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Long Ride south
The long ride South, started a year ago, when four of us went on a bike trip from Pemberton.
We found some great tracks, and had such a good time, I promised myself I would call a Crusty ride. To make sure all went smoothly ,I called on Bruce to hone my GPS skills before setting off. It really worked, because I only got lost about 10 times. Jacko and I got down to the Caravan Park around 2pm on Friday, and decided to go straight to the fuel dump before settling in to the refreshments. Lex had just come through the same way, so offered to guide. 2 hrs later we were back ; It was a long time to wait for the Coronas It was a last minute idea to have a cultural evening on Friday night, just so everyone could see were not just a bunch of beer swilling hoons. Crayfish , prawns, cheeses, meats, nibblies , and of course liquid refreshments were on the menu. There seemed to be an abundance of red wines, which unfortunately meant some people had too much culture for the evening. Luckily for us, the red wine ran out. No names will be dropped here. To add to the evening we had an endangered rat eating the fat dripping from the Barbie. Jacko reckoned it was not a rat but cant remember the fancy name he had. Onto the Saturday ride: The turnout was overwhelming, considering Pemberton is a few ks for everyone to drive . As well as the usual suspects , we had Lexs Albany crew, which must have been at least eight. I brought along clean man rob (one of the original pioneers from last year).All who saw Robs KTM will know why the nickname. (Apparently it has already been detailed after this ride). We started off somewhere between 9 & 9.30am on a damp morning. It was great at the riders meeting to cross off the reminder note careful to keep a safe distance riding in the dust All went well until HM could not find the beginning of the run on his GPS. After a few aborted attempts, I embarrassingly let Bruce lead. All came good when I realized I was using last years GPS track. An easy run down, until we had a bit of carnage on Duck road. When you lead a ride , it is not always easy to know who dropped where! Luckily when you drop it does not remain a secret. I think the previous easy tracks had put a little complacency into everyone. At this point I had the first of many wrongways. However by the end of the day, all got used to it. An easy run till I hit the tight stuff. By hit I mean the sapling I hit at the start of the tight stuff. Tough front end the Husqy has. We regrouped and I was given a few minutes start. It was as I remembered; damp, overgrown and best of all, a big juicy puddle. I passed through, then set my camera on video and waited. Got nearly all riders charging through the mud, then the camera shutdown. However some good news, I got it back on, just in time to get SOTD DRZ Steve in fine form. Then it got a bit harder; this track according to maps looks good enough for a 4X4. A rabbit would have a hard time getting through. Bruces Husaberg split a radiator hose , but luckily Dr Jacko had some magic tape which worked a treat. I took a few guys ahead to get to the fuel dump and remove lots of downed trees. The same slippery log which brought down clean man last year, got another victim. Wrex or Allan , I cant remember? WREX copped a branch in the face courtesy of HM. We fuelled and then headed further South. Once off the highway we, hit the coast tracks on the way to the beach. In my opinion this is one of the best tracks a person can ride, for sheer speed and bermy cornering. I had a ball up front, trying see 4x4s looming round each bend. I stopped at the fishermens hut and then waited. I watched the expression first on WREX, then the rest as they stopped and pulled of their helmets. All beaming with delight. To me, one of the best moments in the trip. Then down to the beach. About 5ks of soft beach sand to the next waypoint.The 250s struggled but we got there. A slight error of judgment saw HM splat into the sand cutting , taking WR Ross with him. Another magic run up to fuel dump on a different coast road for the leg home.A bit softer, but still a buzz. At this point we could see time against us, but elected to keep to the plan rather than wimp home via main roads. Back through the rabbit track and puddle, then through all the extra tracks I put in. Halfway through, I thought I must have been keen to put so much extra track. To make matters worse I forgot about the one extra overgrown track. Copped a branch in the eye which took the edge of the vision. Knew I was nearly out of the hard stuff, so quick trip across the Warren River and headed straight to camp. No one knew (except maybe Bruce) that I cut off 5ks of more dirt from the route. By that time, I was not thinking about riding .It was the Coronas chilling in the fridge. Although a long ride (over 8 hrs), I think not a hard one. Most were glad to be home, and I think everyone got their moneys worth. I did have a backup ride on Sunday; but getting to the fuel dump and back would have made it a long day. Another time. Thanks to Dr MX Darren and Sue for the eyewash and pills. Also thanks to Dr Jacko for the sweep and repairs (also driving me home). Looking at the photos posted , it really captured the day. My apologies if not all names are correct on report. |
