Rail trail report from Spook

Yo MoMo,wel I survived both days-quite an adventure ,both days entirley different!! I drove to Poolburn Dam with Chris and we set off thru real orc country!!! The weather was blustery but dry,with the wind swirling all over the place.I think Chris was quite taken aback by the speed of my downhilling!! Even although we had a map the navigation was quite tricky as only some of the tracks had signs.After 2 hours Chris turned back and I carried on up.I had every kind of weather -rain,hail sleet,sun and of course bloody wind.I eventually made Middlemarch 3 and a half hours later.I went to the pub ,had a couple of beers and booked into the Bunkhouse.They had given me a wee cabin which was magic $30 for the night including sheets,duvet,towel and coffee making gear -Awesome. I went to the cafe/bar and had I think the best pizza I have ever had!! I did not sleep that well and was up and ready to go at 0745, back to cafe for breakfast,then off at 0845.It was a magic morning not a breath of wind so I was flying 30kph.I worked out I would be in Alex 1600 easy. Then disaster after only 12 km,I had a blowout on my rear tyre which trashed the tube and ripped the sidewall of the tyre!!! I had 2 options,jog back to the bikeshop in Middlemarch and buy a new tyre or makeshift repair and ride carefully to Ranfurly 50 miles away to the bikeshop there.Of course being a Munro I chose the later, stuck the split tyre with tape which I had taped the split in my rucksac with and swapped tyres so the damaged one was on the front and carried on knowing every KM got me nearer but also further away from the bikeshop!. I got to Ranfurly which was uphill all the way with the headwind increasing all the time.I had a coffee and mega lump of carrot cake then went to the bikeshop.The shop was so poor and the stuff so cheap and nasty I nearly went to the hardwaer shop and just get more tape for the split which somehow was no worse than it was 50 miles further back!! I eventually found a useably tyre in the back of the shop got it on and got going I suppose it took me over an hour to get going which was fine. By now the wind was getting strong and it was a long haul out of Ranfurly to Mount Ida station which is the highest point on the track.Now DH all the way to Alex!! I arrived in Alex after 6hours and 40 minuites of riding from Middlemarch!!! Some of the people I met were doing it over 5 days and thought I was Maaade!!!! At long last I got my well earned "Ice Cold In Alex!!!!" I had time for a bar meal before Chris arrived to take me home. Today (wed) is a very lazy rest day,I have laid out in the sun,done a washing and started fettling my poor Santa Cruz!!! I think I will go to Oakridge this afternoon!!!