Go for BROKE!
Another year, another FarRally. No matter how hard I try I cannot get my supervisor to understand the significance of the FarRally. Nevermind…
The Rally pack arrived while I was out on the road. I checked my emails when I was at Coolah - having just ridden through Moree/Narrabri/Boggabri/Gunnedah/Mullaley (these all of course forming locations with the Rally…
This one was to be tricky… I had to nominate my own start location and turn around points, and there was a ban on starting in Canberra (and other places). This first task proved a lot harder than it initially sounded - you could pick somewhere 700km from the start. If it was between 500 - 700km you had to pick a turnaround location that took the trip to 800km. Stuffed if I could find anywhere smack on 700km from the start! Pick somewhere between 500 - 700km, drag the route it’s 650, 750, 850, 950, never at or about 800km *face palm*
I had so many different plans I can’t even remember them all but eventually I settled on starting at Goolgowi. Then I changed it to starting at Grong Grong, with a turnaround location of Gundagai. That plan had me riding some 1500 - 1600km - not too much I thought.
Earlier this year I was hit by a car while I was riding home from work. I didn’t fall off but it ‘woke up’ a previously silent arthritic condition in my back. It had been settling down but a bit over a week before the rally it all came roaring back into life (thankfully not so bad as it was initially but bad enough). Lost the better part of a week off work and spent most of that week in a Codeine haze… I returned to work on the Tuesday prior to the rally and didn’t last the day… I rerouted my rally plan to a smidgen over 1200km. Wednesday was worse than Tuesday and I started to have doubts about even starting the Rally.
The first curveball was scheduled to be thrown in the early hours of Thursday morning. I woke up at about 4am and checked the forum - three locations for “ANZAC Biccies” at Dunedoo, Gilgandra and Bingara. Also the penalty for excess km over 1200. Okie dokie, back to bed.
Woke up a few hours later and immediately redid my ride plan again. My new ride plan was now down to 1060. It also included getting biccies at Dunedoo and Gilgandra, not that I needed them. I dropped Dunedoo and decided to just get the one at Gilgandra because, well, I like biccies alright? :D
I finalised the ride plan (including handwriting it all out, I really should buy a printer one day) and set off much later than intended for my start location at Grong Grong. I had a room booked at the motel there and had advised them I would arrive between 4-5pm. At 5pm I was at Temora (having scrapped my plan of going through Junee because it would be dark by then). It was a glorious sunset and I was riding towards it with a big moon rising behind me - just magical. My back even held up okay, with only occasional stabs of pain.
I arrived to the motel at Grong Grong to be greeted by possibly the friendliest motel staff I have ever met. Offers for my bike to be put under cover, etc, a free ‘welcome’ drink on arrival (fanta for me, but I could have had beer or wine) and BONUS they have a restaurant. For $65.00 I highly recommend this place! I ordered a steak for dinner, medium rare of course, did I want it the “aussie” way or “my” way asked the owner? I chose the adventurous option and had it his way and it was FABULOUS. Finished dinner, had a chat with a lady who was also there for dinner, she was from Matong, and it was not long before I was into bed.
[u]The FarRally[/u]
Up and at ‘em! I packed up the bike and shortly after the appointed hour (7am) I loaded up the bike, took my start pics and rolled up to reception to pay for my room and get my start docket. I attempted to send my first call in from here too - trust me to pick the one town where I don’t have mobile coverage :facepalm.
Down the road to the Grong Grong hotel for a “blue pic” ($24.99) and I headed east. Ganmain for an “A” Post Office, resent my call-in text :facepalm, Coolamon for an “O” Post Office and Junee for a “U” Post Office - Yep, collecting “vowel” post office pictures using the first or second letter of the town name. Up to Illabo to snag an “I” for spelling “IBEM” then down a dinky little single lane road through Eurongilly (sp?) to Nangus and onto Gundagai for a black pic ($15.99) and my turnaround location.
My back had been hurting quite a lot unfortunately :( Had a bit of a break in the main street before heading out to the tuckerbox roadhouse where I got fuel and had another break and a Twix which helped to cheer me up a bit.
Back onto the Hume, up to Coolac then on to Cootamundra. Saw heaps of bikes out but don’t think any of them were FarRalliers.
