DazzaB Adventures

The Australian Capital Territory Motorcycle Riders Association (MRA ACT) annual Blanket Run to support the work of the Salvation Army was held on Saturday 12 May 2012. It’s a very special event involving about 400 motorcyclists and supporters getting together to raise funds, donate blankets and food to help out those doing it tough this Winter.

If you like loud shiny toys and speeches by politicians then the following video is for you.

On Sunday 29 April 2012 the first Black Dog one day ride was held in the ACT. 150 riders joined in to help raise awareness of mental health issues and support the great work that Lifeline does. Off we headed to Corrigans Reserve in Batemans Bay for a lunch cooked up by the local Lions club. Combined with the other 10 legs of the ride around the nation there were over 1700 riders raising support for Lifeline. See the Black Dog Ride web site for more information.

ABC News put together a great report on the ride:

Tony and I had a chance to take a few photos for the following slideshow:

The owner of The Perfect Bean coffee shop in Florey ACT is a fellow rider who decided it was time to wrap up the business. This was meant to be their final weekend but after feedback from regular customers, they have decided to have a go at providing coffee and cakes only.

In the meantime they went ahead with their LEGO exhibit today which will be on display Sunday as well. They will be donating all the proceeds to the ACT Black Dog Ride which will go to Lifeline.

I spent some time at the cafe today and everyone was having a great time. The LEGO displays are great and the coffee is always good.

A star is born! Well, not really. Indeed I think most people would agree that I better not give up my day job.

This weekend was more about planes than motorcycles. I headed over to the open day at the Canberra Airport with Chris and Brad to see the cool planes on display.

Today I headed over to the open day for the new ACT Adult Mental Heath Unit at the Canberra Hospital. It’s a very impressive facility and a long overdue replacement for the overcrowded current Psychiatric Services Unit.  More info on the ACT Government’s Health Directorate website.

Click image to view flyer

Sunday 29 April 2012 riders in the ACT will be enjoying their very own Black Dog Ride to raise awareness of mental health issues and to support Lifeline.

Register soon on the Black Dog Ride website for your very own black dog to join in for an attempt to set a world record for the most black dogs on bikes in one day.

Riders in most capital cities will be joining in this year to spread the word that there are effective strategies for dealing with depression and associated mental health issues.

Sunday 29 April 2012 starting at 10am riders and supporters will meet up at Canberra Motorcycle Centre in Fyshwick for morning tea (CMC will be open during the event).

Lifeline Canberra will be there with a mental health expo for more information about depression, mental heath issues and the services that they provide to our community.

At 11am riders will depart for a picnic lunch in Batemans Bay hosted by the Lions Club at Corrigans beach around 1.00pm.

Many of you would remember that this blog was created years ago to share about my adventures during Black Dog Rides to the Red Centre. It’s very exciting to see the ride grow to the point where now everyone can participate in their own community and at the same time support a great cause like Lifeline.

Another weekend, another fantastic ride to the Snowy Mountains. Life is great. The photos say it all.

So, what should I do to celebrate the third anniversary of my return to riding? I know, how about I call Jack and go for a 1,700km ride around the alpine roads in New South Wales and Victoria?

So off we went for some of the greatest rides in the most beautiful areas of Australia. You haven’t lived until you have seen the views from Mt Hotham, Mount Buffalo and Falls Creek. And as they say, getting there is half the fun. But if you own a motorcycle, it’s all the fun!

Trip Photos

(Click the small link under the map to view the full size map.)

View Snowy Ride Jan 2012 in a larger map

Some time ago a friend and I were riding the popular back roads from Goulburn to Canberra via Gundaroo and Gunning. As we pulled in to Gundaroo I asked him if he noticed the interesting rock formations in the hills and indeed he had. I’ve wanted to photograph that area for some time so having been inspired by the sunrise time lapse of Dartmouth Dam in an earlier post I decided to head out for a ride in the country.

After hiding the bike behind a small barn I walked up a hill to watch the sunset. Mother nature provided a spectacular show however the time lapse didn’t capture it’s splendour at all. To make matters worse I had left my trusty backup camera back with the bike so it looked like this glorious event was going to be a private show. I spent two hours basking in the view and watching a storm develop about 50 km in the distance.

I’ll be going back for another try at some point in time. Meanwhile, here are a few shots I did manage to take with my iPhone and the time lapse attempt with a GoPro helmet cam .