Bottled up Saturday

Fatty on the back of the Brava and Jet in the back, out to Bottle Lake and a bit of a spin of a Saturday morning.  Nice temperature, we headed out to the right, and out to the beach.  At the top of the dune where the sand always blows out, we skidoodled down the washy sand onto the beach.  Sea, spectacular; so inviting, with crystal clear peeling breakers, and wave faces all backed up behind.  Jet was already hot so he was straight in, relishing it.  I moseyed my way about the beach trying to find the best sand to ride on.  None of it was particularly good; definitely struck it better in the past.  Even riding in the compressed tire tracks of a some vehicle wasn't firm enough.  Less air in the tires may have helped, but I just couldn't be arsed stopping and having to pump them up again later, so I persevered and we travelled the whole next section along the coast down on the beach, with no opportunities back into the dunes til the one at the start of the trees again.

Up over the access path and back onto the main track, into the trees, cruising a few bends til I found my usual dune-top trail entrance, emerging out onto the crest of the dune and the foot-slope of the tops of the salt burned pines, a km or so along this.  Back onto the track and down the hill into the back-dunes, following along for a bit then using a small rise to spin back to a sandy back track I saw, onto it which led me to the singletrack.  Around onto it and back into the main forest park.

Usual trails through the forest, taking the 'alternative' lines wherever I could, all very obviously seldom traversed.  Toyed with the idea of heading norther into Spencer country, but back onto the descending trail to Muddy Rd and onwards back, for Jet's sake, it being hot and there not be a hell of a lot of water around.  Into the forest trails again, riding all the completely unridden alternative lines, and through into the next lovely tall forest, open between the trunks, up the risers and down the breezeblocked descents, all the while looking for off piste lines, seeing so much potential but not taking any of it for some reason.  Hung a left on the next main road before the short tree'd section, heading for the 'lake' or ponds, for Jet to have a cool off.  Just cruised along no-hands at Jet's pace, taking in the day.

Caught up with a man and dog, Jet having his usual sniff and play, the humans merely acknowledging each other's existences.  Jet had a slurp at the ponds and we continued our way along a fenceline (behind which was all sorts of mystery - I assume quake wreckage? or forest ops).  Down to where was once some of my favourite bits over the years, now a cleared wasteland with brand new pines.  A ranger passed here in a big cloud of dust, and I headed back onto the worst-made section out there, bumpy hard shitty slow section, on the tail Mr 'Form', youngish dude on some Specialized of somesort, weaving his way ahead.  Kinda stayed on him or caught him, but then had to hold back for the dog.  Nice excuse, anywho.  Past some dudes as we entered the open broomy section, across this, back into the trees, first west then around southwards, and then hung a weird right into the forest, no trail, just riding, curving around as the ground allowed, and finding some weird remnants of an old track, wracking my memory for it, wondering maybe circa mid-late 90's?  Held back to let a horse and 'lady' and her small poodle past, then onto the gravel road and westward, finding a horse track and golfcourse, and then following the gravel more til the last tall stand of trees next to the open spaces of the carpark, bmx etc.  Cruised across the paddock and back to the car.

52minutes riding, 13.7 kms, sweet F.A altitude.

Haha, what a lot of words for such a non-event...  10 oclock on a Saturday night, Hardtail Henry my favourite beer of the moment.  Probably explains it.