Road trips and adventures
Day 1. of this epic road trip, August 12th, Wyoming to Sawtell.
It starts, day one of this epic adventure, Wyoming to Sawtell. I’m heading to the start of the Sun Shine State Tour at Murwillumbah, a four day tour style event (no motorsport) loosely following the route of the 1969 Southern Cross Rally. The event starts in Murwillumbah with the first night in Lismore, day two travels to Toowoomba, with the third day looping back to Toowoomba and the last day heading to the finish at Kallangur, North of Brisbane. But before all that I need to get to the start, with the first day taking me to Sawtell. Now this part of the world is well known to me as I went to high school in Coffs Harbour a very long time ago.
The drive to Sawtell today was just freeway driving, 435 km’s in around 6 hours, well with a few stops along the way, using $115 of petrol. The old Triumph is draftee, noisy and smelly and cruising along the freeway at 100 kph trying to keep out of the way of all the modern cars and semi trailers is not much fun, oh well. Can’t even rock along with the music as the wind noise and car noise (rally tyre noise) in general drowns out the sound system. Rained most of the day except for a time around lunch time but not very heavy, wipers on, wipers off sort of rain, oh and the Triumph leaks.
Sawtell is a very different place to the 1970’s when I lived near by but not much different to the last time I was here, very trendy, lots of café’s and restaurants in the main street.
Used 3 cameras today that will need to be down loaded and charged in readiness for use tomorrow.
Todays route took me passed the turn offs to many motor sporting venues that I have competed at over the years, Awaba, Ringwood Hillclimb, Nabiac, Kempsey Hillclimb and Raleigh Raceway.
Tomorrow takes me to Murwillumbah via Grafton, and Evens Head but not all on the highway.
Jim Pope
youtube@jimpope9410
Day 2. Tour of the Sun Shine State August 13th Sawtell to Murwillumbah
The big down side of going on a road trip is staying at Motels and food, that is the price that has to be paid. Not much freeway driving today, from Coffs Harbour to Grafton on the back road through Glenreagh and Nana Glen. Many years ago while competing in a Grafton Rally there was a service point at Nana Glen which my old man was doing for me, we got there with a broken alternator bracket which could not be fixed so we just continued but driving with only low beam. The section before the service was a long section all down hill and (according to the control official) our brakes were glowing red as we stopped at the control. I was driving a Leyland Marina. I got lost driving through South Grafton as it was very different to when I lived there, ended up driving into Grafton as there is a new bridge and I just got confused with all the roundabouts. Mountain View Hillclimb is just out side Grafton, it is very different compered to the early 1980’s when I was a member of Grafton Sporting Car Club. It has been lengthened and improved and the old bus that was near turn two (the bus corner) is long gone. The last time I drove up Mountain View was as part of the Grafton Rally which used the Hillclimb as well as the axes roads as part of a day light stage, I was driving the Marina. I continued heading to Murwillumbah via the old highway as well as the new freeway. The Navman got very confused as it did not recognise the new road so it showed me driving through paddocks. I travelled 305 km’s in around four and a half hours, using $85 of petrol. The Triumph was far more at home on today’s roads as was I, just so much easier than the highway, no trucks, caravans etc, I used 5 cameras today. Drove along Middle Boambee Road (where I use to live) just to see how it has changed and it has changed a lot. Tomorrow sees the start of the Sunshine State Tour and that will take me to Lismore.
Jim Pope
For more go to the Calendar page
youtube@jimpope9410
(For reports of the days in between, The Tour of the Sun Shine State go to the Calendar Page or for videos go the Event Reports page)
Day 7. of this epic road trip. August18th Kallangur to Coffs Harbour
The second last day of this epic road trip and it started with the challenge of getting around Brisbane without using a toll way. Not because I mind paying but because I don’t have the necessary electronic doohickey needed to travel on these sorts of roads. The Navman and the Garmin got me through Brisbane with out much trouble but they did not get on, they kept telling me to go different ways. Then it was all highway roads to Coffs Harbour to visit an old school friend. Well just about I did go off the freeway for a short time to fill up with petrol and again near Grafton, as I needed a break from the boredom of the freeway. Just outside Grafton is Bom Bom State Forest were a very long time ago Grafton Sporting Car Club ran the first stage of the Grafton Rally. Day time rallying was new back then and it become popular for clubs to start an event with a day light stage. The Marina (yes Marina) was a bit low so before this event I had lifted the engine in the engine bay buy I did not put enough thought into he gear box cross member and during the day light stage the gear box cross member broke away. My service crew and navigator bodged up a repair that got us through the rally and the next few months. Just a few km’s further down the road I passed the Grafton Air Port turn off which was the site of one of my (many) break down stories. I tried to drive home to Maclean from a car club meeting in Coffs Harbour one night but only got as far as the air port turn off. It was about 11.30 at night and I was young and silly so I get out of the Mini Cooper S and started to walk, now Grafton is 10 km, what was I thinking? A few cars went by but know one stopped, (would you stop for a long haired hippy walking along the high way in the middle of the night?) A car went passed and stopped about 100 metres down the road so I ran up to it, I think I gave the owner a fright, he had not stopped for me he had run out of petrol and was filling his car from a Jerry can. He gave me a lift any way, got home very late, I don’t think the old man was very happy. His HQ ute had no petrol so we drove back in my sisters Cortina and towed the Mini home. Another time at the air port turn off I was on my way to Sydney to start a new job and as I pulled on to the high way a police car went the other way. Now the Dolly was a Cop magnet so I was not surprised to see the flashing lights come on and the police car doing a ‘U’ turn. I pulled up, the Police man got of of his car and called out, “get out of the car, with his hand on his gun. Once I was out of the Dolly he completely changed, I don’t think I fitted the description of who ever they were looking for. He then talked about the car and I gave a sob story about having got a new job, but he still defected the Dolly for a bald tyre but all I had to do was sign a bit of paper to say I had bought a new tyre and all was well. Got to the Motel at Sawtell at about five for the last motel night. The poor old Triumph is still going fine but it is still draftee, noisy and heavy to drive, a rear man’s car but it has taken its toll on this man. Today I travelled 423 km’s in 7 hours and used $120 of petrol. Tomorrow is the last day of this epic trip and all freeway roads, just strait down the pacific highway.
