BMBEN
Registered user
Wednesday 21st Dec 2011
Cordeaux Dam
The morning was very overcast with possible showers forecast. Still, it wasn’t actually raining yet so I decided I would see who else turned up. I had woken up with my right ear totally blocked up rendering me half deaf. I shortly discovered that my left ear wasn’t much better.
Undeterred, I rode around to Maccas to find a few fellow riders already there and by the time 9.00am rolled around there were ten of us. (Plus Franz who’d walked around to wave us goodbye). I asked Noel where he was going to take us today. Turns out he was going to ask me the same thing. So we dithered around for a while and finally decided on Cordeaux Dam as we hadn’t been there for some time. (Also, it wouldn’t be too far to retreat from if the rain started).
We set off down the highway with Noel as lead rider. Along Mulgoa road and through Wallacia and Silverdale (ho hum) to Werombi where we turned onto Werombi Road. Then it was out past the university vet school before turning south and making our way down to Cawdor. (Did you know that Macbeth was the Thane of Cawdor? Riding a motorcycle can be educational as well as fun). From there it was a short run to Menangle where we stopped for smoko at the Menangle store. The one on the corner. The proprietor there took us out the back and showed us his plans for creating a cafe with motorcycle parking. (Hint hint spend some money here you stingy buggers). Anyway we settled in at our usual table to consume our own coffee and bikkies. We knew it wasn’t very far from here to Cordeaux, so nobody was in a hurry to leave. Consequently a number of, I’m sure, interesting and apparently entertaining conversations occurred around me. I found this very frustrating as with my hearing as it was, I was only picking up about one word in ten. So when anybody appeared to be addressing me I smiled and nodded, when I probably should have frowned and shaken my head. I was quite relieved when the decision was made to leave.
We headed off to the Douglas Park road and made our way down and up the twisty bits near the Nepean River. When we hit the Appin road we turned southwards and rode down to the Picton Road. We followed Picton Road till the turnoff to Cordeaux Dam, then rode down to the dam wall for our customary inspection and mandatory walk across the wall. The dam was the fullest we had seen it in memory (92.7 percent). Isn’t it marvellous how I can just pluck these figures with my vast knowledge of all things. Anyway, after a leisurely stroll across the dam we rode back up to the picnic area for lunch.
Cordeaux Dam
When lunches had been unwrapped, I was gratified when Gary M presented his peanut butter sandwiches for inspection. He was fitting in very well with us. Once again there were, I’m sure, very amusing anecdotes being told all around me and maybe even about me, but of course, I was oblivious.
After lunch we rode back along Picton Road. Where to but Picton! And did we stop for afternoon tea at the park on the corner? Of course not. We stopped instead at the Picton Botanic Gardens where we secured a picnic table beside the duck pond. It’s a rather grandiose name for what is in fact, only a municipal park, though it is a very nice one. The school holidays were in evidence as the place was full of little kids on bicycles, being chaperoned by their mothers.
Departure preparations took a little longer than usual today, as with the proximity of Christmas; the handshaking ceremony was quite prolonged. We split into two groups with the plainsmen heading up the Old Hume Highway and over Razorback, while we mountain men rode up Barkers Lodge Road (bet you’ve never heard of it) and home through The Oaks and Wallacia.
I arrived home about 4.00pm with just 205km on the trip meter. Only a fairly short ride but a very enjoyable one. And the rain held off! Many thanks to Noel for leading us.
Peter M
Cordeaux Dam
The morning was very overcast with possible showers forecast. Still, it wasn’t actually raining yet so I decided I would see who else turned up. I had woken up with my right ear totally blocked up rendering me half deaf. I shortly discovered that my left ear wasn’t much better.
Undeterred, I rode around to Maccas to find a few fellow riders already there and by the time 9.00am rolled around there were ten of us. (Plus Franz who’d walked around to wave us goodbye). I asked Noel where he was going to take us today. Turns out he was going to ask me the same thing. So we dithered around for a while and finally decided on Cordeaux Dam as we hadn’t been there for some time. (Also, it wouldn’t be too far to retreat from if the rain started).
We set off down the highway with Noel as lead rider. Along Mulgoa road and through Wallacia and Silverdale (ho hum) to Werombi where we turned onto Werombi Road. Then it was out past the university vet school before turning south and making our way down to Cawdor. (Did you know that Macbeth was the Thane of Cawdor? Riding a motorcycle can be educational as well as fun). From there it was a short run to Menangle where we stopped for smoko at the Menangle store. The one on the corner. The proprietor there took us out the back and showed us his plans for creating a cafe with motorcycle parking. (Hint hint spend some money here you stingy buggers). Anyway we settled in at our usual table to consume our own coffee and bikkies. We knew it wasn’t very far from here to Cordeaux, so nobody was in a hurry to leave. Consequently a number of, I’m sure, interesting and apparently entertaining conversations occurred around me. I found this very frustrating as with my hearing as it was, I was only picking up about one word in ten. So when anybody appeared to be addressing me I smiled and nodded, when I probably should have frowned and shaken my head. I was quite relieved when the decision was made to leave.
We headed off to the Douglas Park road and made our way down and up the twisty bits near the Nepean River. When we hit the Appin road we turned southwards and rode down to the Picton Road. We followed Picton Road till the turnoff to Cordeaux Dam, then rode down to the dam wall for our customary inspection and mandatory walk across the wall. The dam was the fullest we had seen it in memory (92.7 percent). Isn’t it marvellous how I can just pluck these figures with my vast knowledge of all things. Anyway, after a leisurely stroll across the dam we rode back up to the picnic area for lunch.
Cordeaux Dam
When lunches had been unwrapped, I was gratified when Gary M presented his peanut butter sandwiches for inspection. He was fitting in very well with us. Once again there were, I’m sure, very amusing anecdotes being told all around me and maybe even about me, but of course, I was oblivious.
After lunch we rode back along Picton Road. Where to but Picton! And did we stop for afternoon tea at the park on the corner? Of course not. We stopped instead at the Picton Botanic Gardens where we secured a picnic table beside the duck pond. It’s a rather grandiose name for what is in fact, only a municipal park, though it is a very nice one. The school holidays were in evidence as the place was full of little kids on bicycles, being chaperoned by their mothers.
Departure preparations took a little longer than usual today, as with the proximity of Christmas; the handshaking ceremony was quite prolonged. We split into two groups with the plainsmen heading up the Old Hume Highway and over Razorback, while we mountain men rode up Barkers Lodge Road (bet you’ve never heard of it) and home through The Oaks and Wallacia.
I arrived home about 4.00pm with just 205km on the trip meter. Only a fairly short ride but a very enjoyable one. And the rain held off! Many thanks to Noel for leading us.
Peter M
