|
Day: |
002 |
|
Date: |
Saturday, 29 July 2006 |
|
Summary |
Riding from Tidal River to Mirboo North. |
|
Start: |
Tidal River |
|
Finish: |
Mirboo North |
|
Daily
Kilometres: |
107 |
|
Total
Kilometres: |
128 |
|
Weather: |
Mostly cloudy, showery and windy. |
|
Accommodation: |
With friends at Mirboo North. |
|
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: ?
Lunch: Souvlaki
and chips
Dinner: Nice home-cooked dinner. |
|
Encounters: |
I saw quite a few kangaroos and three emus
as I rode out of the Prom, and later saw a fox on a quiet rural
road. |
|
Highlights: |
Being on the road at last and some very
pretty mountainous rural and forest scenery in the Strezlecki Ranges
. |
|
Lowlights: |
Managed to break my brand new rear-view
mirror in the first couple of kms when the handlebars swung sharply
(there’s a lot of weight on them) when I was adjusting my panniers,
and the mirror bracket broke when it hit the cross-bar. Also nearly
had a disaster with my pedals with 5km. I noticed that the left one
felt a bit strange and upon examination found that it had almost
unscrewed itself and was in danger of stripping the thread. I must
not have tightened it enough when I reassembled the bike after
shipping it to Melbourne. |
|
Journal: |
The weather was a bit ominous when I set
out from Tidal River around 9:00am after having breakfast with Dad,
who was about to drive back to Melbourne. I had a few bike problems
in the first few kilometres, having to adjust my panniers, managing
to break my rear-view mirror and almost stripping the thread on my
left pedal which had unscrewed itself. It rained intermittently as
I cycled out of Wilsons Promontory National Park, but not enough to
spoil (and maybe even enhance) the remote alpine-like moors and
olive green covered mountains. I even spotted some kangaroos and
emus. There wasn’t much traffic and I enjoyed the ride. Later, as
I approached Foster through flat rural country on a back road, the
northerly wind grew very strong and I struggled to keep my speed
above 15kph. I also started to run out of energy and began to fear
I wouldn’t be able to make Mirboo North which is high in the
Strezlecki Ranges for my scheduled night’s stay with old friends,
the Yarntons. However, I was revived by a lunch of chips and
souvlaki and found that once I began climbing into the hills the
wind wasn’t as strong. The scenery in the Strezleckis is great with
very steep grass-covered hilly farming country mixed with occasional
forest and fern gullies. The gradient wasn’t too bad and, although
I was slow, I didn’t have to get off and walk. Near the top of the
ranges I passed Turton Falls on a wet gravel road that passed
through lovely eucalypt forest. I finally reached the Yarntons at
5:15pm as it was getting dark and had a very pleasant evening
chatting and enjoying a wonderful dinner. |
|
ADVENTURE LIST
Round Ireland
(2016)
Hume & Hovell Walking Track
(2013)
Via Alpina
(2012)
Australian Alps Walking
Track
(2011)
Land's End to John O'Groats
(2010)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2009)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2008)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2007)
Australia Tip to Top MTB
(2006)
Adelaide to Darwin MTB
(2005)
Sydney to Melbourne MTB
(2004)
Three Peaks Race
(2004)
Appalachian Trail
(1986)
Alpine Track
(1983)
|
