2013-09-18 -35 142

Location

In a field of wheat 11kms west of Patchewollock.

Who went

Expedition

...Continued from 2013-09-18 -34 142.

Having achieved a pretty spectacular virgin achievement on day 2 of our road bike cycle tour, Tom and I were debating whether or not to go for a second one that day. We had thought at the time that this would be a second virgin hash for the day, but sadly it turns out this honour had been taken by someone else.

Riding down the Great Sunrasia Highway towards the hash, Tom annoyingly managed to lose attention and crashed straight into the back of me at one point. We came crashing to the ground and my bike frame at the chain stay green-stick fractured alarmingly. Tom's bike sustained no damage.

Tentatively continuing we decided not to abandon the trip and would just see how it went. A few hours later we turned off the highway and entered a beautiful national park area with interesting desert plants but no Mallee fowls as advertised. After many hours riding through darkness we arrived at the Patchewollock pub, which was a shining beacon of civilisation in a wilderness of emptiness. The townsfolk were all there and gave us much good/meaningless advice on whether the road to the hash was sealed (points to Tom for valiantly attempting to describe geohashing to the sheep farmers).

Heading back out into the gloom, we used the full moon to light our way, reaching the 5-ways intersection after approximately 9kms and turned off towards the hashy-wheatfield. Trampling some wheat for a few metres we got to the point, took some crappy photos and headed back.

On our way back through Patchewollock towards our sleeping destination of Hopetoun, we passed back through the pub for a celebratory beer, confusing the locals with our trip itinerary. After that, another 48 kms of riding through the night got us to Hopetoun at just after 1am. What a day of hashsuccess!

Our route for the whole tour is here