Picnic Run

This entry is part 6 of 19 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #33

It’s not an official Christmas ride, but December 21 is still a special day for a group on the NSW mid-north coast.

It seemed the cornerman system had failed. Note the look of concern on the ride leader. Not a look of surprise, just concern.

It’s nice to have a special day to look forward to – a day with some memories attached, formed and evolved over many years.

December 21 is a day like that for some.

In 2018, a happy bunch watched the sun rise over the Pacific ocean from an east-coast headland, saw Santa arrive on a V-strom and deliver lollies to anyone and everyone, listened in quiet reverence to a story from the past, caught up with old friends, then mounted up. Pottsy – aka Secret Squirrel – was leading, so the possibilities were almost endless.

It’d be a great start to any ride, and it was a great start to this one.

Santa made an appearance. Apparently, in the summer he rides a V-strom called ‘Rainedorff’.

Familiar faces

Santa was, of course, Gav Gill, a character who’s been seen in Adventure Rider Magazine several times. Karen Ramsay and husband Ramdog Dave were rolling on their familiar Husky Terra and F800GS, and Dualsport Australia’s Marty Blake was on his spanking new DR650.

There were other good friends and well-known riders making up a bunch that varied between about 10 and 16 during the day, and the idea was to celebrate a great year with a low-stress social ride.

Adventure Rider Magazine’s editor knows how to picnic in style.

Food fight

In previous years there’d a been a little competitive biff-and-barge, most noticeably over a fiercely contested presentation of ANZAC bikkies – won fair and square by the editor, it should be remembered. A trophy had been awarded on that occasion.

This year, to avoid the angry disposition of the loser – sorry, the BMW rider who didn’t win a trophy in The Great ANZAC Bikkie Shootout – everyone was awarded a Secret Squirrel patch. There were no trophies. Everyone was a winner.

Be that as it may, there did seem to be a little chest beating and a few jaws thrust out during the picnic lunch. It was never intended to be competitive, but Adventure Rider Magazine’s editor would clearly have taken the trophy again if there’d been one. Ramdog Dave’s wheel-barrow loads of zucchini damper and smashed peanut ANZAC bikkies, freely distributed in an effort to curry favour with the riders, were very much appreciated. But the picnic was the point of the day, and the editor producing a Rocky Creek Designs chair and Helinox table on which to fix his cups of tea from the thermos and tea caddy carried in his panniers clearly carried the day.

Not that there was any competition, of course.

But everyone could see what was what.

Karen Ramsay made the most of the Mann River stop.

Glory day

The riding was the highlight.

From Coffs Harbour up through the mountains, along the Secret Squirrel dirt roads and mountain bitumen, it was about as glorious a celebration of adventure riding as there could be.

Another familiar bike and face appeared at Ebor when Mac-Attack Eggins and his KLR eased in to the coffee shop where the group had stopped for breakfast.

Mac had an interesting day. A largish rock hammered his bashplate into an awkward position which made it difficult to move his gear shifter. It was a tough-bastard bashplate and saved the KLR from damage, but damn! It was near impossible to bend it back again. After some lusty hammering with another large rock picked up from beside the road, Mac put the boulder in his pannier in case further adjustment was needed later in the day.

The corner system was in use, and it went sour quite early in the morning.

For some reason Pottsy sent Marty HC to lead the group, and in a very short time there were two groups, with neither exactly sure of the location of the other.

Ramdog Dave and Pottsy set to administer a sound thrashing using a convenient road marker when Marty rejoined.

Mac Eggins put on a rock show when his KLR bashplate got a bit bent.

Just a great day

Lunch was the aforementioned picnic.

By that time the temperature had soared and several riders elected to swim at the picnic site, chosen on the bank of the Mann River for that specific reason.

From there it was a scenic run down the Old Glenn Innes Road through the convict tunnel and back to the coast to finish and knock off for the Christmas break.

The day wasn’t without its problems.

Marty HC had the standard tank on his DR, so he carried a fuel bladder with a few extra litres, just in case. Unfortunately, the bladder slipped down on to the pipe, melted, and apparently resulted in an amazing pyrotechnic display. There was no damage to bike or rider, but with his fuel range uncertain, Marty went for a solo run through Chaelundi to make it home with his remaining fuel.

“Gee. I hope Marty doesn’t get a puncture in there on his own,” said Pottsy, thus ensuring it would be his V-strom which flubbed its way to a halt not long after. Marty, of course, romped home without further incident while Pottsy, TF and Lean Dean – on his new Africa Twin – effected a repair to the rear tyre of the Suzuki.

With Pottsy’s tyre plugged, the three squirted into a rendezvous for a coffee and farewell, then headed off into a thick fog as the late-afternoon weather deteriorated.

A light rain highlighted a run down the mountain to the coast, and, proving a ride’s never over until it’s over, there was a minor incident descending the narrow, winding mountain road, just a few bitumen kilometres from the finish.

Fortunately there was a police car just a few metres from TF’s rear wheel when he demonstrated his lack of competence, and after a little discussion, the bike was upright and everyone was soon on their way again.

There were a few problems to be dealt with, a little ribbing between riders, some spirited roosting on the dirt and about as much great riding as could be crammed into a long summer’s day.

It’s about as good as riding with friends can get.

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