Tuesday, March 29, 2016

March 29 - to Merriwa

A fabulous day all around!

It is getting kind of ridiculous how great these days are.  😊  I told Simon, our host, that the beauty that we are seeing each day, day in and day out, has been so consistent that it has become monotonous...  😉
It has been so great seeing all that there is to Australia.  The views, the sites, the towns... wonderful!
Today was a 115 kilometer day with 1,500 meters of climbing.  Not too tough of a day but a challenge nonetheless.  It started with a glorious ride along the backroads with a fair smattering of climbing.  

Then we had a break at Ferntree Gully nature area.  There was a three kilometers walk out into the wilds.  It was so amazing.  We walked down through a canyon area and seemed to have hiked back in time.  The scenery and flora/fauna was something out of Jurassic Park.  Well maybe a cross between Jurassic Park and Raiders of the Lost Ark. It was rather prehistoric and primordial in essence.



After Ferntree Gully we had a great downulating run of about 20k.  We started with a fantastic downhill run followed by a great ramble through a valley region.  We were treated to an aerial show while we pedaled through the valley.  A couple of fighter jets were doing maneuvers.  It appeared they were playing low level tag through the valley.  One of them screeched through the valley at high speed and very low level with the second in hot pursuit.  We were out in the middle of no where so I believe they thought low level subsonic fun was appropriate.  It certainly was entertaining.
Then we came upon the real climbing...  Gravel hills from hell!  They were steep with loose gravel and what was even worse... sand!  Deep sand at times that sucked your tire in and sent you in various unintended directions.  They were also of steep grades and length.  One after the other... hill, hill, hill, hill, hill...
To every bad there does come a good.  Once we surmounted the hills we came to a lunch stop.  At the lunch stop there was a trail, Lee's Pinch.  It took us to a lookout point that was breathtaking.  I wish these pictures were even a tenth as good as the site we saw.  Unfortunately, they are only a sad representation of the wonder that we beheld.
    You could see for what felt like 100 miles.  We looked down upon the Bylong Valley that we just cycled through.
    The view also showed us the future of what we were going to encounter.  In the distance we could see the Grest Dividing Range at its highest peaks.  They are still off in the distance, a couple more days ride away.
For dinner we ate at a pizza shop in Merriwa.  The pizza shop was closed but the owner offered to open up and feed us.  He said he would make pizzas until we were full.  He was surprised at how much hungry cyclists could eat after a day of tough climbing.  It really was a treat and represents what we have experienced here in Australia.  People go out of their way to be accommodating.  
A great place!






 

2 comments:

  1. Should we start calling you Indiana Jones? The pictures of today were beautiful.
    Will you be coming back or are you planning on becoming an Ex-Patriot? You're sounding like you're enjoying Australia a little too much, my friend. :)

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    1. I am looking forward to coming home. Only if the weather warms up there... 😨

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