Returning to my roots: motorcycles

Sea kayaking is no longer what it once was, for me.

I used to have a close-knit group of enthusiastic kayakers that was interested in challenging paddles, camping trips or advancing skills. The people and the activities wed did was the driving force for me to be on the water.
Between the major events I would also fill-in my desire to be outside with day paddles, often in calm waters. The Bay offers sheltered water were limited skills will still get you paddling.
Unfortunately the day paddles became all I would do as the skilled paddlers that once enjoy the surf have moved on; slowly sea kayaking lost its appeal to the point I would not paddle for months.
I am now no longer paddle-fit and I don't think I could go a long distance trip.

It also happened that my focus has shifted to the land.
Before sea kayaking for me there was backpacking (bushwalking off track) and adventures in the mountains. I need being in nature more than the physical activity itself. And prior to backpacking there used to be adventure motorcycle riding, before the word "adventure motorcycle" was even a thing.
I would load up my trail bike with light camping gear and head West, seeking dirt roads and forest tracks. At the end of the day we would find a secluded spot and camp. There was nobody else out there, we were it.

The passion for two wheels has now been rekindled. For the last year I have been riding a light road bike that I desire to actually take in the dirt. Call it a scrambler.
Australia is blessed with a lot of rural country that has a network of dirt roads, from logging tracks in the forest to unsealed roads in the grazing country.

And while I dream of being out in the open space in the West, I satisfy my needs for a ride closer to home, just outside the city. Sometimes a simple ride after work can give me the buzz I need.

Here is a collection of images taken by Petra Ries, edited into a slide-show.





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