Ninja Days

Dam!

Girls Ride Out's monthly ride and the Illawarra Riders' outing clashed this time and this time the choice was in the local corner. A Family Picnic at the Dam. I can't remember a monthly GRO ride I did not attend because I chose not to...

Dear oh dear! How did I get THAT so wrong?!

My family had deserted me by nine am and they did not return until 12:30, which was an hour and a half LATE(!!!!!!!) before we even took off. The girl informed me that she would rather stay at home... in no uncertain terms... but! But! That meant that we could have been riding up there...and there I was, dressed to go by car, hair done, earrings carefully chosen to not upstage those jeans... bugger! No time to get changed or re-organise the esky to a tank bag. Off we went. Alone. Just the two of us and the dog. (He REALLY needed to get out!)



The picnic area was quite busy, but after the first drive-by I had to admit to the man that I did not recognise anyone amongst the groups of picnickers. At first I thought it was because they did not wear helmets and walked in close proximity of bikes. So I parked the car and asked everybody wether they were with Illawarra Riders.

Who???

When it was quite apparent that we were simply very late and people had quite obviously made a bee line for the Chineese GP, we made it a picnic for two ... and a half...the dog...who was well behaved and did only growl at the tiny black poodle in the neighbouring pack, who was most definately not a lamb...



After a delicious meal and the realisation that we did not bring the cork screw and unbeknownst to me the vino did not have the nowadays usual screwtop, we had to take ourselves off to the dam wall. The dog on its leash (for a change!) and closely observed by a ranger in his little white car, which must have passed us at least five times. (The man thinks he's checking on the dog remaining leashed.)



The dam is this amazing granite structure with a little almost gothic building in the centre. A walkway took us right across that huge wall to the other side of the dam. The ranger was there, waiting for people taking an unbelievably silly photo opprtunity... placing their children on the wall, then stepping back a few metres to get the right angle, whilst the toddler does what it does best...: it toddles.

Well, his interest had shifted from us to them, but we were wondering wether this was the water that reaches our homes and so we had a little chat about the place. What better source to get information than the expert?!



Yes, we are drinking the Cateract Dam's water and, what's most interesting is that it was pouring out of the bottom pipe like you would not believe!

He said that it is being transported back to the Prospect Dam that way...and returned to the river system. Ahhh! Apparently the same thing happened at the Cordeaux Dam, which was only a few kilometres down the road.

Now, where had I heard THAT name mentioned before?

That's when it dawned on me. It was the Cordeaux Dam the Illawarra Riders were going to meet at. "*@&%!!!!"

Too late!

When we returned to the homestead I checked the Forum and there it was. Multi coloured. There was even a map for the truly challenged. I was sure it said Appin Rd, but no. I was WRONG!

What can you do?

Enjoy the view...
and somehow find a way to live that one down...


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Labels: Ride Report

posted by The '95 Ninja ZX6R @ 6.5.07