Sofala Obt 2nd Birthday Ride Report

Home Forums Ride Reports Sofala Obt 2nd Birthday Ride Report

This topic contains 229 replies, has 0 voices, and was last updated by  Craig Hatton 14 years, 9 months ago.

Viewing 15 posts - 31 through 45 (of 230 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #177416

    Got into work this morning (slowly), sat down (slowly) and had a line up of my male colleagues asking “How did the weekend go”… “Are you still in one piece” .I just looked at them and smiled. There is nothing at work today that can wipe the smile off. I got a feeling that the smile is going to last all week.

    I would like to say big thank you to organisers (TB ect, sponsors, support team etc) but also a thank you goes to everyone who turned up because I got to experience comradely that only OBT is legendary for.

    My funny bits that keep me smiling:

    1. Driving from Blaxland to Bell Station in the pouring rain and thinking “why didn’t I pack some wet weather stuff – oh that’s right I believed the weather bureau – dumb”
    2. Getting butterflies and doing a nervous wee before heading off – Stucky – you weren’t alone.
    3. Riding to the photo shoot in the mist and experiencing a snotty down hill that woke me up and watching a fellow BGroupie go down – MickP over a log. I’m sure it was to test that the crash bars were working!!
    4. Getting lost going to Lost City and laughing about it. It meant we did some other single trails that got the left boob moving.
    5. Jeffro waking up a wombat in the Valley of the rocks – Newnes State Forrest during his toilet stop.
    6. Experiencing snotty bits that made me grunt and yah whoooo rather than cry.
    7. Finding a best buddy “Stucky” that checked my backpack every time we stopped to confirm I didn’t leave anything open.
    8. Having Scotty and Jeffro up my behind over the two days giving me the confidence and tips when tackling the tricky bits
    9. Putting up my tent on top of the prickly bush.
    10. Going for a swim to attempt to clean myself but only getting half way in.
    11. Getting an opportunity to talk to people over the fire – got to chew Sutto’s ear off only to work out who he was after about 1hr of discussion. Next time I will get the low down who’s who in the zoo. But loved hearing his stories.
    12. Showing c-e-l how to go up hills without falling over – ha ha
    13. Watching MickP dance his new baby BMW F800 over the rocks.
    14. Crossing the dreaded creek. Boulder put his body and bike on the line and went thru the creek. It got deeper and deeper but he gracefully got thru. Jeffro decided to swing around it via the mud and only just made it. Scotty was next on the beast and bogged it in the process. We all pitched in and after a few grunt and me on bike trying to ride it thru the beast was out. I was next and found where not to go thanks to the guys but Stucky decided to connect handlebar to head – perfectly but saved it in the process.
    15. Riding with Boulder on Sunday
    16. Enjoying a pub lunch and schooner of rum and coke to numb the body.
    17. Driving home and feeling every muscle twitch with pleasure NOT – including the inside leg muscle. I should have taken some magnesium.

    Thanks again everyone and I hope that we meet up again in the near future.

    I wish Kram and Fish a speedy recovery and know the OBT community is rooting for them.
    Safe riding.

    Kat

    #177417

    Just arrived home from yet another awesome OBT weekend. Glad we didn’t have to make the trip back to Wauchope last night!
    Highlights for me were

    A well organized ride catering for bikes as diverse as 1000 Vstroms right through to 2 stroke enduro rockets, and rider ability from new guys and gals through to seasoned campaigners.

    The support crew were terrific. They didn’t whinge when we were late to meeting points, they had firewood ready at Sofala when we got there, and as we were dragging our sorry asses on to our bikes Sunday morning they were busy cleaning and loading up barbies and picking up any rubbish. :) Well done gents. A top effort.

    How good was the campsite!

    The scenery. Great views and that real mountain country look (when you slow down enough to have a look)

    Campfire carry on.

    “Ol burple” completing another ride despite needing an ovehaul.
    Winning a prize for the oldest bike. A set of Pivot Pegs. As anyone who as ever used them will attest to,they are oneof the best accesesories you can fit to a dirtbike.( I wish some other people would start bringing the “old girls” out of the shed.)

    Yarning with micknmeld and kram on the trip down.

    T.B completing day 2 of a ride. :laugh:

    Everyones company.

