Day 1
Sunday 26 August 2012
Junee - Temora - West Wyalong
- Condobolin - Nyngan - Byrock 545 km
We
all gathered at Ado's and Erica's place in Junee, on
a cold 7°C, damp, and heavily over cast day. Thankfully,
the weather improved slowly during the day, and only
a few drops of rain occurred whilst still in Junee.
By days end there was only scattered cloud and a very
nice 22°C.
Without so much as a kiss for our wives or girlfriends
(maybe that was all done before the gathering) or a
briefing, we were off at 7.30 am. This lack of briefing
was later to have repercussions for our intrepid reporter.
A short stop at Temora for refueling and another at
West Wyalong, and a late morning tea. A short way down
the road, and Cookie 2, who had been leaving his mark
at every stop during the day so far due to a stomach
bug, had to be lifted by Cookie 1 for the rest of the
day.
The next stop at Condbolin for refueling of bikes
and men. This was a hurried affair as the front running
young bucks with their afterburner supercharged bikes
were finished their pies by the time the stragglers
had arrived, and the reporter, Ron G was in the
rear and the pies having run out, was left waiting
while a couple of pies were being defrosted. Cutting
this short and leaving with half frozen pies, he still
could not see which way we had gone and no-one replied
to his SOS on the UHF CB radio.
Katherine (our reporter's GPS) told him to go to Cobar,
and this being the shortest way to Birdsville seemed
a good choice, especially as some information he had
cleaned the day before said we would be heading through
Innaminka.
On reaching Cobar and on checking his mobile phone
Ron G found a message from Nelly asking "Where are
you ?"
Now just in case you are not aware, once you get past
Temora, there is no mobile phone coverage unless you
are in a town, and even then many in the desert are
not in communications.
Ron G phoned Nelly and thanked God profusely as the
bikes happen to be in a town at that time with mobile
phone coverage, otherwise he would have been on his
way to Birdsville via Innaminka !
Nelly informed him we were in Nyngan. And were going
to spend the night in Byrock. So Ron G went off course
and met us in Byrock, where after a bit of bike maintenance
and liquid refreshment we all had a wonderful pub meal.
It had been a tiring day, and so early to bed, and
at 9.30pm it was still an amazing 16°C, but cooled
to an air temp of 4°C and almost a frost on the
ground, by morning.
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