Day 29 - 30 The Basin

Days like these are why we ride. Leaving the comfort of Wild Bills Cozy Cabin after an amazing home cooked breakfast by Miss Carmella, I felt ready for the Basin. It is advised not to cross the Basin alone in case of any issues. I had planned to cross with Mike and Steve who rolled in late last night. Setting off with a full camel bag and an additional 2 litres of water, the weather was perfect. Blue skies and a tail wind. I felt like I was flying along the track with the butterflies and dragon flies fluttering along beside me. The scenery was spectacular, table top mountain ranges, with striations of yellow, orange and purple. It was very green and there was lots of wild sage, amongst yellow and purple flowers, as far as the eye could see. The track in front of me seemed to never end, every summit or corner the trail just continued. About 5 miles into the Basin I got a flat front tyre. Thankfully my squidgy inner tubes in my “tubeless tires” meant a quick pump up and I was back riding. I had already decided to spend two days in the basin wanting to taking advantage of sleeping out under the stars. Finding the perfect spot high on a ridge we pitched our tents. The wind soon calmed down, leaving us with the most wonderful sunset to eat dinner, a freeze dried meal of Pad Thai, even that tasted good! Setting my alarm for 1am I crawled into my tent exhausted, with a massive smile on my face. These are the days we cycle for. When the alarm went off I jumped out of the tent, the sky was clear with no moon, perfect to see the stars, out in full. With no ambient light and nothing and no one anywhere to be seen, I could see two strands of the milky way. It was so clear and appeared almost close enough to touch. I saw a shooting star, made a wish that the pain of heartbreak would finally disappear and promised myself that tears will now be replaced with more days and memories like this. Blissful real life with truth and beauty.Read more