Dave and his Bike

Days 145 to 148.

Day 145.

After publishing my blog post last night, the bats came. In their thousands. So much so that I had to Google it. Apparently there is a colony of fruit bats / flying foxes resident in two public parks in Casino, which has caused the parks to close due to the mess they make, and has made the local TV news. At dusk they fly off to go hunting and scavenging, which looks like something from a film. There were literally tens of thousands of them as far as the eye could see – incredible to watch. At about 0600 this morning they were on the return journey. I had just woken up.

Tea and croissants. On my bike just before 0800. No navigating required today as it was one road all the way to Grafton. The first 20km was pretty flat, and a few family groups of kangaroos craned their necks to watch me ride past before the undulations started. By 40km when Jane caught me up for a coffee I had climbed over 300m. Fortunately the road was good and the traffic light. Whilst sipping our coffee, the owner of the farm whose gateway we were in pulled up. He couldn’t have been more stereotypically Aussie. We asked if we were ok there for our coffee stop, to which he replied ‘as long as you don’t shit in front of my gate’, and when I told him where I was cycling to (he did ask), he replied ‘fair dinkum’. Brilliant.

The road continued to rise and fall, with little change in the scenery. The odd stretch of road works meant that pulses of traffic passed me, but mainly left me counting the kilometres and height changes. Lunch came at 73km. No lay-by or road house, just another farm entrance with an ant hill, so we spent our lunch break watching the ants running off with our crumbs.

My final stretch (31km) into Grafton was event free. I adjusted my saddle a bit at lunch, as I’m still struggling with my back sometimes, especially on days like today when it’s hillier. There was no immediate effect either way (I wouldn’t expect there to be). Tomorrow will be more hills, so I’ll see whether I’ve achieved anything. Probably not.

The campsite is pleasant enough. Nice pool. Jane swam before I arrived – I didn’t. Laundry room is good. Used that too. Woolworth steak cooked in the camp kitchen with some broccoli for dinner.

Creek of the day goes to Myrtle Creek, because the name and the looks are so Australian.

Distance cycled so far: 7584km.

Day 146.

Despite a good nights sleep I didn’t feel great this morning. I felt a bit like I haven’t really recovered from my cold, and my sinuses were bunged up all day which is not ideal for cycling. I left a bit late, mainly through apathy and procrastination, and had a very steady ride out of town, debating with myself as to whether I should be riding or not. The minor road and potential climbs were the overriding factor, although I doubted my ability to climb anything and am getting more worried about South America.

Jane met me after two hours. I had climbed around 500m, basically by grinding up the hills. It didn’t help my mindset about Chile. After a coffee and some more breakfast I felt that I ought to push on, so I did. Bizarrely I then found my rhythm. The climbs actually got longer and steeper. The 4 & 5% gradients from earlier gave way to 7% for long stretches with some 10% sections for good measure. I found myself really enjoying myself. When Jane met me after another hour or so, I didn’t want to stop, so carried on upwards to the top of that particular part.

After a lunch break I climbed off. I could have continued, but from a recovery perspective I knew it was better to stop. My sinuses and legs will thank me tomorrow (maybe).

The scenery was beautiful to ride through. Basically forested hills and farmland. With the trees being so close to the road there weren’t many spectacular views, so photo opportunities were a bit limited. We found a campground at Ebor Falls who squeezed us in, but without electricity – fine for one night (just about).

That soon changed. The site owner rigged up a very long electric cable and now we’re plugged in. Even better. Given what time it was we still had plenty of daylight left to be able to walk to the falls, as they’re only a kilometre away. Well worth the walk as they are stunning. A little bit of recent rain has probably helped, but either way they are brilliant. En-route we passed by a family of kangaroos who all watched us intently. Along the path we were laughed at by kookaburras, and a red-bellied black snake slithered by.

A further kilometre on and the lower falls came into view. 127m drop as opposed to the 63m upper falls, and even more spectacular. The views of the surrounding countryside were worth the walk on their own, with long views of wooded hills. The climbing today has put us at 1300m above sea level, so not only can we can see further, but we have the added bonus of it being much cooler so hopefully we’ll be able to sleep easier. If we’re not too cold.

The campsite / motel has a good reputation for food. We thought we’d try it (with a beer), and discovered that the reputation is well deserved. Early night to follow. Another day on the bike beckons.

Distance cycled so far: 7649km.

Day 147.

