Christchurch-Canty Rides Adventure Ride 26/02/2006

[Transalper]

Hey Far queu, what happened to you today?
We had a great and very big day. I was even on time.

[far queue]

Hey Far queu, what happened to you today?
We had a great and very big day. I was even on time.

I didn't go on the ride today as my neck is buggered. I woke up yesterday morning with a real sore neck - don't know why, just one of those things. Put up with it on the Lees valley ride, and kinda forgot about it, but it was hard work holding on during the road ride home and must have done some damage. It was real uncomfortable last evening and night, didn't sleep much because of it and still real sore when I got up this morning. I couldn't go on the ride like that, would've been in pain and would've been dangerous as I still can't turn my head properly to have a look around for traffic etc. I'm real disappointed I missed out on it. It was perfect weather for it. All I managed to do today was surf the net and watch TV, a waste of a good day.

So how did it go? How many turned up? Where are the pics?

[Transalper]

Ahh, ok, sorry i asked.. i'd go see a neck doctor if i was you. You have 5 days to get well.

[laRIKin]

Well sorry to hear about your neck mate. (bugger)

It was a great day for a ride.
So when you are feeling better, I/we will take you around.
As we have the route map now.

At the start we got a bit lost because we were not reading the map right.
Once we got a hang of it, there was no stopping us.

I'm shagged, but I do feel great after that ride, Green Meanie is stuffed as well.
We had such a great ride we did not want it to end.
So we did the summit road home. I know that's not what you wanted to hear.
But there will be others days to do the ride as the tracks are not going any where.
Here is the departure pic, because of my slow connection I'll only post these.
I will post more as we are changing ISP.
Or I'll only post one or two at a time, I did not take to many.
Because we where riding

A big thank you to the organisers of the ride.
I will be at the next one or dead.

[far queue]

Looks like a good turn out and a variety of bikes, even a postie bike there by the look of it. My bike's all prepped and ready to go complete with click box mounted, oh well, next time. Yes, I want to go do it sometime. Looking forward to the Saturday excursion from the March Hare next weekend now, I'll be right by then.

[Transalper]

Here's my photos, first is one of the many views we encountered. 2nd and 3rd are after lunch in Akaroa when we are on the summit Rd above Akaroa you see Lemans and Plug riding with green meanie behind. 4th just another of those views...and i missed photographing so many while not wanting to stop. 5th is some of us having a rest in a bay (can't remember which one). Last pict is at the end in Little river.

[Transalper]

Looks like a good turn out and a variety of bikes, even a postie bike there by the look of it.

The Postie bike was the sweeper coming up the rear. I thank him and green meanie for helping me pick the Transalp up and giving me a push to get traction up a steap grassy/slightly muddy patch on one of the technical sections. I'll tell ya all about it when i got more time. Right now i'm off to work.

[far queue]

You're not making me feel any better about missing this you know

[PLUG]

A bit sore this morning, shoulders & arms ... I love that feeling as I know there is a bit of benefit to be had from it all.

I'm keen to do it again, include me on the rerun LM ... it's a good day ride & refreshing for the sole.

Hay TA ... 1 chockie fish has your name on it ... I'll take it to the MH with me ... it'll be nice & sticky ... yummm yummm ... It must feel nice TA having time to spare with no last minute panic thinking about "will I be 1/2 late & will they still be there"

Good to see you are keen for the Saturday ticky tour FQ ... stop peeping in key holes ... it worked for my neck

[laRIKin]

Well here's some more pics.
1/ Is above Little river looking out to sea, Plug and Green Meanie.
2/ Transalper getting up the last part of the hill after he had a lie down.
3/ Wellllll another great view on real nice day.

[Transalper]

All righty... here's the way i remember the day...

