7.00 am Saturday morning and I'm off to Ginger's Roadhouse. Brain fart! Where's Gingers? Back to home to the phone book. Lot numbers don't show on the GPS!
Start the computer, google gingers, see map, ahhh, I'm on the road at last and late
Big group of riders at Ginger''s all listening to Digger handing out the rules and regs, bugger missed most of that...
Finally on the road, big group of 15, could make it interesting. Dressed for the rain, and as always, no rain to speak of and soon overheating in the rain suit...
Stopped somewhere up the highway to photograph the regional spectacle, beginning of the wildflowers, green fields and a lake! A lake you may well ask? An enormous salt lake that is covered in water, almost makes one think one is in the wrong country. That water won't be there for long... bit of sun and it'll be all over.
Bill and Chris stop to take a photo of me taking a photo of the spectacle
Onya Bill...
Before you know it we've left the tar behind, thankfully the dirt has been watered (rained on) and there is no dust. Can you imagine? 15 bikes! I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. After a short scene setting sojourn up a farm road, the trail finally petering out then doing an about face and waving at the farm house again on the way out
I'm sure Bill is having an interesting time with a Tourance on the front of his GSA
On track again, and with the dust laid we all make good time via Mullewa to the first overnight camp about 100km up the Mullewa -Carnarvon road. Tents are set, Helinox chairs positioned, tucker in bowls, a refreshing whiskey in hand and a campfire warming our tortured bodies, well not really, not yet anyway, shaken yes, but I'm just setting the scene. Not many late night stay-ups here. Too much excitement from that last 100 kms or so of corrugated loose windrowed dry dusty dirt road with the threat of more to come... and it does, so we had better get used to it or... Well Bill and Chris did. Again, not surprised with a Tourance on the front. Bloody brave making it thus far
A spectacular sunset prevails... get used to it, you're going to hear that word a lot, spectacular, spectacular. This blazing scene is one of the many reasons I love this country of ours so much
Sunday morning, up early and on the track, corrugated loose windrowed dry dusty dirt road continues, I have a couple of big tank slapper, near high-sides and stop to crank up that steering damper to steady the big baby down. Thankfully this works to control the front-end. My heart can re-start again
And wouldn't you know it, we strike bitumen!!!! How long can this last I ponder... all the way to the Murchison Roadhouse plus 1km. Unbelievable
Fuel up here, bike and body, even tuck away a coffee. Very hospitable lot there, recommend a stay-over. Apparently 150 parties did the weekend before for an Astro Viewing event. Our planet passing through the tail of a comet creating the Perseid meteor shower, apparently. Understandable location considering the crystal clear night skies found out in the remote Murchison. http://meteorshowersonline.com/perseids.htmlSomewhere along the way we stop at the infamous Murchison River bridge for an obligatory photo stop. I wander around snapping madly.
Shane shoots me, ta mate...
We notice the military sunbaking in the background.
Suddenly I'm last again? Thankfully Shane is a patient sweep
On to the Tathire Creek crossing, surprisingly there is still water flowing over the floodway. Another obligatory photo stop. Phil passed without making waves, thanks mate
Hey, it's my ride report, there should be a photo or two of me
You know that Dianese jacket I'm wearing is nigh on 20 years old. Good gear that...
So from here it starts getting serious. We are venturing into very remote areas now. A rest break is called to re-group the group. Did I mention 'DUST'! Time for a drink in the shade under the corner sign. Mt Augustus this way ---> 206 kms
Murchison Settlement 192 km behind us and 390 km back to Mullewa.
Wildflowers starting to pop their little heads up. Country is very dry. They get about 200mm of rain up here, sounds good enough, but it's all in a day or two. Hence the myriad floodways in any condition you would care to name.
Jamie sets off unexpectedly on his DR. I quickly gear up, catch up and overtake him in double quick time. The country is getting very interesting. It's deadly out here and beautiful at the same time. As I approach a Gnamma Hole, a bloody great dust cloud bears down on me. Bloody great road train
I stop at the Gnamma Hole and wait out the dust and for the someone to catch up... No one does 
What's a Gnamma Hole I hear you ask? Firstly it supports wildflowers ergo there must be water
Warned you that there would be photos of me. Here is the biennial silly photo of me and wildflowers.
On the dusty trail again, better to call it powder trail, any movement lifts the dust into the air, like travelling through water, only it's dry. Again for the 100th time, I think, "Glad I'm not walking". Finally make it to the Mt Augustus turn-off, and there's John on his 800 GS.We briefly touch base and get back to the track to Mt Augustus. After many kilometres of dusty powdery tracks, I catch my first sight of Mt Augustus. Note the corrugated powder track
Here's a view of Mt Augustus from the other side. How I got to the other side is another story...
