Today I took the Versys out for its first spin since getting back from Western Australia and the Border Run. Whilst I had a rough idea of what course I was going to take it was subject to change and I ended up taking a few new roads i had never done before on the spur of the moment. Firstly though, it was the Fatchen to Macdonal Park where I stopped for a picture of this Vietnamese temple, which if you ask me looks like a bit of a cross between the traditional temple and the Ettamogah Pub.
First change of plan was to take the Two Wells Road into Gawler. Surprisingly I had never ridden it before. I snapped this mural outside the RSL at Gawler South after pocking the camera lens through the fence.
This was at the Gawler Railway Station, which is on the border of Gawler West and Gawler South.
From there I took Dead Man's Pass to Humbug Scrub where at the One Tree Hill roundabout it dawned on me I'd never done Humbug Scrub Road to the left so I did that and ended up in Yattalunga.
A couple more random turns and I ended up at the Whispering Wall at Williamstown. That was closed so I only got as far as the gate.
Whilst I have passed the Cockatoo Valley general store a few times this time I actually stopped. It was closed too. Mind you, on the blackboard it did say park around the corner and phone ahead.
I must have ridden past the Lord Lyndoch a zillion times but this was the first time I noticed it.
The Springton Hotel was an RTE venue that didn't generate much interest and got cancelled. If I remember correctly it was on my birthday.
Just up the road was last weekend's RTE venue at Mount Pleasant which I rode passed, turned down Tungkillo Road for the first time with the plan to head to Mannum to refuel and head towards the Fleurieu. I only got as far as Palmer, saw the sign the Murray Bridge and though it's been years (at least six) since I did that another change of plan ensued. I refuelled there and recalled going via Brinkley to the last Macclesfield RTE and discovering Chanceys Line Road and not doing much of it because I was on the wing and planning to do it on the Versys. Well, today I was on the Versys and in the area so that was another unplanned road.
Today's ruins come from Red Creek, a locality I had never set foot in before.
Eventually I ended up at Strathalbyn, took a comfort stop at the railway station and checked out the Blake motorcycle sculpture. I've seen it many times but another viewing never hurts.
More random roads ensued and I ended up at The Range. I'd stopped here between my two Kangaroo Island trips of 2020 on the way to the Sellicks Hill RTE and vowed to come back and check out two roads of the intersection out the front of here. I took Pennys Hill Road to Mclaren Vale for the first time. The other one will have to wait.
I'm not sure what berry it's supposed t be but there's big berries in Mclaren Vale. The bke was already parked up so I didn't move it to get it in the picture.
Last month on an SA Scoots ride we had lunch at the bakery next to the Almond Train. That day I notice the back acrriage of said train now had a Japanese restaurant in it, which I made my choice for lunch today. There's very few dinky di Japanese restaurants that are open for lunch so I was happy to have that. I didn't even ask if thy had Guinness opting for Kirin Ichibanshibori instead.
After lunch it was a ride to the coast and along the beaches to Glenelg before heading home. The odometer clocked up 200'000km in Glenelg North. I thought there was a good chance it would revert to zero like the ST1300s do but it duly went to 200'000. I guess the Versys can handle bigger numbers than an ST.
I haven't copy GPS logger points to a map yet, but this is the Greenalp tracking up until Mclaren Vale.
