the 'sizeable' pothole with solid rock backend over the other side. A little too late to change course or keep the rear wheel on the ground I clenched my teeth (amongst other things :rolleyes: ) and braced for impact. It felt like the rear tyre was still up so I kept going till the top of the hill.

http://www.deangb.com/pics/IMG_2942.JPG

Don't know what I'm going to do about that one - quoted $980 for a new wheel today . . ?

At the end of the 30 k's we stopped for a drink:

http://www.deangb.com/pics/IMG_2943.JPG

We ummed and ahhed(?) about the Jenolan 4WD track I spotted last time I was in the area - eventually deciding to give it a go.

http://www.deangb.com/pics/IMG_2946.JPG

Great track! Steep, creek crossings chest high waterbars and 20 k's in - this:

http://www.deangb.com/pics/IMG_2948.JPG

Take a close look:

http://www.deangb.com/pics/IMG_2949.JPG


I de-booted and strolled out to check the depth - over knee deep just behind the retaining log. Needless to say at 3pm, 50 k's from anywhere, 50 k's of unknown ahead and a 1200km weekend planned we turned back. If there's any actual big traillie riders out there that want to try this and let me know how/where it goes that'd be great!! The sign is at:

S 34 00 57.3
E 149 51 45.5

according to my GPS

TBC

[oodeano]

We backtracked the 20 k's and took forestry roads to the bitumen ASAP and booked for home. The lass in the Oberon servo told us there were storms coming in - rain on the coast and possible snow or hail at Oberon. She was right. A spot of rain was OK - then the tappitty tap tap of a little hail was OK when ATGATT. Wham - hail rattle mode engage - and it HURT!!! James pulled over as we couldn't see particularly well - I went 20 mtrs further and rode into a small tree - he soon joined me:

http://www.deangb.com/pics/IMG_2956.JPG

http://www.deangb.com/pics/IMG_2955.JPG

http://www.deangb.com/pics/IMG_2952.JPG

From there it was the inevitable trawl through the blue mountains (a tunnel please :)) and M4 home.

We had a great ride - mental note: Must cane less on rocky terrain?

Dean


PS: Just for interest - here's the saved track log. To view it - check my new thread - will get to that in a few minutes . . .

http://www.deangb.com/temp/Wombeyan_Ride_With_James.gdb

[NickDL650]

Dean,this sounds like a seriously cool ride mate.Count me in definitely! I was looking at the road to those caves a few nights ago in the NRMA road atlas.It looks great!,and after riding a bit of dirt with you guys on Sunday,Im up for it again.

P.S. How did you manage to stuff up that wheel?

[NickDL650]

Ooops,I should read these posts more carefully.I work on Fridays and have the weekend off.

Is this the ride you were talking about in a couple of weeks?

[oodeano]

Whoa, take your time there Nick - read a little slower - this ride has already happened - these are a few pics from it!

Dean

[eddyvstrom]

I de-booted and strolled out to check the depth - over knee deep just behind the retaining log. Needless to say at 3pm, 50 k's from anywhere, 50 k's of unknown ahead and a 1200km weekend planned we turned back. If there's any actual big traillie riders out there that want to try this and let me know how/where it goes that'd be great!! The sign is at:


I have not ridden this track on the wee yet but I have traveled it by 4x4several times
last time about 2 years ago water level about the same by the looks
when you croes the creek " kowmung river " you will have a fun clime
for a thew Ks can be slipery but it's all good track to the
kanangra RD right to kanangra walls lookout or left to jenolan caves
or Oberon this is a graet RD woud love to ride it some day on the wee
but then again any RD is graet on the wee have fun

ps, keep your feet up going through the creek that water is gotta be cold

[oodeano]

It was VERY cold!!

Thanks Eddy - you still in the Sydney area? You should come along to SydStrom002 . .

Looks like it might be called "Banshea Fire Trail" - at least on this somewhat simplified map?

http://www.yerranderie.com/mapcont.htm

[eddyvstrom]

It sonds like fun but I'm from newcastle and will be heading south on the weekend

[oodeano]

There will be other weekends - another time!!

Ad73 - Adam is from Newcastle way, as a matter of interest.