Day: |
009 |
Date: |
Tuesday, 16 November 2004 |
Start: |
Omeo |
Finish: |
Dargo |
Daily
Kilometres: |
90 |
Total
Kilometres: |
1064 |
Weather: |
|
Accommodation: |
Motel room |
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Toasted sandwich Lunch:
Pie and pastie Dinner: Counter tea |
Aches: |
|
Animals Seen: |
Emus |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
|
Journal: |
I got up at 6:30am after a good night's
sleep and packed up and left by 7:10am. I rode the short
distance to the bakery and had a toasted sandwich for breakfast.
Then I headed out of town on a beautiful sunny and cool morning.
As expected, most of the morning was spent climbing, first on
bitumen and then on gravel as I crossed the Birregun Range.
There were logging operations going on along the first part of the
road and I made sure I got off the road when the trucks roared past.
Once past the logging, I had the road to myself apart from a grader
midway along. It was a long climb and I had to walk a number
of times. After yesterday's fatigue I was quicker to walk
today when I got tired. I felt better and really enjoyed the
isolation and views on the beautiful day.
At one point the
road passed through a vast section of burnt-out forest which was
eerily quiet but with a stark beauty. Further along, back in
the green forest, I startled a pair of emus who ran along the track
in front of me for a way. My initial plan was to get to Dargo
for a late lunch, but as the day wore on my likely arrival time got
later, mainly because of the hills, but also because of the poor
road quality. On the descents I had to concentrate hard on
dodging the rocks and my hands grew very tired from holding the
brakes on. I hoped that the brake pads would last the trip.
Later on I noticed some new rattles from the back and stopped to
find the carrier was loose and had lost a screw. Fortunately,
I found an unused one elsewhere on the bike and managed to fix it.
I need to check more regularly. I eventually arrived in the
sleepy and pretty town of Dargo just before 4:00pm. I got a
pie and pastie for a late lunch and decided to stay in the town
motel for the night. This means I'll get to Melbourne on
Friday. I got some advice from the motel owner on the best
track to Licola tomorrow. I have a big hill to climb. |
|
ADVENTURE LIST
Round Ireland
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Hume & Hovell Walking Track
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Via Alpina
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Australian Alps Walking
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Land's End to John O'Groats
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Australia Tip to Top MTB
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Adelaide to Darwin MTB
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Sydney to Melbourne MTB
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Three Peaks Race
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Appalachian Trail
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|