Fast moving clouds, low-hanging Blackbellies, sheets of rain over the hills, a storm-ravaged roll-cloud over the Kinglake Ridge, some strong and bitter-cold windgusts ....a black-blue checkerboard above.
Then the occasional shaft of sunlight burning into a hillside.
What a spectacular day it turned out in the end
Just right for a slow tootle around the backblocks, finding some new roads, places, lookouts...visiting some freshly-sealed stuff that's changed the face of some old favourites.
A northern bypass of Healesville, a magic, little crawl up Pauls Range....with a perfect, long and relaxed lunch fleeing the Healesville Tourist-Circus.
The "Long Way Around" from Kangaroo Ground to Healesville...120k half-loop.
Couldn't possibly pass that one up....
The "new" Buttermans...enjoy it before the crowds discover it.
There are still some cracker spots only some neat gravel leads to...above Yarra Glen. Blackbellies over Mt. Dandy.
THAT ONE over there is gonna give us a wet bum, mate!
2-wheel-Potpourri, one of each colour.
Time to move...
Enjoying the views dipping down Mt. Wise is followed by a brisk run into the thundery squalls at Steels Creek for the cut-across-the-hills on Hunts Lane.
Damp and grippy on the western side morph into a deep-gravelled and chewed up greasy mess in that steep downhill-lefthander above Dixons Creek.
A sweet little shortcut gets us onto the Healesville-Yarra Glen Rd. and into the Pauls Range State Park towards Toolangi.
Ryans Rd. offers a neat, even scenic, bypass of Healesville, getting us straight across from Chum Creek to the eastern end of town.
Choked with Porsche Cayennes and Audis, screaming kids and general chaos, it's time to find a quieter, slower place.
The Gerbera Farm off the KooWeeRup Rd. delivers yet again...we're the only patrons, the views are fabulous, the steaming mugs of Hot Choccy delicious and served with marshmellows and choccy-raisins, the nachos spicy with plenty of sour cream.
Which all makes for a thoroughly enjoyed lunch, lots of laughs, plenty of talk, even some sunshine to warm the cockles...life's good
Then the occasional shaft of sunlight burning into a hillside.
What a spectacular day it turned out in the end
Just right for a slow tootle around the backblocks, finding some new roads, places, lookouts...visiting some freshly-sealed stuff that's changed the face of some old favourites.
A northern bypass of Healesville, a magic, little crawl up Pauls Range....with a perfect, long and relaxed lunch fleeing the Healesville Tourist-Circus.
The "Long Way Around" from Kangaroo Ground to Healesville...120k half-loop.
Couldn't possibly pass that one up....
The "new" Buttermans...enjoy it before the crowds discover it.
There are still some cracker spots only some neat gravel leads to...above Yarra Glen. Blackbellies over Mt. Dandy.
THAT ONE over there is gonna give us a wet bum, mate!
2-wheel-Potpourri, one of each colour.
Time to move...
Enjoying the views dipping down Mt. Wise is followed by a brisk run into the thundery squalls at Steels Creek for the cut-across-the-hills on Hunts Lane.
Damp and grippy on the western side morph into a deep-gravelled and chewed up greasy mess in that steep downhill-lefthander above Dixons Creek.
A sweet little shortcut gets us onto the Healesville-Yarra Glen Rd. and into the Pauls Range State Park towards Toolangi.
Ryans Rd. offers a neat, even scenic, bypass of Healesville, getting us straight across from Chum Creek to the eastern end of town.
Choked with Porsche Cayennes and Audis, screaming kids and general chaos, it's time to find a quieter, slower place.
The Gerbera Farm off the KooWeeRup Rd. delivers yet again...we're the only patrons, the views are fabulous, the steaming mugs of Hot Choccy delicious and served with marshmellows and choccy-raisins, the nachos spicy with plenty of sour cream.
Which all makes for a thoroughly enjoyed lunch, lots of laughs, plenty of talk, even some sunshine to warm the cockles...life's good