Wednesday 29 May 2013

On The Road Again

After the Ulysses AGM in Maryborough, we placed the bikes in a storage facility near Brisbane Airport, and flew home to Perth to check on the house and enjoy some home comforts.


When the time came to fly back to Brisbane, and resume our motorcycle ride around Australia, we had developed a taste for our reclining lounge chairs and the big TV; we didn’t feel ready for life on the road again. Fortunately there is something about airport lounges that can flick switches in the brain and as soon as I saw our flight number on the monitor I started to remember the wonder of travel. By the time we touched down in Brisbane I was feeling a little excited about being reunited with Devil again.


BMW R1200GS, BMW F650GS
Devil and Dwarf wait patiently at Eagle Farm.


The storage facility, Storage King at Eagle Farm, lived up to our expectations. When we opened the roller door, there they were, Devil (F650GS Twin) and Dwarf (R1200GS), just as we had left them. The bikes seemed pleased to see us and they both started with the first push of the button. By now it was 3pm and we proceeded well through the thickening city traffic until Steve decided to dart into the inside lane which was for left turners only. This little sojourn separated the bikes and it took two goes, with Steve waiting for me and then me waiting for Steve until we rode together again. A GPS and bike to bike communications would help avoid situations like this but we like to keep it simple. After this episode I noticed a little frustration creeping into my riding style and we were lucky that the caravan park was only fifteen kilometres away.

Unfortunately our allocated tent site was lying six inches under water and the last thing we felt like doing was heading back to the office to negotiate moving to higher ground. Still these small things are sent to try us and by sunset the big tent was up and we were wining and dining at Ghazal, an Indian restaurant which serves authentic cuisine at affordable prices. Steve and I chinked glasses many times and we both said “it’s good to be back.”