Canberra to Thompson Dam
So.. over the last 48 hours, I've put everything I own into a storage unit - except the things in the bags on the back of my bike - and ridden out from Canberra to live on the road until I choose not to. Big change!
Second-last sunset from my unit balcony before moving out
Sounds romantic but moving everything out took much longer than I expected, so much crap tucked away in cupboards and back rooms. Plus I was suffering from laryngitis and a slight fever and cold. But still, closing the door on that storage unit yesterday and riding out of Canberra heading south to Cann River, it took about 30 or 40 kilometers to really be feeling the "wow" come back. By the time I'd traveled 100km, I was marveling at the beauty of the landscape - artistically shaped dead trees, coming over hills to incredible immensely wide landscapes, enjoying interesting curves. With so much packing to do, I'd left at 3pm but knew if I rode with one stop and a cracking pace, I could get to Cann River by 6pm - which was important because the kangaroos come out not long after that and Cann River is in a forest with a lot of them. Made it, and enjoyed a beer in a cheap pub hotel room with the sun setting and chatting on the phone. This morning, I unpacked everything I'd stuffed into my bags and packed it orderly and logically, then hit the road. Gorgeous forest and I had it all to myself for most of the ride, being Monday. The ride the end of the forest to Melbourne contains immensely straight flat and boring roads that on top of that, makes traffic "battle" and "race" so I was keen to avoid that this time - dipped down to the coast and found a beautiful road running nearby with no traffic at all, and little spots to pull into - I found one and red a book I'm enjoying and sharing with Jen - "Moondust".
Great spot to read for a while
Then I skipped back up bypassing over the long straight flat boring road I was avoiding, to slip upwards into the belly of Victoria so I could be in a good spot tomorrow to ride a road I have heard is a beautiful one first thing tomorrow and enter Melbourne from north-east. I crossed an old rail line a number of times which had been converted into a walking/riding track that travels a great distance up into Australia that a mate of mine Jake had ridden on a bicycle over a decade ago - it was enjoyable to be crossing paths repeatedly. Little did I know as I rode these interesting towns and interesting roads that were becoming more and more country - the higher-numbered 'C' roads - that I was approaching a beautiful forest area and that the road I'd been recommended was only one of many gorgeous roads around there.
Tyers-Wahalla Road Found that my plan of finding an old pub with cheap single rooms was no good because the town was built in the mid 70s for people working on the Thomson Dam - the cheapest place I could find was a $100 cabin, and wow... what a cabin...
Cabin at Thompson Dam
This is such a beautiful place with immense valleys between beautiful wooded hills cascading into each other in the distance smothered with fog and clouds, it is so beautiful here that I have to come back and spend time here... but for now, it's an adventurous look-around in the morning, then a ride into Melbourne to prepare for work there on Wednesday. 'scuse the rant. Bike is performing beautifully, looking forward to a good sleep.