St Helens is Still Awesome - Part 2

Friday, 9 October 2020

Many of the orienteers who came up for the week also took their mountain bikes as St Helens is now a fantastic place to ride.  So we went riding nearly every day and it was great.   There are heaps of trails now, including a huge one which opened the day we arrived. 

It was particularly great getting Jett out on his bike as he doesn't get out much, but it was also nice getting out for a ride with orienteering friends which we don't get much chance to do at home.

Meisha and I got ourselves dropped off at Loila Tier so that we could do the long and fun journey back to the trail head. This is a photo from right before my well captured stack..

 

This is my stack:

 And this is where my bike ended up afterwards.

 

A few people have asked why Meisha was filming me, given she (presumably) didn't know what was going to happen. It's not really possible to see from the footage but I was attempting to get over a tricky (for me) section of track. I'd already stopped and walked over it before deciding to give it a go on my bike. So while I took myself back up the track to get a run-up, Meisha got in position to take photos of me victoriously overcoming the obstacles.  Unfortunately the spot where I got on the bike didn't give me enough lead-up momentum to clear the last ledge bit in the track, but fortunately Meisha had decided to film the event rather than take photos!

And amazingly, apart from some grazes and broken sunglasses, I was pretty much fine. Which is more than Jon can say after a much less spectacular fall on the Bay of Fires track that we rode a few days later!  He was so concerned about his deepish graze that he visited the fancy new St Helens hospital to make sure it didn't need stitches.  In fact a lot of orienteers visited the hospital that week as a result of various misadventures, the most mundane of which was someone cutting their thumb very deeply from opening the curtains in their accomodation and hitting the rough corner of a brick on their follow through!  

 It was really lovely riding with Jett (and a shame that Zali isn't interested in riding - although to be fair her last new bike was when she was about 12).

We rode down from the Loila Tier a few times together and he also rode with his friends. Jett, Jon and I did the Bay of Fires track with Meisha's family, ending up at Swim Cart beach where we had to wait a while for our personal shuttle busses to arrive.

 

 

 

It was blowing a gale that day so it wasn't pleasant to wait on the beach unless you wanted to have a few layers of skin sandblasted off! 

Unfortunately by the next day the wind had picked even more so the orienteering was cancelled and bush fire alerts were in place for a burn-off that hadn't been put out properly earlier in the week.  After sitting at home smelling the smoke for much of the day we eventually went for a walk at Binalong Bay which was nice.  The next day we were able to run at the last event of the week before driving home.

All up it was a great week. We had such a fun time hanging out and doing things with all our orienteering friends. We are very lucky to live here and have a great orienteering community where everyone is pretty much up for any adventure. 

