Saturday 18 March 2017
Friday 17 March 2017
Mikes Final Words !
Wow it's hard to believe that it's all over ! This was no "cruzy" cycle with the first week particularly challenging as we adapted to "sauna cycling" and then to the headwinds of horror ! Throw in a 150km day, never ending roads and some crazy traffic on the public holiday weekend and it would be reasonable to wonder what the hell you'd signed up for ! Despite this Kev & Marysia did exceptionally well, Kev after postponing his heart & lung transplant back in Melbourne and Maryisa showing she really does have the "Murray" to cycle tour anywhere in the world and in any conditions she should chose !
For me some of the lasting memories come not from our cycling but from our many en route experiences. Having a BBQ with 4WD on Robe Beach, filming Kev's entry into the Little Blue Lake in his 1930's costume (bike gear) forgetting that it had been 40 years since his last swim and watching Marysia alternatively scream and breathe while Snorkelling at Ewan Ponds ( I know I'm prety warped !). As for me the pleasure of arriving to lunch or dinner and to have an ice cold Pepsi Max presented to you still has me drooling as i write this (Thx Chris for your great support!)
Tour cycling is never easy as in short you have to be "somewhere" everyday but doing it with two great mates is one of lifes best pleasures. Thanks Kev and Marysia !!!
Wednesday 15 March 2017
Kev has a final word !
1103km in 12 riding days – now that's not 'arf bad for a mob in their 60's – temporarily that is for one KH till August anyway .
At the start all the so called weather "experts " told us the prevailing winds at that time of year predominantly would be from the West resulting in cruisy tailwinds requiring no effort to pedal at 25kph – YEAH RIGHT . We had to wait till around day 12 for our first taste of a tail breeze – it was magic .
On the tough hot days it was great to know that somewhere up ahead was Chris with an icy cold Pepsi Max and snacks – what a bonus that she could be there for the trip . Thanks heaps Chris and to Millie as well for providing endless joy for everyone .
It only seems like 5mins ago that Marysia mentioned the trip and now it's over . It was a great experience meticulously planned and organised by Marys and i'll be putting up my hand for any similar trips in the future .
A highlight / lowlight was my attempt to drown myself two metres from shore in The Little Blue Lake near Mt Gambier – James Magnussen your career is safe from me .
A fabulous trip with fabulous friends and bring on the next adventure .
Time flies but the kms didn't always
I must have been having so much fun because I can't believe that our trip has come to an end after 1100 kms of cycling.
It's amazing how the tough days of pedalling into the wind, the endless kms, climbing hills when the legs are aching, dealing with road traffic including fully loaded logging trucks roaring from behind you, and the endless stream of homeward bound holiday traffic and caravans travelling the same route last Monday have faded. What I remember and cherish is the complete journey with 3 good friends. The relief of reaching the rest spots kept me pedalling many times knowing those wonderfully fresh salad sandwiches and cold drinks and or cups of tea provided by Chris enroute would be waiting .
Kevin who kept a running commentary of kms travelled and yet to travel and who always provided me with a wind break when I needed it most not to mention his endless supply of snakes and lollies when I had run out ( read gobbled up my lot) .
Our conversations along the way ( we haven't really solved the worlds problems yet) and the sharing of our stories and life's experiences with people who are interested and care is really special.
Mike the photographer and blogger extraordinaire, ( I still need to vet some of those photos ) who has cycled in some amazing places other than Australia and who frustratingly gets stronger as the day goes on, any wonder he prefers " boys" time to Murray time (eg crack of dawn) to exit camp in the morning.
The relief of reaching the days destination, a glass of wine or a cold beer and a well deserved meal to be had and knowing that tomorrow would bring new and yet unknown challenges that needed to be met was part of the excitement of the journey.
I will miss that.
Thank you Chris, Mike and Kevin for the support, the laughs, the conversations and the sharing of the journey.
This is It !
After 1,000 kms and 13 days on road this was it as we set from Barwon Heads off to Ocean Grove (just as the sun was rising) for breakfast on the last day of our cycling adventure.
After shoring up some much needed protein, having relived the trip and solved most of the worlds problems, we headed off to Queenscliff knowing that the Bay Ferry left every hour on the hour. Despite this we'd somehow left ourselves needing to cover the remaining 15 kms in 45 minutes otherwise we were in for a long wait which was not such a great idea with a potentially long day ahead!
