Big Bend 2006

It had been too long since we'd done a ride together, so we planned an off-road adventure in Big Bend. Tom and Lee trucked out there with Lee's DR-Z400 and my borrowed KLR for Tom.

I re-mounted the original knobbies, and rode the Big Beast there. Since I had all day, I eschewed the Interstate for the back roads (well, as much as there are on the way to Big Bend).

Here's the route I took:



I left at 8:30 in the morning, arriving in the Chisos Basin for an early dinner at about 5:00 p.m.

Lee and Tom left San Antonio around 3:00, and via I-10 arrived in Terlingua around 9:30 pm.

Lee on Black Gap Road in Big Bend

You wouldn't know it from how smoothly Lee rides up this, but there are some gnarly ledges and big rocks. I was near death riding up this on the Beemer....

BB ORBIT

We (Lee, Tom and I) have just returned from our Big Bend Off Road Biking Investigative Trip and here's a sample of what we found ...

Video from New Zealand

This is Amy and I on the Zip line ride across Buller Gorge. Wowza!

Thursday's Sunset ...

Beautiful!

Two more mouths to feed ...

If it weren't enough that we already feed two dogs, three cats, two squirrels, several foxes, and about a thousand birds, we've added two more hungry animals to the ranch...



I have to admit, it's kind of neat having llamas wandering around the property though...

Heaven is ...

Over our head, as well as under our feet ... (with apologies to Mr. Thoreau)

Places we have visited

Places in red are ones we have visited together.

We've done pretty well in the US, but we have a way to go world-wise.

The below is misleading--we have not been to all fifty states.



Places we've visited by car or plane...




Places we've been on the motorcycle...
Looks like we need to expand our riding horizons North/South, eh?

I close this trip with ...

An Australian Love Song ...
(warning, large file, ~17 meg)

I think I now know why I didn't want to finish posting the trip ...

Because this is an acknowledgment that the trip is truly over, and that hurts. I guess that's something I'll have to live with. (Until the next one!)

Finale - What a trip--a good gang of folks on the Milford...

Guides and trampers alike...

Milford Trek Day 4

We went for a cruise on the Milford Sound...



One of the few "permanent" waterfalls in the area....



Captain! There be penguins!




"The 8th Wonder of the World" - Rudyard Kipling ...

Procrastinators of the world, um, wait just a minute...

This is pathetic. We've been back from Down Under for months and still haven't finished posting.

Milford Trek day 3

It rained all night, and kept raining on Day three. The waterfalls began to appear.



Now entering "safe area???" I never saw the sign that said we were entering a "danger area!"



We started climbing, and finally made it Pass Hut around two in the afternoon.





We were a bit damp from all the rain...

Okay I lied ...

Sorry, but the previous post will not be the last of Day 2.  We have too many good pictures from that day to leave them out(and not enough of the following rainy days).

Only 3 vacation days left.  (not counting the 37 hours of travel to get home).

Sometimes the trail looked like this:


And sometimes like this: (It got more like the latter the further we got.)



Eight miles down—25 and ½ to go!


At last, Pomplona Lodge ....


Those Sandflies are nasty creatures! Drew blood from my lady love after just a few minutes’ exposure during laundry duty.


The evening’s Pictionary group:  (clockwise from front left) Doris, Amy, Leah, Kyoko.

Final part of Day 2--Promise! (we took lots of pix that day)

Lunch!


Stunning mountains and crystal clear streams ....


Tony, Nigel, Amy, Tim


The land of waterfalls

Day 2 (continued)

Pomplona Lodge (four hours away), was our evening destination. We rolled in at about four in the afternoon.



Gorgeous!



Lovely!



With about 9 meters of rain a year, erosion is a significant factor in the trails. This section will probably be washed away in the next few rains. The trail will then be re-routed a bit further from the river.



They had "long drop" toilets along the track. Unfortunately, the drop wasn't nearly long enough. :-P

Milford Trek day 2

We had a chilly start the next morning. The grass was covered with frost.



This was the first of many swing bridges along the route. (Amy: Don't look down. Tim: I'm looking down!)



This area is a rain forest, with towering trees everywhere.



Amy in front of the oldest tree on the trek, a red beech approximately 700 years old. Unfotunately, it won't be getting any older as it has passed on, and is now decaying.



The trail itself was smooth and level, making for easy walking. It didn't last.

Milford Track Day one (con't)

:-)

Arrival at the first night's lodge ...



A bush robin. They look for bugs disturbed by your foot scuffing up leaves ...



Nice views!



Weirdest of all--You can drink from streams here! Ahhhhh!