Cracker day down here on Sunday. The Wellington Owners Register crew had planned a ride out to Foxton beach for lunch but, given the HP2 is in for surgery at the moment, Jo and I decided instead to take the XT250s out for a spin through Whitemans Valley with a view to lunch at the Short Straw Cafe. About 10kms from our place, at the junction of Mangaroa Valley Road and Whitemans Valley Road sits the Wallaceville Church. The church was built in 1893 but is now privately owned. It was recently renovated retaining its beautiful native timber pews and 100 year old pump organ.  Very popular for weddings and other special ceremonies.Note the new helemt, nice!!We stopped at Johnsons Road, where you'll find the Short Straw Cafe. This is Wellington region's first cafe built from straw! Apart from the great food, there's a gallery room featuring new artists every two months. Across the road, a small holding focuses on breeding Highland Cattle. Unfortunately the Short Straw is a really popular place and was packed to the gunnels. So we decide to head on to Silverstream to find something a bit more accommodating. So off we went.After a stomp (as far as you can on a 250) over Blue Mountains Road, a stop for coffee in Silverstream was in order. Yep, back in the suburbs.Heading back to Upper Hutt, a beautiful view of the snow topped peaksA right turn at Wallaceville and back over the hill into Mangaroa Valley and more views of the snow on the hills over a rural setting. A nice afternoon out by ourselves. The whole trip was only 46kms but on a 250 and with plenty of stops for a bit of a look around, it felt like a good afternoon out. We should do it this way more often I think.CheersGarry