Biking About with friends

Wednesday the 4th of February. Everyone found it hard to wake up that morning with sore legs, bum who couldn’t complain. Everyone’s hearts lightened up as they told us that we were riding on bitumen in the Innes National Park. We were also happy because we were told we were camping at Wambana again and that we wouldn’t have to pack our tents up and pitch them somewhere else. After an hours drive we got there and it looked as though it was going to be very undulated. Once we set up we then set off to try and reach brown beach which the sign said was 24km away.

After passing Stenhouse Bay, which was originally a mining settlement, we reached the peak of a massive hill. After a conversation of telling people not to overtake due to the danger we set down. We went lightning fast and I was terrified of loosing control and crashing but we the descent was quick and the feeling didn’t last long. I knew that it would be a pain riding back up the hill but that would have to wait till then for I had another 22km of riding till brown beach. We kept going at a fast pace and this could easily be sustained due to the fact that we were on bitumen. We got to the turn off to Ethel wreck and this was a worry because we were meant to turn off on the road a one km before.

So we set back and we reached the place that we were going to turn off to. It was a no entry road so that was probably the reason why we missed it. So we went forward again. When we reached the top of a fairly big hill Fitzy’s front tyre burst and we had to replace it. This took a while so we took a break and took in the wonderful view. After the tyre was fixed we headed out. We then got to a bit where there were a lot of up hills. We were going to go to the West Cape lighthouse. We got there and ate our lunch. There was also a fantastic view. When you looked left you could see where you had come from and when you looked right you could see a few islands which can be seen in the picture.

After lunch we set out again. The start was very nice as it was down hill and easy. After this we went and made a decision to go to Dolphin Bay which was a little closer than Brown Beach. About 7 km before Dolphin Bay we reached a dirt track. There were many bumps in the track and we all new that those bumps meant 2 things. A hard ride and a sore bum. We continued on this track for around half an hour. It felt a lot longer though as it was hard to ride and painful. We finally got the turn off to Dolphin Bay and we knew it wasn’t far away. When we got there everyone was looking forward to the lovely break that we were going to have. It had been a hot day and most people were dripping with sweat. We walked down and when we got to Dolphin Bay we were very surprised because in front of us was one of the best beaches that I have ever seen. There was lovely golden sand and nice, blue and clear water. I and a few other boys were content to sit on the beach and relax while most of the boys ran straight into the water.

The time came when we had to leave and many of us were disappointed. Who wouldn’t if they had to face the dirt road with lots of bumps again? We set out and it seemed a lot harder because it was mainly up hill. Finally we reached the bitumen and everyone except George was glad. George wasn’t that happy because he liked the bumps and thought they were fun. Riding was a lot easier now and before long we reached the massive hill. Everyone was dreading it and the people who had Asthma were suffering but many of us kept our legs ticking over one after the other. After lots of pain and suffering I finally made it to the top and I was surprised I did so because I was so tired at the end that I almost fell of my bike.

We reached the end before long and packed up the bikes. Everyone had a great sense of achievement of what they had done for the day and we set off back to Wambana. After a hurried lunch and a long story from Moff everyone thankfully headed off to bed.

The Highs of the day were going down the mountain at the start, the swim at Dolphin Bay, the beautiful scenery and the sense of achievement when I reached the top of the massive hill.
The Lows of the day were having to ride on the dirt road and the pain in going up the massive hill.