Old Bloke Can't Keep it Up

[The Bigfella]

Yeah, I bloodywell fell off. Twice.

There's only one photo of it... and I took it. Maybe some video, but we'll get to that another time.

Here's the photo of JM checking for signs of life

I'd got a bit loose in the front end on a steep rutted bit... and then the paint marks on a stump showed the reason for the fall - I'd hit the stump with the damn crash bars and it was ker-thump. Small head strike on the bank and a much harder shoulder strike. Enough to hurt. Here's the crash bars in question - and as for the phone, I really do normally remember to zip my pockets up.

Funnily enough, my earlier fall hurt a lot more - for different reasons. At that stage, I was riding with a DSLR around my neck and gloves off, and I'd struck the bars with the camera once already, which isn't the best way to treat a Nikon... so I was further back than I should have been and, again, the front got a bit squirrely and with me being tired and dehydrated, I didn't catch it. It was a soft fall, but the peg for the sidestand spring on these damn CRFs is on the outside.... and it found a soft spot on my Forma boots... into the ankle. It hurt.

Anyhow, enough of not keeping it up, let's go back to the beginning.

Yesterday's Ulysses Club Thailand ride was a bit different. We were doing a photo shoot for an upcoming magazine article. Without giving anything away on the article, we wanted off-road shots - so we did a split ride. Road and dirt, with the plan being to reverse run the previous week's ride, where we'd had to cut our way through the jungle - so the road guys could join us to Mae Kampong, the Kew Fin lookout and then on via Paa Miang to Muang Pan, where Lachie's favourite coffee roaster is - then home via the 1252.

We did a couple of shots at the first location and met Natty there. Nice lady

Sometimes, the signs just have to speak for themselves....

Although we'd caught this one, we lost Glen for the day not long after that. He'd had a new chain and sprockets fitted - at a specialist shop - and the chain was way too tight. It was tensioned nicely without a rider on the bike, but was as tight as a nun's nannywhacker when a rider sat on the bike. He hit trouble on one of the tight uphill switchbacks - the bike wouldn't go into gear and slid backwards, even with the brakes on. It was back to town for him to re-visit the shop and get the job done properly. Bruce escorted him back to town.

Seven of us did the short walk up to the Kew Fin lookout - (Eric joined us again a short time later, having made a detour on the way up the hill). The view over the Mae On / Chiang Mai side was rather manky... brownish. I didn't even bother taking a shot. Out towards Lampang, the air was clearer looking

Seven of the eight hillclimb survivors

When we dropped down into Paa Miang we discovered their 20th anniversary blossom festival was in full swing

The cooked up blossoms were quite nice

As for the warm turds... I positively knew I shouldn't... but I did. I'm reminded again today of why one shouldn't eat food sitting in the dangerzone temps

With the road riders dispatched to buy bulk coffee, it was time to have some fun

Please don't mention to my wife that this is what hire customers do on her personal CRF....

 

[The Bigfella]

None of these shots are for the article, btw... and I'm not posting photos of the locations / bike in question. That'd be unfair to the author and magazine. Let's see what gets used and then we might see the better shots.

Alex was enjoying his first dirt ride in 40 years - he's usually with us on his Ducati, but hey....

I note from the video that he had a minor off too - which might have to join some other bloopers on a video sooner or later.

... and Deere always enjoys himself.

He wasn't impressed when I started playing with filters, but I think he's OK with this shot now

Looking at these shots now... I should have pulled rank and grabbed the DRZ, rather than riding the Rally. My personal CRF was out on a hire in the Mae Rim area (and got dropped by that guy too - no damage btw, but I do tend to notice mud plugs in the handguards)

Alex again

Clay showing that Harley riders can ride dirt too

I see Eric in the background here. I've got a great shot of him, but it's at a location that will probably be in the magazine... so, sorry mate - come in and I'll show you... and give you after publication date...

Not much of a shot... but here's Eric, with Deere riding sweep

I was starting to feel the effects of the day... and it shows in the photography

I didn't realise that Deere had gotten my water bottle out at lunchtime.. and I left it behind. With all the dropping down, getting up, finding locations, I was dehydrated and tired. I'd laid the Rally over on its side a few times in order to get shots where I couldn't park and needed to leave a clear path... and in other places I was trudging up and down hills. Long story short, I was starting to feel my age.

After the second drop, I didn't want to play dirt much any more - although we still had 5 - 8 km to do before a sealed road. I asked Deere to source some water (please)... and we bought some drinking water from a nice lady in a small village. I jumped onto the test bike on the sealed surface and at least enjoyed that for a while... albeit with a damn sore shoulder. Some comparative testing might, or might not have been done, to see who had the most responsive bike - then it was home to test Shakespeare's assertion that a little tot of alcohol might not be a bad thing at times (from Othello) Cassio - “O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by let us call thee devil” ... Iago- “Come, come. Good wine is a good familiar creature, if it be well used. ”

 

[oldbloke]

Well, it looks like a fun time was had by most! But I have to take offence at the title of this post!!!

 

[The Bigfella]

Well, it looks like a fun time was had by most! But I have to take offence at the title of this post!!!

Oops. I'm pleading Oldtimer's.