We started at the Canterbury Rides shop in Ferry Rd at 8am. I arrived about ten past, said hi to Plug and he pointed me in to the counter to pay my money and get the route sheet. I got one that was already taped up so all i had to do was roll it in to my click clack which I had quickly taped to my handlebars that morning. It was my first time with route sheets and yes they do take some getting used to. There was a short prep talk where by we were told basically that the Sweeper was the guy on the little bike whose job it was to be tail end charlie and keep an eye on the last of us, a car would be along somewhere nearby as support too. A lunch break was planned for Akaroa where we could buy food at the Bakery or where ever if we hadn't packed our own. Leave gates as you find them and be nice to all the poor soles who may be using the tracks but didn't have motorcycles of their own. So about 9am we all (about 30 of us) headed off at our leisure.
When we (still more or less one big group) got to the first gate at Huntsbury hill I ended up at almost the back of the pack (from being in the first 3) waiting to close the thing again (thank you to the lady walking her dog who closed it for us so i could get on my way). It kind of become a case of open a gate, take your bike through and get the thing closed again as soon as you can or you end up holding it open for the next lot as they arrive. It just seemed rude to close a gate on the next guy if it was going to take you longer to do that than it takes him to ride through. It worked for me as i held two gates for others, went through one by myself and the rest were all held open for me.
We headed along to Dyers pass Rd and down into Governors Bay and with only one other dirt section in there took the sealed roads the rest of the way to Little River via Gebbies Pass.
At Little river the bikes with small tanks were encouraged to refuel but I needed something else. I had been experiencing a strange power loss with the Honda and realized that the throttle grip was now slipping on the nylon sleeve thingy so I stopped for glue. They had it, I used it and gave it ten minutes to set and everything was good in my world again, except that little CG110, the sweeper bike was now there with me. But wait a second there's Lemans just arriving after his little misread the route sheet and went the wrong way excursion.
Off they went then off the sweeper went to make sure no-one was still at the coffee shop and off I went too.
This leg took us back down the road and up Okuti Valley on to the shingle roads that take you over the hill and around near the Akaroa Head then back down the hill back on to the seal (past the film crew setting up with the flash Car, I guess for an advert) and through Wainui and beyond.
We soon come to the first challenge stage. After a short discussion... i will if you will... we might as well give it a go, we can always turn around..etc etc and the fact that my tires are not very knobbly so i will have to avoid stopping, ha ha, we headed up the hill and promptly got lost. We weren't the only ones lost as we met another bike that was coming back out the gate that we thought we were supposed to go through. Then the sweeper came by and showed us the way. Turned out to be only ten meters back up the road then up the slope a little. Anyway it started out ok. The grass got longer and the odd rock showed up, then we passed the next gate and the track took us up into the trees, all very nice but I went into the left wheel rut and up the hill round the bend the bush got a little more overgrown on my side and the ground become damper. I smacked the bush with my left hand guard several times and it took my foot of the peg and broke my left mirror. It was about then i tried to cross out of the rut. I got the front out but of course the back decided it liked it there and thats about when i tested the crash bars out. They are worth their weight in gold. Green meanie was next up the hill and with no way past me he and the Sweeper helped me pick up my bike and gave me a push to get traction sending me on my way up the hill again. If i had got into the right side rut to start with i would probably have made it all the way up without help. I'll remember that if i go that way again.
Up the top and back on sealed road it was time for the tool kit to come out and re adjust both mirrors and fix the throttle again. This time it was jammed against the bark busters so i couldn't turn it much. Plug and i pared up and things seemed to be going well until i found i couldn't match the next instruction with our current surroundings. Time for a rest and some lunch. The official lunch stop was in Akaroa by the bakery but Plug and I both packed our own and were now hungry and had a nice view. After lunch we back tracked, found the turn off i had missed (i had the route sheet, Plug was playing follow the leader) and carried on to Akaroa where the rest of them were getting ready to leave.
The rest of the ride took us up and down hills in and out of bays with more than enough shingle and dirt roads to give me a very well defined clay goatee from the open venting of the MX helmet. The second time i dropped the Transalp was when we headed past the place Plug and I had stopped for lunch while lost. I had stopped, then moved forward a couple of meters to talk to green meanie and promptly fell over when the front wheel skidded and i failed to hold her. I think maybe Plug should hold on to the chocolate fish he reckons i should get for making it to the start on time and give it to green meanie for having to help me pick the Alp up again.
The final leg took us on a road i know well from Port Levy over the Western Valley Road back to Little River for a rest and chat then we headed home.

It was a great day and I look foward to the next one.

[far queue]

Great ride report there Transalper

[dangerous]

Here's my photos, Last pict is at the end in Little river.

Ahhhh, so that was you lot that we saw in little river.
Lemans flaged me down as I ploughed past on the MG Griso.... when I went back to see what the fuss was about I noticed a couple of other KBer's... was woundering if you knew who every one was.
Looks like ya all hade a great time.... find me a spear bke and Ill do the next one with ya's

[Transalper]

Lemans flaged me down as I ploughed past on the MG Griso.... when I went back to see what the fuss was about I noticed a couple of other KBer's... was woundering if you knew who every one was.

It has suprised me just how many KBer's I have already met and ridden with before joining. Lemans, green meenie and I done several trips up the waimack last summer together. Then there are some ex Plains members or friends of, and one or two such as Plug who showed me alternative ways to get to the Brass Monkey, i've met through rallys.

[laRIKin]

It is a real small world down here, for sure.

You and your partner may be interested in the Omihi trail ride.
There is a easy way around and will not be to hard a ride to do.
But there is a long up hill ride (the cars will look like rice) and of course
a long slow ride back down.
All switch backs so its not to bad.
You may be able to do it on the Transalp.