Wednesday, Trip, final ride on way home, Teetotals

Departed Nelson, fueled up and headed south.  At Belgrove, hung a left through to Golden Downs, and left here on a road I'd never travelled before.  A LOT of forestry through here, massive country.  Eventually, over to St Arnaud and we parked down by the lake.  Rode up, into Beechnest Ave through to a DOC built link track that switchbacked up then down and through to the main Teetotal Trails area.  From here we took Rattling Rim track along the terraces, winding in and out through matagouri and kanuka following a road now and then, then eventually big open country.  Met a couple of women who said a few tracks were shut.  We continued up the road and into Big Bush, for a long climb in beech forest (or half and half beech and doug. fir) eventually to the top of Flying Moa (which we should have gone down).  Thinking maybe we could ride the dark blues / blacks i led us down the ridge from here to the top of Kaka, where there was a big barrier saying Tracks Closed for the dark blue and black tracks (Duck Drop and Rocky Horror), so we headed down Kaka which was a bit boring, but still fun.  Then it was back to Teetotal base and across the road onto a nice smooth singletrack back to the village, through some back ways past the visitor centre and back down to the lake.

Cool ride,  but we'll do it a different direction next time...

20 kms, 433 m climbed.  Great views and some nice bush.