Jim Pope
youtube@jimpope9410
Day 8. of this epic road trip August 19th Coffs Harbour to Wyoming
It the last day of this epic trip and like the first day it was all freeway driving just cruising down the pacific hwy. Freeway driving is not very interesting so I had to stop every hour or so just to walk around the car and wake myself up. Turned the sound system up as loud as it would go but the wind and car noise drowned it out. So that ends this and my last epic road trip, it was fun, trying and very hard on me and the poor old Triumph. I might go on a sort (two days) trip again in a few weeks to film an AMSAG rally but I can’t be sure about that. I have a lot of video to work through which I hope will be good enough to make a film about the trip. It will take a bit of time to just down load all the video let alone turn it into reports on the event.
Used 3 cameras today, travelled 456 km’s in 6 hours, using $130 petrol. In total I travelled 3,070 km’s, used $890 of petrol and spent 51.5 hours in the drivers seat. Thanks to everyone who made the Tour of the Sun Shine State happen it was an epic event and the work that went into making it happen was an enormous effort. The road book alone would of take hours and hours of work. Thank you all. Give me a few weeks then check out my web site, click on Links then road trips or go to the reports page or calendar page for videos on the trip and event. Or just go to my you tube channel.
Jim Pope
youtube@jimpope9410
Road trip to Bathurst for the 100 years of Triumph, day 1.
Road Trip to Bathurst for the 100 years of Triumph, days 2 and 3.
Road Trip to Bathurst for 100 years of Triumph, day 4, the trip home
Road Trip to Port Macquarie, August 2023. Day One, Friday 11th .
I have been wonting to go to an Amsag Rally for some time but between the virus, bad weather, cancellations, and many other things it just has not happened. But the stars finally aligned and I found myself driving to Port Macquarie, all the way on the freeway, not a very interesting way to get somewhere but quick. If the old Triumph was going I would have gone via a more scenic route but I did not like the idea of driving the Subaru on dirt roads so it was boredom and the freeway. Driving a modern car on a freeway has some advantages, it was quick, it was quite but give me an old Triumph on a back road any day. Driving the old Triumph means a cold draft on my accelerator foot, it mean lots of noise (rattles, wind noise), and not to forget the smell of petrol and burning oil (in the morning and afternoon), but give me the old Triumph and day. At least you know you’re alive after driving a Triumph all day. Any way a little over three and a half hours latter and I’m in a Motel in Port Macquarie.
Jim Pope
Road Trip to Port Macquarie, August 2023. Day Two, Saturday 12th .
I left the Motel at 7.30am heading for spectator point one. The first car was due at 9.10am but I needed to be there with enough time to set up cameras. The spectator points was at what could be described as a cross road, sort off. I set up two cameras before the spectator point and two after it; I would film with a five camera from the spectator point. It was hard to find somewhere to put the cameras as there was a lot of long grass and most of the cameras were set up on small tripods, only about 200 mm high. I put two cameras on a stump which gave them some hight but I had to change the other two cameras to larger tripods due to the grass. With 65 cars at two minute intervals, it would take some time for all the cars to go through. Much to my surprise the cameras were still recording after all the cars had gone passed. I then headed to spectator point two about twenty minutes away. The first car was due at 1.20pm so like the first point I was there about an hour before giving me time to get set up. Again I put two cameras before the point and two after, I then set up a fifth camera at the spectator point as by this time my knees and back could not take another two hours of camera work so I just sat there and let the cameras do there thing. Again it was hard to find somewhere to put the cameras due to the long grass, oh well. One camera had a luck escape as one competitor spun out and only just missed the camera. I have not looked at the film yet but hopefully I will end up with a close up the cars back wheel. After all the cars had been through I head to the service park to film the crews arriving at the finish. My goodness things have changed since I competed, back in my day most crews drove the car to and from the event and if they had a service grew it was just a mate with some tools in his boot. Now 99 percent of the cars were transported on car trailers and the service crews were all set up some with trucks etc. It was a hard day on the knees and back so I did not get as much filming done as I had hoped oh well. After the service park it was back to Port Macquarie, some pain killers and the motel.
Jim Pope
Road Trip to Port Macquarie, August 2023. Day Three, Sunday 13th .
Just the drive home on that boring freeway was all that was left of this mini road trip. I used 12 cameras to film the event plus the still camera as well as three Go Pro cameras to film me travelling so that’s 16 cameras to down load. Eight of the cameras were old standard definition cameras which record in a format that the current editing program will not recognise so they will have to be down loaded into my old editing program and then rendered which will change the format making the footage usable. Neither of the editing programs will recognise two of the cameras so they have to be put through a converting program, which is very slow, two to three hours per camera. All in all it will take days before I can start editing all the footage into something watch able.
Jim Pope
Road Trip to Port Macquarie to film the Bago Rally
