I smiled again: Everything was set

July 1, 2015

It’s amazing the difference that a hot shower and a night in a comfortable warm bed can make isn’t it? The next morning I felt so much better as I made my way southwards out of Clare on a bicycle path; the air crisp and fresh, music playing in my ears, rabbits dashing across in front of me, birds flitting about in the trees. It was wonderful. I felt like I’d broken the back of the thing now. I’d even seen the weather forecast, and it looked like I was finally going to be getting some help from the wind. In a couple of days a strong north-westerly was going to be blowing and I hatched a plan to use that to slingshot me Melbourne-bound.

I include the info board only because this was the first time in all of Australia when I had seen an apostrophe correctly used

The two days that passed in the interim were monumentally uneventful as I, like so many that have gone before me, chose to bypass Adelaide. Instead I passed through the vineyards of the Clare and Barossa valleys and then headed out into farmland that seemed strangely reminiscent of England’s Peak District, where things had got so bad that I amused myself by scaring sheep. Oh how I enjoyed watching them run as I shouted “Don’t worry, I’m a vegetarian!” in a most evil voice.

Some other guy lived in this tree, then he had 16 kids. After the second kid they got a bigger place though. I think it was a tree

Michael Parkinson, Michael Phelps, Matthew Perry, Matty Phillips, Marco Pantiani and Michael Portillo

I love a bit of ironic humour, so I took a photo of this car as it sat with it's engine idling. Oh how tempted I was to go and ask Mark about that

Eventually I reached the town of Murray Bridge, where I bought a load of food and checked the weather forecast one last time, and smiled. Then I headed just out of town to camp in a patch of grass near to, but just out of sight of, a highway. As the sun set and I pitched my tent I paused to watch as a colossal full moon rose over the horizon. I smiled again. Everything was set. The plan was a go.

01/07/15 – 100km

02/07/15 – 97km

Distance completed: 2996km

Distance to go: 814km

Days to go: 6.5

Average distance required: 125.2km/day

Today's ride: 197 km (122 miles)
Total: 43,877 km (27,248 miles)

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