The cumulative effect of touring started to take its toll when Marysia started to struggle to keep up the pace needed to make the ferry on time. Luckily Kev's Vietnam watch told us that we still had 7 minutes left as we rounded the Queenscliff promenade and raced for the ferry terminal.
We'd no sooner boarded the ferry on and taken our seats when the departure call sounded - it seems Kevs watch was about 5 minutes slow !
This was a glorious way to finish off our trip and return to Melbourne as we sailed across the glassy bay waters on a beautifully sunny day to disembark just 40 minutes later at Sorrento
From Sorrento it was a breeze cycling to Safety Beach at Dromana where we encountered our first "grizzle" hills on our undulating ride to Mornington albeit complete with fantastic views of the bay and the Idle rich !
There was just time to take in a Thick Shake at Mornington before consulting Dr Google for a way to hook up with the Peninsular Link Cycle trail at Moorooduc about 9kms away. It was with some trepidation that we followed a suggested walking route (no cycle route showing) that headed first by the Nepean Hwy and then up and over a pretty steep saddle in Mt Eliza down to the Moorooduc train terminus. Henley increased the grizzle meter by a couple of notches saying it was a bit rough having to climb so much at this stage of the trip !
The Peninsular Link bike path is one of Melbourne's newer bike trails running by the Freeway itself with some pretty consistent profiles, initially all up for the first half (the way we were going) with the 2nd half mainly down or flat!
Also for the uninitiated navigating can be a bit challenging on the trail as it keeps swapping from one side of the freeway to the other leaving you wondering whether in fact you've just gone around in a full circle !
As it was we finally found our way in the beating heat to Patterson River and to Carrum Downs Railway Station to complete our epic journey.
After such a great trip the finish and farewell was pretty low key no doubt partly due to our collective exhaustion but also partly due to the fact that we all had to work our way home - Kev and Marysia by train and self by a lift after I first navigated my way back to Thompson Road in Carrum - yep more cycling !
For Kev and Marysia the 1,100 kms was an absolutely fantastic achievement and I thank them for the opportunity to share this great experience with them !
Tuesday 14 March 2017
999 On a Manic Monday !
It didn't take much foresight to know that we were going to experience"some traffic" on a public holiday Monday on our way from Colac to Barwon Heads but what we found we were totally unprepared for !
We left on "Murray" time (V's Boys time) making our way out of Colac on the main A1 road finding ourselves competing for space on narrow verges in close proximity to passing Trucks because of road widening works. It was only 20 kms but we breathed a sigh of relief as we left the main road and in relaxed style this time headed to lovely Birregurra where we took coffee while Marysia wondered if she could buy out a nearby antique shop and somehow fit her purchases on her bike rack !
Our next leg took us 40 kms to Moriac where we really experienced the full brunt of holidaying traffic being constantly passed by Caravans , Cars and even Hay Bale trucks. While the majority of drivers were courteous, riding in such close proximity without a verge made us feel pretty damned uneasy !
It was with a high level of relief that we entered Moriac and found our way to Chris and our support Van for lunch for a handful of sedatives ! Sadly this was to be our last support stop with Chris having done such a fantastic job heading back to Melbourne to journey Northwards on Vet assignment
From Moriac to Barwon Heads we rode mainly on roads with defined verges but had to cross large roundabouts with heaps of cross traffic - all heading home.
After a hugely tiring day we finally entered Barwon Heads and on 999 trip kms Marysia strangely lead us the wrong way across the Bridge before back tracking to the caravan park - she slyly reckoned it was a mistake !!!
With only one day left it was time to book into our up market 3 bedroom accommodation and immediately head down to the local pub where even Henley indicated that he needed a few pots to recover after the days effort !
Sunday 12 March 2017
The "Bool" !
It was quite a sight to see 2 grown men cry but it was time to move on from our luxury cabin which apart from rattling blinds, cheap fittings, a doona filled with air and an awkward opening front door was just about as good as it gets in a carvan park !
Once again Greyhound Murray shot out of the blocks while I was left on the starting line having handed in the keys waiting for the guys to come get me until Chris informed me that they'd ridden off earlier !
Marysia had planned the days route to avoid as much as possible the busy main highway (A1) while taking in the countryside scenery and confusing Henley as much as possible - on all 3 points she succeeded admirably !
