One Sunny Winters Day

 It has been a while since my last report, so I thought I’d share a quick update.

We’re now in the middle of winter here in Oz, and while our winters aren’t as cold as those in South Dakota, they still feel chilly to us.  In mean, 13*C is cold, right ??

If the cold wasn't bad enough, we've also had plenty of rain, and this cold, wet weather has put a damper on my riding adventures.

Even so, now and then, a sunny day comes along, and the open road beckons.

This year, my riding adventures are focusing on enjoying the routes that make up the "Top 20 Rides" within my State.

So far, I have crossed the following rides off my “to do” list:   Bucketts Way, Bylong Valley Way, Little Jacks Creek, Port Stevens Gap, O’Sullivan’s Gap, Thunderbolts Way, & Waterfall Way, plus a few other routes that don't quiet make the Top 20 but were enjoyable none the less.

Unfortunately, I have let my ride-report writing slip away, so there are no reports available.  May be next time . . . 

Recently, I've been playing around with an old mobile phone running a dash-cam app, and I've put together a short video showing a section of one of the Top 20 rides, the Old Pacific Highway, aka B83 / OPH.

And yes, before you mention it, I know that the video quality needs to be improved. May be Santa Claus will bring me an up-to-date camera.

This section of the OPH is approximately 36 km long, between Cowan and Kariong, crossing the Hawkesbury River.

In the past, the speed limit was set at 90 kph, but due to a rising number of "boy racer" accidents, it was initially reduced to 80 kph and more recently dropped further to 70 kph. 

The downside is that the area is now heavily monitored with both marked and unmarked police cars and motorcycles. Consider yourself warned. 

Despite this, riding along the OPH remains a joy, particularly mid-week, which I have the opportunity to do on a regular basis. 

This short video covers only about 3 km of the route, running up from the river towards the Pie In The Sky cafe, but it is representative of the entire road. 

Enjoy!

click on the image to enlarge

Until next time, keep smiling and stay warm . . .