Saturday, Two Rides, Planting and Jet

Saturday morning, on the Spot, met the boys at Pete's - Steve, Wayne, Warren, Tony and Pete.  I led them down Patten St, and then into the red zone, cutting through to Halley Pl, then through to Keller St, then across Morris through to Robson, then across to Maling and eventually across to Avonside Drive just upstream of where the twisted bridge was.  From here we followed the river down stream, all the way.  Remained on this south bank all the way to Bridge St Bridge, then over and through what used to be forest along the Estuary edge and then eventually onto Rockinghorse Rd to the end, for to plant a shitload of trees, for Canterbury.  Good sossies and we rolled back round to Bridge St and slowly began to unravel, me departing the remaining three on Maces Rd, following that round and then Humphrey's to Joy's place to pick up the beemer.  Left the Spot in her house.

Drove the beemer home and got the fiat and Jet and drove back to Joy's, got the Spot, and headed up the hill to the Upper Major carpark.  Jet and me headed up through John Britten.  The Westpac helicopter was hovering around and once we were at the top we saw it parked in Britten Reserve, preparing or waiting for something.  Rode the singletrack round the top and onto the road, talked to some roadies watching the spectacle, them saying it was apparently a paraglider crashed on the cliffs...  Several fire appliances and cop cars in attendance, we rode down the road to Cavendish Saddle, and began the climb.  Half way up the chopper got moving, so stopped to watch them hover above the newly destroyed cliffs and winch up the paraglider and one of their crew.  Once they'd flown off, got riding again, Jet behaving well around the sheep.  Up to top of Mt Pleasant, and down down down, finding the most flow I've had on this trail, down to Greenwood and around to the entrance, then up the road and back onto Britten, Jet rocketing down ahead of me back to the car.  Great wee ride, and a good run for Jet.