What a crazy day this turned out to be!! I had a much bigger feed than normal before getting started today (normally just a banana and a coffee) as it looked like there could be a bit of distance between services. Also I was turning the pedals at 6.20am to try and beat the heavy traffic at Coffs, it was crazy busy yesterday. There is a steep climb first up, with some very hairy sections of road with very little space. Maybe the downside of my early start was that most of the traffic seemed to be trucks.
After cresting one of the hills I was zooming fairly quickly down the other side and heard the roar of both truck engines and braking...I have a small rear view mirror mounted which has saved my ass many times...and again it did here. 2 big rigs side by side were looming and there was very little shoulder. The truck closest to me couldn't manoeuvre as it had another truck right next to it, but it was trying to slow down. With no time to think at all there was a sharp left turn approaching and I pulled off some freakish breaking turn as the steel monster thundered past. It wasn't 'near death' or anything, there could have been enough room for them both to pass...but rule #1 with riding long distance in Australia is to get the hell out the way when more than 1 truck is passing!
Incidentally, Rule #2 is that a rear view mirror is your most important piece of safety equipment... more so than a helmet for long distance riding.
The road widened right up just a few km further on...and there was plenty of room for everyone! Up in the distance I could see a heavily laden touring bike powering up the hill...its always amazing to meet someone like minded...Ben was on day 70 of an epic from Perth, making my own ride seem like a jaunt to the shops and back. It was a good laughing & talking with him and swapping a few road stories...he was only a few days from home.
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| Bianca made a friend |
After riding together for a a while we parted ways at a servo...he was doing some roadside first aid after standing on a tent peg this morning. Ahh the glamour of cycle touring....first aid at a Petrol Station.
Onward I went...grateful for topping up water as there really is nothing north of Woolgoolga. South of Grafton there are massive roadworks and all bicycles have to take the old highway. The tarmac is rough here but totally empty of cars. I bumped into this Wild Horse which had a young foal in the bush on the other side of the road.
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| Horsey! |
It took a while to get past these awesome animals...the foal kept moving away from mum and towards the freeway whenever I moved. Also saw a large Roo here as well as the biggest snake I have ever seen....the thing was huge...it was roadkill...hate to see what happened to the vehicle that hit it.
Anyway, the route to Yamba got a little fiddly here...but went down some cool back roads like these:
This also turned out to be Home of The Birds...I got swooped and helmet pecked no less than 4 times in one area by Magpies. Unfortunately I don't know how to whistle 'I mean you no harm' in bird language while the birdy mums protect their young.
By the time I got back to the highway it had been 90ish km without a break and I was very hungry...like a beacon from the very heavens...near Tyndale, a bakery called 'Plantation Organic' appeared...and the food there is very yummy.
I got chatting to a couple who were on a "running holiday' with their toddler. Super friendly people and they had a few quick stories about their own adventures.
From here it was 30km into Yamba, and into an increasing NW headwind. The road here is not good for cyclists...take great care. But of course I always get there eventually.
Yamba is a wonderful town...stunning wild beaches and a sort of artisan natural feel to the shops and homes, it is surely a brilliant place to live in.
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