AtomSun Jul 27 16:43:32 2008
Manly Dam Trails Again
With an inordinate amount of 'up'
Surfing yesterday, including The Biggest Wave Ever, but no pictures, so you won't believe me. Damn cold, it was too. Anyway.
Many people assume that, once the initial purchase is made, cycling is essentially free. This week I discovered a new definition of 'free'. 'That'll be free hundred bucks, madam' said the friendly mechanic to the wonderful one who had taken my bike in to be serviced. The actual quote was 'This bike has had a hard life'. Apparently, the chain and cassette were FUBAR. I don't doubt this at all, since I've done around 2,000km of trails wih no maintenance beyond replacing (many, many) blown tubes. So today, just to test the repairs out a bit, I pottered over to Manly Dam again. The new drive chain components made changing gear a positive pleasure. It didn't skip once all day.
Manly Dam trails go all around the lake. Obviously, reservoirs need to be in valleys. If they weren't the water would run away. 'Valley' is really a polite way of saying 'Two hard climbs and two steep descents per circuit'. These trails don't stop at two.The amounts of 'up' and 'down' are not rationed. Take all you want. For example:
This is an easy bit. Honestly. Almost counts as flat.
Cameras flatten terrain. The drop in this picture is around ten metres.
The descent starts with 'This is fun', matures to 'There is no way I'm climbing back up this', develops through 'Shiiiiii-skid-slide-panic' to 'At least all the bodies will collect at the bottom' and finishes with a flourish of pure verticality in a beautiful little stream bed.
That's the 'down' bit done. Since we're not finished, that can only mean one thing...
This huge raven (Corvus coronoides, I looked it up) was grubbing around for sticks. Since it's almost Spring, it may be thinking about nest-building.
There's good eating on one of those.
After some unnecessarily demanding climbing (I may have had to push for a bit), the GPS led me back to the starting point, and I came home just before a truly astonishing thunderstorm broke. Eighteen miles, a little under two hours, max speed fifty-lots kph down to Spit Bridge. Just on the legal side.
It'll take my legs a week to recover from that. Time for some beer.