Cathedral Rock National Park.

Its been ages since I have written in this Blog, manly because I thought that no-one was reading it, however after looking at the stats it is obvious that there few of you out there that are. I have done many road trips since giving the Spyder the flick. The triumph has been reliable, a lot cheaper to run and heaps of fun. I have done thirty six thousand kilometers since 2010 and loved every adventure.

 Cathedral Rock National Park is 70km east of armidale, I camped at the Native Dog Creek Camping area and for $5.50 per night it is good value. There are no showers or running water however the creek is clean and the Ranger assures me that there are no cattle near the source so the risk of water borne infection is minimal. Having said that I used a water filter when I got water from the creek. there are bush toilets and fireplaces and wood is supplied.The campground is grassy in places and mostly even. Do be careful riding into the camp ground as it has a dirt road entry and the weekend warriors in the four wheel drives have chopped it up.

The road from Grafton to the campground is in a bad state since the floods, it takes much concentration to avoid the potholes, having said that once the road is repaired it would be a great motorbike road. Once I arrived and found a great spot the memory of the hard ride was distant as I sat in my chair and drank a coffee. In the morning I went for a hike along the Woolpack Rock track which is a 7.5 km circuit and well worth checking out. 

I had intended on camping for two nights however because it was a long weekend there were some very noisy campers. In fact there was a bunch of people playing Doof Doof music at 11pm. Whats with some people go to a night club, most people go camping for the peace and quiet. That's why I go camping in winter because most of the weekend campers stay away.

I packed up on the Sunday and decided to head back up the coast via Dorrigo and via Bellingen. Before I packed I drained my bottle of Jim Beam, there was a couple of drinks left in it and I didn't want to cart an empty bottle with me. It wasn't a wise decision because as I rounded a corner on Waterfall Way low and behold the booze bus was parked on the corner with many cars pulled over.As you can imagine my Heart was in my mouth because I reckon I was a little over the limit. So I slowed down expecting to get pulled over and lucky for me the Cops didn't even notice me riding by, bloody lucky.  

 Apart from my close call with the police I really enjoyed the ride. The road across the ranges to Dorrigo is a brilliant road and it had just been resealed. The view on this road is spectacular and it was difficult to choose between going hard or taking it easy and enjoying the view. The road winds across the ranges and eventually I arrived in Dorrigo. The road that crosses from dorrigo into Belligen is a great bike road as well with plenty of tight corners to test my skills. From Belligen I eventually arrived onto the Pacific highway, which is a good road but a little boring when compared to the great road I had come down over.

After close to sixteen hundred K's on the clock I arrived home tired and satisfied having enjoyed the adventure. I unpacked the bike gave it a wash and polish and started to plan my next adventure which was a trip down to Newcastle for a twenty eight year band reunion with my good friend Stacey.

Home three months later.

Well I have nearly clocked up three thousand kilometers on the triumph. The only thing I am going to change on it is the seat. I am about to splash out on a gel seat tomorrow. That should give me a bit more padding. I think a wind screen and a rack will be all that is required to turn the Bonny into a touring machine. I love the way the Triumph handles and I wouldn't swap it for any other bike.By the way the Spyder is still sitting in the bike shop..

Bye Bye Spyder

I decided to get rid of the Spyder the problems with the dealer support is to much for me to deal with. I went to get replacement Brake pads for the rear brakes and was met with the answer that the dealer didn't have them and that there was only one set availble in  townsville and I could have them in a few days. It was the last straw that broke the camels or should I say Spyder owners back. The foot brake has been a problem from day one and because the Spyder is an automatic I couldn't leave it in gear, it has been adjusted that many times since I left for the trip. 

On one particular day I put the brake on when I stopped to look at some caves in victoria. I heard this crunch and turned to investigate and had found  the spyder had rolled into the national park sign. If the sign had not been there the Spyder may have rolled into the very large cave mouth I was staring into.

I went into my local Triumph dealer and have decided on a Triumph Bonerville, I am loosing a significant amount on the changeover howver have decided that it will be for the best in the long run. I checked Bike point and there are three 2009 Spyder's on sale in my local area, it seemes a lot of people are buying them and getting rid of them soon after they buy them. I wonder if it is because they are having support issues as well.

