Our final slide
Next trip Africa 2011!
'flash'... Short for the Rotorua flash. Funny guy, very funny. Essential on this and every other tour I do.
'Val' ... short for valiant. Very brave, very solid, great staying power...
Total winner.
'sub', short for submarine...
'Blocker' ... Continuing to take out Jene with the big tackles.
How happy is Al's face. His cap says 'nobody' ... he was worried that
nobody cared when he went missing, so 'nobody' has stuck.
I'll sned a few more shots tomorrow from Broome...
Chris' hat says 'look't' ... Which is short for 'look at me'...
I almost wrote 'Little red' on mark's hat... but settled for 'Muddy'...
He loved riding flat out in the mud.
Jene on one wheel...
The finish line...
On the road again... And with the brothers in arms
Chris still hating the camera...
Mark made himself some pillion pegs...
Manscaping... The anchor.
Little red happy to be riding to the finish.
Gotta love those truckers...
Noel at one with his mighty machine.
Mark in riding gear! Yep, his brother offered to double him into Broome...Just how great are these brothers?
Wet leathers going on, bikes being cleaned and checked... Last day
begins.
Derby has a bit of a bad reputation for crime... The publican gave us his garage for "Molly" and the bikes... It felt good seeing them all here. We
had just learned that the road we had just travelled was closed, four 4x4
tour rigs stuck in the mud and likely to be closed for a week or so
You can see how boggy the ground is becoming in this shot.
He went to the top of the truck because there were already three in the
cabin. Imagine how wet and cold that must have been?
Brendan's bike getting a tow home. Poor Brendan.
Fading light, Noel very generously let Mark the 'mud runner' have a turn from Here to Derby...
You don't often see him in anything other than black.
The bag man
Chris continues to exhibit shyness in front of the camera lense.
Dave (a.k.a. the surgeon) couldn't revive Brendan's bike.
This isn't good. Brendan went heavily into a river crossing a got an
engine full of water. Brendan's riding finishes here.
Grace...
Yep, well into the tropics now, torrential rain and all.
Al loving the mud.
The surgeon ran road side assist the entire way in the mud, and followed his men in to Derby last of all - and promptly executed a burnout at the
check point... "Molly" was very close behind. We expected Brendan to be
dead from hypothermia on top of "Molly". He wasn't, they were all in the
cabin, 4 of them, laughing and joking in the way that has characterized the
entire trip. Brendan was lying across the other three, one foot on top of
the steering wheel and one under.
Mark, with a growing appreciation for running with support. He and Saint Solly set up a work bench for roadside repairs...
We are in Derby. We rode in late last night after a truly grueling day. 90 km's from Derby I thought we had about an hour to go, 80 km from Derby I had
slowed down some and thought great, only about an hour to go, 60km from
Derby, slower again... yes, an hour to go... get the drift? Al completely
could see with his sight/glasses/torrential rain combo, so I slowed to about
20 - 30 km so that he could follow my tail light... Beauty, only two or
three hours to go...
On with the new peg and away....
Dave's fine and happy after his 'slip off'.
Starting to lose light... And a bloody long way to go. We know we have to get out of the Kimberley, otherwise we could get stuck here.
That's Grace, my bike. You can see here a broken foot peg. Dave and I were charging through some sticky slippery mud, me in front... And then bam... Dave clipped the back of Grace and fell. He's fine.
Noel has ridden all conditions now. And still he pushes himself harder and harder... Incredibly happily.
Foggy goggles... No trouble.
Al had a ball sliding around in the mud. He has the most enviable outlook in adverse situations.
Loading "Molly" back up again... And here comes the rain.
Robbo and Dory... Legends. they let us use their trucks, oxy, tools. Dory kept the tea and coffee up and is the happiest person I've ever met. A
terrific community around them - brilliant road house - our Kimberly
highlight.
Very glad Mark has decided to finish the trip.
Jene giving a little too much lip to the big fella.
Yes...
Anyone for breakfast?
This aint no Queen Street café.
Back in goes the axle...
Phil keeping the mood nice and light... Silver beard and all.
