Wednesday, 15 March 2017
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 !!!!
Sent from Samsung tablet
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 !
Sent from Samsung tablet
Saturday, 11 March 2017
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