The weather on Friday had been terrible - thunderstorms and rain most of the day and I ended up getting soaked on the ride home from work. To me it looked as if the weekend would be a write off - wet, miserable and no good for riding. Saturday morning, however, proved to be fantastic. The sun had already risen into a cloudless sky and so I thought I would get an early start to Billy's place to return a helmet I had borrowed before heading down to Kat's place at Kingscliff. Had to drop in to Coorparoo to pick up some mail and then followed Beaudesert Rd all the way down to where it becomes a single lane. A light blanket of fog was still present down this way and it started to get a little cool riding in it. Got to the turn off and made my way to Billy's place. I had a bit of a chat, returned the helmet and then remounted for the ride back out towards the motorway. The fog slowly cleared and I really appreciated the warmth of the sun on my jacket - followed the road through Chambers Flat then onto Tamborine and finally out to Yatala on the motorway - a really enjoyable ride with very little traffic.
Finally reached the M1 and I reckon half of Brisbane was heading down the coast on Saturday - probably due to the beautiful weather. Anyway, I made good time down to Tweed Heads where I met up with Kat at the crash repairer where she dropped her car off to be repaired. (About three weeks ago I was reversing her car into her car park beneath her unit complex and the garage door decided to close - result was one scraped roof and broken ariel and a bent garage door - but that's another story!!) Whilst there, Koff called and said he and Wolf were going to ride down to Kat's place and drop off my camera which he still had from last weekend. I suggested we head somewhere together for lunch and they both agreed, so Kat and I made our way back to her place. Once there, we planted our asses on the balcony at the front and had a cleansing ale or two and watched the cars and bikes cruise along Marine Parade - it's tough but someone has to do it!!
About an hour later Koff and Wolf turned up. They parked out the front and came in for a beer while we decided where to ride. I suggested we cruise along the beach down as far as possible and then onto the mortorway down to Brunswick Heads - so that's what we did. Kat and I jumped on the bike and with Koff and Wolf crossed Cudgen Creek and headed along the coast on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, passing places like Pottsville and Cabarita with its sensational coastal views - does not get any better. Once you reach Wooyung the road takes you inland through canefields and over the motorway onto the old highway. We followed this and were eventually led onto the motorway and down through all the roadworks to the Brunswick Heads turn off. Took a left turn and rode to the fantastic Hotel Brunswick for a light refreshment. This pub really has some character - it looks like it was built in the fifties and has a real retro feel about it. It has been recently refurbished so does not lack the modern facilities which you sometimes do find in these small town pubs. The beer garden out the front is shaded by an assotrment of Jacaranda trees and umbrellas and was nearly full when we walked in due to the markets across the road. We grabbed a table and enjoyed a drink and a chat in the shade while deciding if we were going to eat here or our next stop. After about half an hour we agreed to head to the Beach Hotel at Byron Bay for lunch.
Back on the bikes and onto the motorway for the short ride down the coast to Byron Bay. The road from the motorway out to Byron was quite busy so we were expecting the pub to be full. As usual the town itself was also busy but we were lucky enough to find a park right across the road from the pub. The Beach Hotel is a great place to head on a sunny day - not right on the beach but back a few hundred metres. It is quite modern and has no solid walls along the front - just folding doors - so it can be opened right up to allow guests to soak up the ocean view and make use of the sea breeze that blows through in the afternoon. We managed to score a table down near the footpath and really soaked up the atmosphere of the place - lots of bikini clad yum yums walking up from the beach making the views even more enjoyable and the slight breeze was keeping the temperature just right. We downed our first drink and then decided to order some food - nothing too fancy - just some wedges. After finishing lunch we just relaxed like everyone should on the weekend. I think we could have stayed there well into the night with plenty happening around us, good food and drink and lots of bikes coming and going. After a couple of very relaxing hours, we decided to hit the road and head home.
Koff, Kat and I left Wolf on the motorway at a turn off to Burringbar. We got onto the near deserted old highway and rode over the Burringbar Ranges and into Murwillumbah. I have written about this road before and I absolutely love it - the ranges themselves aren't very high but the road is in really good condition and it is usually traffic free with some good sweeping corners, plenty of shade and nice scenery. We rode it at a good pace - not too fast but just a steady and enjoyable cruising speed. After decending into Murwillumbah and bypassing the centre of town, we followed the old road along side the Tweed River for a while and eventually re-joined the motorway. A couple of exits further on and we left the motorway again, this time heading for Kingscliff. We made a quick stop to pick up some beers and then headed back to Kats place right across from the beach at Kingy.