Dave, St Solly and Brendan went to work...
Mark and Chris set up a fire...
...and an old bull catcher, same model as "Molly" ... Who would have
thought?!
We found a graveyard for old vehicles...
The Mt Barnett Station road house was our final spot on this day. We all
made it in good time... Except "Molly".
The boys went on down to the Manning River Gorge to start a camp fire, and I
waited by the phone at the roadhouse. The call came. "Molly" had broken down
about 70 km up the road. All 6 wheel studs had clean sheared off the right
rear wheel.
The people at Mt Barnett are terrific. They loaned me a truck and I went out
to find them. By the time I had got there, Dave had effected some jury
repairs. He had taken three wheel studs from the left hand side and was
running three a side. Enough to get us to Mt Barnett.
I wont forget the scene I arrived to on that road side. A small campfire,
Phil had had a sleep, the boys had cooked dinner - and then their sense of
achievement was brimming.
Lucky Dave was in the truck that night. Repairs tomorrow.
Mark's truck driving gear...
St Solly (I've seen the halo)... Dave took a spell in the truck. Solly
had a total ball..
I've been calling Chris' bike Alice... it's actually Angel. He offered that
he and Mark share. Mark was very pleased. Chris did his spell in "Molly"
riding in a nest of swags on the roof... Goggles and helmet. I think that's
where he'd like to stay for the rest of the trip.
Our worry know is how over laden "Molly" is. I can see her stress.
Phil continues to do well on the entertainment front.
Change of plans... We all go to Broome. Just one thing though, we had to
waive the 'no skin on skin' tour rule in "Molly".
The disappointment on Marks face says it all.
Mark's bike seems to have had a real bath. Still not going...
Noel's wonky headers...
Phil was very entertaining last night, playing the guitar and singing. He's
already planning our final night in Broome. He's going to hitch to Broome
this morning and hopes to beat the rest of us there. Chris and Mark are
going to share 'Alice' (Chris' motorcycle). Everyone is happy.
Yep, bike's not looking good... The worry in his face is fair enough.
Solly has been saying "no worries" a good deal this morning. He is a
champion.
Noel cleaning air filters...
Sadly Mark's motorcycle will be finishing the trip on "Molly". The boys have
already been bickering about the window seat...
Tow starting... Still not working...
Molly getting a once over from our 'qualified pilots'.
Looks like Chris has named his motorcycle...
Mark has been terrific about his motorcycle breakdown. Absolutely putting
his back into getting the machine pulled down and onto Molly. All the boys
have been helping. It's hot here in the tropics, and we are trying to work
out how every man gets to Broome
Predictably... We all lost our way a little last night. Quietly
industrious scene this morning. Mark managed to wet his bike yesterday in
the river crossings, still won't go...
Noel's headers were remodeled in his acrobatic "off" yesterday... And
'something' will need to be done before it can be ridden today...
As it turns out, the engine failure was due to a faulty part. It has
failed all the same. A few long faces...
I notice something new each day on Molly.
Jene wasn't able to ride one of these, he did try though.
We started to sense the proximity of the end of our trip today. Less than
three days to go. Tonight we will relax and tomorrow will be a slower start.
We are in the tropical Kimberly region now.
Mark and Chris have been riding with real purpose today. Both working
incredibly hard. Their fitness is really showing and I think they both enjoy
riding in the lose stuff. Here Mark's bike stalled in a river crossing, and
you can probably see in the photo, Chris is basically giving him a tow.
Father and son toughing it out
This was during the last 15 km for the day. Noel had an "off" ... And is
fine, in fact not even rattled by it. I believe it was pretty good too. Bike
in the air, Noel in the air. The track was different to anything on the trip
so far. Quite difficult to see through the corners. I'm surprised there
weren't a few more casualties.
Dave and Brendan have had a terrific day riding together. You can see how
much they enjoy riding together each time we stop.
We spent a good deal of the day riding in a nearer proximity to each
other. Another 600 - 700km day. Here's Noel about 15 km before our camp
site. No sign of fatigue. His riding and work rate just keep getting better.
