Day 7 Devonport to Somerset

The boat arrived in Devonport on time at 6.30. We rode out of the harbour enclosure and around the corner. There is an enterprising business offering all you can eat breakfast. A large group of bikes were already pulled up so we joined them. Logan had to go back to Launceston to collect Deanne, Shelby and Joel. I was pretty keen to do what we had come to Tassie for - to ride. My motorcycle atlas showed two rides we could do on our way to Somerset where we had booked for the night. The skies looked threatening so we dooned our wet weather gear and headed south toward Cradle Mountain. The country was so dramatic and the roads were great. Our enjoyment was tainted a little by the threat of rain and how cold it was. We headed for the coffee shop at Cradle Mountain. It took some time to warm up and dry out. Andrew was not so well prepared for the wet -he was only wearing his jeans. He had to be careful he did jump too much in case his frozen knees shattered. Kate had a bit of a melt down or a freeze up might be closer the truth. To be fair my bike was telling me it was 5 degrees outside. With a couple of stops we made it.
We meet Deanne Shelby and Joel at Somerset. They had found the place we were booked into. Unfortunately I have miscommunication to Logan. He thought we were staying at Smithton. So he had ridden through Somerset and on to Stanley. I had planned to ride out to the west coast that afternoon so he decided to wait in Stanley for us and we would met him after lunch.
The ride to Stanley was a challenge for me. Rides after lunch have been proving to be so. Stanley was worth it. The Nut was in contrast to the farmland around it. The wind was unreal. Kerry and Deanne fell in love with Stanley and were already planning their return holidays. This visit the chair lift was operating. We paid the $12 return and Anna and Kate, Robyn and I and Deanne and Shelby went up. Logan walk up to get some footage later. We decided to give the west coast a miss this time and returned to Somerset. Logan scrubbed up the BBQ in the park across the road and cooked up the steak and onions which we ate in our motel room in shifts. The wind was blowing way to strong and it was way to cold to eat in the park. All in all our first day in Tassie was a good one but tomorrow we would be better prepared for the cold.