Square Meat Pie Run SS1600K

I felt like going for a ride and it doesn’t take much to get me geared up and on the road. Today’s mission was to eat a square meat pie. I had a sense of where one could be had but I was interested in checking out if there were others. Servo pies were disqualified from eligibility.

Up at 2.35am I was slowish getting out the door but got a docket at Wallsend at 3.42am. I pushed the GS off the centrestand and tried to start it, got a drop sensor error and it was no go. After mucking about for 10 minutes I put it back on the centre stand and it fired straight up. Fekking electronics, this is why I love my Tenere 700 World Raid. It’s annoying when stuff like that happens when the clock is already ticking. If I thought I needed the time I would have gone back into the store, bought something cheap and got another start docket. Anyhow, I was on my way.

Night road works were about but not too disruptive on the trip south. Temps went from the mid teens to 12ish degrees except for the Northconnex tunnel which was 31 degrees. The southern end of the M7 is still an 80kph zone for lots of k’s, they should reduce the tolls at times like this.

First stop for the ride was the BP Roadhouse at Marulan (306km) and during the time I was inside taking a small break it went from pre-dawn to sunrise so I swapped the clear glasses for the sunnies. I’d ridden past Heatherbrae Pies at Sutton Forest and I would ride past Trappers Bakery at Goulburn because I knew their pies were round (sad fact). Temps got down to a chilly 3 degrees around Goulburn, winter is coming.

I turned off the Hume at South Gundagai kept and fuelled up at Tumut (551km). The fuel stops on this ride were about marking corners and proving the route. The Pie in the Sky Bakery there – round pies.

The fun riding really started there as I wound my way up into the Snowy Mountains. It’s just stunning up there in the morning. I stopped at the Bakery in Adaminaby, round pies but I had a coffee and a delicious macadamia and salted caramel tart. There was a couple of riders there and I had a quick chat with them. I also took a mandatory pic of the big trout (679km).

After Adaminaby I turned right to Berridale (no bakery) for my next fuel and corner docket (735km) before riding on the Snowy Mountains Way to Dalgety (no bakery) and on to Bombala (round pies). I took this pic along the way.

At Bombala I turned south towards Victoria where if memory served me I was going to find square meat pie gold. The day was warming up, high 20’s, and there was some burn off happening in the pine forests around there so it became quite smokey for some k’s. Not far from Cann River I rode past one of Victoria’s sneaky speed camera cars, a silver shitbox parked on the side of the road. I don’t really speed so their presence doesn’t bother me that way but you can’t convince me these disguised, unmarked happy snappers are all about revenue and nothing about safety.

And given the difference in the quality of the road on the south side of the border it would seem the Vicwegians aren’t spending that money on making quality safe roads. Rant over.

Cann River Bakery (912km) delivered me an abundance of flavour choice for square pies and a standard beefsteak pie was my preferred variety. Peppery, a hint of red wine, perfect pastry, I was in pie heaven and definitely satis-pied.

While enjoying my lunch I reviewed my ride plan. I was initially going to get fuel at Cann River, Hume ACT and Pheasants Nest. I worked out I could get to Cooma and then Pheasants Nest and save that time so that was the new plan. I rode north back through Bombala and the Nimmitabel Bakery looked closed on the way past. I’m sure their pies are round anyway and their speciality is snot blocks.

I fuelled up at Cooma (1086km), undid the zips on the Klim Badlands and headed to the Australian Capital Territory. I was glad I changed my fuelling plan because the BP I planned to stop at was virtually inaccessible due to roadworks and the traffic around it was a nightmare. I stopped for a quick pic and leg stretch at Lake George.

I arrived at Pheasants Nest (1398km) as the sun was disappearing so I reset for the night, changed back to the clear glasses and had a snack. From there it was feet up to the finish at the local 7-Eleven for 1627kms Google Maps, 1636kms by the GPS Trip Meter and 1609kms by the odometer. The GS always reads short on the odometer so that shouldn’t be a problem (minimum IBA distance is 1610kms in 24 hours). Roadwork north of Pheasants Nest added about 15 minutes to the trip but time wasn’t critical for this ride.