Day 421 | Out on the Salt River Road: actually at Camel Lake Nature Reserve but with grey kangaroos
44 km | Heading west total: 15,053 km
It was just a kilometre from my camping spot to the turnoff on the 2WD road across the northern boundary of Stirling Ranges National Park.
Except the terrific road marked on my map was, in fact, a 4WD track and after a few hundred metres there was a carpark with a couple of Easter adventurers 4WDs parked. Beyond that was a fenceline with a little used 4WD track, for fire purposes. No 2WD road that’s for sure.
No worries, I’ll follow the fence.
Up a long hill, soft surface, (sand and mud), headlong into a gale force wind, with intermittent rain.
The full Quadrella.
For some reason I was in heaven.
This is what biking for me is all about. A little adventure along a deserted track in not great condition.
It took me back to those energetic weekends crashing around tracks in Wombat State forest, west of Melbourne, or best of all, Mt Disappointment, north of Melbourne. Back in my bachelor days between partners back in 2004. A great year when I managed to fit in an 8 day walk just west of Nelson and later 2 weeks on Stewart Island back in NZ, in amongst work which was going well at the time.
Those weekends of negotiating a mountain bike across bush tracks at speed came in handy today as I chased crazed emus down the fenceline. The only thing missing today was the speed.
Nothing like completely miserable conditions to give me a great day at the office.