Richy's Mid Life Crisis, Season 2, Episode 8 "But I Digress..."

[440bbm]

glad you havent decided to give up on these. enjoy reading your stories on these adventures as much as the crisp pics and how clean u get your shit. 

plz dont stop good sir. 

[Snoozin]

^ Still not sure, that big spiel dates from before I crashed and encountered further struggles. I've learned this isn't a pastime for folk who suck, unfortunately.

[tortron]

3 minutes ago, Snoozin said:

this isn't a pastime for folk who suck, unfortunately

Try a GN!

[Snoozin]

I don't think it matters what it is, I'll still fall off it, struggle with the most moderate obstacle and get left behind 😅

[tortron]

but then you can blame the GN!

[Snoozin]

While I haven't 'officially' finished the healing process, I'd done a few short road rides to try and get my head back in the game, and on the weekend signed up to a single day ride in the Wellington region.

It was a led ride - ie no GPX file or running at our own pace, but the promise was a relatively easy ride and I thought it'd be a great idea to get back on the horse and see some stuff I wouldn't ordinarily see.

First though, a road ride to Makara. 150 or so km right off the bat, a 6am departure, meeting a mate in Rongotea then another couple of dudes in Otaki. I got smoked on the twisty road section to Makara, as I'm regaining my road confidence so wasn't pushing on at all.

The ride essentially took in the wind farm gravel roads on Terawhiti station, with a bunch of short sand sections, grass and rocky farm tracks. This is all private access stuff you can't normally get to. Initial sort of views after our first climb into the wind farm.

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (127) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (126) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

This is further along, beyond the Red Rocks area I believe. Again it's still on private land. Lots of seals doing seal stuff, wondering why a bunch of weirdos on raucous machines were interrupting their morning siesta.

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (104) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (106) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

From here, we'd climb again, and eventually end up at the spot where the HV cable from the South Island makes landfall in the North.

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (108) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (110) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

This is the cable patrol boat, ensuring the cable behaves itself and isn't being led astray/smoking meth/doing ram raids or anything I guess.

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (111) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

As an additional special little surprise, I got to see the bike that started this whole thread being used in anger by the bloke who bought it off me. Here's Guy on my old XT660R alongside the current steed, which TBH is just a modern day XT660R.

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (109) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

We'd then climb towards the next bay, where there was again, lots and lots of scenery but also the remnants of a coastal homestead. I thought I'd park in the living room.

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (114) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Meanwhile, here's the 690 and the old bloke who owns it/makes some sort of excuse at riding it, enjoying some scenery.

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (115) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (102) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

The next part took us back to the gravel then up along a couple of ridge lines on grass tracks, with a rocky, rutted descent down to another bay that caught a few blokes out. Thankfully, not me for a change. You can see it in the back ground of this shot, snaking up the hill to the right of the background.

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (118) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Here's me and the lads I rode with. Their bikes are pretty damn fancypants. I appear to be balding but please rest assured, it's not quite yet. 

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (120) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

From here, it was a pretty sweet squirt out, again on some farm tracks that were rutted, but dry. It would have been chaos if it had rained and some of these guys were stuck in there on their almost-road tyres. We'd move on to Kinnoull Station, a short ride back down South Makara Road. This was fun. Relatively quick double track stuff, with about 12 or so river crossings - not massive ones, maybe half a metre deep at the most, but bloody good fun. I had a total blast wheelieing puddles, ruts, and even popping the front heading into a couple of the smaller crossings. I wish I'd taken some pics now of people attacking the rivers, but alas... I was having too much fun!

This was an "in and out" track, so we had to wait at the end (beach) and allow the whole group to filter in before we could head back.

2020 KTM 690 Enduro R Phone (125) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

That about calls it for that ride. We arrived for lunch about 1:30 and after a quick woolshed-cooked burger I chose to head home, rather than complete the small afternoon run.

Feeling OK about it all at the mo.

 

[440bbm]

Surely, we are due another story by now?!

[Snoozin]

I've retired.

[Snoozin]

From posting, still riding the bikes.

It's punishing taking pictures and stuff all the time. We had a belter of a 2 day ride around Nelson several weeks back on the 690, then spent the Monday exploring Marlborough. I've been humming around a few trails on the 350 and I've got another big one on the 690 at the end of the month.

[Willdat?]

18 minutes ago, Snoozin said:

From posting, still riding the bikes.

It's punishing taking pictures and stuff all the time. We had a belter of a 2 day ride around Nelson several weeks back on the 690, then spent the Monday exploring Marlborough. I've been humming around a few trails on the 350 and I've got another big one on the 690 at the end of the month.

I was impressed someone managed to organise access into Kingsland/Silvan as it's pretty strictly no motorised public access in the 10 years I've lived next to Easby Park. The roar as the whole group wound up the hill was sweet!

[Snoozin]

It was super weird lining up in that reserve behind a bunch of houses then heading thru essentially a turnstile onto bicycle tracks... felt very naughty. But Dave must have some amazing connections to have pulled off the access he did. It had me wondering if there was any pushback from the community afterwards.

Actually an eventful ride for me (not negatively), and some good stories from it.

[Willdat?]

12 hours ago, Snoozin said:

It was super weird lining up in that reserve behind a bunch of houses then heading thru essentially a turnstile onto bicycle tracks... felt very naughty. But Dave must have some amazing connections to have pulled off the access he did. It had me wondering if there was any pushback from the community afterwards.

Actually an eventful ride for me (not negatively), and some good stories from it.

Yeah by that reserve is where I live, the council isn't exactly pro-develoment, or even maintenance of the existing trail network, any working bees get tied up in red tape so it was pretty surprising.

Some grumbles on the community Facebook page, but more positive/jealous comments than negative ones.

The way you came down is owned by the Griffin's (of Griffin biscuits) and they're amazing in term of access and trail building, fortnightly craft beer and bbq working bees, if we end out bringing the Moped Melee back to the top of the south we'll have to seek out access to at least the Silvan Steps, although Golden Bay is looking like a sweet future destination too.

Did you get up Mt Patriarch when you were in Marlborough?

[440bbm]

11 hours ago, Snoozin said:

From posting, still riding the bikes.

It's punishing taking pictures and stuff all the time. We had a belter of a 2 day ride around Nelson several weeks back on the 690, then spent the Monday exploring Marlborough. I've been humming around a few trails on the 350 and I've got another big one on the 690 at the end of the month.

Fair enough. Cannot say I blame you as it is pretty taxing and a part of it sucks the fun from the main ride itself which is the whole point. Glad that you are enjoying it and gotten over the slump!