We are going to try to make it to The Gibb River Road in the Kimberly
region today. It's quite amazing how much the countryside changes, and how
frequently.
The pink hat award was a no brainer...
Business class all the way.
Yours truly.
I think that's a halo over Solly's head.
We all know the drill by now. Everyone gets about setting up before we
lose the light.
Molly follows in last.
Noel flagging them in...
Then Mark and Chris.
In come the next three.
View from the campsite.
I'd run everyone hard enough. This is where I stopped to make camp. I sit
on the side of the road so everyone knows to stop. Noel was first in
The boys saw us wearing down. They starting delivering more fun and
encouragement with every refuel.
Man hug
Waiting for a refuel. Shattered.
Al's back to his old self today. Jene's compass must be helping
The right gun
I saw Mark popping glucose tablets just before he put his jacket on... No
complaining though.
I'm afraid the reality includes that today has been quite long and
exhausting for all of us.
Refuel at Rabbit Flat.
That's Noel's bum.
Not too far before this fuel stop... Jene found a dead tiger snake beside
the road in quite good condition. He snuck alongside "Molly" and threw it
through the drivers window. Phil was driving. Phil had kittens and almost
crashed the truck. Jene shot off. I was wondering why Jene started laughing
when "Molly" rolled into a check point. Jene started running and Phil
started chasing. The big fella had no trouble running the Rotorua Flash
down.
We were all stopped for a refuel when this road train passed us.
A place for everything, and everything in it's place
Al still pretty on the fringes in this shot
Jene drying his bed socks
Jene lost his fuel cap
Noel's
Noel's
It's been tough on the motorcycles
Big wheels keep on turning, proud "Molly"
It's a long straight road and the engine is steep... And I cant help
thinking of a good nights sleep...
Truckers can spell
Each Thursday night in Auckland, a few of us have started getting together
in a shed to work on our respective personal motorcycle projects. We call it
spanner night. This shed has an element of inspiration for me and those
nights. One of those spanner guys is my friend Andy. This message is for you
mate. Solly and your other desert scrambling friends out here are all with
you tonight. Soon we will be raising our glasses to toast your magnificent
victory over cancer. 10,000 years to you Andy, you are a real life
Spartacus.
The father and son combo.
Dismount
Tonight's camp site, here on the edge of the Tanami Desert ..
Mark dropped his sunnies
Off we go, back on the track
The Captain fell heavily on his bad arm today and won't be able to
continue. Man hugs all round. Shame, we were all settling into a good rhythm
too. He'll be flying out of Alice Springs tomorrow I guess.
Jene put a compass on Al's tank so that it wouldn't happen again.
Thoughtful fellow don't you think?
And here's Al. He's pleased to see us... And we can stop worrying about
him. This is bigger than the "pink hat"
It's not a milkshake, it's me having a billy tea..
We think we look pretty tough...
We all really appreciate Solly dressing in formal wear for all meals, even
my damper!
Surrendering to the wait for Al, I made the boys a damper and some billy
tea. Big hit, date and apple. Such a winner.
Mark called from the road house ahead to say that Al had left a message at
our dinner spot from the night before and had gone to Alice Springs because
he was lost... What a turnip!
And Jene practiced a few moves... Still no Al
Now this is the designated check point... Waiting for Al. It's hot, and
"Molly" got sick of carrying her muffler and tail pipe 'en route'. Phil and
Solly think she sounds better now... Much more like a big truck.
That's called Round Hill. Who would have thought?
And we left this direction message for Al too.
Jene said..."Come on Douggie, take a picture of me doing a drift...". So
I did. Ham.
...And headed on down the track.
He's a bright guy. He'll find us the predetermined check point eventually.
We left this very obvious sign...
Waiting, waiting still bloody waiting...
Still waiting....
Now Al's wheel change created a staggered departure. The plan was simple
though, go 35km down the road we came in on and then turn right. Make sure
you wait for the following motorcycle to see you make that turn before you
disappear into the distance. Al rode through. Not good. Here we are waiting
for Al to realize his error and come riding back...