Unfortunately because there are so many secondhand Spyders on the market It makes it difficult to get a fair price when dealing with Motor bike companies. I wouldn't call the Spyder a lemon they are not however white elephant would be a good name.

Almost done

It's hard to believe that I have been on the road for close to three months. I road about 450 km today and tonight I am staying in Mackay, my Gps tells me that I have 687 Km to travel and will most likely do that in one day. It seems like a lot of riding to do in one day however I have ridden 15735 km since I left home on the 12Th of Feb. It has been the greatest adventure for me and apart from a few minor problems with service issues it has been very enjoyable. If you are thinking of doing a similar trip all I can say is go for it.

In regards to Can-Am I am sure their service will improve, the Spyder is a safe and so far reliable machine apart from the foot brake problems I have experienced and Rotax engines can handle the Australian climate, for me however I think I prefer a traditional Motor bike. If I had my time over again I wouldn't buy a Spyder its not a motorbike.

Ingham

Well what a difference a day makes, I woke up to the sunshine today and the ride to Mossman was a pleasant ride with interesting scenery and a good quality road. I had intended stopping at port Douglas tonight however once I had the wind in my face I felt like going for a ride.

The road from Mossman to Cairns is brilliant it skirts the seaside and it reminds me a little of the Great Ocean Road, when I got to Cairns I kept riding and I ended up doing approx 450 km in total today just 110 km short of townsville.

I am going to set out early tomorrow and will attempt a further 500km tomorrow I should be back in Howard early next week, and then I will go motorbike hunting as me and the Spyder are about to part ways.

Five people asked me about the Spyder today I told them that the after sales support leaves a lot to be desired and if you like riding a three wheeled car then buy one however if you are looking for the responsiveness and ride of a motor bike then the Spyder is not for you and I have realised also not for me.

Undara Photos

I took at lot more photos of Undara however a lot didn't turn out . One thing is for sure I know if my health holds out and I get to retire I am going to become a permanent gypsy and spend the rest of my life touring this great country of ours. I mean why stay in one spot, I am on my own and my friends will be my friends no matter where I am at in Australia and when I get to retirement I will be most likely on my own, moss doesn't gather on a rolling stone.

Atherton Tablelands

Well I finally made it up to Atherton today and it hasn't stopped raining for two months so the locals tell me. Due to my dodgy rear tyre I made the decision to take my time from Karumba across to Atherton.

It's a public holiday in Qld so my Spyder will get serviced tomorrow consequently I have booked into a cabin until Thursday morning. I was going to venture up to cook town, however I am told that the roads are not that good after an exceptional amount of rain. So I will turn towards Cairns I expect to be home in about 10 days. After I left Krumba I stopped overnight In a very small town, if you could call it a town, a railway station, a pub and a service station, oh wait that sounds like Howard, in fact Howard doesn't have a servo.

Sorry of the track there, the town is called Mount Surprise, I stayed in the local pub, there was a young girl in her 20's that ran the bar she was on her own, apparently her mother owned the pub, she was very efficient and when I said I was hungry she offered to cook me lunch, very good service so if you are ever out that way call in for a beer. I love these old country pubs and sometimes it is worth wandering down to the bar in the evening to have a chat you can learn a lot about an area from it's locals.

The next day I set off early and decided to camp overnight at the Undara Volcanic National park, It was warm and dry so i pitched my tent there at a charge of 10 dollars for the night, the road into the NP camp grounds is sealed and the Lava tubes are worth visiting.

Keep in mind however that you cannot visit the tubes without a guide as apparently some of the tubes are very dangerous, and the NP ranger will fine you seven thousand dollars if found in the restricted area. There are various escorted cave visits from two hours to all day visits.

To really do the area justice you would need at least 5 days as there are also some excellent self guided walks that you can do as well which start and terminate at the campgrounds. For those who don't like roughing it there are cabins and on site canvas lodges available all at reasonable prices.