Forest, dirt, and ruts

Day 2 Lobethal to Tanunda. 73 Ks Woke up this morning with tears streaming from my eyes. Wasn't sure if I was weeping from anticipation and pain or from the headcold I'd developed. While putting my hemet on I noticed it was looking fine on the outside but broken on the inside (I know the feeling!) from my fall. Still no sympathy !!! Rode into impossible terrain again. Mountain bike skills are building but I am most definitely a road cyclist not a mountain biker. As I was feeling a bit sore, and it was raining and its well known I can get lost anywhere - even in the campsite - I decided to stick with a ride marshall. Barry had promised to stay behind me all day so if anything happened to me he'd find me and fix it. The flaw in that plan of course was that if one us accidentally left the trail then we'd be in deep trouble. Well put it this way, I left Lobethal at 8 and then I left Lobethal at 9. Meanwhile Barry is powering ahead trying to catch me. I was a bit deflated at the realisation I'd wasted so much energy so i just went into automatic. Today's ride summary: long periods of close inspection of clay, sand, and gravel with intermittent periods of magnificent scenery. Ab-so-lutely beautiful. Found Baz at lunch. He'd already been to Tanunda to look for me, and come back. We are both coughing now, so that was a big effort for him too. Stories all round of riders getting lost, so I'm not the only one. But we are here at Chateau Tanunda now in the big dining room having a lovely Black Tie dinner - so all is forgotten for now. Tonight is the night The Mawson Man is introduced to us all. An award for feats of bravery and or stupidity on the trail. The vote is for Baz - overwhelmingly. His reward - the macho looking doll called the Mawson Man. There is also the Wilkins Woman - the female equvalent. Baz gets the vote because of his extreme bad luck with flat tyres; the final straw being the new one - after so many on the trail - put in at camp just before dinner which immediately exploded with a resounding BANG!!! as he walked confidently away from his bike. Plus of course his bright ideas about keeping me safe on the trail by staying behind me all the time... say no more.