It was cold overnight. To the extent that we had to use the blankets which normally function as pillows to actually keep us warm. It’s the first time I’ve been cold since Europe. When I woke up there was a bit of mist which soon cleared. A cup of tea and some bread (we need to go shopping) and I was on my way – slowly, as my legs were a bit stiff from yesterday’s efforts. The undulations continued, with the 7% climbs and descents soon making me stretch my legs. I passed the sign informing me that I was in ‘The Snowys’, which seems hard to believe, but there were photographs in the restaurant last night of Ebor under a blanket of snow.

I then passed from the Guy Fawkes River National Park into the Cathedral Rock National Park, and the forested scenery continued. At some point early on I dropped from 1350m down to 1100m, which was great, and I hit 72kph in doing so. Not quite the 76kph from yesterday, but up there. Once out of the forest area the rolling hills were more visible and the views longer, meaning I could also see the climbs coming. I met Jane for another cup of tea (run out of coffee), and arranged our lunch stop.

I managed to fall out with a lady operating some temporary traffic lights, who (not surprisingly) objected to me trying to beat the lights. After a short discussion about the fact that I never get all the way through on green lights, and always find myself facing oncoming traffic she was very apologetic. We stopped for lunch soon after, had a sandwich (thank you Jane) and I promptly fell asleep. After a slightly prolonged break, I had 38 more kilometres to manage. The first 20 got me into the pretty town of Armidale, still on a nice road (Jane did the shopping). The last 18 was on the A15, major road with associated fast traffic and narrow shoulders. Not great.

The temperature throughout the day had risen steadily. When I set off it was a very pleasant (if slightly cool) 16°C. By 0900 it was 23°, 1000 it was 26°, 1100 29°. When I re-started in the afternoon my Garmin showed 34°. It was a good indication that getting miles in early is well worthwhile.

Our destination for today was Uralla. No particular reason other than an ideal distance and a convenient campsite. It turned out to be quite pretty, and also has an historic link to Captain Thunderbolt. He was a bit of a highwayman and was shot and killed here in 1870. Hence the statue and road names.

Route planning then followed. Or rather the attempt at route planning, as the roads we kept choosing either turn to gravel (not allowed in a rented van) or had no campsites. We also now have a couple of days to spare, so choosing what to do with them is difficult. It’s always a trade off between cycling mileage, smaller roads, and points of interest, the problem always being the difficulty in matching them up. The net result being that we still only have a plan for tomorrow. We will try again after that.

Jane cooked noodles for dinner. They were excellent.

Distance cycled so far: 7751km.

Day 148.

Late start today – deliberately. In my efforts to avoid the main road to Bendemeer (and ultimately Tamworth), I found a route that used small back roads. By pure coincidence there happened to be a gin / whisky distillery en-route. Because it was only 14km away, and didn’t open until 1030hrs I therefore had plenty of time for a lie-in.

Having watched the sunrise, I made a brew and we lounged around, still trying to formulate a plan for the next few days (it’s coming together). The first 11km were still on the main road, but with it being Saturday it wasn’t busy. I passed Thunderbolt’s Rock, stopping for the obligatory photos of the graffitied outcrop – unusual as I haven’t seen much graffiti in Australia at all, turning off soon after. Jane’s perfect timing meant that she met me in the lane outside the Dobson’s Distillery, which looked very inconspicuous, and she was hesitant at driving up the track. Once she did we found a wonderful small batch distillery, making gin, vodka, rum and whisky. The tasting room is in the style of a speak-easy, and is great.

After tasting three gins, a rum, a whiskey and a liqueur, we were guided around the distillery by the owner Steve Dobson. He does it almost as a hobby having given up a career in filmmaking and advertising due to ill health.

On going back out to my bike I found a praying mantis trying to hitch a lift. Once I’d moved him on, I set off with heavy legs. I’m blaming the last few days cycling, not the gin (we did share the small samples as we both needed to be fit for the road). There was a bit of a headwind, and undulating roads, but it didn’t make the ride any less enjoyable. Lovely scenery. No traffic.

Roadside lunch at Walcha Road after only 38km, and I resisted the temptation to stop as the ride was so lovely, despite feeling very weary. A few more short, energy sapping climbs and a very welcome long descent into Bendemeer followed. It’s a tiny place, but has a campsite and a lovely hotel.

We felt obliged to pop in for a beer, and discovered the breakfast menu. Result. I know where we’ll be in the morning.

After the last five days ride I’m a bit tired, so tomorrow is now a designated rest and recovery day. Hopefully after that my legs will feel the benefit of all of the recent climbing.

Distance cycled so far: 7820km.