Day 3/4: Around The Hume

I crashed today. It was the first time my poor bike has been on its side for about 10 months. But it wasn't all bad. Firstly, I caught it on video. Secondly, it was on fairly wet dirt, and if you are going to crash that is the best place to do it.

Another cold morning and I was off to Corryong for a morning pick-me-up and some fuel, with the intention of taking the back-roads to Tumut via Towong, Greg Greg, Tooma and the wonderfully named Tumbarumba. Condensation from the mist was building on my visor and turning into frost. The petrol station attendant said that she'd driven up that way the day before, and gave me dire warnings about mist, kangaroos and ice in the shadows cast by the trees. It turned out not to be quite so dangerous today though, and it was a superb route to ride. The scenic lookouts, looking down onto cloud cover over the valley, were simply breathtaking.

At Tumut I stopped in at the modern tourist information center in the old butter factory and took the road to Wee Jasper, which contains two stretches of dirt, both of which are about 30kms long. Literally seconds away from the end of the first stretch the bike and I went down (see video below). I'm not sure why, and I didn't have the awareness to examine what I had just ridden through. Most of the road was dry, but this section at the bottom of a valley was damp. The video shows a patch of ground darker than the rest, but perhaps I am just looking for excuses.



No real damage to me or the bike, other than both of us being very muddy. I picked the bike up and got it going again by fully opening the throttle before cranking the engine. I tackled the second section of dirt and then rode from Wee Jasper to Yass underneath a brilliant red sunset. By the time I connected with the Hume again at Yass it was pitch black, but fortunately I finished the twisties before total darkness fell. I didn't travel many kilometers today, but those kilometers were perhaps the hardest I have ever ridden on a bike. It was an awesome day.

Riding Distance: 290 kms