Author Topic: Mitches trip home  (Read 5082 times)

Offline Mitch

  • Legendary Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 856
  • Thanked: 115 times
  • Mitch
Mitches trip home
« on: April 19, 2012, 09:58:54 PM »
 Hi all.
         First off I had a great time and I would like to add my thanks and congrats to Diesel and Streak for organising such a wonderful event.   :-++ :-++
       
             DAY 1 - 589 Klm     From blackheath to Bathurst for a couple of laps of Mt Panorama ( which seemed to be a popular location for Ozstoc members ), glad there was no  :cop right Diesel.  :fp  After riding around the circuit you can really appreciate the speeds the V8s circulate at.   :eek
        After taking my leave I headed for Griffith via Crookwell, Boorowa, Murringo, Young and Temora. Thanks again Dick  :-++ for advising me to take this Route, I really enjoyed the winding roads, lack of traffic and Great scenery, a very relaxing ride where I could wear the sides of the tyres a bit. :thumbsup Arrived in Griffith early afternoon and booked into a motel for the night.

              DAY 2 - 966 Klm    Left Griffith just before sunrise, used the Led lights, they worked well combined with Hi Beam and gave a good spread of light on the sides of the road.  :thumb  Headed for Hay and got passed by 2 young ladies in a new celica doing well above the speed limit,  :law  not wanting to let a chance go by I just  kept the Woodducks in sight so they would  draw the   :cop, good fast trip all the way to hay across the plain. :runyay This section I got the wost economy of the Trip, 15.4 KLM/LT. The price was worth it.
         From Hay it was on to Mildura then Renmark, the interesting thing about this part of the trip was all the Hot Rods I passed going the other way. There must of been a show in Adelaide that weekend , I've never seen so many rods on the open road before.
         Left Renmark and headed for Port Augusta via Burra, the sat nav sent me on some really nice back roads and I ended up crossing the Murray river twice on FREE ferries (a new experience for me). After some nice well maintained winding hi speed roads I ended up on the Augusta road late afternoon and cruised into town to find a motel for the night.

             DAY 3 - 1299 Klm   Woke up just on dawn, packed the ST and headed off with the sun rising behind me for a nice steady ride to Kimba for a egg and bacon sandwich for breakfast then on to Ceduna and the start of the Nullabore. Fuel up and take off planning to reach Border village for the night.
         Lots of Grey Nomads and Road Trains but I only passed 3 bikes heading East. Most of the road kills have been pulled off the road since my trip over, but still the odd fresh kill with associated crows and occasional eagle on the road. When I reached Border Village there was still plenty of daylight so I decided to keep going.
         About 3 PM 30 klm before Madura a Scrub Turkey decides he wants to take on the ST and takes off out of the long grass beside the road straight into the center of my windscreen. >:( Result, one smashed screen, one dead Turkey and one shaken Mitch with a dead Turkey jammed against his chest, covered in feathers, blood and shit (not mine, the turkey's).  :well I very quickly push the turkey off me (in case it wasn't dead) and pull up to check the damage. Good news the only damage seemed to be the busted screen, even the screen raising mechanism seems to still work OK. Oh well could of been a lot worse, glad the ST is a lot tougher than the turkey, and so is the Zumo which took a really hard hit.
        Back on the road again and keep going, the temp today is around 35o 36o it's great to be back in the West. A few clouds are starting to build up in front of me but the silver lining is that they are blocking the sun as it gets lower, Cocklebiddy is coming up but still a bit of daylight left so I decide to go on to Caiguna. About 40 klm to go and the whole horizion was black with storm clouds and alight with lightning. :||||  Just what I needed a storm with no screen, with the light starting to fade I manage to sneak between the storms and arrive into Caiguna still dry.  :eat :beer

                  DAY 4 - 1151 Klm    Leave Ciaguna at daylight heading for Norseman, about 40 klm into the 146 klm straight I pull over and don my wet weather gear (first time on the trip) as I can see rain ahead. After about another 100 klm the rain and showers finally stop and the road is dry again, I am really missing the screen.  :well
        I pull into Norseman to refuel and have a quick breakfast, as it has cleared right up I take off the wet weather gear and prepare for another warm day. On the bike again and off towards Perth, just out of Northam on with the wet weather gear again as more rain ahead and only 120 klm to go to home. Picked a bad time to reach Perth, peak hour on the Roe Highway and still raining. :fp :fp
        I end up filtering through about 5 klm of bumper to bumper traffic to arrive at the Kwinana freeway which is flowing pretty well,  40  klm to go, the rain has stopped, it's now dark and the traffic flow is good   :hatwave   as I pull into the driveway the garage door goes up and Jake (our staffy) comes flying out and there's Marg waiting for me, the universe is in balance once again.