After 20 kms we turned off the Highway and headed inland before cutting back cross country in the vicinity of the Mt Eccles National Park. The roads here were not only much quieter but also much narrower forcing us to keep an eye out for any oncoming traffic. With a gentle tailwind behind us we were able to keep up a goodish 20km / hr pace surprising Chris when we arrived just after mid day for our lunch break at the tiny town of Orford.
With full stomachs and Henley having resumed his love affair with Millie (Chris and Marysias' s adorable dog) we headed off again this time with thunderstorm like clouds rapidly closing in !
Making our way to Koroit was uneventful other than when Henley ignoring team instructions, started cycling off to Port Fairy instead of Warrnambool ! When Marysia yelled out Kev showed remarkable agility by throwing his bicycle around on a sixpence (he'd applied the brakes in soft debris) barely mainting control before heading off this time in the correct direction !
At Koroit we picked up the Port Fairy to Warrnambool rail trail . As far as rail trails go this one while scenic was pretty poorly maintained as it wound its way though fields and pastures in the general direction of Warrnambool. I say in the "general direction" as the last section took us on a pretty last circuitous route through wetlands (picturesque) on a very lose surface. This was not the only hazard we encountered as cycling around one corner we were confronted by a 3yr old car driver (sitting on her Dads lap) followed by 2 enormous huskies !
Winding our way out of the sand dunes and wetlands we came into the outskirts of Warrnambool where Marysia's I phone took over and guided us to the Warnambool Backpackers just as the rain arrived
Thinking we might have to disguise our age to gain entry we snuck into our bunk bedded room, deposited our gear, showered and then took in the lovely ambience of this place before finishing off the day with a healthy dose of Pizza and Beer (... read we were just too buggered to go out for a meal!)
Tomorrow we get to do it all over again ... yeh !!!!
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Day of Discovery Portland !
Yep another rest day but we figured that after 4 long days battling the heat, headwinds and March Flies that we were entitled to it! Our rest day was one of discovery that included a guided tour of Portlands Gannet colony. Some of the days extraordinary learnings were that -
- Marysia can actually sleep in if you drug her Chardonay!
- The Portland fault line runs through the middle of the main street if you listen to Henley after he discovered a 2x3 inch sinkhole in Portlands main street !
- Gannets are not only a graceful bird but can fly incredible distances with one tagged Portland Gannet found in Mauritius !
- The coastline from Portland to Port Fairy is in fact part of the rim of an one ancient volcano !!!
- It is not easy to catch a Magpie despite it having twine entangled legs (Marysia did try)
- Marysia has been on tour way too long after describing an indigenous eadible plant's berries as looking like "Kangaroo Balls" when our guide simply described them as looking like tomatoes !
One hell of a learning day !
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Saturday 11 March 2017
Thursday 9 March 2017
Now I Remember
I didn't realise the boys took such pride in how they looked on the bike and even less that it took such a long time to get the look right. However when they were eventually ready, closer to lunch than breakfast I did think that after 4 hours of waiting that they were a very good sight.
So it was goodbye to Nelson and on the main highway to Portland which seemed like an express way for the logging trucks. The log truck drivers were very courteous though often giving us a toot to let us know that we were seen and that they were going to pass. One time when an oncoming truck was coming and a toot from behind let me know another log truck was going to pass and with very little shoulder of road left for me I made the quickest dismount ever.
It was cycling the rolling hills with the wind in my back that I suddenly remembered why I cycle, I had almost forgotten, it was wonderful to watch the kms click bye effortlessly for a change.
Gratefully we turned off the highway into a very minor road heading toward the very picturesque Cape Bridgewater and lunch. The March flies thought it was lunch too and even doing the Irish jig didn't put them off. So we were happy to get back on the bikes and pedal like mad to get away from them. It's said that to escape flies one has to pedal faster than 19 kms an hour but I'm not sure how fast one has to pedal to escape the dreaded March fly as they still seemed to be hanging around at 30kms an hour.
Anyhow it was good to remember why I cycle because I often ask myself why! Don't all cyclists.
700 Down !
The fact that we were back in Victoria seemed to inspire one M Murray to seriously consider hitting the road at 5.30a.m. ! Thankfully for Kev and self we were staying 2kms further away in a different caravan park so could't be swayed by such foolishness instead settling (to Marysia's anguish) on a much more civil departure time of 9.30a.m. (.. as boys we needed to look good on the road !)
