We're still upright

Funny what people believe  about small bikes. Like you can't counter steer on them. Really? How come I do it all the time then to maintain my speed on corners then? And from somebody who apparently rides!

 It's nothing to do with the bike you dweeb, but everything to do with basic bloody physics. Find the neutral point between centrifugal and centripetal force ( which is what counter steering does) so the bike meets less resistance and won't slow unless you brake or decelerate. It even works on push bikes.

We faffed about today, mostly in Macksville , more on line jobs, the bank, and charging laptops and phones. I nearly acquired a dog too, a lovely old Staffie type of thing who came and plonked herself down on my stuff while I chatted to her owner. There was even room in the crate at the back for her too ( the dog that us) but she decided she was better off where she was. Probably right too. 

Once Macksville was done, we headed off towards Bellingen, intending to take dirt roads. However, (and despite the 'road closed' signs which we did see but ignored in the hope that we could sneak through) we had to admit defeat at the barrier. 

And bonus -I won the gurning competition!

I was a bit disappointed though as the track would have led to Edwards Knob which I would quite like to have seen.....there was also a Gordon's knob a bit further on but I've already seen that. But don't worry - no pictures.

The rough overgrown track beyond the barrier looked rather inviting if a bit edgy and had I had a  250  I would definitely have ridden past the barrier, but I knew the postie bike fully laden probably wouldn't have the power. But then, anything that implies 'don't' really has an element of  'do' ......doesn't it?

So we backtracked and took the highway, turning off just past Urunga onto the Old Briarfield Road. Briarfield would have been where we ended up had the other road not been shut.

It was a very rough forest track with steep drop offs, not the sort of place you really want to ride off the edge as the tops of tall gums were just visible lots of metres down, hiding snakes, ready to snack on your disabled but fresh flesh, should you survive. But the posties were great and did their stuff ok.

Mind you, I did catch myself laughing at one stage, and wondering what the hell I was doing: dodgy forest track, silly bike, fully loaded and rather unwieldily, in the middle of nowhere and nobody knew we were there. 

But then I've wild camped in Chechnya and Dagestan before and have had my picture taken with separatist freedom fighters, so a bit of a bimble through rural Australia is easy.

So here we are in Bellingen, camping on the Show Ground for $9.00 each, freshly ( hot) showered, and sipping cold Pale ale in one of the hostelries ( of which there are several). 

We're missing Nadine though - it's not the same without you matey.

However, there is some consolation in that there is the prospect of a clothes washing session tomorrow , proper full on machine washing too. Is it bad that rather disturbingly, I really can't wait and am sooooo looking forward to it?