Highlander HOG Chapter Challenge (Emerald ) 10-13/June 2005
Stretching your wings like an Eagle.

I took Friday off for the Queens Birthday Weekend, making it a four day weekend. We gathered at 7.30 AM, four HOG Harleys at the service station 50 North of Brisbane going north. We had to start in rain gear, being winter, you don't want your leathers wet. Already at Gympie, we could pack rain gear away. It was to be sunny for the rest of the weekend. The temperature rose above 20 and it was perfect weather. Having organised the trip, I took the point as we head north.

The other guys were on cruise control, so it wasn't easy to keep pace. Either they dropped behind or came up too close. Bruce Highway up to Rockhampton is good bitumen, except for some creases at Maryborough. Brahma bulls stared at us from along the road. We saw the odd eagle hovering, checking for road kills. 

Coffee tasted extra good after a couple of hours in the saddle. At Boorooren, we stopped for some freshly made crab sandwiches, yum. Up ahead we soon sighted the welcoming roundabout with the huge Bull of Rockhampton, about 600 k north of Brisbane, at 3.45 PM (see web site http://www.ozemate.com/rockhog ).

Our first stop was at the Harley dealer, where their latest gear and bikes. Jeff, the owner, gives us a tour of the new parts of the shop, where there will be HOG gathering areas. Some of us check into Porky's Motel and others at the Welcome Home Motel. After a shower and change we roll in to O'Dowds Irish pub for a couple of cold ones. It's only a couple of blocks from the Motel. At 7 PM we meet up with mates from the Rockhampton HOG at the China Restaurant for a banquette and half a dozen Oz Wines.

Next morning starts at the dealer with eight bikes. We go west on prairie landscape. Horizon all around until we climb some of the minor hills. The coal trains, sometimes with 80 carriages and 4 engines, run next to the Capricorn Highway to Emerald. One of the Rocky mates drives trains like these and he joins us at The Bluff, when we're half way there.

We check in at the Motel at 1isch in the afternoon roll up to the Rally a few kilometers away for a late BBQ lunch. We meet up with friends from Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Bundaberg, Gladstone and even from Melbourne. Talk about a bit of a ride. The Director from Mackay is called Peter. We worked on the same floor at Ergon Offices in Rockhampton for several months a couple of years ago.
After lunch we start the Gymkhana. In slow race I'm outsmarted in the semi final. But in Barrel race I managed the trophy and in Postman's drop Ann get's every golf ball in place in every heat in a hurry. Great prices they were too.

In the mailman's drop, the pillion places a golf ball on the top of each witches hat as I cruise by (no feet down). If there's a tie, first one over the line wins. We have a great roast and veggies and dessert in the evening, live band and auction of collectibles.

We decided to stay next day as well and go along on the Poker run. It started with bacon and egg breakfast and then ten of diamonds and ann got ten of clubs.

The poker run takes us to the local big dam and to Rubyvale.
There would have been some 80 bikes or so on the run, not all Harleys..
Show and shine in the evening back at the rally was won by a mate from Rocky (Arthur). He had a great looking Duce with much custom bits and a mother of pearl type enamel.
The night ended with presentations and a great dinner. Next morning we left just after bacon and egg at 7.45. This time we're 4 Harleys again. We split up after Biloela and Monto. The trip goes through Springsure, Banana, Biloela, Monto, Mundubbera, Gayndah, Eidsvold, Goomeri and Gympie.

The land shifts from grassed flatland to more bush and areas with tall gums. At times there are hills and sweeping bends. The bitumen is sometimes a bit bouncy, so the pillion definitely doesn't fall asleep. The Wattle trees light up with their yellow flowers now and then. A twig on the road often turns out to be a little lizard or similar critter. Here and there the odd snake sunbaking.

The guy from Melbourne, John, has trouble with his gear shifter, which we fix with a cable strap. The others have bigger tanks and my 16 litre runs out just after we've passed a desert station. So I turned back with Harold (from Brisbane) for fuel. Because of stops and turns, we passed the same old SAAB four times.

During our flight over these lands, one felt like an eagle sweeping and gliding. Just like those gliding over our heads. One bird, not sure if it as an eagle, but of reasonable size flew into the leading bike. I was second and saw how the air turbulence sent the bird spinning out of control. He missed me and had a close miss on the other bikes as well. I didn't see any loose feathers flying, so he would have been ok, shaken and stirred though.

One of the small towns we rode through is called Banana. This is not because of any bananas, but because of the colour of the locally bred type breed of bull, which is called Banana.

We didn't see any bananas in this dry area. John left us in Biloela and the others in Monto. Ann and I had coffee and danish in Eidsvold, the weakest coffee I've ever seen. The sun had just set as we got out on the Bruce Highway at Gympie. We got home at 7.30 PM after traveling 935 kilometers that day. The weekend total was 1930 k

Well that's enough for a couple of weeks before we go for another. We are looking forward to the Mackay Canefield Bash (see Rocky web site calendar and flyer)

All images, memories and impressions will last much much longer though.

Royal and Kickan