              What a great trip, it was a treat to meet all you guys and I'll definitly try to make it again next year   :grin :grin :grin
                                                  :blk13
        Some Stats from the trip   :think1
     Round trip           8038 Klm
     Fuel Used            455 Lts
     Fuel Cost            $787
     Avg Klm/Lt           17.6  ( Headwinds most of the way there and back )
     Avg Fuel Price     $1.72 Per Lt
     Best economy      20.85 Klm/Lt  ( Ceduna to Port Augusta at 110Kph with tail wind )
     Worst economy    15.44 Klm/lt   ( Hay plain with head wind and following celica )
   
2016 KTM1290 Super Adventure
2018 HONDA NC750X
 

Offline Dick B "Yewie"

  • Sydney NSW
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 388
  • Thanked: 55 times
  • Switched to a 2015 Yamaha Tracer
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2012, 08:09:52 AM »
Great writeup Mitch. Surely your ride qualifies for one of these farrider/ironbutt things. Glad you got home almost in one piece. The turkey prang must have been a heart stopper. Ros and I are planning to ride over to the west next year on our trip around Oz so we will use your report in our trip planning.
We are glad you made the significant effort to come to Blackheath.
Cheers
Dick & Ros
 
"Yewie"
 

Offline saaz

  • Supreme "2000" Club Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4542
  • Thanked: 41 times
  • Canberra ACT
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2012, 08:25:39 AM »
Glad you had a great run, turkey aside. On the bright side, you can try a different screen  :thumbsup
John
(Ridden on and forever in our hearts)
1996 Honda ST1100P
2014 Triumph Trophy SE
Ozstoc, STOC #7239, Farrider #461 Ulysses #061681, IBA #59143 and some others
 

Turtle

  • Guest
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #3 on: April 20, 2012, 08:29:05 AM »
Good read Mitch and to just have a broken screen
 

Offline Shaun

  • Professor
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 344
  • Thanked: 6 times
  • Ride and Teach
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #4 on: April 20, 2012, 08:34:00 AM »
Just..wow...what a ride!

So glad you came off a winner with that brush turkey.

It was great to meet you too.

Cheers, Shaun
:bl11 Blue 2001 ST1100 ABS Pan European (RIPieces) :(
New STeed: 2006 6th Gen VFR800Fi Sports Tourer
 

Offline Marcus

  • Insert amusing quip here...
  • RTE Coordinator
  • Supreme "2000" Club Member
  • *
  • Posts: 3096
  • Thanked: 351 times
  • It says Stringo on my shirt
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #5 on: April 20, 2012, 10:15:50 AM »
Jebus Mitch...That's alot of K's...and petrol dollars, I'm glad you safe after the Bush Turkey incident.

WOW!
 

Offline Greencan

  • Legendary Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 650
  • Thanked: 118 times
  • ST Legend
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #6 on: April 20, 2012, 06:06:35 PM »
Hi Ya Mitch...Wow what a write up  :hatwave...so glad to hear that you arrived home safe n sound and that the route through NSW was enjoyable :grin

Quote
Result, one smashed screen, one dead Turkey and one shaken Mitch with a dead Turkey jammed against his chest, covered in feathers, blood and shit (not mine, the turkey's).  :well

So you never thought to cook it up then :eek

Well done Mate...and I will give you a call when we're over they for a  :beer

Cheers and well done that Man...Greencan :)
 

Offline Mitch

  • Legendary Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 856
  • Thanked: 115 times
  • Mitch
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #7 on: April 20, 2012, 06:29:13 PM »
 Greencan
               I never thought about cooking the turkey although I've been told how.  :eat  You boil up some water, pluck and clean the turkey, throw it in the pot of boiling water and throw in a large rock.  :think1  When the rock softens, throw out the turkey and eat the rock.  :grin
                                                        :blk13
2016 KTM1290 Super Adventure
2018 HONDA NC750X
 

