Day 9, 14th Sept 2010, 374km

Tuesday 14th
A very mixed day today. I slept very well last night. The caravan I slept in was very comfortable. I awoke to heavy rain and took my time getting going. At about 9am the weather cleared, so I headed out, stopping first to update the mobile phone. I had planned to head up the Thunderbolts Way, but with Tamworth friend Kim in Sydney and mate Craig at Wauchope looking forward to seeing me took the Bucketts Way towards Taree. At Krambach, I took a right turn through beautiful scenery through Wingham. From there I rode some brilliant dirt roads, through Comboyne  and then to Wauchope where I caught up with Craig. Craig used to be one of the Senior Rider Training instructors and is still a great mate. He has a Triumph Tiger. We jumped on the bikes and went into Laurieton where we had a long lunch and a great catch up, before heading to the wharf to see Craigs boat. He's bought an old fishing boat and is slowly doing it up. He and wife Di will eventually spend their retirement cruising around Australia. He seems a very happy man and I wish him all the very best with it. A great bloke. After that I headed west again, riding into the deepening gloom, towards Walcha on the Oxley Highway. It didn't take long, before the wet weathers had to be dragged out again and I had to plough on through increasingly heavy showers, arriving at Walcha at 5pm to find the Caravan Park was fully booked out. I was tempted to take a tent site, but the forecast is for very heavy rain tonight, so lashed out and grabbed a motel room. Way over my budget, but a necessity I think. Tomorrow, I will get to Brisbane via Toowoomba, staying at Margie and Trev's while I get the new tyres fitted

On the Oxley Highway. After this it started to pour rain

View above Gloucester