    Lowlights were

    Krams crash and resulting injury.

    Throwing Burple away on a slippery causeway , in full view of at least 3 other riders, including the “papparazi”

    I had a ball. Thanks to everybody.

    Moose.

    #177527
    #177528
    #177519

    Dwayne O
    Member

    mal5.1 wrote:

    Quote:
    There was collection taken for Donna being the champion that she is and driving Kram to the hospital and stain with him for the afternoon. We thank everyone that donated and it is very much appreciated. We had a talk about it last night and made the decision to give the money to Kram and his family. His partner and neighbour Stex (OBTer) drove down from Kempsey last night and are staying in Orange tonight to take Kram home tomorrow. Donna and I feel they can better use of the money and are sure that all the Old Bulls that donated will understand.

    Donna knows if this happened to any of us anywhere we are riding that we use the resources that we have at the time to do what has to be done. She is a member of OBT and knows all about the OBT spirit. The trip to Bathurst wasn’t out of her way and got her out the house work she had planned. So Kram sort of did her a favour. 😆

    I just spoke to Kram and he is going well. They are putting a new cast on after checking his operation cuts. It’s looking like 3 months out of action with the wrist and maybe more surgery later on. He thanked everyone for their help and quick action and was sorry he couldn’t make the rest of the ride. I’ll be catching up with him tomorrow on his way home.

    Now that right there is THE OBT SPIRIT at its best ;)
    Well done Mal & Donna.
    :) :) :)

    Be sure to wish Kram the best from me too mate, he is one top bloke (especially for a hippy) :laugh:

    #177418

    Dwayne O
    Member

    :woohoo: How good does the Big Strom sound in Jeffro`s vids
    Must take some effort to throw that thing around on the trails like that too ;)

    #177419

    Whata great weekend!!! :)

    Thanks TB , Mal and anyone else for there efforts in doing the pre riding and organising for this ride, as it went very smooth considering the amount of riders and the logistics involved!

    Both days were full of great trails and obsticals to keep anyone Honest… Unfortunatley it kept Kram a little to honest.. Hope you get well soon mate.

    A few of the high lights for me were ( in no particular order)

    – Meeting new obtr’s and putting faces to names
    – the chalengeing rocky hill climbs
    – seeing the trusty old XR’s keeping the late model bikes honest!
    – The camp fire banter
    – The sponsors contributions,( sutto’s, Muc Off, Jacks Links,
    Mud n Tar, Whips )
    – The beer at sofala pub after we missed a turn off?
    – The Idea that Hatto came up with to fix my clutch lever :cheer:
    – The help with fixing my flat tyre especially from Hatto and crash and ollie for his spare tube :) :woohoo:
    – The new trails which I had not ridden before :woohoo: :woohoo:

    Also great job by Tiny, Lotsa and Bubba for the support vechle’s and the roving sweeps for the photography and general help along the way.

    Cheers justo :woohoo:

    #177533

    Mick D
    Member

    Well, what an epic weekend that was and I am sure there are plenty of stories to be told. Firstly thanks to TB and Salina for putting us all up on Friday night, the beers and camaraderie that night set the theme for the whole weekend. The anticipation and build up to any ride is one of the highlights in my opinion.

    Here are some pics from TB’s on Friday night.

    Moose and TB (on the rum and not feeling the cold)
    Sofala001.jpg

    Chicken, Kran and Strucky
    Sofala002.jpg

    Kram was having a good time. He is a social sort of fella
    Sofala003.jpg

    Strucky and Bubba or suburban cowboy support driver
    Sofala004.jpg

    An early night (no Dust to Glory DVD this time) saw us up and ready to head off to Blaxland Maccas to meet the rest of the crew before we headed off to the meeting point for the ride. As we crossed the mountains ominous clouds started to build up and before long the drizzle and fog set in. Not enough to dampen the spirits though and on arrival it was hand shakes all round as we caught up with old mates and made new ones at the same time.

    Crash Boulder and Fish shoot the breeze
    Sofala008.jpg

    Jeffro and c-e-l meet for the first time in the fog
    Sofala009.jpg

    The carpark was a buzz of activity as everyone suited up and got ready
    Sofala007.jpg

    Sofala006.jpg

    After the riders brief we all headed off in single file and as always a large group of riders is a sight to behold. A quick stop at the top of a cutting for a group shot and we were off along the power line trail which got the thumbs up from Moose.
    Sofala010.jpg

    A pic of Kram before his day went bad.
    Sofala011.jpg

    One of the rocky hills early in the piece set the scene for the weekend, with a bit of carnage.
    Sofala013.jpg

    Sofala014.jpg
    It caught me out a beauty and I soon found myself way over the edge of the trail somewhat stuck. (I am sure someone will post the video of the entire affair) Thanks Crash and I think Hatto for helping me get back on track in a spectacular fashion)

    Me at the top of the said mongrel hill, the helmet is hiding the fact that I was just shy of having a heart attack at the time
    Sofala016.jpg

    I will let other people fill the gaps about the ride, including Kram’s demise as the weekend was one big blur.

    Moose added a bit of excitement for me when he was crossing a causeway and decided to have a brain snap and gas Old Burple only to have her slip out from under him in spectacular fashion on the green slime and Moose hit the deck rather heavily. I did what every good mate would do when his mate has had a big off………I took a photo.

    Sofala017.jpg

    Right near the end of the Saturday ride,I think it may have been me that missed the corner man and subsequently lead all the remaining riders to Sofala Pub (lucky I had been there before and knew where the pub was in such a big town). Not wanting it to be a complete disaster getting lost, we had a schooner at the pub.

    Sofala018.jpg

    WE eventually found our way back to the camp ground where it was all happening, bikes being readied for the next day and people washing the dust down with a fizzy drink or two. It was then that I noticed this fine piece of engineering. Justo had broken his clutch lever and the boys came up with a novel fix for the problem. Tape a spark plug tool on it!!

    Sofala019.jpg

    Random pics I took
    Sofala020.jpg

    Sofala021.jpg

    It was a pretty spot.
    Sofala023.jpg

    AS darkness descended so did the drunkedness and the good times.
    Sofala024.jpg

    Tiny and the boys got a ton of firewood and we had a ripper fire going, beware the log of Knowledge that stuck out from the fire, It claimed a few victims during the evening, non more than STM and TB though, who tripped on it every time they passed it.

    Sofala025.jpg

    Crash did his best to get a round of The Hokey Pokey going but had no takers so he went alone with it by the looks of this pic.
    Sofala026.jpg

    Everyone rugged up at the fire except for TB who spent the night in shorts and a T shirt, Bundy must be good stuff.
    Sofala027.jpg

    Tryhard was using direct injection of start you bastard as a means to keep warm.
    Sofala028.jpg

    Gavb wasn’t all that keen to give it a go
    Sofala029.jpg

    The Ring of Knowledge got rowdier as the night went on, non more rowdier than our illustrious TB who also found a random tool box to keep tripping over several times during the night.
    Sofala030.jpg

    The next morning the fog was thick and so where a few peoples heads I think after a big night on the drink. Someone was up spewing during the night and the culprit was never found as no one would admit it was them.
    Breakfast was made and bikes readied for a big day ahead.
    Sofala031.jpg

    STM regretting those last 15 beers he consumed
    Sofala032.jpg

    The fog mixed with the dust was a bit thick at the start and it made visibility a bit sketchy. But made for a good pic, me and STM pose for a happy snap.
    Sofala033.jpg

    The fog mixed with dust made the dust stick like the proverbial poo
    Sofala036.jpg

    Chris72a got up close and personal with a big puddle and the Kato had a drink and wouldn’t play anymore. IT had to be dried out a bit before it would play again.

    Sofala037.jpg

    Sofala039.jpg

    IT didn’t want to start on the button so it became a kick fest, Chris kicked and kicked and it wouldn’t fire. To add insult to injury Hatto offered to have a go and it fired 2nd kick. From the puddle it was all up hill from there, literally, and a nasty little hill it was too, with all those random nasty rocks scattered about just waiting to bring you undone. Chris72a had some strife there as he still hadn’t gained his breath from his kickarama 2 minutes before.

