Day 3 - Bilpin to Oberon

Day 3 has been a bit of a shocker.
The rain persisted through the night but i'd managed to stay dry. I packed up my dodgy camp and suited up for a wet day in the saddle. The run along the Bells Line Of Road should have been a very spectacular and scenic but instead i spent the most part of it in the clouds. The fog over the road was bad enough but a badly fogging helmet visor was making things dangerous, so i had to use my goggles instead and put up with the rain in the face.
I still detoured to check out the various lookouts and rock formations but there wasn't a lot to see thanks to the weather. I still took a lot of photos but missed out on the best views the Blue Mountains have to offer which was disapointing. If i have time and the weather is better i might detour for a day on my way home.

Hassans Lookout should have been spectalar but was instead.....cloudy.

I took a "shortcut" that was meant to let me bypass Lithgow via some dirt tracks  but i took a wrong turn and came out at Lithgow anyway. From here it was down the narrow winding road down to Jenolan.
About halfway the clutch on my bike started to get a familiar spongy feel that told me the slave cylinder was leaking. I knew straight away what the cause would be as i've had the same trouble before. I rode on but it was failing rapidly. There arent too many bike shops that sell the right oil out at Jenolan Caves so i was a bit unsure of what to do. I didnt want to be without a  clutch or be stuck out in the rain fixing it on the side of that goat track so i pulled over and topped it up with some cooking oil i had in my kitchen pack. It done the job! Feels fine now but i'll sort it properly when i find a decent bike shop.

Anyway, i made it to Jenolan Caves which turned out to be a massively overpriced tourist trap. $45 to see the inside of the good caves and they have them all fenced off and locked. The main cavern with the roadway through it and the Grand Archway are awesome though. I thought i might see about accommodation at Janolan and hit up the backpackers hostel. $69 a night! So i passed on that one and got out of Jenolan before i was broke.

The Blue lake

The spill way below the blue lake

From jenolan it's another nice twisty road and it was dry in places so a bit more enjoyable. I wanted to check out a rock face called Kannangra Walls but the rain was on again and i'd had enough and went in search of somewhere dry to stay the night. i had originally planned to head south to Wombeyan Caves but then i saw a sign saying it was 30 km to Oberon and opted to detour that way instead.
Got a pub room that smells like a wet dog, an $8 schnitzel and a couple of schooners. The publican even let me park the bike undercover in the beer garden so i can't complain.

Wombeyan Caves tommorrow and then onto Kangaroo Valley. I'm hoping the weather will be kind but i won't hold my breath.