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recovery ride, campin n tourin


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In October 2016 I had a motorcycle accident, a roo jumped over a fence into the side of me early morning, which resulted in broken ribs, deflated lung and a shattered collar bone. Im now sporting a fair bit of titanium, and suffered the effects of 3 months in a sling. Physio after that to get strength and movement back.

 

Bike was repaired fairly fast, with only cosmetic damage, new fairing, pannier etc.

Start of April, talked the Doctor and physio into give me the go ahead to start riding again, only 2 hours of it a day, I wont hurt my self but ill feel a lot of pain and muscle fatigue.

 

Start of the school holidays I have time off to visit my daughter in port Macquarie.

Yippie, So load the bike up, and off I go. Ill take it in 2 days, since I havnt ridden for a while.  Only have my 2 piece leather suit instead of cordura I usually use.

 

I have a new oztrail bivi tent, a new delux self inflating sleeping matt which is super huge.  Along with the normal compact sleeping bag and metho cooker.

 

I finish night work at 6am, so a few hours sleep, and leave by lunch Sunday.

 

Got through the Sydney traffic to New castle. And turn onto the thunder bolts way, getting dark pretty early now, 5ish, and the bugs are out in force, can hardly see with the bug splatters over my visor.  Can see a storm approaching.

 

Was looking for a few camp grounds listed around the start of the buckets way/thunder botls way but I couldn’t find them, its dark, I don’t want to play with wild life again. Figured id load up wiki camps, a rest area in stroud.  Rode upto this under ground grain silo from 1855, which sports two large cannons.

 

Rode to the edge under a cannon, nice grassy hill side.

I set up the tent, and cook a Back Country Meal for one on my Metho stove, surprisingly, the meal for 1, is actually filling, I brought a heap of meal for 2’s thinking id need 2 to fill me up.

 

First time trying the Bivi, little snug, very simple and quick to set up. It was warm still so I left the top flap open until some flying bug landed on my face and bit me. Closed it up and it became hot and sweaty. Took the small rain fly off the face which helped.

 

A few hours later the storm hit, rain cover back on, all the leathers in the tent to keep dry, and it hammered down.

 

Anythign that touched the sides of the single skin bivi water seeped through, like my feet touched the top.

 

Snuggled into my sleeping bag that kept my dry and went to sleep.

 

Woke up early in the morning and enjoyed the back country breakfast, scrambled eggs, beef chunks and baked beans. Beans were a little dry, no sauce like you get in a tin.

 

Had some old guy come up to me and told me this isn’t an official camp ground, I asked if their was a no camping sign as I couldn’t see one, he said their was but it disappeared years ago.

 

On the way to Port Macquarie, riding through the twisties of oxley highway and I get a mega leg cramp, the sort that makes your leg stick out, right in the middle of twisites, makes for an interesting video riding with ya leg sticking out.

 

Spent a good week in port Macquarie, in a motel room with my 10 year old daughter, rented bicycles and explored the town.

 

I thought I had the motel room booked until Friday morning, but I had check out Thursday not Thursday night in the computer thing apparently.

She got picked up about 4pm on Thursday.  So a quick out of town, to just past long flat, Ellenbouragh reserve.

A free camp grounds by a river, it has a heap of designated camping spots for caravans, et al. but I rode through the end, past the barriers, onto a picnic area where nobody was. And set up camp on look out ledge overlooking a nice river. Enjoyed a nice outback country chicken and rice dinner, and sat on a bench reading for hours using my headlamp torch.  Little nippy that night, sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner and thermals on tonight.

Up early, and rode through thunderbolts way, being the easter long week end, every cars doing significantly under the speed limit. A long slow day. Up through the bumpy dungog, into singleton, fuel up and then out to the putty.

 

Last night I camped at the grey gum cafe. Mount putty. 48 hours free camp on their large block of land half way between singleton and Windsor. Cafe started as a bit of a bike haunt a few years ago. They offered showers for 5 dollars as they are on tank water that's why they charge so much. Which is a key to open the amenities block. But as I found out when they close they turn the power off Inc the lights. Fairly big block buy ground was a bit ruff. A few spots I picked had pointy rocks sticking out an inch. And tuff 1 inch tall clumps of grass. Not the best for a tent. Pitched it on this Sandy spot next to a irrigation ditch. I did find a big waspy ant nest about 10 meters from my tent. Started a nice fire. Had my spaghetti boll for 2. Layer on my jacket watching the fire for a few hours. Only 2 other caravans with old couples were their on the other side. Next morning got up nice n early 5ish. Packed all the gear away by 7 when the cafe opened. I decided to order breakfast from the cafe since they did put me up for the night. Nice ride home over the putty. Easter week end every second car is the highway patrol. Home now. Camped out 4 nights and a week in a motel visiting my daughter.

 

Get home about 11am the next day. Sore body, just cant do the long days I use to ride, yet, have to get more bike fit.

When you get home from a eeek long camping trip the fun is not over. Hanging tents and gear you dry and and air out. Washing clothes and cooking gear. Even changing oil in the bike. Oh not your forget video editing.

 

All my kit dried and packed away. Not a lot to it. Bivi. Sleeping bag. Sleeping bag liner. Deluxe matt is too huge.. united cutlery axe has a sharp knife in the hilt, ferocious rod and tampons in the pocket. Trianga metho stove. Tin cup. Folding knife fork spoon and a seperate folding spork. Stored in a foldable bucket for washing with steel woll dish soap and clothes. Folding 5l containers for storing water at the camp site from whete ever you get it form tap etc. Also use a head lamp torch. Apart from clothes and food. What more do you need.

 

https://youtu.be/TnL3gCmDiM8

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