2016summary
Packing, shopping, packing. Sunday, 27 December 2020
Christmas Day 2020 Sunday, 27 December 2020
Adventures with GumTree Monday, 14 December 2020
Gingerbread House of Horrors. Sunday, 13 December 2020
Beautiful Summer Days Sunday, 13 December 2020
Before & After #48 : New Sofas! Wednesday, 9 December 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #38 Wednesday, 9 December 2020
Orienteering Christmas Event Wednesday, 9 December 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #37 Wednesday, 9 December 2020
Getting out Wednesday, 9 December 2020
The Two Capes Hike Monday, 30 November 2020
Crescent Beach Sunday, 29 November 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #39 Sunday, 29 November 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #38 Sunday, 29 November 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #36 Sunday, 22 November 2020
Hartz Moutains Sunday, 22 November 2020
My First (and probably last) Point to Pinnacle Sunday, 15 November 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #35 Friday, 13 November 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #34 Friday, 13 November 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #33 Friday, 13 November 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #32 Friday, 13 November 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #31 Sunday, 1 November 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #30 Sunday, 1 November 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #29 Sunday, 1 November 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #28 Sunday, 1 November 2020
Other projects Saturday, 31 October 2020
Streetscapes Saturday, 31 October 2020
All the things.. Saturday, 31 October 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #27 Monday, 12 October 2020
Back at home Friday, 9 October 2020
St Helens is Still Awesome - Part 2 Friday, 9 October 2020
St Helens is Still Awesome - Part 1 Friday, 9 October 2020
Yummy Bread Saturday, 26 September 2020
Misleading Claims Saturday, 26 September 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #26 Tuesday, 8 September 2020
Catnapping Tuesday, 8 September 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #25 Wednesday, 2 September 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #24 Wednesday, 2 September 2020
Happy Birthday Jett! Tuesday, 1 September 2020
Echidna in Peter Murrell Reserve Wednesday, 19 August 2020
Wednesday Walks Wednesday, 19 August 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #23 Monday, 10 August 2020
Dream Team Monday, 10 August 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #22 Monday, 10 August 2020
Accident on Mountain Circuit! Sunday, 9 August 2020
Freycinet Day 3 Monday, 27 July 2020
Freycinet Day 2 Monday, 27 July 2020
Freycinet in a Day Monday, 27 July 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #21 Tuesday, 21 July 2020
This time last year Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #20 Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Covid Benefits Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #19 Monday, 20 July 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #18 Sunday, 19 July 2020
From the bottom to the top Sunday, 19 July 2020
My Birthday and Recipe Challenge - Books #17 & 18 Tuesday, 14 July 2020
Local Adventures Monday, 13 July 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #16 Monday, 13 July 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #15 Sunday, 5 July 2020
Almost Disappeared Tarn Sunday, 5 July 2020
New Phone, better photos Sunday, 5 July 2020
New views Friday, 3 July 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #14 Friday, 3 July 2020
Cockatoos Thursday, 2 July 2020
Things (not) to take up a mountain Thursday, 2 July 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #13 Thursday, 2 July 2020
Loopholes Part 2 Thursday, 2 July 2020
Happy Birthday Robin Sunday, 28 June 2020
Snug Falls and Dave Burrows Walk Sunday, 28 June 2020
Loopholes Sunday, 28 June 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #12 Wednesday, 24 June 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #11 Wednesday, 24 June 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #10 Sunday, 21 June 2020
Dark OFO Sunday, 21 June 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #9 Sunday, 14 June 2020
Recipe Challenge - Books #8 Sunday, 14 June 2020
Recipe Challenge - Books #7 Sunday, 7 June 2020
Other things Sunday, 7 June 2020
Recipe Challenge - Books #5 & 6 Sunday, 7 June 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #4 Tuesday, 2 June 2020
Zali Saturday, 30 May 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #3 Saturday, 30 May 2020
Recipe Challenge - Book #2 Thursday, 28 May 2020
Challenge Accepted - Book #1 Tuesday, 26 May 2020
Back to Peter Murrell Reserve Saturday, 16 May 2020
How to catch a cat Saturday, 16 May 2020
Small Amusements Thursday, 14 May 2020
Home Things - Zali Thursday, 14 May 2020
Home Things - Pinto Thursday, 14 May 2020
Home Things - Table Soccer Thursday, 14 May 2020
Zali's Hair Boutique Saturday, 25 April 2020
Before & After #47 : Deck Projects - Part 2 Saturday, 25 April 2020
Pittwater Dunes Tuesday, 21 April 2020
Dumb. Tuesday, 21 April 2020
Still Running Tuesday, 21 April 2020
Before & After #46 : Deck Projects - Part 1 Friday, 17 April 2020
Cute Thursday, 16 April 2020
House Orienteering Monday, 13 April 2020
More Local Activities Monday, 13 April 2020
Satisfaction Saturday, 11 April 2020
Friday? Friday, 10 April 2020
So today is probably Wednesday then. Wednesday, 8 April 2020
Is it Tuesday? Tuesday, 7 April 2020
Isolation Activities Sunday, 5 April 2020
Coronavirus Bread Wednesday, 1 April 2020
Golden times - for some anyway. Wednesday, 1 April 2020
Coronavirus Outbreak Wednesday, 1 April 2020
Home School day 2 Wednesday, 1 April 2020
Home School day 1 Monday, 30 March 2020
Whitewater Creek Map Monday, 30 March 2020
Craft projects not cancelled. Monday, 30 March 2020
Camping Food Monday, 30 March 2020
Closures Monday, 30 March 2020
Family Dinner Monday, 30 March 2020
Meehan Ranges Run Monday, 30 March 2020
Bruny Island Day Out Wednesday, 18 March 2020
Melbourne Sprint Weekend Saturday, 14 March 2020
Cathedral Rock & Montague Thumbs Loop - take 2 Wednesday, 26 February 2020
Before and After #45 - Garden Project Tuesday, 25 February 2020
Sourdough Saturday, 15 February 2020
Wellington Falls Saturday, 15 February 2020
NZ - Day 11 - Hawkes Bay to Hamilton Tuesday, 4 February 2020
NZ - Day 9 - STB - Day 2 Saturday, 1 February 2020
NZ - Day 8 - STB Day 1 Friday, 31 January 2020
NZ - Day 7 - Taupo to Havelock North Thursday, 30 January 2020
NZ - Day 6 - Rotorua Wednesday, 29 January 2020
NZ - Day 5 - Part 2 Tuesday, 28 January 2020
NZ - Day 5 - Part 1 Tuesday, 28 January 2020
NZ - Day 4 - Lonely Mountain Sprints - Day 3 Monday, 27 January 2020
NZ - Day 3 - Lonely Mountain Sprints Day 2 Sunday, 26 January 2020
NZ - Day 2 - Lonely Mountain Sprints Day 1 Saturday, 25 January 2020
NZ - Day 1 - Auckland to New Plymouth Friday, 24 January 2020
Hello NZ! Thursday, 23 January 2020
Frenchman's Cap 2020 - Day 4 Wednesday, 8 January 2020
Frenchman's Cap 2020 - Day 3 Wednesday, 8 January 2020
Frenchman's Cap - Day 2 Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Frenchmans Cap 2020 - Day 1 Monday, 6 January 2020
Guessed blog by Clare the favourite family friend Friday, 3 January 2020