My bike had been sitting far too long in the shed without being ridden. There was a light coating of dust on the paintwork, the big heart was still, the fluids were cold and lifeless, the headlights stared unseeing at the shed wall, and even the tyres had exhaled a little as they sat motionless. This poor state of affairs could not be allowed to continue, and on just a few hours notice, a plan was hatched. When asked, the old girl instantly sprang to life, like a sleeping dog who's lead has been waved in front of its nose.
I heard a weather forecast in the late evening and decided to go at 0630 the next morning. See the map for the route, which took me down the Dukes Highway to Keith, where I stopped at the memorial to Andy Caldecott, a local young man who died while riding the Dakar in 2006. South Australia's south east is truly magnificent for riding. South of Keith the landscape is constantly changing from pastoral and crop land, dotted with big eucalypts along the side of the road, to the Padthaway Wine Region, Naracoorte's magnificent caves, and of course, the famous Coonawarra wine district.
I stopped at the Naracoorte Caves for a morning cuppa and some photos, and rode on to Penola for fuel and a quick snack. On the side of the road before Penola is a tribute to local pioneers, including Father Woods and Mary McKillop (now St Mary McKillop) These are life size figures carved into pine tree trunks, and they are quite evocative.
At Penola I turned towards Casterton and Hamilton. It's a glorious 125km ride, twisting through gentle hills on roads which in places have large gum trees arching over the road. Casterton is the home town of the Aussie Kelpie. From Hamilton (The Big Wool Bales) I headed north towards Horsham with the magnificent Grampians to my right. On this leg I opened my visor for some fresh air, and copped a bee sting near my right eye. I sometimes react badly to bee stings and stopped to take an antihistamine and a big guzzle of water. For the bee this was a fatal encounter, but I seem to have survived OK.
From Horsham is was simply “slab” riding along the Western and Dukes Highways back to Adelaide, with a last stop at Tailem Bend for something to eat and a break.
My day gave me light traffic, overcast skies with temps in the mid 20's, and some wonderful helmet time. My ride was 0630hrs to 1935hrs for a leisurely 1,094km by the odometer (or 1,063 on google maps).
