Pedro's Run to the Border
26 October 2014 / Written by Brendan Barr, Photos by Bryan Shedden & Brendan Barr
A number of desperado drivers & cars furtively gathered together for a run ‘down south to the border.’ Packages of ’booty’ were carefully secreted in hidey holes of trunks to escape unwanted detection. Large sombreros ensured that faces were hidden and ponchos disguised the rest.
Kim's Booty !
Pedro was being careful, and to keep his profile low, appointed Mark & Hella as leaders of our dash south. In order to remain inconspicuous, some cars were dispatched early, as forward scouts, the rest departed Albion Park nearing sunset. Absent were the Wheeldons, injured in a close encounter the previous day.
If you have read this far, then you are certainly a ‘desperado’ looking for real news of the event!
We didn’t make it to the border (65km short!) however we had an extremely pleasant exploration of the Shoalhaven and Eurobodalla coast and hinterlands.
Friday saw some of us head to Ulladulla early to take advantage of the beautiful sunshine that made ‘top down’ a must. The rest met at Albion Park KFC for a 5pm departure, the pleasant surprise being no appreciable traffic problems at the notorious Kiama bends!
A delicious dinner at the well-appointed Ulladulla Chinese restaurant preceded our overnight stay at the Harbour View Hotel. Twenty three people arose for Saturday breakfast before Mark organised us with our run sheet. Some members arranged alternatives, our youngest deciding to go fossicking for gold in Mogo, and Anna deciding to attend the Shellharbour school fete!
All engines burst into life and purred, with the exception of Brendan’s, which sounded as if a cat was being tortured under the bonnet. New belts in the front were not happy to be woken up!
First stop was Cobargo, for morning tea. Markets were on and some people decided to forgo coffee to shop. Some of us were concerned that one of our male members appeared to be fossicking in the women’s dresses, which was immediately confirmed when he triumphantly held up a nice frock for all to see! Eyebrows were raised even higher when a female MX-5er held up a skirt that redefined the word ‘brief!’
Interesting shopping choices !
Caffeine fix attended to, shops plundered of items small enough to fit into already bulging boots, we headed towards the unlikely locality of ‘Nambugga’ via the Snowy Mountains Highway and on to beautiful Candelo Pub for the best (okay, ONLY) lunch in town.
From here the beautiful winding roads of Myrtle Mountain and Mount Darragh allowed us to really enjoy the fine weather and even better, the smooth power of our cars as they cruised effortlessly through the many turns of this fine stretch of road. Stopping at Merimbula allowed some of us to try our luck at being blown off a bridge while others took a more sensible ice cream stop.
Onwards we drove to Tathra pub, where ‘Feuoot’ interrupted our afternoon imbibing with a cry of ‘whale off the port bow!’ Indeed he was correct and we marvelled as a pod of whales cruised past. With many hundreds of kilometres under our belts, we clicked our seatbelts for the last run up to Narooma.
Wine and cheese immediately appeared on the table outside Fiona’s room at the Farnboro Motel, and we all did our best to relieve her of the contents. Bountiful amounts of gold had been panned by Alex who proudly displayed them. Alex’s dad was absent, trying to find a band aid solution for a cracked windscreen.
Bandaid solutions !
Dinner at Narooma golf club was devoured, apparently driving makes you hungry!
Breakfast was in a beautiful restaurant on the shores of Wagonga Inlet, again everyone agreed that Hella and Mark had excelled at every point of the organisation of this run. Speeches of thanks were made, they blushed and muttered …. ‘Pedro will be pleased….’
We were then ready to depart, some to cruise straight home, others to explore the riches of Bega Valley cheeses and other places.
But before we departed, Mark and Hella cut open Pedro’s last, but very secret orders…. His final instructions for the run home from the border were to …
As we head north…sing the following lyrics to the tune of The Eagles song … "Desperado"
So we headed off in two part harmony to the following lyrics…
Thanks to Mark and Hella
To view more photos click on
The song ....
MX5os, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out driving fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard top
I know that you got your reasons
These speeds that are pleasing you
Can thrill you somehow
Don't you cross the centre lines boy
They'll beat you if they’re able
You know the left hand side is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine roads
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get
MX-5o, you ain't getting no younger
Your car and your hunger, they're driving you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just MX-5 jiving
Your steering wheel ‘s driving through this world all alone
Don't your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine
It's easy to tell the night time from the day
You're finding all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?
MX-5o, why don't you come on our next run?
Cut out those excuses, open the gate
It may be raining', but there's a roof you can put up
You better let somebody drive you, before it's too late.