Offline JuST Peter

  • Supreme "2000" Club Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2642
  • Thanked: 549 times
  • Quakers Hill NSW
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2012, 08:15:05 PM »
You boil up some water, pluck and clean the turkey, throw it in the pot of boiling water and throw in a large rock.  :think1  When the rock softens, throw out the turkey and eat the rock.  :grin
                                                        :blk13
That also applies to wood ducks and galahs :grin
That's also one helluva good write up Mitch, and glad you came out of it better than the turkey.
See you next time :thumb
Ulysses #41044; OzSTOC #14
0429796132
I love what I ride and ride what I love
 

Offline Sicman

  • RTE Coordinator
  • Supreme "2000" Club Member
  • *
  • Posts: 2983
  • Thanked: 589 times
  • Was here when the lights got turned on :-)
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #9 on: April 20, 2012, 09:48:42 PM »
Good report and glad you got home safe Mitch. Look on the bright side - lucky that scrub turkey wasnt an emu  :thumbsup You could have ended up dating an emu :eek :eek  >:()  :grin

 :slvr13
Cheers
Tony
FarRider 802
NatRally's - 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 202🤬, 2🤬21, 2021/22 Black Dog bit me, 2023
Experience trumps assumption :-)
 

Online Shiney

  • Dave
  • Global Moderator
  • UNBELIEVABLE "5000 Posts" Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6707
  • Thanked: 2319 times
  • RTE Coordinator - Strathpine, QLD
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #10 on: April 20, 2012, 10:12:38 PM »
Mate that was a damn impressive ride thanks for sharing it with us :thumb
You are a bloody legend :-++ :-++

Cheers
Shiney
My Ride: 2023 ST1800   :thumb
OzSTOC #104   STOC# 8512   IBA # 59142
Find me in The Who's Who of OzSTOC!

I like shiney things :grin
One of the Dave, Dave, Dave and Duncan crew 8)
 

Offline alans1100

  • 1999 ST1100A
  • UNBELIEVABLE "5000 Posts" Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 6250
  • Thanked: 1161 times
  • Alan, Peterborough, SA
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #11 on: April 21, 2012, 01:25:21 AM »
Mitch, sorry to hear about the turkey. Main thing is you're ok.

They warn us about camels, cows and roos going across there but I've only seen dead roos. Oh!! and one stray dog  near the WA side of Mundrabilla.
I've also seen a dead Toyota 4x4 at either Caiguna or Cocklebiddy on one trip. Driver hit a roo at night. All the roadhouses advise not to travel at night across there.

Your costs for the return trip seem on par with my one way 4000kms trips from Adelaide to Karratha. I'd use under $400 when towing the trailer for that distance.


1999 :bl11  2004 :13Candy

FarRider #921- BR15, BR17, CR1

 

Offline Barry and Marissa

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
  • Thanked: 30 times
  • ST Legend
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #12 on: April 24, 2012, 09:17:33 AM »
A great write up Mitch :thumb
Glad you made it home safely. Dem critters out west can sneak up on ya can't they, then ... bang!  :eek It was nice to meet you at the Rally. Hope to see you at the next one.  :beer
Barry and Marissa :) :)

Barry 2012 VFR800 Red.
Marissa 2011 VFR800 Red.
 

Offline Diesel

  • Administrator
  • Supreme "2000" Club Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3936
  • Thanked: 793 times
  • QUEEEENSLANDER!!!!
    • The Review Guys
Re: Mitches trip home
« Reply #13 on: May 17, 2012, 08:09:09 AM »
Fantastic read thanks Mitch - was great to have your company for the weekend, and a terrific effort made to get there and back.

I found it ironic that the first time you needed your wet weathers was in the very State where it has hardly rained for 10 years!!!!       :eek

Some great miles put in there too on a trip, I'm sure, you will remember forever!       :thumb

Thanks for the great report mate. See you at VH!      :thumbsup

Cheers, Diesel
FarRider #416   IBA #55491  
OzSTOC Life Member
:candystwheelie       www.dieselst1300.blogspot.com.au