Plommer, Limeburners, Maria loop in the wet.

Seeing as I had no takers this morning for a quick dash around Bago, I decided I was still going riding regardless.
Kram140 had told me a big fire had gone through Limeburners Nat park so I thought I would go check it out. This meant a tar run into Port Macquarie to get to the ferry that takes you to the North shore of the Hastings river and the start of the Famous Plommer road.

As I rolled onto the ferry the onshore wind was pumping and there was some rather ominous looking clouds to the North, I was about 2km up the Plommer road and the rain started, I pressed on regardless looking forward to jumping some of the great whoops that have formed on the road. They must have had a fair deal of rain up there as I was disappointed to see all the whoops filled with monsterous pools of water.
Normally you would jump the first and all but clear the next hole but not today.
The tyre marks leading into the pool in front of my bike in the pic, don’t seem to have coinciding ones on the other side so I am presuming that the vehicle is still in there under water.

I have never ridden Plommer in the rain and it is a different kettle of fish to when it is dry, all the sand drifts are hard packed with big 4×4 rutts in them, which tend to make your bike tram track if you know what I mean. They certainly keep you on your toes.
Once at Big Hill I turned into the Nat park, where the fire had been and followed what used to be a great little double trail through the heath. During the fire it had obviously copped a flogging from fire fighter vehicles and it was chopped to pieces, I could also see where a dozer had been through in a vain attempt to clear the trail. I pressed on in the pissing down rain, in awe of the devestation the fire had caused.

I stopped at one place where we had taken photos in the past and here is a comparison.

Before

After

It must have been a ripper of a fire.

As the rain got heavier I pressed on towards Krams place having a ball on the freshly dozed trail. I was peddling fairly well when I came around one corner to be confronted with a Caterpillar D3 dozing the trail. I bet ol mate shat himself as the XR roared past at full song !!!!
I arrived at Krams to find him not home, so a quick gday to his wife Penny and I was gone.
I headed back to Port via Maria river road,which was fun as you can sit on 100km all the way and do some great drifts into the corners. Great stuff on a big XR. For a change I crossed the river on the Hibbard ferry which is further up the river towards Wauchope.

Waiting for the ferry

On the ferry

I then headed back home via A few trails in Cowarra and by the time I got home absolutely soaked to the core, I had done 96km in 2 hours.

Even though the weather wasn’t so kind, it was a shit load better than being at work!!!