All up and ready pretty much in the dark... For a quick getaway... and
Al gets a flat. We had a wheel ready for the change luckily.
Solly and Phil have to "Molly" when they refuel... Otherwise she beats
them.
As cheesy as it irrefutably is... We have a special award each day. It's
called "dick" of the day, and yep, if you get it, you have to wear the pink
hat.
Chris and Mark rode together today.
Chris and Mark rode together today.
Al was instrumental in keeping the tempo up today. Here he knows we've all
done incredibly well.
See Georgina, no need to worry, your boy is doing fine. This was the day
of his second "off" and he's still smiling.
See how he looks when he totally nails it. This was the end of a 700 km
day.
Noel again. Check out the tuck riding position... He's doing about 140
km/h and accelerating... I enjoyed taking this shot.
That's Noel. I like running with him. Not because he needs my watch. Far
from it in fact. This is the guy who learnt to ride just for this trip. He
rides with vigour and the couple of busters he's had are because he keeps
exploring his limits. His tenacity is awesome.
This is a carving we left here two years ago. It used to be an anchor with
a snake wound around it ... Bud, Chappo, Pav, Graham will like seeing this.
You blokes should be running with us this time too.
Brendan's motorcycle needed a few minor adjustments after his flying "w".
They're such a couple of decorators don't you think?
The left gun
The unstoppable "Molly"
There we go, little red's happy again
Even knocked the edge of Jene... for at least 20 minutes...
Noel charged today, pretty bloody tough bloke.
Little red was happy again soon after this shot.
No more messing around...
These more serious shots coincide with the boys realising... "this aint no
disco"
Rest stop. It's hot. Brendan has just completed a spectacular flying "w"
(a.k.a. a mild "off"). He's fine. We have been covering good distances
today and that "endurance part of the trip is coming into play..
A bikers breakfast at copley
Check point
How good is this?
Yep, the old fan is stuffed.
Me writing to you ...
How about "Molly", a 1974 Toyota Landcruiser no less. I had forgotten to
mention that Phil had driven her from Oodnadatta to Mt Dare via the Simpson
Desert. It was rough, the sort of terrain that you would expect to founder
"Molly". Big washouts, ruts, holes, variable ground conditions. Phil can
only be a brilliant wheel man. "Molly" rolled into Mt Dare in close
proximity to us in perfect fettle.
Still all smiles after all these miles
Chris is really starting to enjoy the camera
Chris is becoming the real journeyman ... map on his tank and everything!
Big and little red
The morning after our long day in the saddle
Mark and chris doing dinner. What a team
See, happy as a pig in strawberries!
One of the great things about a day like this one includes that sense of
adventure we all have. A little danger, a lot of tough, and a happy ending
Al's birthday shots, thanks Elana. This happened to be our big heavy day
.... see how well he looks?
How good is this? Solly arrived all chipper on Noels bike and moments later
Noel arrived in the truck in his undies. Solly insisted on finishing the
last 30 kms for Noel - by the way, Noel was fine and needed no help and
decided to let Solly have a ride anyway.
Solly is incredible, always interested in our welbieng. All of us safe and with plans to stay a little tighter from now on.
Sitting on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere ...
Jene out of fuel and Captain staying by his riding partner. They are a long way out in front and light is fading. It took me about an hour to run them down. I actually thought Noel was with Jene and the Captain and this was the moment when I learnt that he was behind. The rest of the riders were behind me and "Molly" bringing up the rear.
We didn't want to ride in the dark (roos). I knew the riders weren't far behind, all of us, except Noel, had refueled at Finke and hour and a half earlier. Noel must have been further behind. I kept trying "Molly" on the two way radio, the range is only about 20kms.
Chris, Mark and I found a camp spot on the side of the road not far from here and waited anxiously.
One of Noel's "offs". I ran to the camera and Jene went to assist.
Dave found his off almost as funny as Jene did.
Here we are in the Simpson desert. Pretty tough riding to get to this
point. We are about 60 km from Mt Dare Station. Take a close look at this
shot, Jene's camera can record footage and he managed to catch Dave
executing a high speed flying dismount in heavy sand. He lay strategically
waiting for one of us to have an "off" (as we call it). Dave is fine of
course, and I think he had seen enough when I shot this photo.
