March 12 - Day 1 of Tour de Roo

Today was the start of our 1,200+ mile journey.  It was so good to be back on a bike and starting a new adventure!  It is amazing how addicting these type of adventures can be.  

The day turned out to be a perfect start to the tour.  It was low 70s with a thin cloud cover.  That made for a good and comfortable cycling experience.  

We started from the CBD of Melbourne. We rode to the train station and caught a train to the Lilydale station at the outskirts of the city.  We did this to miss the tough part of the city traffic.

Once we got to Lilydale we set off to Warburton via a rail trail.  This was a beautiful ride.  It made for a fantasmagorical (I know, not a word but a fairly accurate description nonetheless) ride.  ☺️

The rail trail through a primordial forest... absolutely beautiful!  Along the trail there were numerous little cafes and coffee shops.  One of the more unique was an old Pullman railway car that they converted into a restaurant.  Each one of the separate compartments was a private table/booth. 

Farther along we found a great little pub for lunch.  The burgers were mile high.  The fish and chips were delicious and the pint was amazingly refreshing.  Made for a great stop.

  The burgers were so big they had a knife stuck through the middle to hold them together!

We continued on after lunch and came across a semifinal cricket match.  It was my first live cricket match.  And to add a level of understanding that the game does not lend itself to, I had Chris my Aussie mate to add colorful details and explanation.  I got it but didn't.  It is a very tough game to grasp.  After all, how easy can a game that potentially last for days be to grasp?!

A bit farther along as the day was winding down, we came across a real find.  We went off route and found Boinga Bob's Crooked House.  Boinga Bob's house was burned down by auspicious circumstances.  So he embarked on building a "house" by just adding things on.  The result is a masterpiece of stuff.

I asked Boinga Bob how he decided what to do next or what else the house needed.  He responded that he just went with whatever he felt at the time.  Lately the feeling has been dragonflies.  It was a site to see.  He and his compatriots where great to talk with... amazing character!

Boinga Bob...

And lastly, I thought I would share with you my home for the next 4 weeks.  Oh there's no place like home.

It is time to turn in and put an end to this amazing day.  I can only hope that tomorrow will bring more of the same.  That would be outstanding!