Gnangarra

Trip Leader: Pat O’Dowd

When: 27th November 2011

Location: Gnangarra Pine Plantation

Participants: 1 Pat Trip Leader, 2 Triton Stephen (Guest), 3 Bob & Bridgette, 4 Rick 6 kids, 5 Stephen, 6 Michael & Marion, 7 Pajero Peter Cole (Guest), 8 Jeep Pat (Guest), 9 Triton( Guest) Henry, Denise, and son, 10 Malcolm & Trish Tail End Charlie
 

Very noisy dirt Bikes and dust yuk … who’s idea was it to meet here??!!  
Bumpy track… trip note leader has hard time typing on iPad and driving at the same time.  
6 Kids in Rick’s car playing with compressor switches.
Rick had to stop and check all wheels were still attached to the car.  
Only 15 minutes into the trip and trip leader needs to stop and check maps.
Where is he taking us??
Does he know??  
Oh dear 30 minutes into the trip and Peter Cole has a suspected flat tyre… fortunately all good.
Pat takes us on every detour possible to make sure we are off the main limestone track.  
10:30 play time, feel like I am back at school!
BIG open sand pit. Good place to train visitors in sand driving.  
11:00 stomachs rumbling, we stop for morning tea..
Trip leader very precise with instructions!   11: 30 we move on!  
Pat selling Xmas Trees ‘on special’ , freshly cut, delivered to your doorstep, compliments of trip leader.  
12:15 Steve made a frantic dash through the scrub, longest pit stop ever!  
Some nice wildflowers along the way.  
Pat,  “Little bit of water here. I’m going to go for it …but I think I will go straight down!” quoted our fearless leader.  
But later and in true Pat style as we are driving along getting very hungry we do hear “I’m stuck”
BUT.. it was not the mud.. or the sand…. IT WAS TREE MULCH … what the!  
However he was not the only one to give it a go.
Rick also got stuck.  
12:15 we hit the road again    
1:30 on the dot lunch break.  
2:15 on the dirt again.
Pat relinquished his trip leader responsibility to Michael in order look for “the hill”.
Eventually Pat did find it.. so we spent some time “playing!”
Pat’s usual sense of adventure took over when he attempted the hill in reverse!
No he didn’t quite make it but scored 10 points for trying.  
4 o’clock and we were airing up for the drive back to Perth on the bitumen road.

Marion Gilbert