Just thought i would give you guys and girls a brief rundown of the ride to Hay, NSW.
Although this is only the second ride i have had with ozstoc, it does reflect what our 'ST' enthusiasts are prepared to do to meet others and have a good ride.
I met Sargent1971 (Robert) and two other great guys at the Big4 Caravan park where they had layed claim to a nice bit of camping groung that was
green and soft. ($22 a night each) Although i was the last one in, they were very welcoming and i soon felt at ease and right at home with their company.
They patiently waited while i unloaded my small tent that required erection and dutifly watched from a distance while i successfully completed the task. As i stood back and basked in my accomplishment, the thought crossed my mind that i probably should have put the 'head position'at the high end of the incline and not at the bottom. Still, i felt i would surely survive one night with the blood rushing to my head. Before long we were all ready to stroll over to the pub (50 meters from camping ground) for a meal and some liquid refreshment. Meals were good and reasonably priced and conversation was informative and relaxed. With our hunger urges now satisified, we all headed back to our camp site with the sound of the pub band still playing to a good crowd.
We continued to discuss the pros and cons of the st1100 against the st1300 and checked each others bikes with great interest for the most part before all retiring for the night.
Morning came and so did the time to dismantle the tents and put them back into their TINY covers that i believe must have shrunk overnight as everything seemed a bit tight and wrongly shaped to fit in them correctly. We headed to the Mobil servo were we had a reasonable breakfast with a cup of coffee and planned our morning activities. We agreed on a visit to the 'Bishop's Lodge Market' that promotes 'plains' produce as well as other unique gifts and gourmet goodies. (Entry was $5 each) Although there were some raffles that beckoned our money, we realised that if we won any prizes, we would never have room to carry them home. Leaving here, we then headed to the Gaol Museum. ($4 entry fee that you put into a tin money box) The complex has had many uses since being built 135 years ago and we were all fairly impressed with its story. (see picture below)
After leaving here we decided it was coffee time AGAIN and we all headed to the main street of HAY to find a good coffee shop to await our lunchtime fellow riders. After parking our bikes, we dismounted and walked the streets looking for this elusive coffee shop. We all agreed that not many coffee shops open on Sunday and with final despiration, we asked for help from some locals and was rewarded with a nice shop only a short distance from our bikes but in the opposite direction to where we walked.
Before long we realised it was time to meet the other two riders that made the trip from Canberra, and moved across to the Hotel for some lunch and good conversation. We all met and introduced ourselves before heading into the lounge for a nice meal.
Like all good things, this relaxing 'meal and greet' must finish and we all decided it was time to head back to our prospective states (2 x Victoria), (2 x NSW), (2x ACT).
I arrived back in Mildura at about 5:00 pm after a return trip of about 600klm.
Thanks go to Saaz (John) for recommending this ride)
