Travelogue, Spain

Dried ocean floor (Spain Part 1.3)

Update: From the organization I received some explanation about the current maintenance status of the quad bikes:

'Yes, the quad bikes are perfectly adequate for the terrain that they are used for, each quad has a new engine every two years and goes through a rigorous 15 point check before each tour, at the end of a hard Summer season each quad is stripped down and rebuilt. The dust on the tour is our greatest enemy with the heat generated by the 300cc engines in 30°+ ambient temperature and the slow 20km speed meaning that they get little or no cooling being another factor. Not being able to wash them daily (because of virtually all year round water restrictions) gives the impression of the quads being old and "requiring maintenance". Thank you for your custom and please excuse me for explaining and countering the "lack of maintenance" comment.'

 
Fortunately, we have not been completely without “motorbike”. An hour's drive by car was the opportunity to go on a tour with quads at Espuña Adventure Team for a few hours. We had reserved two single quads and one duo (for my parents-in-laws).
 

At the arrival the owners received us with a friendly smile. Adjacent is a small-scale hotel where we had to register and sign a form (including additional insurance at € 3.50 p / p. Should something happen. Only a helicopter has the ability to rescue you in this area).

The quads were not the youngest anymore and could perhaps use a little more maintenance, nevertheless they did their job just fine for now. We received some explanation before departure. About the operation of the quad (control it as if you were riding a horse) but also about safety and how to react when something happens.

After this we left. In addition to the three quads we rode, there were also two others. Two Brits. Father and son.

We were soon riding the quad bikes on unpaved trails. These mainly consisted of sandstone-containing gravel. Locally worn small river rocks were present in the path, but also various wash-out slots that could sometimes be quite treacherous. The guide had also warned us about this and ordered us all to ride the same line as him.
 
He took us through a small piece of the area (after all, we only had 2 hours of riding available), but it was beautiful. The area was actually the bottom of the ocean millions of years ago. They have therefore found many fossils of marine animals in the area. How the area was formed also shows that it is actually accumulations of former sediment from the sea floor.
The guide also took us to a nearby lake. The path to it presented a bit more of a challenge. That meant that my parents-in-law had to leave their quad behind for a while. My father-in-law got on the back of my husband and my mother-in-law had to accompany the guide on the back.
 

Eventually I understood why. There were some pieces that were a bit more technical. Sort of DRZ heaven, but with an Africa Twin it would have been hard work.

The lake was worth it. The view was beautiful. A nice place to practice with the drone again and to take some nice pictures.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *