13 bikes and 15 people fronted up at Rolfe Classic for the obligatory gander at the new bikes on showroom floor before the 9.00oclock departure time rolled around. Ian and Jeanette followed along later (I think Jeanette left the phone at home again) and Bruce Campigli was waiting at Williamsdale.

With double demerit points and fines on offer Nigel McFarlane and I decided that the usually boring Cooma road would be unbearable on this occasion so we turned left at Michelago to tackle some dirt. The road surface was very good and we were able to cover the first part of the road at a respectable speed before we encountered the tighter sections over the ranges.

Unfortunately we also encountered some heavy fog over the ranges that slowed us down even more and stayed with us until we were well onto the main road to Numeralla.

We covered the section to Numeralla in good time and then took the road towards Braidwood before turning of at Courtenagy to head towards Nimmitabel.

The road surface is good along this entire section of road and would cause no problems for riders on any sort of motorcycle. There is a bit of wild life however, which was evident by several carcasses by the roadside. Mostly wombats and wild pigs but I think there was a few kangaroos as well. It is approximately 200 kms from Phillip to Nimmitabel which is a few kilometres longer than the touring route through Cooma but much more enjoyable. If the tighter sections over the ranges at Michelago are not your cup of tea, you might choose to go out through Queanbeyan and Captain's Flat to avoid them.

It was 12 o'clock by time we reached Nimmitabel and most of the crew had already headed for the coast with Bruce McFarland and Claire staying behind to ensure the adventurers arrived safely.

Back on the tar we headed to Bombala for some fuel and the continued on down the Cann River Highway. The traffic was not heavy and we maintained a safe cruising speed to avoid any confrontations with uniformed people in cars with funny lights on top.

Turning left into the Imlay Road we left the traffic behind and could resume normal cruising speeds. This is a gem of a road that winds through pine and native forests to the Princes Highway. There are some wildlife hazards, but traffic is minimal and the surface is mostly good although there are some sections that have been cut up by the logging trucks. Weekends seem to be free from the trucks but you should probably keep an eye out for them on weekdays.

We reached the highway and then continued on into Eden where we found our accommodation for the night at the Great Southern Inn. The rest of the crew had stopped at Boydtown for lunch. Whilst getting off the bikes we were approached by some guy who claimed to have been a member of the club for years and still worked on Beemers every day. It was of course Doug Bryant. He and his wife were visiting relatives and had popped into the pub for lunch. He returned to the pub for dinner that night and caught up with everybody else. .

The accommodation at the pub was okay but a bit inconsistent as some rooms were reasonably spacious, had balconies, windows and views whilst others were tiny and had no windows at all. It also turned out that some people had been charged more than others.

One plus was that the pub had a big shed out the back that the staff kindly opened to allow us to park all the bikes securely for the night.

We had a light late lunch at the café opposite the Fisherman's club, which has the best home-made fish cakes you will ever taste. Try the sweet chilli ones they are superb. We then wandered down to the wharf to check out the fishing boats and to have a look at the antique shop

The evening was mostly spent at the pub with some fierce competition ensuing on the pool table. Some people dined at the Fisherman's Club whilst others who didn't want to cross the road in the rain visited the restaurant at the pub. Some people drank at the bar until 1am some didn't.

Sunday dawned with a number of options for activities. Sleeping in, breakfast at Merimbula, a ride along the Imlay Road to Cann River and back, a swim at Aslings Beach, a cruise around Twofold bay.

Dinner on Sunday was a group affair at the restaurant in the pub. After dinner it was back to the bar and the pool table. The bar was quite busy with a number of locals watching the State of Origin match. Not content with the rough and tumble on the TV a couple of locals decided to have a short session of fisticuffs themselves. I think the shorter fatter older guy can be thankful the taller, younger fitter guy was content with scoring a knock down and didn't go looking for the knock out.

Monday morning was fine and it was breakfast at the wharf before most of us headed south along the Princes Highway towards the Imlay Road. A small contingent headed north and would meet us at Nimmitabel.

The weather had changed by the time we hit the Imlay Road and it was starting to get very cold by the time we made the top. The Imlay was just as good going up as it was going down, although the mixture of dry and wet road surface made it a more interesting. After the Imlay the run to Bombala was pretty sedate until a wood duck in the form of a K12LT went passed us at warp 1. With this decoy providing cover from the forces of darkness, a few more of us were able to travel at a suitable speed. Fortunately the dark forces stayed away and we all made it safely to Nimmitabel.

The weather deteriorated by the time we reached Nimmitabel, it was very cold but the rain was still holding off.

After a hot pie to warm us up Claire and I left the others and got back on the road for the boring ride through Cooma to Canberra. The traffic from Cooma going north was quite heavy and for once the trip home was a bit interesting. It was a real challenge trying to maintain an appropriate speed whilst skirting around the tin tops.

A quick stop at Williamsdale to top up with fuel might have saved our licences as three patrol cars headed south whilst we were stopped. One of them gave us a good look and did a U turn and headed north again. It was pretty obvious he was going to set a trap for us and we were very cautious as we left the service station. We didn't have long to wait as our friend had parked just outside the 80k zone at Williamsdale and was laying wait for us. He was not in luck this time but picked up the car travelling behind us.

A steady run back into Canberra finished off another great weekend.