05 Aug TAT Day 5: Warm Springs VA to Walnut Flats VA (259km/161mi)
Deer +2, Bear -1, fender bag -1, off +1
Today was a good test. It started off with us congratulating ourselves on how quickly we were able to have breakfast and broke camp and deteriorated from there. A few km outside of Warm Springs, we saw a bear. Unfortunately it was dead and lying in the middle of the road 
🙁
More back roads and then some gravel, where Sim had his first little off somewhere on the trail near Potts jeep track. He wanted a video shot of us both riding past the camera and told me to continue on while he went back to grab the camera, intending to catch up with me. When I stopped at a turnoff, and he still hadn’t caught up with me I knew something was wrong and back tracked a couple hundred metres. Turns out he had hit a big rut on a corner going a little fast and the front slipped out. Rider and bike are mostly OK. Left indicator broke off and the fairing and handlebars had to be straightened up but the grom seems fine. Nothing a little duct tape can’t fix. Not so sure about Simon. Sim broke most of the bikes fall with his knee. He didn’t feel much pain, but his knee looks pretty swollen and he has a huge bruise on his inside thigh.Will see how it goes.
Good ole duct tape
You can just about make out the little rut on the corner that took out Simon
Start of a magnificent bruise
We spent about an hour sorting out the bike. All our tools are stored under the seats so all the luggage has to come of to get them. Finally we got back on our way and not even 10 minutes later, I heard something making a funny noise and Sim who was behind me spotted that my bag was on the wheel. One of the buckles had broken and the little fender pack that is strapped to the back of the main bag swung far enough in to touch the rear wheel. I now have a big hole in the corner of the fender bag and one of the straps on the fender bag and the main bag has been destroyed. The most annoying thing about this incident is that it is my own bloody fault. You see, the buckle that broke was one that I had put on the bag to make things more convenient for myself because the Enduristan buckles were a pain to adjust. Should have trusted the Swiss. Fortunately I still had the original buckles attached to the bag, so a bit more pfaffing and a whole lot of feeling sorry for myself later and we were back on the road…again.
Stupidity caused this
Enough of gravel for the day. We have camped at Walnut Flats.
P.S. weather has been good the last 2 days.
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