SOUTHERN SOJOURN @ MT TRIO: October 24-25, 2020 + PIX

[spacey1]

Camping at Mt Trio, near the Porongurups, bush camping with access to toilets.

Help inject some cash into our Southern neighbours economy.

Mt Trio is recovering from the Bush fires of earlier this year and they expect a fantastic wildflower season this spring.

Register your interest on the Club website: https://www.bmwmccwa.asn.au/

[Cookie]

Weather is looking good, join us for a jaunt in the South West - there will be some dirt roads, but you can get there on sealed roads if desired.

I will be on the RT so nothing too serious

[Cookie]

1 week to go, pack your camping gear and meet at the Servo on corner of GEHwy and Resolution Drive Ascot at 8am, next meeting point servo on Corner Del Park rd, North Dandalup around 9.15am Saturday 24th October.

[Bolton]

Hi All. Was planning to go on this trip, but vicisitudes of life got in the way. Have fun all.

[Swampy]

Hi All, To all of you following Cookie down south this Saturday, Have a good ride, Enjoy the brilliant Spring like weather and above all, Stay Upright

Here's hoping that your tent stays erect, Your mattress does not go down on you and the bugs don't bite!!

Swampy

[Cookie]

Thanks Swampy, weather is looking fantastic, some of the Geraldton crew will be joining us for the ride.

[spacey1]

Congrats to Cookie for putting together a great ride down to Mt Trio.
Nice group size of 10'ish pulled out of the city and met up with Geraldton members at North Dandalup. HRG and Robbo joined us later from a dirt-only route.
I received tail-end-charlie duties. The corner marker system worked a treat. Everyone did the right thing, ergo no riders were lost or geographically embarassed.

The chosen route turned out to be very scenic through some surprisingly winding country roads. It's harvest time in our Great Southern with machines in the fields harvesting crops, and cutting and baling hay.

As we got closer to Mt Trio, on the last straight stretch, Salt River Road, I thought it time to drag out the camera. I promised myself that I would stop if 'that' photo called.




Catching up with the group at the Mt Trio Campgrounds turn-off, we wandered down the last dirt leg to the campgrounds. The crops all look set for a successful harvest.

Western Australia's Stirling Ranges really do present a beautiful sight.








Apparently some of the oldest land on our Earth.

An ancient landform ( https://www.environment.gov.au/heritage ... ling-range )
The range stretches for 65 kilometres from east to west and the tallest peak Bluff Knoll stands at 1059 metres above sea level.

At 2500–2900 million years old the bedrock of the Stirling Range is composed of metamorphosed sandstones and shales, believed to have originated from an ancient sea. This historic bedrock is the remains of part of the original continental landmass when Australia was part of the super-continent Pangaea and provides important evidence of the formation of the stunning Stirling Range.

Arriving at the Mt Trio campgrounds, I found our group well underway setting up tents for the night.
An honesty system is in place for admission. Superb facilities are available for cooking, showers and toilets. And importantly, plenty of available camping space.

http://www.mttrio.com.au/camp_facilities.html

[spacey1]

And so after a fun evening of sharing food / wine / laughter / sordid stories, we headed off to bed.

It turned into an unbelievably windy night... understatement! The wind did howl and gust... all night.

The following morning our group of riders split into separate groups for the journey home.

Cookie and company headed back to York on the tar.


HRG and Robbo took the dirt option as expected.

Two riders decided to make their own way back on tar/dirt options.


One of our Geraldton members didn't camp but chose to hotel it in Albany.

I slept in for as long as I dare as I was heading down to Kalgan.

[spacey1]

Helping out at the farm proved to be my demise this trip.

The grass was nearly a metre high, green and lush, and full of seed. After helping with the fire pump and scouting the paddocks where piles of trees were burning, hayfever got the better of me.
Burning, watery, itchy eyes combined with streaming nasal passages, I was relegated to the house...
Thanks again to Jeff and Sandra for your hospitality and for making sure I got to the pharmacy in Albany without incident. With drugs and drops, my condition improved somewhat.
However with the howling northerly blowing in pollen and seed, it was impossible to stay in that environment.

So early Monday morning ( 08.00 hrs ), I started the bedrudgingly ardous ride back to Perth, pushing into / across a 40 km/hr - 60 km/hr northerly head-wind. I headed east out to Manypeaks, up to Chillinup Road, then across to Chester Pass Road, stopping...


For 'that' photo...


Up to the Stirling Ranges, I stopped at the Formby South Road intersection, my reference photo location ( http://forum.bmwmccwa.asn.au/viewtopic. ... 295#p20426 - May 2020 ) from a previous trip. The damage from the summer bushfires on the Stirling Ranges is still clearly obvious and long lasting.




From there, it was up to Gnowangerup, Katanning, Narrogin, out to Pumphreys Bridge, North Bannister, then the last leg on Albany Highway into Perth. 560km arriving home around 15.00 hrs... exhausted from pushing for so long into that headwind...

The BMW R1250 GSA did it's part effortlessly. Cruise control on set to 100km/hr. The fuel consumption with a full touring load and pushing into those headwinds was reasonable at 5.5 litres/100km. The old bike easily pushed 6 litres/100km or more under those same conditions.

Again thanks Cookie for your planning. To Jeff and Sandra for the awesome country hospitality. Hope your hand improves quickly so the HD can get another outing.
And to my riding buddies for sharing the experience.

spacey out...

[Kots]

Great shots Nev.

Cookie made it from the Stirlings to lunch in York at the end of the GS Ride which left from Stratton. Big effort Cookie. Well done.

Kots