Well, today as we were getting ready to roll out I found that my left earphone was broken, crap. (Incidently, I use Earmould earplugs that have speakers fitted and can attest to not only the hearing protection they provide but also the clarity of music they deliver. I have used them on a racetrack and clearly listened to music up to about 250-260. To say that they have been invaluable on this trip is selling them short. Nuff said)
Anyway, our first stop today was at the famous Blue Lake here in Mt gambier. We spent way too much time here and it put us a little behind the 8 ball but the Geology lesson Aaron received I think compensated for the extra the extra time today.
After leaving the Blue Lake we then made our way the large sink hole on the outskirts of town. Time for another geology lesson. I found the sink hole a very peaceful place and would love to have one just like it close to home. It's also a clear reminder of the power of good old mother nature and our inability to control her.
We finally get out of dodge (so to speak) and point the Bird towards Mexico (Victoria for those unaware of the interstate rivalry between NSW and Victoria).
As we roll out of Portland we spot one of Victorias finest attempting to fleece everyone of their hard earned and greet him in the most appropriate of ways then proceed to let everyone know about this butt monkey hiding in the bush on the edge of the road. It was beautiful, lush farming land from Portland right to and beyond Warrnambool and the sun had finally made a welcome return. I guess if you only have so much sunshine to use on a trip like this, keeping some of it for the Great Ocean Road (GOR) is a damn fine idea.
I am quite happy to admit that when we turned onto the GOR I felt a tingle down my spine. Here I was about to take on one of the great, and certainly well written about, motorcycling roads in Australia.
The early parts of the GOR from the west are a lot more open and straight than I expected but it was a good ride to warm up for the afternoon. We had a quick bite to eat in Port Campbell then headed for the world famous 12 apostles, well 8 now actually. We spent a fair amount of time lining up for a ride on a helicopter, but after paying for the said trip the sawn off little shit behind the desk looked me up and down and said "Ah, sir could you stand on the silver plate on the floor please." I stood on said plate then he said "Oh I'm sorry sir you wont be able to fly with us today" "why not" I asked. The little pencil necked dipstick took his time to answeer but finally mumbled something about being too big. How could that be? At 6' 4" and 120kg plus tax I'm one of the little guys where I work. Surely there must be a solution. Do you have a bigger helicopter? I even offered to take a solo flight but after some to and fro with pinochio all he could stammer was that there was a manufactures limit on the seats in the machine and it would not be possible to fly today. So there you go, Aaron got to fly in a helicopter before me. Upon his return the boy had a grin that I thought was going to split his head. When asked how it was I think he could sense my dissapointment at not being able to go and he simply said "it was ok, nothing great you didn't miss much). Well what do know, I think my boy has a firm grasp of empathy, bless him. We had a mass ride from that location while Stu got some aerial footage of us all with that remarkable backdrop. After the footage was obtained it was everyman for themselves to Lorne.
SENSATIONAL, is how I would describe the rest of the day. The GOR has many different personalities along it's length. It has smells and sights that can easily distract the unwary, but to swing from apex to apex, up hill and down dale is a delightful pleasure that all bike riders must indulge in at least once. From Apollo Bay to Lorne was the most striking (and fun) piece of road today. Sheer cliffs, ocean views, decent road surface and gnarly bends.
The 15 km's or so before Lorne Aaron and I rode with two of the Hobbits (Paul and Ant) and considering the bikes they were on they peddled along really well. However, eventually the devil on my shoulder had his way with me and we then undertook some practical physics experiments regarding the burning of fossil fuels to transfer stored energy into potential power, the adhesive qualities of rubber when interacting with hot mix road pavement and centripidal force. 5km's or so out we came upon a fellow (up and walking)who had obviously been undertaking very similar experiments to ours', although I think the results he achived showed a distinct lack of talent, either that or his ZX9 was a bit tired and was simply having a rest against the rock wall. Upon arrival in Lorne Aaron pronounced that to be the best lesson of his life.
We booked into our lodgings, made our way to the pub where I enjoyed a juicy steak and Aaron had Chicken and pyjamas. After dinner we had a couple of games of pool where I was resoundingly thrashed by the boy then wandered back to our room in the light drizzel that decended juat after sunset.
See you tomorrow
Marty............
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