sadsacnews2013: TRAMPS: Meeniyan

A good turnout at Meeniyan for the rail trail to Foster.
The day was fine and warm, as forecast, with little wind to speak of.
This rail trail is quite popular, as we discovered as we rode the route to the start point.
The only concerns were some sizable cracks that had formed due to the dry conditions and numerous piles of horse droppings that needed avoiding. Apart from these minor concerns the trail has a very good surface and is suitable for high pressure tyres, as some riders chose on the day.
Just to keep riders on their toes the road crossing involved some bike handling skills to clear the barriers. A couple of riders found these tricky. The ride itself did warm up somewhat as we made our way to Foster.
A stop at Fish Creek gave us a chance to recover before the final gentle climb to the ridge and the run down to the lunch stop. The backup vehicle did not have the usual slow drive as it could only meet us at the odd road crossing or town. It was good to see Richard, our backup, without his crutches. He still had a limp but was moving around quite well. He has had some rides on his exercise bike and hopes to be back on the road by mid month. Lunch at Foster was a welcome stop with Barb's mini muffins to enjoy. The even more advanced table had another run and is well and truly fit for duty. As a couple of us did the ride from Foster I asked Vance to provide details of the return. Here is his account:

Our return journey seemed easy. Some of us kept to the shady side of the track where possible.
We even enjoyed some of the views of the Prom. We kept filling up with water when we stopped at the crossings where the support vehicle met us.
Towards the end the sky became overcast which gave us some relief from the sun.
Almost all of us relaxed at Moos for coffee, ( some of it iced.)