Ride to the Palmer Hotel, Sunday 29th April 2018

1 May

Yet another glorious autumn day. Twelve riders met at the Magill Foodland car park on Sunday morning 29 April for the monthly weekend run. This time to the Palmer Hotel for a leisurely lunch. Once again historic machines were to the fore. Riders and their bikes in decreasing age order (the bikes that is) were:-

Charles Oliver 1959 BSA A10 Super Rocket 650cc

Darryl McWaters 1971 Honda 750cc

David Saint 1976 Suzuki GT 750cc

Alan Kernich 1976 Triumph T140V Bonneville 750cc

Campbell Blaney 1978  Triumph T140E Bonneville 750cc

Kym Miller 1978 Suzuki SP 370cc

Louis Peilschmidt 1985 Suzuki DR 600cc

and the moderns

John Groeschel 1994 BMW R100RT 1000cc

Wayne Williams 2008 Yamaha XVS 650cc

Colin Buckett 2014 Suzuki Boulevard 650cc

Victor Poulton 2016 Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer 850cc

Graham Riley 2016 Indian Scout 1200cc

Up the Norton Summit Road to Norton Summit itself where, in spite of the route be straight ahead, and a corner marshal to erase all doubt, two of our party took a wrong turn and did not appear again until lunch time at the designated place. The rest of the party then took a circuitous route via Basket Range, Lenswood, Cudlee Creek, Gumeracha,  Forreston and Checker Hill Road to our morning coffee break at Kersbrook Hill Wines Cellar Door outlet in the old Kersbrook CFS building just south of the township.

After coffee and muffins back to the road through the town and then to Birdwood via Hill Road, Martin Hill Road and Cromer Road. Then via the main road through Mount Pleasant, Springton and Eden Valley. A right turn here took us through Keyneton and on down out of the hills on a beautifully stone walled, curvaceous and smooth road out on to the still very dry and bare paddocks of the Murray Mallee. A brief stop at Sedan then, via Angus Valley Road and Milendella Road, on to our lunch in the peaceful beer garden at the Palmer Hotel in Palmer.  Thanks to our hosts Jade and Mike for a very pleasant meal.

Riders went their own ways home from here with a few of us making the trip via Birdwood, Gumeracha and the Gorge Road back to town. A very, very pleasant way to spend what surely must be one of the last Sundays this season with such stunning weather. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

 

Alan Kernich

Club Captain