Noel fell off 3 times today, he's fine too, and you know what? Not a whimper from my intrepid friend. Brendan also fell, he's fine too. Al had a spectacular "off" just in front of Hamilton Station homestead. The jackaroos loved it, who were all watching the motorcycles coming through. Al has sprained his wrist and is still riding like a champion. I think all of us have gone wider than the track in one place or another. Fun though.
As you may have gathered, we are nowhere near our proposed route. The wonderful rains in central Australian deserts have made some of the proposed route impassable and the opportunity to see lake Eyre full of water couldn't be missed. We are behind time and will make it up.
We are heading to Kulgera tonight, a long ride for sure.
The pink road house work shop .... too cool
The pink road house work shop .... too cool
So Noel and the Captain headed out first yesterday at my invitation. They
really wanted to make some good progress. We followed in pairs pretty much,
although with a good dust free spacing.
I don't know, but an airline jet captain and a 'senior' banker should have been a safe bet. Even mark met with them individually and showed them the map with a pink flouro over the route. He was quite emphatic that we meet in Leigh Creek and that you travel to a conspicuous 'T' intersection and turn left. I personally heard him.
We rolled into Leigh Creek, two by two .... no sign of Noel or the Captain. They took a wrong turn. Noel, at a roadside conference with the Captian noticed a nail in his rear tyre ..... and removed it. It immediately went flat. The captain left him and set of for us. Dave and Solly eventually rescued him half a day later and in the dark. I think Noel was pleased to see the boys. All good now and Noel now has a new nobby.
The stuffed fan next to the new one, and Phil and Solly's bum (thankfully
without truckies crack on display)
The man in blue is Adam, he owns the Pink Road House at Oodnadatta. The
very same man that carried a new radiator fan for Molly ('74 Land Cruiser)
on his shop shelf, and a fan belt. He went for a spin on my bike.
Look deeply into the eyes of this total bloody legend. Solly is the real
deal in absolutely every way.
He does look quite pleased with himself, don't you think? He's quite tough
you know.
He's a banker, or more specifically, an analyst .... completely
conservative, thorough, considered in every way ..... not really the type
you'd expect to be a co-conspirator in a wrong turn.
He is loving running with
his father, and we are really enjoying Brendan. Hard riding, hard working,
and he was entertaining us yesterday with a few stories .... that had better
stay with us on tour.
Mark seems to be enjoying the red dust ... or is the ginger fluff?
Phil borrowed Dave's bike the other day, yesterday in infact, and crashed
it while Dave was on a search and rescue mission. Now to put this into
perspective, Dave is totally the man on this tour, and we all know better
than to crash the 'man's' bike. Phil is fine of course, but I did enjoy
watching him sweat on this one. I let him look uncomfortable for maybe 5
minutes before or so before a few of us went over to him and made light of
it. Dave was cool, of course.
Is it normal that brothers get on this well? They are truly great mates. I
saw them taking photos of each other doing burnouts in the sand today. Mark
is actually relaxing and he really very funny!
The guys having a very posh sit down lunch at William Creek. Noel and the
Captain partners in crime ...
Lake Eyre
They have had a lot of rain here, I guess there weren't any grass seeds
A few pretty cool landscape shots. This is Lake Eyre, with water in it. I'm
afraid the photograph just wont do it justice
The bus on the left is a 'hover bus', or so it has painted on the side
And this
This dude is about 7m high. He lives in the middle of nowhere. Just how
cool is he?
We are learning a lot about the Captain. He likes to start his day with tea,
he shaves each morning, a total stickler for detail, not a risk taker,
although he does ride with purpose, loves a detail, not really the sort of
guy you'd expect to be a co-conspirator in a wrong turn ....
We are starting to get out Amongst it now. Dave and his son Brendan are
doing a good deal of riding together, we are all starting to settle in to
some better running. Here Dave is refueling at William Creek. His motorcycle
fuel probs seem to be behind him now. He's been taking plenty of photos
which I'm sure is a good sign of him starting to settle into his well earned
break with us..
