Twelve riders and a pillion turned up at Menai 711 for the ride. Weather was fine, with windy conditions expected later in the day.
We got away on time and headed for Heathcote Road, then via Bringelly, Wallacia, Mulgoa to Penrith North Maccas for mornos. While this part of the ride does have a good, if bumpy section between Bringelly and Wallacia, the rest is spoiled by traffic and traffic lights. Keeping track of everyone in these conditions is difficult. Luckily, I had Smoko, who stood in while the Colonel got his radio sorted, and the Colonel himself as tail-end-Charlie to help.
Maccas put us into the party room and although the seats were a bit small everyone seemed fairly comfy.
Finally, some clear roads. Along Castlereagh Road, thru Richmond then right after the bridge and thru a batch of twists, turns and roadworks (Smoko was not impressed – several hours cleaning would be needed to bring his bike to its former condition) to Lower Portland Ferry.
Once off the ferry we turned left onto River Road to Wiseman’s. This road is very narrow; however, the surface is in good condition and the bends just keep on coming, our Goldwing rider did say he felt the bike’s weight in this stretch though. Leg stretches at Wiseman’s then on to lunch at Tractor 828 cafe via Old Northern Road and Sackville Ferry.
The Cafe seemed a success with Mark the proprietor being most hospitable, and the meals went down well.
With school zones promising to add to the traffic issues, we said our farewells at the cafe. The main group headed home via Windsor, Penrith then back the way we came, but some chose motorways. Overall, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Wish we could do something about that traffic though.
Ride Report: by Greg Shafe
