On an absolutely filthy wet and cold day 3 riders gathered at Berowra to make the trek via Wollombi, Cessnock and Lochinvar to Luskintyre Airfield.   Luckily sanity prevailed at Jerry’s in Kulnura where we stopped for morning tea (instead of Wollombi) to thaw out. Needless to say we never made it to the airfield or anywhere close, instead making the strategic decision to retire wet and frozen, via the Yarramalong valley, Peats Ridge and the old road, to the Pie for lunch before heading home to dry out and warm up. Never mind we’ll have another go at Old Maitland Road on another ride. Until the next time Andy

  Three of us (including Newbie Glynn) met at St Ives, set off for PITS Cowan, to find it packed with Classic Cars (how dare they) and teen bikers; we hastily departed, following the Old Road and Into East Gosford, stopping for Coffee n Cake at The Bakery – monstrous “snot-slice” – good coffee, sunshine. Did I mention that the weather was cool/cold, especially if not wearing winter gloves. With wind increasing, we originally found the Walking Path and THEN made use of   “Nellie-Never-Lost” to find Dolly Ave, leading us up, up, up and further UP into Rumbalara Reserve, all the way to the circular drive, then walked around, meeting pioneers Captain Charles Sturt, Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith, and Captain Matthew Flinders – all larger than life-size bronze sculptures. (Edward Eyre was in hiding.) The ride downhill was also pretty exciting, dodging pot-holes, looking out for oncoming traffic on the narrow track –DONE. Why not visit wonderful Edogawa Gardens at East Gosford Ga...

  The pre ride discussion included that water proof riding gear was a myth, a general agreement that longer rides should have an earlier start, the weather and should we amend the destination. Having checked the weather radar I thought that we would be able to thread the needle between to rain storms so the destination remained the same. No virgins and as we had all been across the mountains many times no need for corner marking or a TEC. I regretted the lack of TEC later as I was often distracted with checking the mirrors to make sure we had not left anyone. Traffic was light, I set the pace as a cruise, and we all arrived at Maccas Lithgow together.   Further discussion on the destination and weather lead 5 of the 9 heading back. The 4 remaining, after checking the radar, decided that, yes, we should be able to get between the rain. We arrived at Sofala as the rain had turned from a few drops and were welcomed by thunder and heavier rain. We ate in the park then headed off h...

 Today's ride early start didn't happen for various reasons, so we missed our window of opportunity to join the 10am massed ride from Narellan to Cordeaux Dam. Instead we took a more leisurely route over the Harbour Bridge and down the Bay to join the Princes Hwy to Engadine for a coffee stop, then on to Waterfall, down the Old Princes Hwy to Bulli Tops, then the Mt Ousley Rd to Picton Rd and to Cordeaux Dam, arriving just after the Memorial Day speeches and just in time for a rissole on a roll. About a hundred Ulysseans there, lots of familiar old faces, bit of a catch-up, good to see you etc. etc.  Thanks again to Macarthur Branch for hosting and food. A lovely spot for a picnic lunch. Home through RNP and that was a lovely ride as well. Temp. around 22 - 24 degrees, light traffic, no hold-ups other than road closures in the CBD. Ah well, pay the toll this time, home by 3pm. Cheers!

 Springtime at last! A great day to be out on the bike, and a scenic cruise to a great cafe.  Four starters from St Ives and two pick-ups at the 711 at Berowra. And we very nearly had another, except his Guzzi wouldn't start to go onto the Berowra Ferry and he was never seen again. Hardly any traffic today. I guess dad was at home with the kids? Easy riding and a pleasant stop for coffee at the Wisemans Ferry then on past Spencer to Central Mangrove and down to Peats Ridge. The Corrugated cafe has had a make-over. They are now the 47 Oaks Cafe. New staff and good food and a "trying to please" attitude which was good to see. And not busy. All good. Home by your choice so thanks for coming and see you next time!

 The Antique Motorcycle Club of America - Australia Inc. runs an annual weekend at Bulli Showground, showcasing all things motorcycling, particularly early American motorcycles. Hundreds of bikes of every make you've ever heard of and many you've not, along with all the historic racing, speedway and marque clubs and associations, displays, swap and sell stands, food trucks and wet bar. This event is well worth the visit despite the 2-hour slog through the city to get there. If you missed it you've missed out for this year, so put it on your Calendar for next year. 

 A recce trip was carried out ( by car ) in the week preceding this ride and the judgement was that the dirt road from near Lincoln's Rock Lookout to the McMahons Lookout carpark ( 38 kms return ) was "marginal" ( i.e. chopped up, gutters and pot-holes ).  The pop-up page on the Calendar Event was  amended accordingly, and as a result on the morning of 18th August I had three "starters", none of whom were interested in riding on the dirt, but who wanted a ride anyway. Accordingly we headed off in the general direction of the Blue Mountains via Yarramundi, and some time later found ourselves having an early lunch in the park at Glenbrook, consuming various delicacies from the local Bakery and watching a southerly change and low clouds coming in over the Mountains and threatening to make our afternoon dampish. We departed for home accordingly, mostly via the Western Freeway back to Parramatta and (toll-free) onto James Ruse Drive and along Victoria Road to Ryde an...

 A short run today from St Ives up to Pie In The Sky via Comenarra Parkway, New Line Road, Northern Road and the Berowra Ferry. MTC in the lead and four willing followers. Yours truly as tail-ender. All went according to plan, the ferry was waiting for us and PITS was located successfully. Coffee and cakes and chat followed. Another lovely morning to be out on the bike!

 We've had a couple of wash-out rides lately, so a "catch-up" brunch at the Marina Cafe was certainly in order as a follow-on ride after a wander round St Ives Showground at the 4th August Cars N Coffee. There's always a fascinating assortment of rare and unusual cars on display, and often a fascinating assortment of owners and lookers wandering about. We five fine UNB bods felt that we fitted in. We shopped around, drinking our coffee and pretending to know all the history and finer points of the models. Hmmm, should I purchase that lovely MGA 1600, or a new R1300GS Beemer? Dreaming again? Yep. Aren't we going for a ride? Yes lets go on down McCarrs Creek to the Marina Cafe. Done. This is the life. A late breakfast on the wharf with all the beautiful people. And the sun was shining!!! Cheers!