Ceduna, the oyster capital of Australia, is a coastal town with plenty of amenities for the weary traveller. It was at the supermarket that I ran into Bruno and Sibil again. Somehow Sibil had cracked her rear rim about 80km from town and finished the Nullarbor getting a lift with some grey nomads. Unfortunately for her, running a Rholoff rear hub means a complete wheel rebuild, something not available locally. Looks like the two of them will get to enjoy the town a while longer. Although it was nice to also have a few days rest and relaxation (and one sick), it felt great to be on the bike once more this morning. There are a number of towns before reaching Port Augusta, though I was unsure of how large they were or the reliability of water supplies along the way. I loaded up with 20 litres, along with more snacks (its amazing how much you eat on the road) and set off. As I cycled along, I noticed a dirt road that seemed to parallel the highway, swapping sides every so often to follow the power lines. Tempting though it was to follow it, Id seen plenty of similar tracks previously that would suddenly head off in another direction altogether. However, when the access trail was still there 20km later, I decided to risk it. What a joy it was to be riding on dirt once more. Generally the track was in great condition, but had a great mix of other surfaces to really make it feel like genuine mountain biking. There were plenty of smooth sections, interspersed with gravel, sand, rocks, grass and deep dust. Aside from being much more fun than riding on the road, there were some other bonuses. First was not having to worry about cars caravans and road trains. Second was having more trees about that provided more of a wind break. Thanks to that, my speed on the track was almost identical to when on the highway, even when the wind picked up. No longer worrying about traffic, I could relax much more and really take in the surroundings. A number of times I managed to disturb hawks, an eagle and other flocks of birds that seemed to be used to the regular highway noise. Later in the day I also realised that without having to listen out for the threat of something to run me over, I could put on some tunes. Almost as if all the planets were aligning, my favourite artists and songs kept coming up, despite being on random. To really top it off, the road swung around to the left, putting the wind at my back. Such a blessing to have as I cruised the final 10km to Wirrulla. Absolutely fantastic day out on the bike. Over 90km covered, mostly on dirt, and heaps of fun. Hope theyre all as good as this in the future.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:17:23 +0000