Rediscovering Reefton

Yesterday was one of those days when you rediscover wonderful, simple pleasures which you had forgotten.

One simple pleasure was that of riding through a warm, summer's day.  We are mid-way through spring and it will get much hotter, but yesterday it was warm enough for me to ride in my open-face helmet, with no scarf, wearing my summer gloves and enjoying the air on my skin.

It is also a simple pleasure to ride with others.  My friend Rosy joined my for the first third of my ride and we leisurely chatted over a long lunch.  I've been feeling a bit lonely on my rides of late.  Although riding often has the function of giving me precious time alone, yet my tastes do come and go, and lately I have wanted to share the adventures.

All of this combined with the pleasure of enjoying that well-trammeled loop, the Black and Reefton Spurs.  I had forgotten what such a delight these roads can be.  I ride the Black Spur often, usually without traffic.  We were to ride the Black Spur before lunch, but because the traffic was banked up for miles outside of Healesville Rosy and I changed direction and travelled via Yarra Junction to Warburton for lunch.  That meant that after she left I began a loop of these two spurs travelling in the opposite direction to usual (I usually start from Healesville with the Black Spur and end at Warburton).

The reason I don't ride the Reefton Spur often is because it is a favourite haunt of sports bikies, which means there are many riders on there whose ambition out-strips their ability.  I don't want to repeat this experience.

However I hit Reefton just after lunch when the roads were more quiet, and only passed the odd rider or sports car.  Otherwise it was an empty, beautiful, never-ending set of sun-soaked twisties.  I doddled along at a cruising pace, feeling full of the pleasure of motorcycling.

As I rode music from The Felice Brothers played on repeat in my mind; songs such as this and this.  What a wonderful day.