The last day in Tas

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They say all good things must come to an end and this trip is no different.  We woke up early and a small sense of sadness came over us when we realised it was our last day on the Island. Our Tasmanian mates are more than just friends, they are almost a kindred spirit. Knowing it will probably be another 2 years before we see them again is sad but also something to look forward to.

Our stay at Alice's Cottages included breakfast with some yoghurt, muesli, juices, bacon, eggs, bread, jams and honey. It was more than we would normally eat but we were not expecting to have some lunch so made the most of it. The set up in the room was a little unusual in as much as the shower over a spa bath was tucked away on the side of the room with the bed in the middle. There was no shower screen or curtain although there was a rail for one, so you had to be careful where the shower was aimed. I started the shower and was waiting for the water to heat up. The shower rose was aimed into the bath so all was good I thought. In my effort to expedite the hot water I turned the shower up a bit more. The pressure rapidly increased, so much that it cause the shower rose to lift and the water was spraying across the room and onto the bed. It was a mad rush to redirect the shower and mop up the floor and bed. I wonder what the cleaner would have thought when they saw the wet bed covers!
After breakfast we packed the bikes and made our way to the Servo for fuel. I had the GPS talking to me finally so I programmed in  a route to Ulverstone. We pulled up at the Servo, refuelled and were on our way. The GPS was already directing me the wrong way as we left the servo WTF! I decided to go with my instinct and kept an eye on the route. The whole trip to Ulverstone it was trying to turn me around. Other than that it was a pretty uneventful ride, but we both felt at ease in the Tasmanian countryside. Apparently the GPS was trying to take me back to the Servo, even though I didn't ask it to take me there, go figure!

Arriving in Ulverstone, we stopped in front of a Bakery and yet another scallop pie. This one was about a 6/10, but the coffee was good. We were meeting up with our friends Derek and Sarah who live there, as well as checking out the bike shop.  We found our way to the bike shop and it had the biggest stock of Indians, Polaris, KTMs and Suzukis as well as a huge range of gear and accessories. Derek and Sarah turned up and we talked a bit before heading down to the bay for lunch. The pies we had earlier were still sitting in our stomachs so we ate lightly for lunch, and had a few drinks while we talked. This was the final piece to a great 2 weeks catching up with friends on the island.
We eventually said our farewells and headed back to Devonport to join the line for the Spirit of Tasmania. We didn't want to stop for fuel when we arrived at Geelong so refuelled before getting on the boat. We were 2nd in the queue  and the first of seven bikes on this trip. It was now a 2 1/2 hour waiting game. About 10 minutes before the gates open we see a familiar face driving a truck into the dock area. It was another one of our mates from Tas dropping of a trailer load of goods for the mainland.  It was good to see him and just added to the experience for us. 
We checked in and made our way to our cabin to put our gear away. We had upgraded our cabin to a deluxe suite. Our trip over we stayed in a twin porthole cabin, two single bunks a small shower and a comfortable sleep as opposed to a recliner on the main deck. The deluxe had a king-size beds well as a good sized shower and toilet, television, view out the front of the boat, and a bottle of wine and chocolates.  It was a pricey upgrade but we thought we would end the trip with some luxury. Oddly enough I heard the engines more in the deluxe suite than I did in the porthole cabin. Maybe it was just me but I didn't get much sleep that night. 
We arrived at Geelong around 6:00AM,  and were amongst the first to leave the boat. Unfortunately Ann had been directed off before me and had no directions on where to go. We had to regroup to get back on track. The plan was to ride all the way home in one day as the forecast for the next day was warming up. The GPS was almost working properly so once we got on a familiar road it was almost a foregone conclusion which way to go. 

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