We left Nelson on a lovely morning with Maysia soon way out in front competing for space on winding roads with semis and log trucks ! To give the log truck guys some credit they at least gave us fair warning of their approach and often a wide berth in passing but still the force of the passing trucks while riding on a limited road verge was enough to make you feel constantly uneasy !
After about 25kms we had our first serious climb on tour a 3-4km effort that put "granny" as well as our tender bums back into play The descent following though was brilliant as for the first time on our trip we had the full effects of a tailwind right behind us. Henleys squeals of glee were evident through the forested area even though he was a km in front of me !
We finally turned off the main Nelson - Portland road at the 50km mark taking what felt like a lane towards Portland Airport where we encountered Portlands version of the Ottways a series of steeply rolling hills that made their way down to Cape Bridewater. CB on arrival looked stunning with its lovely breaking waves, white sand and aqua coloured ocean but unfortunately came complete with squadrons of marauding march flies that descended upon us as soon as we tried to take lunch. Even the Steve Irwin of Fly Catching one Kevin Catchem Henley put up the white flag as the flies threatened to devour him whole and fly away with his carcass if he stayed still !
Leaving CB and the carnage behind, we headed this time into Portland a 15 km undulating ride with the days heat beginning to take effect. Passing through Portland we headed out of town to Henty Bay to our lovely caravan park setting with 102 kms showing after a fine days effort.
Having checked in our wary approach to our cabin was justified finding out that our guaranteed view of the Ocean was correct only if you stuck your head out through the torn flyscreen on the side windoww. With no air con, a stifling room, and a toilet almost directly attached to Kevs bed we decided to back track to the office to seek out accommodation more befitting our social staus! With the gardeners shed unavailable we settled instead for the next best thing (see pic)
Nearly 700 kms down and only 300 to go !
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Wednesday 8 March 2017
Re: Back in Vic & Blue all over !
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-------- Original message --------
From: michael litchfield <m_litchfield@hotmail.com>
Date: 08/03/2017 11:57 AM (GMT+00:00)
To: litchy1.haydend@blogger.com
Subject: Back in Vic & Blue all over !
We started the day in magic style climbing a hill or two to the beautiful Blue Lake, Mt Gambier's number 1 tourist attraction a stunning blue coloured lake formed by a volcanic eruption many eons ago. Thanks to Chris we took breakfast (including bacon and eggs) in the morning sun overlooking the lake that had many early morning walkers salivating at our feast as they walked past !
Having bloated ourselves we did a full circuit of the Lake before taking off towards Port Macdonnell amazingly this time wiithout a headwind !
After 15 kms we took a 3km detour to the not so well known Little Blue Lake a cut down version of Mt Gambiers main attraction the difference here being that we could actually swim in it !
With Marysia recounting stories of her misspent youth (yes she was a local Mt Gambier girl) she lead the charge by jumping into the lake ( a cool 17-18c) with her bike gear on quickly folllwed by Chris and self. This limestone sinkhole is a stunning place to swim in despite the surrounding signs indicating that your skin was likely to peel off because of the watersl blue water algae ! Our splashing around like overgrown kids soon enticed one Kevin Henley to give it a go ! Kev might have got away with it despite his 1/2 Kapersky on entry (he called it a version of the fosbury flop) if he hadnt forgotten how to swim once he hit the cold water ! In a state of panic Kev tried to make it back to the pontoon whike Marysua and I debated whether in fact he was drowning or not - "looks a strange swimming stroke to me I said"...." do you think he's trying to swim the whole lake underwater" said Marysia !
While we debated Kev finally made it back onto the pontoon indicating he'd had a panic attack as soon as hit the water having not swum for over 40 years !!!
After drying out on some nearby rocks we continued on our ride to Port Macdonnell turning towards Nelson where took lunch 5 kms on in a lovely setting by the ocean other than for the marauding March flies !
Our 2nd adventure was only 9kms away at Ewan Ponds. This stunning limestone water pond (allows scuba diving and snorkeling) with a great range of colourful water based plant life was out in the middle of nowhere !
Our plans to snorkel here were put temporarily on hold when a group of departing scuba divers complete with wetsuits remarked that it was bloody freezing. I tentatively sat on the end of the pontoon gradually anaesthetising various body parts not knowing whether i could endure "numb nuts" when Chris bravely took up the challenge and plunged in remarking on how beautiful the underwater surrounds were as she snorkeled her way around the outskirts of the pond.