We ended this perfect Saturday sitting out on Kat's balcony enjoying the view and discussing the days ride. Life's too hard!!
Finally reached the M1 and I reckon half of Brisbane was heading down the coast on Saturday - probably due to the beautiful weather. Anyway, I made good time down to Tweed Heads where I met up with Kat at the crash repairer where she dropped her car off to be repaired. (About three weeks ago I was reversing her car into her car park beneath her unit complex and the garage door decided to close - result was one scraped roof and broken ariel and a bent garage door - but that's another story!!) Whilst there, Koff called and said he and Wolf were going to ride down to Kat's place and drop off my camera which he still had from last weekend. I suggested we head somewhere together for lunch and they both agreed, so Kat and I made our way back to her place. Once there, we planted our asses on the balcony at the front and had a cleansing ale or two and watched the cars and bikes cruise along Marine Parade - it's tough but someone has to do it!!
About an hour later Koff and Wolf turned up. They parked out the front and came in for a beer while we decided where to ride. I suggested we cruise along the beach down as far as possible and then onto the mortorway down to Brunswick Heads - so that's what we did. Kat and I jumped on the bike and with Koff and Wolf crossed Cudgen Creek and headed along the coast on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, passing places like Pottsville and Cabarita with its sensational coastal views - does not get any better. Once you reach Wooyung the road takes you inland through canefields and over the motorway onto the old highway. We followed this and were eventually led onto the motorway and down through all the roadworks to the Brunswick Heads turn off. Took a left turn and rode to the fantastic Hotel Brunswick for a light refreshment. This pub really has some character - it looks like it was built in the fifties and has a real retro feel about it. It has been recently refurbished so does not lack the modern facilities which you sometimes do find in these small town pubs. The beer garden out the front is shaded by an assotrment of Jacaranda trees and umbrellas and was nearly full when we walked in due to the markets across the road. We grabbed a table and enjoyed a drink and a chat in the shade while deciding if we were going to eat here or our next stop. After about half an hour we agreed to head to the Beach Hotel at Byron Bay for lunch.
Back on the bikes and onto the motorway for the short ride down the coast to Byron Bay. The road from the motorway out to Byron was quite busy so we were expecting the pub to be full. As usual the town itself was also busy but we were lucky enough to find a park right across the road from the pub. The Beach Hotel is a great place to head on a sunny day - not right on the beach but back a few hundred metres. It is quite modern and has no solid walls along the front - just folding doors - so it can be opened right up to allow guests to soak up the ocean view and make use of the sea breeze that blows through in the afternoon. We managed to score a table down near the footpath and really soaked up the atmosphere of the place - lots of bikini clad yum yums walking up from the beach making the views even more enjoyable and the slight breeze was keeping the temperature just right. We downed our first drink and then decided to order some food - nothing too fancy - just some wedges. After finishing lunch we just relaxed like everyone should on the weekend. I think we could have stayed there well into the night with plenty happening around us, good food and drink and lots of bikes coming and going. After a couple of very relaxing hours, we decided to hit the road and head home.
Koff, Kat and I left Wolf on the motorway at a turn off to Burringbar. We got onto the near deserted old highway and rode over the Burringbar Ranges and into Murwillumbah. I have written about this road before and I absolutely love it - the ranges themselves aren't very high but the road is in really good condition and it is usually traffic free with some good sweeping corners, plenty of shade and nice scenery. We rode it at a good pace - not too fast but just a steady and enjoyable cruising speed. After decending into Murwillumbah and bypassing the centre of town, we followed the old road along side the Tweed River for a while and eventually re-joined the motorway. A couple of exits further on and we left the motorway again, this time heading for Kingscliff. We made a quick stop to pick up some beers and then headed back to Kats place right across from the beach at Kingy. We ended this perfect Saturday sitting out on Kat's balcony enjoying the view and discussing the days ride. Life's too hard!!
posted by Beaker at 7:06 AM
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