Through Coota and onto Stockinbingal for another black pic. Ouch ouch ouch. Headed back to Wallendbean, up to Young where I seriously started considering pulling the pin on the whole thing. Kept going, heading for Grenfell. Yep, definitely ready to call it quits. I decided that I was going to Grenfell, I was going to have some lunch and then I was going to go home. NO, I was just going to think about going home. I found a parking spot outside a take-away, ordered a big arse burger and a creaming soda, downed some Panadeine, ate my burger, including the bread. I decided to man up and see how I was going by Eugowra. Found the ladies nearby so I could put on some deep heat without exposing my bare arse to the busy main street of Grenfell and they STUNK so gross (yep even over the distinctive scent of the deep heat :o)
Back on the road and it was starting to warm up which was nice. The painkillers started to kick in and it wasn’t much fun as I was a bit dozy and still a bit painful but it was bearable. I really wanted to be a FINISHER!!!! Eugowra for an “E” Post Office then on to Molong for a blue pic (I think) and fuel. Met Knave at the BP, had a brief chat then he left and I had yet another break (and a kit kat to make me feel better - no wonder my leathers shrunk so much). Still contemplating what to do. I had misread one of the tasks (the “Yellow pics”, at the Wellington Caves Visitor Centre there were three photos to take, if you got all of them it was worth $39.99, or negative any value you want up to $29.99 - I had read it as just plus $39.99 or negative $29.99 so had not planned on getting it - until that morning). My original plan had been to just roll through Wellington and stay at Gulgong but I decided to stay at Wellington so I could get the Yellow pics (you could only get them on Saturday). I stayed at the Bridge Motel, upon booking in the guy said “oh, you’re on a bike, I would put you so your bike could go undercover but I’ve got all the Fireys in there”… well damn. Fireys? HALLO!!!!! (Didn’t see any fireys :( ). Anyway found my room and had a recommendation to go to the Lion of Waterloo (or similar) tavern for tea but it was a bit of a walk. A lady staying in a room near me offered to take me down there with them but I declined - the offer was very generous but I wasn’t up for company really. I ended up walking into town and getting some AWESOME chinese instead. Somehow on my walk home I accidentally went to the Caltex and bought some chocolate too. Ooops.
Curveball 2 was expected to arrive at 5:30am. 3:00am I got a text - black pics go negative and Gilgandra Biccie Collection Point is cancelled :o I lay back down for all of about five minutes before sitting up, opening up itty bitty and replotting Saturday’s ride. Back to sleep and wake up to the alarm.
I potter around as I don’t really expect to leave until about 8am. I decide to take some pre-emptive Panadeine today, lather up in Deep Heat and roll out and head to the Wellington Caves Visitor Centre. I take my picture of my bike outside the Visitor Centre and Derrick rolls in. We move our bikes up to the giant Wombat thing, another pic and then… how am I supposed to take a picture of the thing inside and with my rally flag? All I get is reflection!!!!! (I don’t know how FarKing Crappy did it!!) Allegedly the place is due to open at 8:30... More and more bikes roll in, lots of hallos, and after what seemed like hours the visitor centre opens. I’m in and outta there in a flash! Well not really.
Back through Wellington, through Dubbo and onto Narromine. Ouchie goes the back. I stop outside the pool for the Narromine pic an use their bathrooms for more deep heat… oh yeah. Out the otherside of town and onto the road to Gilgandra. Fuel and I’m off to find the post office - of course I go the wrong way. Found it eventually. Ouchie goes the back. AND it’s getting hot… park up and have a rest, some snackies and lose some layers. Onto Coonabarabran where I am once again ready to pull the pin. I stop outside the visitor centre, pull out Itty Bitty, down some more Panadeine and set about planning the most direct route to the finish I can still reaching the minimum kays required. 106 to Gunnedah and I had to do 152. Hang the penalty kms I JUST WANT TO FINISH!!!!! I figured I could loop up to Boggabri - was 180ish km. OK I can do this. Set off, screw that, turn left and head to Narrabri in accordance with original intended plan.
Came across a family of emus hanging out by the side of the road in the forest here… one was right on the edge of the road. I jumped on the brakes but I was really close to where he was… could see he still hadn’t decided whether or not to run so grabbed a handful of throttle instead and shot past him… phew!
Quick snap at Narrabri and a splash and dash and we’re off to Boggabri. Snap Snap more pics (Red pic, IBEM) off to Gunnedah.
Still to find a newsagent. I couldn’t find one in Coonabarabran. Didn’t try in Narrabri. The one in Boggabri was shut. Into Gunnedah. Snapped a blue pic straight up. Rode past two newsagents, both shut.
Shit.
OK. Into Woolworths. Buy a newspaper. Woolworths sells news that makes them an agent for news right? ;D Close enough I hope! Also buy a highlighter and 'accidentally' buy a big packet of ANZAC biccies seeing as I missed out on one at Gilgandra. Colour in my fingers and take my fingerprints on the newspaper.
Realise I am about to go over on kays. Skip the Red pic at Neptune and just go to the meet location, 2km over the estimate. $0.60 penalty. Try to do the maths to work out the balance skipping the Red Pic and the extra kays while everyone is trying to say hallo - sorry people but my maths skills are very poor!!!!!
Eventually checked in without double checking anything… really hope it was all in order and I am a finisher! PLEASE!!!!!!!! lamer
Now it is all over, checked into the motel and let the catching up begin! I stayed up really late (midnight) chatting and it was good.
Dreaded the trip home terribly but a) pre-emptive painkillers are good and b) it was nearly 100km shorter than I thought :D There may have been a lot of ANZAC biccies consumed on the trip home also.
All in all it was pretty painful but I am really glad I pushed and attended anyway… it was the FarRally!
(Oh yeah… the RM has my memory card of course so no piccies yet!)