I soon followed amazed at how much my voice sounded like a 15 year old Welsh boy singer before even Marysia braved the cold alternately screaming whike trying to breathe through her snorkel. Out of the water we all agreed on what amazing experience this had been !
Now invigorated in the afternoon heat we soon clocked up the kms on smooth limestone roads before rejoining the main Mt Gambier - Nelson road 10 kms out and saying hello once again to our arch nemesis the headwind !
Despite the fact that we battled the headwinds to Nelson and cycled on a shitty road verge on a road complete with trucks we could not help but agree on what an amazing day we'd had !
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Best 80 kms ever!
How does breakfast sitting in the sunshine over looking the Blue Lake in Mt Gambier sound! Well it was pretty good! excellent in fact. All the early morning walkers treading the kms around the lake in pursuit of fitness thought so too. In fact Chris could have made a killing selling coffee and bacon and eggs on toast that she produced for us out of her caravan. We were lucky enough to enjoy all this in the sun over looking the Blue Lake having opted to have breaky on route to Nelson rather than sit in a dull and boring Caravan park Cabin .
The lake looked so beautiful and brought back lovely memories of my youth and my nursing training in Mt Gambier many years ago.
Then it was off to the Little Blue Lake a well known local swimming sink hole aprox 16 kms from Mt Gambier . After toe testing the water guess who was the bravest of them all ?? Yes me. In I went fully dressed in my cycling nicks and jersey ( they are Lycra after all) . Chris and Mike followed . Even Kevin not to be denied the pleasure eventually jumped in, the first time he had been swimming for at least 40 years! His body almost went into shock and I nearly had to call on my 50 yr old life saving
skills. Thankfully my faded life saving skills were not required and having survived our swims we headed off soaking wet( gee those nicks pads take a while to dry) to the
Ewens Ponds. These are a series of three spring fed sink holes where the waters are so crystal clear and very COLD . It's a beautiful place to go diving or snorkelling and a unique experience ! that is once you bite the bullet and get in. No wet suit mind you just bike nicks and a jersey that had dried off from the previous swim. Chris ventured in first followed by Mike and then reluctantly me after much prompting and cajoling. Freezing ! Jeez!! Bloody freezing can't breath through the snorkel for yelling in shock. It was crystal clear though and in my mind I promised myself a glass of Sav Blanc if I survived .
Well survive I did and so from there we headed straight into a blasted head wind all the way to Nelson. It was such a good fun day it didn't dampen the spirits and it ended in the pub where I did get to enjoy my glass of Sav Blanc and the company of my fellow travellers.
Best 80 kms cycled ever.
Monday 6 March 2017
All roads lead to Mt Gambier !
My BOM Melbourne forecaster mate, one D Fuller, simply said "dejavu" when indicating by email todays infuriating forecast ...yes another bloody headwind !
It's hats off to anyone that has cycled around Australia and in particular one M Murray, not only for enduring the weather conditions this great country can throw at you but for also often enduring endless miles of nothing ! Combine a headwind with the "nothing" and you have a real mental battle going on within ! Some innner voices simply saying "WTF" while others implore you to just get off the bike and walk ! Against that you have a deeper inner voice saying just 1 more k, just one more K and then finally you have the voice of reason telling the other voices to just "shut the f€%k up" !
We set off pretty much at 8.30 aiming to get to Mt Gambier in time (52 kms) to allow Chris to temporarily remove herself from " servitude" by enjoying the fairways of Royal Mt Gambier although whether in fact she gets past the first tee will very much depend on how the clubhouse views Henleys "once were plus 4's "
Todays ride was pretty much full of expletives. Whike fighting with the never ending headwind we had the added challenge of dealing with a busy main road complete with semis and a multitude of log trucks ! The constant buzz of traffic had us sticking mainly to the rough surfaced debris filled verge with only an occassional forest, a few pinches and a suicidal crop duster copper pilot spraying nearby fields for entertainment !
The long main street finally signalled our entry to Mt Gambier with both Kev and Marysia doing really. So well in fact that Marysia had enough energy to also head off to the golf course while Kev decided to postpone his threatened "arse transplant" for another day.
