After downing a few celebratory drinks , ‘ Jack ’ rose from his stool , the celebration drinks acting like lubrication for his joints , moving a little spritelier than when he first arrived . With a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag , depositing it neatly in the carry basket on his scooter then declared “ Time to go and celebrate with the missus !” A wistful grin , a cheeky glint in his eye , and a twist of his right wrist , Jack and his mobility scooter silently glided off .
Sofala was also a meeting point , catching up with Dave and Ged . Dave was keen to show off his new to him Suzuki VStrom 1000 and have an introduction to ‘ Adventure Riding ’. While Ged was happy to follow us in the alleged ‘ comfort and security ’ of his ute and be ready to take pictures of us if we fell off ! What else are good mates for ? Right ?
Concrete causeways and water crossings have a special place for me – preferably a place far , far
away from where I intend to ride . Particularly those with water over the causeway and even more so those with green moss covering the concrete . Upper Turon Rd between Sofala and Capertee has 3 concrete causeways across the Turon River . Heavy rain had increased the volume , depth , and velocity of the water . I chatted to a few of the local characters at the pub in an effort to gain some local intelligence . The river was definitely up , the water was definitely over the causeways , green moss wasn ’ t so much of a problem – more the accumulation of gravel on the approach and departure . The third crossing was the longest and the most dangerous . Oh , and according to ‘ Jack ’, a bloke on motorbike was recently swept off the causeway , and another bloke in a car was was swept off and down the river .
A decision was made to make the short journey to the first causeway and ‘ check it out ’. On arrival , learning from experience , I ' d gotten off the GSA and walked into the water , checking the depth and the base . There had been a fair bit of gravel on the approach , the base definitely solid concrete , the water around knee deep and the velocity well up .
After a few minutes of deliberation , the decision had been made to give it a go . Ged went through first in his ute , with me following . The understanding I had was Dave would follow me . Commitment and perseverance definitely the order for this crossing . Words from a ride along Hunter Rd with 20 creek crossings rang loudly in my ears , “ Just hit it fucking hard !”.
Following Ged in his ute seemed like a promising idea , thinking the ute would forge a break in the water , like Moses and the Red Sea . It hadn ' t quite worked that way , the velocity and volume of the water ensured the water displaced by the ute was
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