|
Day: |
005 |
|
Date: |
Friday, 12 November 2004 |
|
Start: |
Canberra |
|
Finish: |
Adaminaby |
|
Daily
Kilometres: |
115 |
|
Total
Kilometres: |
695 |
|
Weather: |
|
|
Accommodation: |
Motel room |
|
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Rice bubbles and crumpets
Lunch: Bread and peanut butter
Dinner: Quiche |
|
Aches: |
|
|
Animals Seen: |
Tortoise, kangaroos, swooping magpies |
|
Pictures: |
Here |
|
GPS Track: |
|
|
Journal: |
I got up at 6:45am, packed and organised my
own breakfast and ate with Chris and Jocey. Chris left for
work at about 7:45am and I left about 8:20am. Initially I made
good time on good roads heading south out of Canberra against the
peak hour traffic. I reached Tharwa soon after 9:00am but
didn't see a store there so didn't have the snack and Coke I had
planned (a fatal error?).
From Tharwa the road climbed in
fits and starts through rural grazing land surrounded by high rocky
mountains. I stopped for a break at the top of one of the long
hills and relaxed in the sun and cool wind surveying the view.
I was sweating a lot going up the hills and the flies were bad.
I swallowed a few! I kept on and laboured or walked up many
hills, often followed by downhills, losing most of the altitude
gained, which was abit frustrating.
I stopped for lunch at a
trailhead after walking up a very long hill. It was a pleasant
spot and I was tempted to lie down for a sleep. On resuming,
the road changed to gravel and continued relentlessly upwards.
I walked some and rode some and went through my water very quickly.
I reached Shannons Flat/Hut, an abandoned summer cattlemans hut set
in a beautiful alpine meadow and stopped for a break. I seemed
to be near the pass and the road was undulating and scenic before
crossing the ACT/NSW border from where the gravel road immediately
deteriorated into corrugations and minor washouts. This meant
I couldn't go downhill fast and got shaken a lot but the bike held
together. The gears are sticking a bit, probably because of
the dust. I had used all of my water and was getting
dehydrated.
The bad road combined with a strong headwind made
the last 20km hard going and I was very pleased when I reached
Adaminaby. I stopped at the motel on the outskirts of town and
got a $50 room from a very nice guy. He told me to get dinner
at the Bowling Club, which I did later. It was the social hub
on Friday night. I went to bed thinking about the 3,000 bikers
supposed to be on the road tomorrow, the forecast snow showers, and
the tough trip to Khancoban. I booked a motel there and also
my train back to Sydney from Melbourne. |
|
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)
|
