Tuesday 6th of May, 2025
Leaders: J-P, with Trish on the mic.
Trip Participants: Ramon, Uwe, Graham, Bill, Paul, and Chris.
Space-Time is a strange and perplexing notion. At the same time the sun was disappearing in an almighty hiss of steam and froth into the Pacific Ocean in the Land of the Free, where very little is, that very same sun was emerging from that very same Pacific Ocean, trailing a stream of super-heated water behind it, in another world entirely. Go figure.
Adding to the conundrum is the fact that the bending of light in the Earth’s gravitational field is insufficient to enable the observation of either event since both take place over the horizon where no one can see. So, did they really happen?
Well, our intrepid trippers rose with the sun, possibly refreshed by a good night’s sleep, but nevertheless believing that by the end of the day, they definitely would be. Refreshed. The sky was blue, the temperature hovered in the low to mid-twenties and the dust would soon be ubiquitous.
We gathered at McKenzie Reserve in Yarra Glen at 9:30 am. Heavy traffic meant that some of us didn’t arrive in time to sample the local bakery’s coffee. First order of the day was a vehicle check, confirming the presence of all the appropriate recovery equipment. Our leader carried out a thorough inspection of his own vehicle first, and, unsurprisingly, found it all in order. After progressively less thorough checks of the other vehicles, everyone received a certificate of participation, and we proceeded up the road until our leaders found some dirt in the lower left corner of the Toolangi State Forest. We stopped to reduce our tyre pressures and promptly declared “smoko”. Finally, a caffeine fix!
A little further along and we stopped on a bit of a hill where we practiced pretend recoveries of pretend stuck vehicles using snatch straps and winches. What could possibly go wrong? By discussing the possibilities and preparing for them, of course, nothing did.
Further up the track, with some sagacious advice regarding judicious spacing of vehicles on steep tracks, we stopped once more, this time for lunch, and more hypothetical discussion of procedures for recovering a vehicle notionally bogged in sand. Bill is looking forward to testing these ideas when his trip hits the sand of the SA border in a week or so.
A few more steep ups and downs enabled us to further exercise our low range gearing and it was time to re-inflate the rubber and say our goodbyes with thanks to J-P for running this valuable safety refresher day.
Text: Graham
Photos: Graham