grumpybastard
25th April 2007, 08:53 PM
Well we headed out today as per suggestions in this thread (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/showthread.php't=37032)
1. The plan was head over to Kinglake for brunch at the bakery (i remember it from many years ago)
2. Head over to Mt Disappointment then Strath creek falls in Mt Disappointment State Forest.
It seemed all pretty easy and straight forward, flexible enough that we could go with the flow.
What actually happened ......
Well heading into Kinglake the roads are narrow and windy, Catherine isn't one for anything but the Hwy, so she is clinging on like she is going to die while i try and make the bends as smooth as possible. Im doing 30kph with a line of cars and bikes behind me and all the time Cath is squirming in her seat, making funny little noises and going for the invisible brake pedal continuously.
Im starting to get a little "short" at this stage.
We head into Kinglake, well it seems everyone else had the same idea (mostly bikes) as the bakery had nothing left and no where to sit. 3 kids all hungry and cranky now.
Heading out towards Mt Disappointment SF i came over a rise to see a black shape on the road, i start slowing up only to realise that its a bike and rider in the middle of the road. I stop hit the hazards and jump out, nearly being taken out by people trying to drive around me!!!
A local has pulled up coming the other way and the bike rider is up on his feet now, so we push the bike over to the side of the road dodging people to impatient to stop or even help. The bikes pretty cactus its worn through the engine casing as its been sliding and dropped a couple of litres of oil on the road.
Bike rider seems okay, guy in his late 40s, pretty shook up and looks like he has broken his thumb. The local and i start grabbing hand fulls of leaf litter and dumping it on the oil in the road, trying to soak it up and at least make an obstacle so people drive around it (especially the bikes).
All the time im trying to figure out why he came off, then i see it! Theres a wallaby on the rd. The poor guys been riding along only to have a roo jump out in front of him, he has hit it, killed it instantly and then he and the bike have slid along the road for 10-15 metres.
No one can get mobile coverage, so the local guy jumps in his car to head up the rd to the local CFA. Whilst im chatting to the guy trying to figure out what the hell im supposed to do to help, i find out that he only has 3rd party insurance, no RACV membership cant afford a tow truck and i cant get hold of his wife.
Just then i see the local copper coming towards me, so i jump out on the road and start waving him down, i swear he was going to go straight past, even though there's a bike on the side of the road with a guy lying down next to it and the hazards flashing on the Disco on the other side of the road.
Anyway cutting a long story short i relay all the info to the Policeman, CFA has arrived, i've given the guy my details in case he gets stuck and we have finally headed off.
After getting lost in Mt Disappointment SF numerous times we finally find Mt Disappointment rd, the reason we couldn't find the rd was because it is closed for tree mulching :(
So we head off to Strath Creek Falls, no suprises its bone dry!
Its now gone 5pm its starting to get dark the kids have been stuck in the car for the majority of the day and we have an hour and half trip home.
Some days i reckon i should give up earlier when things start turning bad, because it always just keeps going and going.
My God! This post has turned into a short story
(BTW: i rang the guy on the bike tonight to see how he was, but there was no answer)
1. The plan was head over to Kinglake for brunch at the bakery (i remember it from many years ago)
2. Head over to Mt Disappointment then Strath creek falls in Mt Disappointment State Forest.
It seemed all pretty easy and straight forward, flexible enough that we could go with the flow.
What actually happened ......
Well heading into Kinglake the roads are narrow and windy, Catherine isn't one for anything but the Hwy, so she is clinging on like she is going to die while i try and make the bends as smooth as possible. Im doing 30kph with a line of cars and bikes behind me and all the time Cath is squirming in her seat, making funny little noises and going for the invisible brake pedal continuously.
Im starting to get a little "short" at this stage.
We head into Kinglake, well it seems everyone else had the same idea (mostly bikes) as the bakery had nothing left and no where to sit. 3 kids all hungry and cranky now.
Heading out towards Mt Disappointment SF i came over a rise to see a black shape on the road, i start slowing up only to realise that its a bike and rider in the middle of the road. I stop hit the hazards and jump out, nearly being taken out by people trying to drive around me!!!
A local has pulled up coming the other way and the bike rider is up on his feet now, so we push the bike over to the side of the road dodging people to impatient to stop or even help. The bikes pretty cactus its worn through the engine casing as its been sliding and dropped a couple of litres of oil on the road.
Bike rider seems okay, guy in his late 40s, pretty shook up and looks like he has broken his thumb. The local and i start grabbing hand fulls of leaf litter and dumping it on the oil in the road, trying to soak it up and at least make an obstacle so people drive around it (especially the bikes).
All the time im trying to figure out why he came off, then i see it! Theres a wallaby on the rd. The poor guys been riding along only to have a roo jump out in front of him, he has hit it, killed it instantly and then he and the bike have slid along the road for 10-15 metres.
No one can get mobile coverage, so the local guy jumps in his car to head up the rd to the local CFA. Whilst im chatting to the guy trying to figure out what the hell im supposed to do to help, i find out that he only has 3rd party insurance, no RACV membership cant afford a tow truck and i cant get hold of his wife.
Just then i see the local copper coming towards me, so i jump out on the road and start waving him down, i swear he was going to go straight past, even though there's a bike on the side of the road with a guy lying down next to it and the hazards flashing on the Disco on the other side of the road.
Anyway cutting a long story short i relay all the info to the Policeman, CFA has arrived, i've given the guy my details in case he gets stuck and we have finally headed off.
After getting lost in Mt Disappointment SF numerous times we finally find Mt Disappointment rd, the reason we couldn't find the rd was because it is closed for tree mulching :(
So we head off to Strath Creek Falls, no suprises its bone dry!
Its now gone 5pm its starting to get dark the kids have been stuck in the car for the majority of the day and we have an hour and half trip home.
Some days i reckon i should give up earlier when things start turning bad, because it always just keeps going and going.
My God! This post has turned into a short story
(BTW: i rang the guy on the bike tonight to see how he was, but there was no answer)