You might have already noticed that Noels rear tire is a road tyre and not
a nobby tyre ..... story to follow soon.
The further west we get, the more outlaw Jenes accessories become. We love this guy.
Whenever he sees a camera, he's heavy metal man!.
Molly is running beautifully. Solly and Phil arrive all smiles at every stop.
The reality is that we have made very slow progress to date. Too slow. As it has turned out, we got a batch of bad fuel and several of the motorcycles have not been running at all well. It seems to be sorted now here in the Flinders ranges, South Australia. We will have to make some big distances over the next few days. Dave has an amazing temperament. Not once in all the engine operating analysis has shown the slightest hint of frustration, always very happy to help and always with a joke.
Baddest man in the whole damn town... Our Jene.
Solly and Phil continue to decorate "Molly".
Yep, a plastic roo for the bonnet.
It is a fashion show, go Solly.
Hey Georgina, don't worry, its just a small test run. The helmets are always on.
Captain, freshly battle scared from a spectacular off. He hit a ditch at speed, air, then front wheel first .... and over the bars. He's fine. His helmet is history. He got a new one in Broken Hill.
I think we are pretty basic when it comes down to it. The fire making is something we all enjoy... Almost as much as Al does
Al's motorcycle. He loves running it pretty hard.
Mark is actually really funny! We had a good laugh last night at Dave's birthday party..
Roast pork and veggies.
Its never difficult catching Al smiling.
Always happy to whistle.
Dave's birthday party was a formal occasion. We all wear our dress jackets.
Yep, it's a circus
It takes a special form of restraint to nurse your machine so cautiously across these part... Jene doesn't have it
I have to say the terrain has been quite difficult today. The remnants of the big wet includes huge ruts a (now set like concrete where the grader hasn’t been through to groom). Some quite heavy corrugations prove to be murder for Captains injuries ... and rocks, big rocks are taking their toll. We are starting to make good distances now and aim to make William Creek tonight.
The Flinders Ranges.
The Flinders Ranges.
I'm thinking phil is right handed.
It's all in the detail.
Nicely bottomed out.
That's my bike.
Here comes Molly.
Here we are just leaving our camp.
Jene is being a hood...for a change
My new headers.
Setting up camp.
Pulling wire from the rear wheel of my bike. No real damage done.
Molly just keeps pulling the crowds.
White cliffs just after dark. Nobody hit any roos thankfully.
Running down the road, trying to loosen my load...
Now that's a truckers cabin.
Starting to get out there.
Solly with the lens.
Mark asked us all to refuel in Cobar and do redo our consumption calculations. We all refuelled as instructed. Mark was so polite, going around each of us and one by one, you know, leaving nothing to chance. Here Solly is sorting him out about 5 kms from Cobar .... He forgot to fill his bike.
Getting some nobbys on.
Nine tyre changes in 3 hours.
Don't you think Phil is becoming quite the trucker.
Sunset
Dave's ride
Get a load of Phil, he just doesn't stop surprising us. Shame I can't upload the audio...
So Dave builds 8 custom bikes, delivers them on one day, and then goes riding with them across Australia. Now that's confidence. Noels bike is getting new plugs here.
Two brand new custom headers in about 2-3 hours. How great is Dave!
Yep, so sometimes a persuit of fashion can be a little impractical.
Dave had made a set of headers and ken, our friend in Auckland made a very smart pair of megaphone exhausts.
The headers were exactly what I asked for, swept straight back, old school, very cool...
Phil drives molly into view.
We enjoyed night our brief time with John and Barb here in Forbes.
Phil and solly were pretty proud of their of their packing job. Here we are carrying all the nobby tyres (22 in all). The load will shrink a little just before we get into South Australia
Dave
Im not sure, but I think the captain has bought along his slippers!
