What a great weekend...

I had fun.
It started Friday evening with a fantastic offer: "Do you feel like going for a ride?"
The answer from me: "Sure, where do you want to go?" The map on the left shows you my journey. The M7 is a fantastic piece of road. It's smooth and you really feel like you can go FAST. However, being a "tag only" road, it doesn't get used by bikers often. I had my tag in my backpack and did this fancy hunch over move on the bike each toll booth. We arrived in Katoomba late Friday night. Stayed up late chatting and laughing trying to work out which Beatles songs were on the Quiz Mania list.
Sat morning was up and off to meet my mates Farmer and family. We then rode towards Oberon via the Janolan Caves road. Back from there along Lowes Mt Rd to Lithgow. Then the great ride that is "Bells" back to Richmond.

When I was a younger lad, out on road trips as a passenger in a car, I used to see sports bikers on their bikes ride by. To me they always looked like they were a confident and daring bunch. For a shy lad like me, there was this strange appeal of a guy on a performance piece of machinery. The boys who rode past in one piece leather were the most fascinating. It oozed sex appeal. They just embodied what being confidently masculine was all about. Not being a yobo. Not being a rev head. They appeared comfortable, stylish, cool, and and venturesome. Well, for me, this weekend I achieved something. I was one of "those lads". I was riding a fuckin' hot bike and I was riding in my one piece.

It felt great. I felt confident and today I finally feel like I am growing into the sort of man I want to be. And the best part - I was lucky to be able to share this with my mate Judo. Thank you Judo. You are one special bloke - despite constantly pointing out the scab on my face and saying "No, really, it doesn't look THAT bad"... :)