A Wintersun Adventure Part 2

Days 2 & 3 - Balranald–Mildura

Just a short run from Bally to Mildura. Ted from the Shamrock Motel told me at breakfast that two riders had come in the previous night in the dark and the rain, and he thought they were heading to Wintersun as well. They were. We all got chatting while I was loading up the Bomber, and my new “friends”, Steve & Ollie from Sydney, invited me to ride the rest of the way with them. Thanks guys!

And a pleasant ride it was too, in lovely weather (apart from a horse that was spooked by the bikes in Euston – I thought it was about to gallop right into us!)

Nev & Jo met me in Mildura and I followed them to the rally venue, where we waited for Johno to arrive. I've been waiting to meet Johno for EVER, and he was just as much fun as I'd expected. AND he's not as ancient as everybody had led me to believe (either that, or he IS ancient, and he has a Dorian Gray picture in the attic somewhere!)

pic used with permission Craig Galbraith. L-R, Jo, Johno, Betty

People arrived, by and by, and pretty soon there were about 15 of us from aus.moto.

Tents were put up, shopping was done, the campfire was lit (Jo is an absolute demon fire-maker!) and the fun began. There was much checking of the Bureau of Meteorology radar on iPhones, some general tweeting and a bit of Facebooking. I bet rallies weren't like that in the old days!

There was great hilarity and much laughter. Many Mallee-burgers were scoffed, and then the rain came down. Lots of rain.

My stupid tent was full of water and all my gear was soggy by the time I went to bed, and late-night thoughts of flash-flooding and drowning in my tent caused a mini-panic that was masterfully averted by Johno and Pisshead (you guys rock!) One day I'll turn it into a comedy skit, but at the time it was pretty horrible.

So that was Friday.

Saturday dawned, but I missed it. I also missed Johno leaving, although I heard he had a mishap in the mud. It was seriously slippery out there. Anyway, people spent the rest of the weekend talking about Johno's skidmarks (aren't friends fabulous?)

It took a while for me to regain my equilibrium (and possibly my sobriety) on Saturday, but regain it I did. The nice thing about something like Wintersun is that you can do as much or as little as you want.

Like the gymkhana. Our very own G-S won the bungee-pull again (YAY TEAM!), with brute strength and a bit of ballast. G-S & Jodz both ended up covered in mud, and Molly didn't – how does that work, that grown-ups can be muddier than a 7 year-old?

So Jodz took a spill in the mud, and poor Kat nearly knocked her own head off – ouch! It made my eyes water just watching it! Smee got some great video clips: They're on youtube...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgbM1xylO3U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvqdGi5UN0Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBxqOqrJY2A
One thing led to another, and somehow more wine was drunk that evening, and there was even more laughter on Saturday than there'd been on Friday.



AND – aus.moto won the Best Club Representation award (how ironic, for a 'virtual club'!) YAY TEAM!



There were kisses by the campfire and a dry tent, too. Does life get any better?