Because of the amount of rain that has fallen, the road had become a muddy quagmire. We followed the 3-axle all terrain truck as much as possible, but some of the ruts were very deep and unpredictable at the bottom. Rises were littered with rocks and shale that also made the going difficult. Despite these obvious warning signs, we approached the road on a high and were sliding the bikes on corners and wheel standing out of deep ruts.
Gary was the first to fall, the bike slipping out from under him on a tricky corner.
No harm done to rider or bike, and he was soon back on.
Gary was also the second to fall, coming off in the middle of a rut. He didn't have enough revs to power himself through, and the bike simply slipped out from under him. Again, no harm to bike or order.
The guys saved the grand finale for me. We watched the all terrain truck pitch into a particularly deep rut that submerged the back axle entirely. Ty said to me over the intercom "better not follow the right hand track" - knowing full well that once he had said this I was left with no choice other than to pile in on the right side. Speed seemed to be the only way to make it through in one go, so I hit the gas and stood up to try to give the bike the best chance of making it through.
With muddy water lapping near the petrol tank, I thought things were going well. As this thought flashed into my mind, an underwater rut turned the handlebars sharply right on me. This pitched me off head first into the middle of the mud pit, immersing the left side of my body with my leg caught under the bike.
Ty had managed to skid to a stop before entering the mud pit to see what would happen when I went through. Raucous laughter came over the intercom as I wriggled out from under the bike, then slipped around trying to get the bike upright again from it's submerged position. Ty called out from the edge "do you need a hand to get the bike out?". I was tiring fast, so I gave in and said yes. On hearing this, Ty said "okay, here I come". He revved the engine, and ploughed right through the mud just a foot or so away from me, completely drenching what was left of me in a tidal wave of mud.
I was left swearing and cursing in the middle of the mud pit wth a semi-submerged bike, and having to listen to my 'mate' on the far side of the pit killing himself laughing and offering various stupid words of encouragement. Gary and Matthias had arrived by this time, and joined the coyote gallery on the edge enjoying my situation. With friends like these, ......
When we arrived back at the hotel, we squelched through the lobby leaving a black and muddy trail behind us. Each of us simply walked into the shower fully clothed, jackets boots and all. We watched the entire bottom of the shower recess turn black for a long while before we were able to strip off and wash the individual bits as clean as possible.
Location:Enroute back to Leon, Nicaragua
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