from ear to ear .
That night we shared more stories around the campfire and drank more beer , and despite my shoulder , I had forgotten how restless and frustrated I had been just a few days before hand . There is something incredibly special about getting away into the wild places . The chaotic pace of the rat race seems to dwindle away and for a few days you can switch off and immerse yourself in simply being in the moment . No service , no phone calls , just a few beers , some good company , and a crimson sunset ; the simple things .
The following morning my shoulder was still stiff , I couldn ’ t lift my arm past vertical .
“ That ’ s fine ,” I thought , I could still hold onto the handlebars .
A giant monkey was sitting on my back for this one . I was determined to finish the tour with the group . The others helped me to prep my bike and we all set off together back into the mountains . David had a new pair of motocross pants on , one of the others in the group had an old pair he didn ’ t need any more and Dave was a perfect fit . Again , grinning from ear to ear , he was really starting to get into it once again , and was looking increasingly like an adventure rider every day .
Our third day saw us ride through some beautiful rolling farmlands on winding country roads . I ’ d be lying if I weren ’ t grateful for the more relaxed pace , herds of cows looked on as our convoy rode past , some running along the road as we slowed to a crawl to pass within metres of the herd .
We crossed more rivers and assisted one another as one river threatened to drag our bikes away in the current . After lunch , we rode back up into the mountain ranges and looked out over some spectacular views . I was doing my best to keep up , and at one moment , I looked over my shoulder to see a few other riders banked up behind me . The guys knew I was injured ; they were happy to sit behind me instead of riding past as they knew that would certainly make me want to ride beyond my abilities . Hats off to them for their silent support .
We finally rolled into our base camp at Mount Taylor , aside from a few minor injuries , everyone got through unscathed .
Red eyed and covered in dust from head to toe we all shook hands and congratulated one another with a well-earned beer .
Over the course of the three days the guys had ridden just over 800 kilometres across some of the wildest terrain in the country . If someone had told us what we were in for on day one , perhaps we might have reconsidered . There were moments of fear , uncertainty , challenges to overcome and obstacles that required us to come together as a team to work through them . And through the adversity a group of strangers who shared a similar passion for adventure had come together to complete something unique . And that ’ s what this tour company is all about , it ’ s raising the bar , pushing you out of your comfort zone … we were taken to the next level . BB
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