Monday Night Cashmere Vic Bowenvaling

No ride weekend due to weather and under-weatherment, and no chance of a ride this week due to being sole charge of children, so Monday night was the only option to get out.  Nelson came to mine and we had a bit of a feed before heading out.  Got to Holliss Ave at 7pm thereabouts, and headed up the hill.  Steep bastard of a road this, and I was soon wheezing like and asthmatic smoker, barely managing to keep any air in, climbed away behind but managed to keep on top of my gear and make it to the top of the road.  Into the walking track, first off, down LOTS of steps.  I hadn't remembered them, but Nelson rode them all, while I took the safety conscious route of walking.  Little bit of single track and some steps up, followed by some more, and then about 5 flights of them and we were on Longhurst Tce.

Across the road and up a little bit and into the singletrack here that climbs around below all the houses up up up.  One respite then steeeeep switchback that Nelson rode lots of and I walked heaps of.  On ever upwards, more up than I remembered and finally we were at the stile over to the Forest.  Here's what I used to called the Barbed Wire Root Kiss track, on account of when you're coming down the roots are jittery and the barbed wire is SO close to your hand as to be almost kissing it...  Anyway, climbing is an interesting one, we both managed lots of it, Nelson way more than me, but much getting off also ensued.  At the top, we both cleaned the last section to the gate, and then into the Dog Park and off up, more rocks meaning more walking for me, and less so for Nelson, then across the park to the gate and a couple of pops over the gutter and then off into the walking track that starts here.  Nice forested flow through this, eventually coming out above the climbing trail from the bottom of Old Dyers, dropping down more nice singletracks to it, and off up to the 19th Batt. Memorial.

Up the fire road to the skidder site and for a change, off up the Gums track.  Walked a whole bunch in there, but explored a little below the my fun wee favourite before heading onto the main track and then cutting through to the top of Sesame St and upwards onto Brake Free.  Up through this to beneath the see-saw, along the fence, through a gate and onto the climbing trail up to the Traverse.  Stopped here briefly wondering what to do next...

Off down towards the rabbit paddock, and as we moseyed down this I spotted a trail off to the left, hmmm, followed it and found several rabbits, thinking they were hiding from me.  Nelson joined me and we cruised back across to the Rock Garden with freshly dampened tires.  Then we were blazing down through the Gummies, hung the favourite left and bombed it down through there, ducking and weaving around the trees.  Eventually back onto the skidder site, and off up towards the top of 19th Battalion Memorial, like we've done a couple times now with the Thursday night boys.  Followed our noses over this and down the sketchy trails, including one steep wee mofo through a shrubbery you can't see out of, left on the walking track across into the forest and then down to the right, and then a hard right and down steps and fun blast through the woods, veering left around and finally down a bunch more steps.  Following down more to find the steep fun trail we'd done a couple weeks back.  Finding it and dropping and dropping, magnificent trail reminiscent of all our (reportedly mostly deceased-) favourites in McVicars.  Finally the super steep finale, Nelson planted himself into a tree, then struggled to get moving again down the last bit I walked.  Clambering through the forest now over and through, then back on and dropping down onto the last bit of descent finally onto the main valley drag, above the fordy bridge the dude died at.

Climbed here, up to the creek crossing and up into Hidden Valley Link track.  Bollocksed the climb out of the creek, good round the corner and up to the second hairpin, bollocksed that, bollocksed the wee rock up, then the next one, then the first of upper corners, then just out of the last one, then dabbed on the final climb to the stile.  Bloody balance was all out and my lungs weren't working properly...  Had a good rest here, then headed onwards, around and down Old Skool.  Bloody good blast.  Rode it well, in very good condition, sounds like way less sketch and slop than the boys yesterday, all in all having a nice run after all that bad balance.  Final drops, peeled left and looked at where Nelson had crashed a few weeks back. 

Finally, down the bottom of the valley, and down the colder and colder Bowenvale Ave, detouring across Wedgewood, Landsdowne and taking Gunns Cres back around for a final drop Holliss and the car.

1 hour's riding time, 11.3kms, 421m climbed.