The ride today was destined for St Albans, which is a great destination because it offers some of our better bitumen roads, particularly the one between Webbs Creek ferry and St Albans, and providing a dirt road link between Wiseman's Ferry and St Albans for the dirt riders, for whom there is an added bonus that one can leave St Albans and go up to Buckety on another fun dirt road after lunch.
I was shanghaied into leading the ride, as the designated leader was not available. I understand that he was pursuing family activities to build up his store of brownie points. Hope that worked for you, Ross. The weather forecast was for an ideal day, with a bit of fog at the start, then becoming sunny during the balance of the day and potentially rain late in the afternoon/evening. That's exactly what happened and we had great riding day. Given that the Berowra ferry was out of service, I chose to go over the Wiseman's Ferry, across the Webbs Creek ferry, and out to St Albans. I thought that with the extensive rain that we have had in the previous few days the dirt road might be a bit unattractive, but a few hardy souls choice that alternative.
We had our briefing, at which Stephen Davies (who was sporting his sparkling new Brand Name riding suit) introduced a new virgin rider, David, a friend of his and from Stephen's introduction also an "intimate" associate of Wayne Rees. We had about 20 riders, all keen to follow someone somewhere. John McKeon agreed to be tail-end Charlie, a duty he so frequently takes on. I hope everybody acknowledges their appreciation to him from time to time. Thanks John.
Road conditions for the day were interesting. It had been wet the night before, and with the sun so low in the sky, in many sections the road had not had the opportunity to dry before we were there, so we were going from dry road to wet road, and frequently from sunlight into shade where the sun was below the hills. This created an added challenge for the day, particularly on the section between Webbs Creek and St Albans.
Morning tea was at Spencer, and there was immediately a mad rush for the toilets as the toilets at the 7 Eleven are still out of service and many bladders were stretched even to get to Spencer. Those who did buy coffee there commented that the proprietor was much more friendly than usual. We'll see how long that lasts. We then headed to Wiseman's Ferry, crossed there and got to the Webbs Creek ferry just as it was ready to load. Everybody got on (or so we thought) and off we went to St Albans. Four off-roaders went directly from Wiseman's Ferry to St Albans, and they were comfortably ensconced at the main table in the park there when we arrived. We knew that Ronnie and John McK were going directly from Wiseman's back to their respective homes, so we knew the numbers would be depleted, but all of a sudden we realise that David, our virgin, had not arrived either. Well that was a bit embarrassing for Stephen, having introduced his friend and then leaving him to his own devices out in the boondocks. Stephen and Wayne backtracked to Wisemans, where they found that David ‘s Harley had failed to start on trying to get off the ferry, and was still sitting there failed to start. I’m told that in the end the bike was transported away by the NRMA, so obviously not just a loose plug lead.
Lunch was under an immense liquid amber tree that was losing its autumn coloured foliage, providing a very attractive ambience.
When lunch was done, Ron, Peter and Scotty took the dirt road north to Buckety to test their slippery road skills, while the rest of us set off to Webbs Creek ferry with a view of going through to either Galston Gorge and the Pie, or directly home via Dural. I had a dream run down the Old Northern Road, as whenever I caught up to a slower vehicle it was at the start of a legal passing zone, so no hold-ups, but those behind me weren’t so lucky and the group broke up a bit. I hadn’t been through Galston Gorge for a couple of years, so that was fun too. Because I was heading back to the Central Coast, I was heading up the old Road to the Pie, where I caught a glimpse of Wayne and Stephen riding South. They had stopped at the Pie for a coffee and when no-one else turned up they headed home. By the time I got to the Pie, Suitcase followed me in, and then Peter and Ron arrived from their dirt exploits, so we all had a drink together and then we headed home.
It really was a great riding day. Not hot, but sunny with interesting roads and the added challenge of being careful in the wet spots. I had a great day, and I hope everyone else enjoyed it too.
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