25 September 2011 - Old Great North Road - Whisperer's farewell ride

Whisperer's farewell ride was going to be huge, but the weather had other ideas...

It was cold, sad and miserable.

We almost pulled the pin before we got started (having adjourned to a local coffee spot following the abandonment of the initial start), but some quick Doug pep-talking managed to get the crew into a better state of mind, and we returned to kick off.

Whisperer, Stephe, [Pete?], Dylan, Brian and Donal (not in photo) and Doug (not in photo) headed off.



Got very wet.



Retired halfway (with at least the partial excuse that we broke Brian's bike)...



At least we had fun!

Full set of photos here.  And track (such as it was) here.

18 September 2011 - Yarramundi

NicMcVic and Stephe managed to get a couple of laps in at Yarramundi, which was - of course - excellent.

Unfortunately, this post prepared some time after the event, and recollections now hazy!

But, did capture Nic in action:



Track here...

10 September 2011 - Mooney

Mooney is unreal.

A truly pleasurable experience dropping by - both on those days when the Gods are with you, but also even when things do not go like clockwork.

The smells, the sounds, the sights - all add up to a really enjoyable time on the bike, with lots of challenges thrown in for good measure.

Doug and Stephe were up early for a return trip, 'testing the water' to see if Mooney was still as it used to be... turns out, it was even better!



Some work had been done on the lower reaches of the track, for example, this is what smartarse creek now looks like (not much scope for being caught out trying to be a bit cheeky here now...):



But, pretty much all the other challenges remain, for example, Stephe getting the crossing wrong:



The dam was full and nice to see the water flowing, and the track remained quite wet further up - but still great. Some quick shots:



We also shot some Contour footage, which will get up on YouTube and post here shortly.

A few photos here... and our .kmz track here.

4 September 2011 - Appin (again!)

Cooper decided it would be a very nice thing indeed to take Stephe out to Appin for Father's Day, and we were fortunate enough to be joined by Bob.

It was great - perfect conditions, and much fun.

Cooper continues to improve his skills, and is a 'natural' on the bike...

No photos, but two tracks (of each of the laps that we finished, before running out of time and heading home) are here: Lap One, and Lap Two.

2 September 2011 - Appin

Donal, Doug and Stephe nipped out for a quick couple of Appin laps.

Much fun had by all - although with time constraints Stephe was only able to get two laps in, leaving Donal and Doug to contemplate just how long they could keep meandering about!

Written too long after the event to recall just how Doug injured himself, and became cautious for a little while - but I do recall we were very sympathetic indeed... (!)



A few photos here... and our .kmz track here.

Here is a quick video of Doug proving that he can be cautious and sure footed on a bike when he wants to be: