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Yesterday whilst I was at work, I got a call from an excited Old Bull, he was on his way to a weekend camping and riding trip to the Cells River area. You just gotta love them sort of calls when you are at work. He told me where they were camping and said I should come up for a ride. My response was “If I aren’t there by 8.30am I’m not coming” and left it at that as his phone dropped out.
Last night at the regular Friday arvo drink session at my shed I made up my mind not to go, as the forecast was for heavy rain. So I settled in with beers with Kram and Rowan.5am saw me wide awake and wondering if I should in fact make the run up to where they where camping and say gday at least, as I had to be home by 1pm to go to a family gathering.
No sooner did I get out of bed the first spots of rain started on my roof.(Big Drops too!!)
At 6.40am I was still trying my hardest to get keen, to ride 100km’s up the Oxley Highyway on the tar, with knobbies on and it is PISSING DOWN.Finally overcome by some madness, no doubt bought on by nicotine withdrawls, I kitted up at 7.10 am and headed off in the rain. First stop at the servo for fuel and the next stop to be the Ginger’s Creek Rest stop for another tank of fuel before I hit the bush on my way to meet the lads at their camp. The normally fun corners on the Oxley Highway take on a whole new persona in the wet when one is sporting knobbie tyres , so I tentatively ran up the mountain in the fog and rain.
I pulled into Ginger’s Creek at 8.10 am, Garry the owner was standing on the verandah laughing at me, he soon stopped laughing when he realised I wanted fuel and he had to go out in the rain to serve me. A coffee on his verandah with him, would have been nice but I was cutting my 8.30 am deadline short, so a quick glove change and I was gone. I still had 18km’s of muddy forest trails in the rain and fog, to go to meet the lads. I was about 2km short of their campsite when I met the lads coming the other way. I had missed my deadline. The first three riders don’t know me so they just rode past, no doubt thinking “that was random, a lone rider way out here in these conditions” The forth rider soon realised it was me and he pulled up and shook hands. The other three soon turned around and came back. A few “helmet on” intros (which means when you eventually pull up, you dunno who is who) and they then tell me they are in fact going to Gingers Creek for a capacinno.
Best plan I had heard so far, so I just dropped in the pack and followed the leader, down some really greasy trails made from red clay and coated with KY gel, that’s how it felt on what is left of my Pirrelli Scorpion that had done over 1000km’s.
WE stopped at an old ore stamper that was used many years ago when they had a mini gold rush in the area.
Like I said I met these guys with their helmets on, so feel free if you recognise any of them, to put a name to the face.I think I recognise the bloke on the right but I had never met the other guys.
Here is a closer look at him, he looks a bit shifty to me.
Just another shot from down at the stamper,
From there it is all up hill and yes 90% of it was red clay as slick as anything. We all got to the top and had a quick breather and it was then of to Gingers Creek via some bloody awesome single trail, Thanks for showing me that one Boonster!!
A coffee and a feed at Gingers saw us refreshed and on our way back up the sweet single we came in on, I had a ball on the ensuing singles that Boony lead us along. Boony and I had a couple of good little duels on the way through some of the best trails and conditions I had ridden in ages.
Latte and Mud cake for the DRZ rider and a Wini blue for the Yamaha rider.
Boony has a “Blue Steel” moment
One of the singles, the photo does this trail no justice
Just up the Highway from Gingers Creek
Once back at their campsite the boys cracked a beverage and I had a Coke as I still had another 100km’s to get back to Wauchope Via Elands and Comboyne which meant 60km’s of dirt road and the remaining 40 on tar. Boony graciously topped my tank up again, (thanks mate) and I was gone.
Bearing in mind I had to be back home to attend a family function back at Comboyne by 1.30 am so I was peddling the XR like there was no tomorrow, the forest trail back to Elands was in awesome condition and I had a ball throwing the big girl sideways in to the corners.. Another quick splash of fuel at Elands Store and on my way to Comboyne, I roared through Comboyne racing the clock, not actually knowing what time it really was.
As I headed down the Mountain,it became obvious it was later than I thought ,as I was meeting my relatives heading up to the function and I still had 30kms to get home, then shower and make it back the 40km up to Comboyne again. I hit Wauchope right on 1.30 after doing 253km’s for the morning.
I had an absolute ball that was worth any grief I got, for being late back!!!!!!!!
Nice report Mick although I have come to expect nothing less from you
Good effort to get out there and I am glad you were rewarded. Now where is your report Booondog?
STM
That’s a cracker Mick ride and report, a great idea the catch up and bet it was worth changing your mind as last I heard you weren’t going cause of the wet…
That run up to Gingers must of had your arse puckering in the wet on knobbies :laugh: (Only because I know what your like on road tyres in the dry
) Seriously how many times did you think shit this isn’t worth it? I know it would have gone through my mind a 100 times wet, cold and slippery like that but so worth it when you got there to catch up :laugh: Did you sit on my chair at Gingers :laugh: (stupid plastic gone brittle in the sun :angry: ) How good is the old ore stamper nice love old machinery. Look forward to Boony’s report
TB
:laugh: Those Roosters look very familiar to me Mick,,,
I seem to recall them from a couple of rides in the Tamworth area me thinks
Hard core caping out at the Cells in this weather I reckon :blink: Last time I was there it was similar & some blokes almost never got out of there for a few days till it dried up :woohoo:
Look forward to the Boonsters take on the weekend for sure if his fingers aren`t snap frozen & stop him from typing that is
spot on eages…one is mick…rode the ttr up at nundle and the other is pete who rides a ktm…don’t know who the big fella is….lucky dogs :cheer: .
Good on ya mick for ducking out to say Gday…i reckon you might get another call out with the SES for a few lost,wet and tired ferretsBol :woohoo:
BOLLOCKS wrote:
Quote:spot on eages…one is mick…rode the ttr up at nundle and the other is pete who rides a ktm…don’t know who the big fella is….lucky dogs :cheer: .
Good on ya mick for ducking out to say Gday…i reckon you might get another call out with the SES for a few lost,wet and tired ferrets
Bol :woohoo:
Don`t ya mean BILLIE & PETE you goose ??? :laugh:
Don`t recognise the Boony Bloke :blink: He is usually pissed when I see him :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
WOW what a great weekend that was, riding the narny in some of the bestest bike riding terrain known to man (yep better than nundle)and to top it off I was riding with some good mates and even the mayor of wauchope came along to see if we where behaving when he heard we would be on his turf
brief report now and then I`ll try and top micks report later (wont happen).
we travelled a total of 402ks just to ride our bikes and camp out under the stars, we rode our bikes for a total of 221ks whilst we were there, these Ks were clocked up on some rather sweet,prestine and down right slippery trails, riding some of the trails was like a dog trying to run on greasy lino.but hey that just adds to the fun.
I even got to show micknmeld some singles and had a bit of a play as well when he showed me the pigs wheel on a few corners,something about getting mud in his eyes, he can peddle for a young fella :laugh: .Mick got to see our infamous cappuccino loop ( every ride should have one).
apparently tamworth got flogged by rain and everyone thought we got drenched as well however when Mick left camp on saturday morning the rain went with him.
No injuries except for a blood blister I got setting up camp,,shirt it hurt.
Broke the narny on a tree going for coffee, and thats about it. :ohmy:more later
Boony
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