Heellloooooo, Flounder here (at least that’s who I feel like).
Soooo, my lessons (re-) learned this ride:
Bring your own tools. You always have ‘em all the other rides, and you never need em. But if you don’t bring ‘em just that once…you’re screwed! So, bring ‘em….that way you’ll never need ‘em!
Just ‘cos somebody else has tools, doesn’t mean you’ll be able to use them while they continue their ride (and you need a little more time fiddling around before you figure out whats wrong).
Matches, or a lighter, don’t rely on your buddies leftover 5 sticks where the heads are falling apart (but thankyouthankyuouthankyou for having ‘em).
I regained a little karma lost thru making you all wait by helping out a family where the kid got bitten by a tick. Mom asked if I had any matches (this was before the return of the lunch burger fries PBR brigade). I didn’t. Mom said her son had a tick stuck on him. I said that’s easy, lets take a look. Kid had a fair swollen inch or so around the tick in his side. Easy pinch twist pull and out it came. Yay! Good deed for the day!
The suggestion was made to slam the first PBR to get a buzz going. I considered that. But decided to nurse them beers instead. The burger really was awesome. A stone pillow, grassy bed, blue sky and ridged treeline made a fine dining room.
You would not believe the kinda shit squirrels get up to out in the wild. Reminded me of Scrat. Trying to haul off pinecones triple their size…
Hiked around a bit, within view of the bike (oh, maybe a good idea to bring a bike lock n chain as well), along the creek, up a hill, thru some brambles. Gathered a bunch of firewood. Remembered I had my phone (no bars tho) and listened to Rammstein for about an hour and did some head banging (purely thoracic disk therapy…honest) before going to shuffle play .
Ants are pretty busy critters out there too. Careful where you sit. Look closely at the bases of trees that look enticingly comfortable before deciding to have a sit (I did remember to do this, I’m just sayin).
Got a nice fire going. Replenished the wood supply three times. Pine cones smell so nice on a fire.
I cringe to think….well, ok, I laugh to think what the people who came and went throughout the afternoon thought about the dude in muddy boots, leather pants, and “Flying Pig Amsterdam –the Grass is Greener” t-shirt, breaking sticks, feeding a fire, rockin out to some invisible heavy metal band, hauling armfuls of dry branches.
The eagles came out and circled over the creek, all around the hillsides, back and forth. A pair. Hunting together. At least 5 or 6 ft wingspans. Awesome! And even more so when CCR Walkin on the Water starts playin!
The clouds started getting greyer and the sky darker, and I began to wonder about that Sunday eve rain forecast, and how I might be able to keep the fire going thru the a little rain. I was never worried because I knew trusty Dean was on the way. But I had finished the last of the PBRs .
It really was an awesome fire! Did you know one can make drum sticks, guitar sticks as well as spear sticks from dry branches??
At pretty much 7 on the dot, I looked over at the entrance again and saw what appeared to be a silver truck with a dirt bike on it. Great joy flooded my emotions and I jumped and waved and did a little jig while I still had the big spear stick in my hands. I thought it was more like a Castaway style dance of happiness. Dean mentioned something about Lord of the Flies, but seems to have come to his senses, as I would have to admit the Dances with Wolves fire prancing thing is probably more accurate.
So, as someone said – check the simple stuff first! Never, ever, leave your own tools at home on the other bike. Matches, lighter, tinder – if you don’t know how to make a fire, learn. It kept me toasty warm the whole time. And music, yeah, that may well be the most important of all.
Next ride, I may have to figure out a way to bring a fishing pole. And a flask of rum.
Oh, and I gave Dean 3 matchsticks back.
See you next time.
Hope your still mending well and fixing up or replacing the DR...don't forget there is the stonyford 2 barf campout last weekend of March...hope to see you out there soon!
