April 10, 2024
The Pea Gravel Appreciation Society
Boomer Mundak hut to Jineng Beigebup hut
It was decidedly chilly overnight so much so that I had my fleecy on top of my sleeping bag to keep myself warm. I stayed curled up in my bag until the sun came up and then managed to faff around over breakfast and then spent more time packing everything up to the point of complete frustration for Pete. I never used to be like this but after riding with my mate Franklin in Italy last year he taught me the finer points of wasting time. I was learning from the master and he taught me well.
We knew what was in front of us today as the pea gravel loving bloke from yesterday had filled us in. Our first 10 kilometres took us over 2 hours with more pushing than riding with massive drifts of soft sand making riding almost impossible. When we could ride it was bloody hard work as you had to keep your speed up so as not to sink in and to maintain some sort of straight line. It was hard enough down hill, tricky on the flat and impossible on even the mildest uphill gradient. And did I mention the corrugations. We shot some great drone footage but this blog site won’t let me upload that. You’ll have to wait for the movie to come out.
My glutes were given a solid workout both yesterday and today. Fortunately those inspirational women from the Well Being Pilates studio in Bungendore have honed my butt within an inch of its life. Without them I would have had no chance of completing this trip, so a big thank you to both my equal favourite instructors Cathy and Rachael. I’ve just received notification from Cathy that she is offering a special prize of a 6 months free Pilates to readers of the blog with a double pronged caveat. If you have had a grandchild this year and can name the secret ingredient in Cathy’s sugar free Thermomix cheesecake recipe then first in gets the prize. And of course anyone currently sleeping with either of the instructors is excluded so that means you John.
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 4 | Link |
4 weeks ago
We carry an E Perb satellite alarm system and a good first aid kit. We are fully self contained with extra food and water. We take regular breaks and eat good food and limit alcohol consumption.
We’ve learnt from past trips what works and what doesn’t and we try to make sensible decision. Most days involve some sort of problem solving.
4 weeks ago
Finally the 10 kilometre bunker gave way to a pea gravel road. Hallelujah! Have I mentioned how much I love that stuff. It was firm but a little forgiving, a beautiful shade of beige and was like slipping on an old pair of slippers. I won’t hear a negative word from anyone!
Most of the ride was through acacia and banksia woodlands. The latter half was farmland with some very dusty looking malnourished sheep. They desperately need rain down here but preferably not for the next 2 days. After some gently undulating roads the last 5 kilometres to the hut was an uphill single track. With little sand it seemed like a walk in the park which is much better than a walk in the sand.
Having seen not a soul all day, a south to north rider pulled in to the hut just as we arrived. Ralph seemed like a nice chap until he turned the initial pleasantries into a full on lecture on the vaccine fraud being thrust on us uneducated government worshipping masses. Now there’s nothing I love more than discussing a good conspiracy theory but after a tough days ride all I wanted was a warm shower and a cold beer and all I got was a dribbly water tank and a dirty water bottle with luke warm water. So having already decided to camp away from the hut as Ralph looked like a solid snorer, I not so quietly left Pete to discuss the finer points of Covid with him.
| Heart | 4 | Comment | 2 | Link |
4 weeks ago
Today's ride: 58 km (36 miles)
Total: 1,016 km (631 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 8 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |