A Day of Rest
The morning after and some of the party are feeling the ill effects of last night. Someone had put a couple of bricks under Shaymo swag which added some more bruising to the torso that the USS Missouri had inflicted on him over the last 7 days. Statt removed the 2 folded camp chairs under his bedding before he crashed out; maybe he was not as intoxicated as first thought? He may be a mountain man from Tassie, but he knows when someone has been messing with his feather Goose down Duvet.
We all decided that bike maintenance was more important than sightseeing so it was all hands on deck to get these tasks completed. All bikes had an oil change, air filter clean and a good going over for any loose bolts or wear and tear. Once the mechanical jobs were done it was on to cosmetic duties. Tony our “A” grade plastic technician remodeled Scotty’s broken windscreen, cleaned it and refitted and didn’t it look a treat. Shaymo’s Tenere got some loving and looked about 80% as good as the day it left Hillary’s. Troy’s got the whole going over and he somehow fitted a wild emu draped in the Australian Flag onto the front fender. Sharlene is her name, and she is in for one hell of a bumpy ride. The 530 and 400 just got the basics as their riders love the rugged look of a well traversed KTM.
Six of the guys opted for the aerial view in a helicopter over Ayres Rock and the Olga’s, Robbo opted for the old fashioned “go have a look and climb it attitude”. Robbo in his wisdom took off without checking his fuel level which will come into play late in the evening.
The helicopters were booked and so the guys headed over for some lunch while Robbo headed to the Olga’s. Spending a good 2 hours, doing some walks and talking to some other tourists it was time to head for Ayres Rock. About 20kms from the Olga’s and 30kms to go the 530 coughed for fuel a few times and needed to be switched over to reserve. Another 10kms it coughed again and the second reserve tap was switched over and with a further 20kms to go, it wasn’t looking very good as the camp site was a combined 40kms from where he was. At the last roundabout nearing the rock the 530 finally coughed and the fire in the engine ceased, but at 100km/h there was enough inertia to roll into the car park at the base of Ayres Rock. Mmmmm, this can’t be good?
The wind had been strong for the last 4 days and the climb to the top of Ayres rock had only just been opened. Robbo saw that climbing the rock was far more important that getting back to camp so he headed skyward. It had been 31 years since he climbed it, and true to word didn’t touch the climbing chain going up or down. For anyone who has climbed the rock, they can tell you it is pretty steep and if you happened to slip, it would be messy once you hit the bottom. The wind was still incredibly strong at the top, but the view is something that you’ll never forget. Robbo met another bike rider (Glenn) on the ascent who would gladly give him 1.5 liters of fuel to get home. Glenn was more hardcore than Robbo, he wore his motor cycle boots for the climb and Robbo only wore running shoes. A definite good effort in boots!
While Robbo was scaring old ladies up and down Uluru the rest of us went for the executive tour in the Robinson 44 Helicopter, simply awesome is all I can say. see the photos
We all made it back to camp late in the day and watched the sun set over Uluru and the Olga’s for the last time on this trip. Back over to the Hotel for dinner and early to bead as we are heading for Finke tomorrow.
Another epic day and we are all looking forward to the next 9 days
Halfway up Uluru
Half way up Uluru looking up
Our Chopper
Olgas
Great Shot
How Lovely
Shaymo loving a break and a little second hand after last night at the pub