For me the math is simple - head to the bike shop to get some hydraukic fluid in those back brakes or risk doing a really good impersonation of superman the next time i need both brakes !
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Groundhog Day !
Weather gods please give us a break ! After 3 consecutive days of headwinds we awoke to yet another windy morning and with the wind coming from a Sth East direction it meant that we were once again setting off directly into a headwind towards Beachport and Millicent.
Marysia took a sneaky headstart this morning while I mucked around with my panniers - "We'll see you on the road said Kev" ! Despite leaving only 15 minutes later we didn't in fact catch the pocket rocket until the 25 km mark - don't worry i have already referred the matter to the drug doping tribunal !
Our remaining 25 kms to Beachport were all in windy conditions with some spells at 10kms/hr and a few at 20kms+hour (dont ask me how) as we rotated the lead taking turns up front or drafting behind in superb pelotonic discipline ! Finally after a fair bit of punishment we reached the foreshore of lovely Beachport with its amazing near 1km long pier stretching out nearly into the middle of the bay ! Here we took a quick cuppa and cake courtesty of our travelling Angel Chris, then set off back into the wind heading to Millicent
This was "butt" painful but with the experience of our 149 km day behind it was af least bearable .. well maybe not for Marysia who had to listen to Kev and self belting out Chords of Thunder from Acca Dacca to stop us from going totally insane !
Another stop, some more food fuel and we finally rocked into Millicent just affer 3p.m. to complete yet another difficult day !
After Spag Bol for dinner we look forward to its a shortish day tomorrow as we make our way to Mt Gambier with self aiming for a bike shop to restore my missing hydraulic fluid and Chris aiming for a game of golf at the beautiful Mt Gambier course !
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Resting in Robe !
After a series of punishing headwind type days it was great to sleep in and rise to - you guessed it another windy day although this time also cool and overcast !
Having breakfasted we started the day in fine style attempting to adjust my slightly noisy rear brake succeeding in emptying all of the hydraulic fluid out of the brake line leaving my rear brake inoperative. I must say Kev took his punishment well as i nailed him to the flagpole and used him as a windsock for the remainder of the day !
With little on we took the opportunity to have a look around the picturesque and windy seaside surrounds before lounging around in a wifi cafe with the locals on a Sunday afternoon.
All cafiened out we returned to the park and engaged in a social afternoon of drinking while trying to stop the caravans awning from taking off in the wind (... dont know if you can see the common theme here !)
For dinner Chris and Marysia helped prepare a lovely roast chicken meal but not until I'd bravely held Marysia's legs as I pushed her into the oven to help light the gas element - Kev would have volunteered but suggested that he couldn't afford to lose his eyebrows as it was the only facial hair left on his bald dome !
Dinner and good company gone Kev & i settled down for a long night of tag teaming at the toilet having downed a few glasses of alcohol over dinner.. oh the joy of getting older !
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Saturday 4 March 2017
Kevs Rantings !
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-------- Original message --------
From: Kevin Henley <kevinhenleywb54@gmail.com>
Date: 05/03/2017 2:29 AM (GMT+00:00)
To: litchy76 <m_litchfield@hotmail.com>
Subject: Fwd: Bike ride
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Kevin Henley" <kevinhenleywb54@gmail.com>
Date: 5 Mar 2017 3:10 pm
Subject: Bike ride
To: "Kevin Henley" <kevinhenleywb54@gmail.com>
Cc:
> Some clown said once that " life wasn't meant to be easy " he was obviously a touring cyclist .
> The days ride distance of 150km from Strathalbyn to Kingston SE was always going to be one hell of a bumbuster and we all hit the sack the night before hoping to wake up to the gentle wafting of a 70kph tail wind , no such luck .
> Marysia and I hit the road at 6.30 am , nobody with any sense starts riding at 6.30 , and for the first couple of hours it was pleasant cycling until we turned right towards Salt Creek straight into an energy sapping , mind numbing headwind which would stay with us for over 100km .
> Salt Creek was our first revival point where we met Chris for cold drinks and a quick snack , a welcome respite . The news that we still had over 80km to go didn't go down nearly as well .
> We were working in blocks of 10kms where we would pull over for a 5 min spell but after about 80km those breaks extended to sometimes 10min as bits started to become a smidge sore , the word agony was also mentioned .
> A delicious lunch and cold drinks provided by Chris revived a couple of comatosed brains and reluctantly we left lunch with 50km to pedal - how hard could that be .
