Outback Odyssey 2015 - Day 0

So Miss V's plan to get me back to do Outback Odyssey has been successful, despite my initial reservations due to the pain and suffering endured last time. That said, there were definitely happy memories too, which on the balance of things, far out weighed the negatives which I've tended to focus on. The Outback Odyssey also marks an anniversary of sorts. My blog has been going for two years! I probably haven't updated it as much as I would have liked, but I've enjoyed putting my thoughts out there and have received good feedback

Planning

In the last two years I think I managed to work out what was the cause of the knee issues and, as posted previously, a new bike was built up with the intention of taking it to Outback Odyssey. So there was a fair amount of optimism around completing he journey this time. Different from last time, we decided to tackle he final stretch, Melrose to Blinman, also referred to as the Mini Mawson 3. Many that we'd spoke to referred to the final section as being the best one as far as scenery was concerned, so I was looking forward to what the next five days would bring.

New bike for the Outback Odyssey - Mini Mawson 3

During the lead up to the Odyssey most things seemed to be running to plan as far as getting things organised was concerned.  Things seemed to be running so smoothly that I had to wonder what we were missing. A final flurry of activity on the final night and we were all set to go the next morning.

Arrival

The drive to Melrose was an adventure in itself. Our original plan was to get there early so that we could head out for a blurt around the trails. We left more or less on time, according to the schedule that we had set ourselves, an amazing achievement in itself. However, a series of sub optimal navigation choices coupled with a train stopped across a crossing, and sheep across the road meant we got into Melrose much later than expected. Hopefully we'll have a short play on the trails once we get back to Melrose at the end of the Odyssey.

We found a nice spot for our tent, and got all our gear ready to go for our big adventure. We made our way to the Melrose Institute for dinner a little early, allowing us to catch up which a bunch of old friends from previous tours. The food was fantastic, consisting of three courses:  Pumpkin soup for starters,  Roast beef with peas, carrots, roast potato, roast pumpkin and gravy for the main course, and Apple crumble with ice cream for dessert. If the previous Outback Odyssey was any indication, we're definitely not expecting to go hungry!

So, the riding for us starts early tomorrow, heading into Quorn along some (apparently) fun terrain. Feeling a little bit nervous, and a little bit excited and hoping it all goes smoothly. Fingers and toes crossed!