So arriving at the Mt Augustus Oasis, it's really the only way to describe it, green on red, water, caravan park, store, fuel, showers, what more could a dry thirsty rider want, ahh yes, and cold beer
Fueling up is a story by itself. The bowser is broken in that it can bowse, but not measure. So unleaded goes into a 20 litre plastic drum, Nev standing on a milk crate and pouring delicately hoping to get petrol inside the tank, Chris holds the short funnel, John does the photo shoot, both of them taking the piss hoping to see a GSA in flames no doubt
Well, somehow petrol was poured, none was spilled. I'm telling you my arms and back were aching. It was a slow pour, at $2 a litre I wasn't spilling any. The three bikes have their thirst slackened, now it's our turn The lady takes us to the shop to pay. Three at a time is enough she says. A bar with beer is in the next room. We inquire and are asked to be patient, pay for petrol first, then do the beer. Ah the beer One follows another... The group has arrived. Discussion prevails about staying here. $11 seems reasonable considering the remoteness of the location. No! it's wild bush camp tonight per the plan. Somehow John, Phil, and I have to re-focus through our beer glasses. Then out of the blue, one of the GS's has a flat rear tyre. Can you believe it looks like a Tourance? Out here. That's brave. Must have been a little slippery. Can it be fixed? A tubeless plug is fitted and thankfully it eventually inflates to a good pressure and holds. So the decision is made to go 20km to 40km out the road to Paraburdoo. Jamie again darts off. Again, I follow. It's about a kilometre out to the road. A bloody big dust bearing cloud enters the short road to Mt Augustus Tourist Park. I stop as I cannot see a bloody thing. Dust settles and Jamie has disappeared. So I'm off. At the intersection, I turn right, as we came from the left, and he wouldn't go back the way we came, well would he... So that's how I got to the other side of Mt Augustus. I normally catch Jamie quite quickly. I couldn't see anything as the sun was in my eyes. It was after 4pm and I was heading west. One must pay attention to the track. Don't want to go down... Anyhow some distance past Cobra Station, I'm thinking "Normally I would have passed Jamie 3 times in this distance"... So I'm starting to get worried, as the sun is too low by now and I'm 45 km out. So I turn around expecting to run into the others coming my way. No one, light is failing, there is stock, roos and goats abound. Starting to get scary as it's difficult to ride slow on the corrugated track. Finally back to Mt Augustus and it's getting close to dusk. The group has gone!!!??? I'm on my own. No one at Mt Augustus seems to know where they went. I've burnt 100 km of fuel and need to fill prior to going out again. Petrol opens again at 8 am on Monday morning. Guess that means I'm staying. Pay my $11, through down my camp bed and sleep under the ground sheet to get as early a start as I can given that fuel is available at 8.The local tourists are incredibly hospitable. The lone KTM rider offers ice for my single can of beer. Another couple from NSW beckon me to join them for dinner ???? Tom from England offers more beer and I'm settled in for the night
At sunrise, I take out the camera, but cannot do the scenery justice...
So after fueling up again, and discovering the circuitous route to the Pingandy Road to Paraburdoo, I'm off hoping to catch the group. The first third of the 300 km of Pilbara remoteness I have to traverse is mostly a narrow windy 2-wheel track. It is full of wash-outs and floodways. Crests mostly have turns on the other side. Treacherous and absolutely beautiful country. Probably the best off road riding through some of the most scenic country I've done in a long time. It could be described as the Austrian Alps without bitumen, greenery or other road users. Superb riding enjoyment. Digger put together a great plan getting us here.
Many invisible wash-outs in almost white dusty sand later, I thinking that Chris' idea of yellow sunglasses was not a bad idea to make out track detail in bright sunlight. I bottom out the suspension a few times and manage to stay upright. Had one massive tank-slapper. With the steering damper as tight as I had it, I was thrown into the air still firmly gripping the handlebars still pointing straight ahead, the rear flapping around a few too many times, then magically all was ok. Either I'm getting better or the steering damper is worth it's weight in gold.
Make it safely to the turn-off to the Ashburton Downs Road. Relieved but absolutely enjoying the riding.
I've gotta take my hat off to BMW. This R1200 GSA is a fantastic performer given it's weight and size, combined with the load. Just get on the gas, stand up and enjoy
So onwards, occasionally pulling off the right side of track to stay out of the dust cloud of Casey Australia tour coaches.
And would you believe it, I catch up to my group!!!!!!!!!!
Sidling up alongside Shane the sweep, acknowledging this momentous occasion (for me anyway), I move on. Suddenly I'm passing the Happy Bike nipping along at 85 km/hr
And then Jamie getting towed
Not good. Then the Happy Bike overtakes Jamie and the tow bike. So I follow him. Overtaking the Happy Bike, I go through the Ashburton Downs station and cross the Ashburton River. 
It's steep going down to the crossing, so I think that this will make a good photo opportunity
So I park off the track, get out the water, a snack and the camera and wait. It's getting hot, but I'm in the shade, still hot, 28 degrees... No one comes? Finally after about half an hour the Happy Bike comes through... Finally they are here.
Shane on the HP2 comes through and another DR.
Then nothing??? Where are the others???
So I wait another 20 minutes and think that catching up to Shane and Happy is a good plan. So I pack and get on it. And wouldn't you know it, no sign of them?????
So I finally make it to the Paraburdoo Road, bitumen now. I need fuel so I leg it to Paraburdoo...
More to come later...
nev out...
In the morning, it contains less than half a litre of dark brown liquid. That can't be good I'm thinking. This next day, I drink constantly, about 4 litres went inside my dry sack of bones. The following morning, I had almost filled the plastic bottle with clear fluid, and I'm feeling good. It's clear to me now that drinking water is very important. Dehydration can lead to poor decision making or worse... Message to self: Drink more water.