> BLOODY SERIOUSLY HARD .
> For our last 50km Marysia and I were just working on 5-7km blocks and ticking off each block . By this stage I didn't know whether my rear end freckle was still attached as contact had been lost many kms ago , shoulders were aching and hot foot made an appearance - I'm certain this must still qualify as fun .
> With 20km to go just for good measure somebody turned up the wind generator to high giving us a strong headwind right on the nose , the breaks quickly became 4-5kms .
> It became a real slog until we finally staggered into KSE and collapsed on the van park grass - totally knackered .Mike rocked in about 30mins later looking as stuffed as we were .
> An outstanding effort by Marys and Mike to finish such a tough day and big thanks to Chris for the life saving food and drinks along the way .
> We're still hanging out for THAT tailwind .
Where the sun doesn't shine !
You'd reckon that after 10 hours of sleep, a full English breakfast and a planned shortish day we'd be raring to jump back on the bikes for our cycle from Kingston to Robe but with tenderised butts, creaking knees and a breezy morning we were less than enthusiastic !
After much procrastinating we finally left overcast Kingston jumping back on to a narrow main road in almost perfect peletonic discipline slowly knocking over the km's as we cycled through countryside that comprised open countryside, a few hills, the occassional vineyard and little else !
After only 2 1/2 hours we passed the Tourist Info welcoming sign indicating that Robe was only 5 kms away ! 2kms onwards the official marker again indicated that Robe was still 5 kms away ! If we'd had the energy we would have gone back and dug up the TI sign and taken it into town planting it into some bureaucrats desk !
Our top 4 caravan park allowed us early entry to our cabin where we mainly relaxed until later on in the day when Chris took us out on to nearby Long Beach for some 4wd experience and a late afternoon BBQ on the beach a unique touring experience for anyone.
Marysia "i never drink beer" Murray enjoyed a couple of well earned beers while we enjoyed a great bbq while the strong wind set about depositing sand in places where the sun does not shine !
After nearly 400 kms covered we are over 1/3 of the way back to Melbourne and look forward to taking a day out in Robe tomorrow as the weather cools down.
This was recovery day only just over 40kms which was about all our still tender bums could handle
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Heroes All !
The Coorong name brings up images of a wildlife domain filled with areas of outstanding natural beauty. It may in fact be seen as such by those with a "Green" disposition but for us on bikes this was 150 kms of bum burning, mind numbing stretches of arrow straight roads (we assume built by the Romans) that disapperead into a never ending haze on the horizon
I knew i'd set the challenge for Marysia & Kev the night before by suggesting that none of us would make the 150 km distance if we got yesterdays wind although Marysia's steely eyed glint in particular suggested that she would make it even if Kev had to drag her over the line!
Marysia and Kev opted once again for an early 7a.m. start to take advantage of the milder conditions while I opted instead for my customary sleep in time start of 8.30. As far as the Coorong goes at least the 60 kms to Salt Creek had some interest , undulating roads, an occassional emu and brine lakes that had that timeless smell of a urinal at a pub following the 6 o'clock swill (... ahh the memories !)
Salt Creek was a road house and bugger all else other than the welcoming sight of Chris who has turned our cycling adventure into a 5 star experience - where else can you rock up to your very own caravan cafe out in the middle of nowhere !
The 2nd leg though was both physically and mentally tough. Endless km's of straight roads with scrub and only the sounds of passing trucks, caravans and your own grizzling to keep you company. t
Having congratulated ourselves on missing tbe worst of the headwinds to Salt Creek we got struck with the full works at the 125 km mark, the worst possible time ! With knees hurting and bums chafing we fought the last 25 kms into Kingston straight into a powerful headwind ! Doing only 10 kms an hour meant that each km went by with painful slowness !
We finally entered Kjngston collectively on our last legs, Kev and Marysia at 5.30 p.m. after nearly 9 hours on the bike ! I wouldnt have been too far behind except i didn't make it past the shop at the entrance to the caravan park buying a cold drink and an ice cream and then internally debating about whether to eat / drink both or use them to cool down my raw rear end !
Stuffed as we were we had just enough energy left to hit the town for dinner (yummy chicken pieces with gravy - not !) before crashing and hitting the sack not much after 9pm.! Watch out nusing homes here we come !
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