Solly
Solly, over 1,000,000 kms in heavy trucks around Australia, four-wheel-drives for recreation, works on big budget movie sets and packs a huge personality. Happy, playful and very popular. Solly worked hard sweating the prep with his famous humour and his trademark vigour. The perfect wheel-man partner for Phil. He was ...introduced to me by Dave, they go back a long way and this introduction has grown my already great respect for Dave. Solly completely understands the responsibility that comes with running "Molly". He will nurse that truck across the remote parts of our trip, and he will do that for all of us.
Phil
You've got to meet my mate Phil - one of the wheel-men on our desert scramble. 160 grade rugby matches, boxes for fun, a good 120 kgs(ish) and nothing soft about him. He liked the idea of squeezing into "Molly" so he could hang a gun out the truck window. The quintessential brand/marketing professional in his career, h...e absolutely lives for that rugby tour sensation and he will be bringing a welcome humour to the campfire. I enjoyed inviting Phil - he was a late invitation after one of the others pulled out - he has been planning the support effort, serving beers and bbqing his head off for Cure Kids (and us) ever since.
Mike
We call this guy Captain. He's Mike, a jet airline Captain for what he calls the very best airline in the world; Air New Zealand. Closer to 60 than he is to 50, he used to be a neighbour of mine and is just one of those addictive characters. Sophisticated, quick witted, successful,funny, naughty and incredibly intrepid.... He loves planes, cars and motorcycles and basically spends his entire non-flying time adventuring. He's the guy that encouraged our charitable hearts and introduced us to the great Cure Kids cause. We all love him for that too.
Chris
This is Mark's brother Chris. I asked eack of the guys to email a photo that they thought might offer an insight to their character... this was Chris's own selection. Chris and Mark are good mates. They hunt together, go to sport together, party together and now desert scramble together. Chris is an offshore oil man, h...e played rugby like an animal, kite surfs, and he can ride a motor cycle.
Mark
This is Mark. Mark is a solicitor. Early 40's, a born worrier, formerly an elite rower - one of my really close inner sanctum mates. A brilliant counsel and believe it or not, he's bloody funny and another great creative writer and artist. I sensed he was worried about his job and started conditioning me for his withdr...awal from the trip .... so i invited his brother Chris, who accepted and Mark was happily trapped.
Jene
This is my Kiwi mate Jene. He's a sunny, happy fellow, totally relaxed company, a caring and gifted writer. His BMX collection (or part of it anyway) is on display at Shed 5. He's created and sold businesses and loves riding motorcycles. He's very cool.
Brendan
This is Brendan - Dave is his dad. Brendan is an engineer too. Don't you think it would be great to do an adventure like this as a dad andson combo? Brendan jumped at my invitation to helping and was the first on the ground in Sydney to unpack the motorcycles and get everything ready. Brendan and Dave are from an awesome family and I already love having them around.
Dave
This is Dave. He will be turning 47 on the trip. Dave likes the smell of race fuel and the adrenaline of the pits. He has readied and maintained all manner of motorcycles for extreme performance in his time and is one of the truly great custom motorcycle builders. He has readied most of our desert scramblers (working day and night). He's a legend and a mate - my famous friend.
Noel
I'd like you to meet Noel. He's closer to 60 than 50, an investment banker and (like me), another Australian living in Auckland. Noel was in the support truck on the last desert trip and I couldn't over-state how terrific he and Pav (the other support operator last trip) were. At the end of the last trip, Noel thanked... me and said that he would only ever do something like that again if I asked him - and added that he'd do it on a motorcycle though. He is riding this time and has learnt to ride just for this trip.
Al
I'd like to introduce you to a few of my adventurous mates. This is Al. He's a fruit and veggie trader. He'll be turning 42 on the trip and was a welcome and constant source of levity on my last desert scramble. He features on the gallery. I think he was my first call this time and i am thrilled he's riding with me again.
Doug
Thanks for visiting us. I plan to update this blog irregularly and will try to offer some stories from the parallel lives the eleven of us are sharing. Our youngest 'carnival' member is 21 and our oldest is 58 yrs old and with the exception of one father and son combination (Dave and Brendon), we probably would be unlikely to spend too much time together with our very different great lives.
Molly
Here's our support truck, "molly". 1974 toyota land cruiser with a few mod cons like a car stereo.