Bowral 6th September 2009

The Riders:

Peter Arday Yamaha XVZ1300TF
Garry McCurley Honda VFR800
Brian Agius Honda ST1100
Terry Mills Honda VT750
Yvonne Laird Suzuki GS500
Leigh Gannon BMW K100
Chris and Kerry Stuart Yamaha 1300 VStar
Ross Anderson Aprilia ETV1000
Andrew Campbell Kawasaki ZX14 (the mighty Godzilla)
Judy Perry Hyosung GT650
Chas and Jen Towie Honda ST1300
David Robinson Yamaha FJR1300
Norm MacLachlan BMW BMW R1200GS
John Storn Kawasaki ZX6
Dave McIlroy and
Alison Verhoeven Ducati ST3 (the effete pasta burner)
Trevor McLeod Yamaha FJR1300
FlipBMW F800ST
Peter Higgs Can Am Spyder



Not only was last Sunday the first Spring ride of the year, it was also Father’s Day. So, it was going to be a good day no matter what. Our ride leader, Trevor M., was slightly delayed, as, we assume, he was busy receiving gifts and praise from his children.

Once Trevor arrived we were instructed on the day’s route, which consisted of heading to Goulburn via Tarago, for morning tea, and then on to Bowral pretty much up the highway, with a more scenic meander on the way home.

We had a very pleasant ride to the park in Goulburn, with the sun shining and the temperature starting to rise from its lows. Most of us trooped up to the Paragon Café to order a coffee, however, there were some very mixed results as to who got served what and when but we eventually all emerged with some sort of coffee in hand.

The next leg was a trip up the highway to Bowral. There was some slight Ulysses Club confusion as to the best route into Bowral. I, myself, corner marked the exit from the highway and miscalculated the last rider that passed me, with the result that I stayed marking the highway too long. I then hot-footed it onto Bowral, not seeing anybody until I caught up with John Storn and Trevor M on the main street. Most of the others, meanwhile, were circling Bowral, unsure as to where to enter the town. As well, there were various other strays that banded together, looking for a guide to the lunch spot.

Ultimately, we all gathered at the Bowral Hotel, with most of us having lunch in the outside courtyard. We also managed to rendezvous with Flip and Peter, at the hotel, who’d spent the weekend down on the South Coast, celebrating Flip’s birthday.

The route home was through Moss Vale, with a stop for afternoon tea at Marulan. Goodbyes were largely done from Marulan, with a number of people electing to traverse the highway home, and others deciding to go via Bungonia, Tarago, and Bungendore.

Not a bad way to spend Father’s Day.

Andrew C.