    Sofala042.jpg

    Sofala043.jpg

    Sofala044.jpg

    Ollie’s attempt was a bit ordinary too, dunno where he thought he was going in this shot.
    Sofala045.jpg

    My quick draw camera holster, is really handy when things go wrong for fellas, as Muckoff shows here after loosing the front end in a corner.

    Sofala048.jpg

    Here are some pics from one of my favourite parts of the ride
    .The Steaming Swamp Of Doom, caught a few guys out, check out Chickens effort as he got himself stuck in a hole.
    Sofala050.jpg

    Sofala051.jpg

    The big girl can throw the roost.
    Sofala052.jpg

    Some other pics from the swamp.
    Sofala053.jpg

    Sofala054.jpg

    Sofala055.jpg

    This could very well be the funniest thing I saw all weekend though, Muckoff soon became Muckon when he got a bit close to LC4skin and found out a big Kato can also throw a mean roost.
    Sofala056.jpg

    Sofala057.jpg

    Sofala058.jpg

    Sofala059.jpg

    Sofala060.jpg

    That is all the pics I got but something that burnt a pic into my mind for life was seeing TB coming down the road at an alarming speed, just before dark and back the big fiddy into the corner and as he did it the big fiddy blew a flame out of the pipe as he rounded the corner in true copy book style. That was sweet mate, awesome stuff.

    I will add bits and pieces as this thread develops but that is it for starters.

    #177534

    Mick D
    Member

    I tell ya it feels wierd being at work this arvo after waking up at TB’s this morning 400kms away, I have done bugger all work except type the above post.

    #177535

    That looks to be the same bog we near lost the V-Strom in, guess we weren’t that far lost after all.

    #177536

    Mal
    Member

    Jeffro wrote:

    Quote:
    That looks to be the same bog we near lost the V-Strom in, guess we weren’t that far lost after all.

    Yep that’s it Jeffro. You guys were only abouut 700m off target when you got to that bog hole. It called Long Swamp too. You would have turned right out of the bog and went past the next road on your. That’s the one you were supposed to come out on. All worked out though. :)

    #177420

    nick morley
    Member

    hey all i just wanna say thanks for a great weekend even though i was just carting gear round i still had a ball.. would be happy to help out again any time!

    thanks to TB for puttin it on and the campfire entertainment :laugh:
    thanks to mal for the great sandwiches ;) hahah
    thanks to tiny and lotsa for hangin back a bit when my nugget of a falcon didn’t wanna go up them hills with the load and when my box started to cook! ahahah :laugh:

    met a whole bunch of good blokes, Oh and Kat! cant forget kat! :P

    thanks again everyone!

    #177421

    Michael
    Member

    Well were do start after such a great weekend may be point format is the way to go.

    1 Thanks TB and and your wife for the accomdation for the night and it was great to sit around with Mick, Moose, Kram, Hato,STM, Chicken and Bubba eating pizza and drinking and just having a good old chat.

    2 Thanks to TB,Mal and Chris for putting on a great weekend and all the hard work that has gone in to pre running routes mostly mal for the B route great job.

    3 TO are support driver’s which really made the trip possible with all that gear Tiny, Bubba and Lotsa great job guys you work hard over the two days for the love of it.

    4 To all the sponsors Mud Tar, Muc Off ,Suttos ,Jack Links ,Whipps, 4BP for there support and great gifts.I hope I did not forget anyone

    5 Well done Crash on OBT of the year , maybe next year Ollie

    Thanks to the B Team Jeffo , Kat Girl, Mick,CEL, Scott for a great couple of days of riding
    plus on Sunday Boulder join us due to a knee problem, we had lunch at Lithgow pub which was a great way to finsh the day.

    Good to catch with some of the boys i know all ready and meet new ones.

    I hope every one had a great time I cant see why you would not, see you next year.

    Cheers

    Strucky

    #177560

    Dean
    Member

    Good onya Bubba and welcome mate ;) Thanks for doing what you did me and I bet the whole rest of us would like to say thanks and shout you a rum or two next time ;)

    PS I will give you $10 bucks for that belt Buckle :laugh:

    Ollie

    runner up OBT of the year :laugh:

    #177422

    nick morley
    Member

    hahahah :laugh: the buckle is worth alot more now ollie.. im the legend support driver hahah :laugh:

Viewing 15 posts - 31 through 45 (of 230 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.