After getting a few logistical things taken care of in Albury, we set out for a less than ambitious 40k stint to the lovely little town of Tallangatta. We enjoyed one of the better sunset settings we've seen, set in a valley across a tragically low resevoir and rolling hills. The colors were brilliant! We arrived into Tallangatta at dusk and headed straight for the pub, still with our kebabs from Albury in our packs. With only two other people in the pub, we weren't about to pull out the kebabs we were earlier salavating at the mouth over. But, after a few skooners and plenty of questions about our ride later, we made friends with the wonderful Jo Stratton behind the bar. She offered us accommodation at the Tallangatta Hotel Bungalows, not only free of charge, but they came with two more skooners! sweeet. As we got comfortable there, aaron thought for a minute this is the kind of place that people check into, but they never check out.
We headed out early that day for an ambitious day of riding. We hoped to land in Corryong, some 80k away and over two mtn ranges. About half way thru the ride, with the sun blistering and the ladies totally absent, aaron found out the brilliant idea of spending precious communal money on a ripened cadbury egg was not such a brilliant idea. The egg hatched at the bottom of his camel pack and generously left remnants of itself on just about everything in his bag. No worries though, no calorie goes to waste here...he licked every bit of it up.
After enjoying the sites of a beautiful horse playing in a picture perfect setting, we arrived in Corryong well ahead of schedule. We found a community pool and Aaron had to stop Eric from riding his bike straight into it... we had a bit of a swim to lower the ol' body temp. at dinner we met Bruce and Paula and had a good laugh about how stupid this whole ride idea thing is...
We camped at a skate park that night and as we were searching for the perfect tent footprint, Eric walked into a spider web he didn't see. A bit startled, he looked up to see a ridiculously offensive looking spider, all hairy and red and huge and fangy and probably a baby eater. a pic appears in the slide show. He later saw a slightly smaller, though still disturbingly large spider, cruising around the ground about 20 ft from our tents. not cool.
We woke up to a less than fun wet morning and had a big day of climbs to Geehi. Geehi is a great site set between mountains with a crystal clear creek running thru it, parrots flying overhead, trout jumping for insects, kangaroos frolicking for food, and aaron bathing naked in the water. all very aesthetically pleasing!
We both couldn't get enough of this camp setting. the fresh water was deemed by our lab to be clean enough to drink out of (that and we had literally no way to get water for some 30k), and the dusk fire took the chill out of the air and the stars were brilliant.
we had been hearing for some time about the intense climbing we had in store for us before reaching Mt Kosciusko; what we didn't know was that the climbs were matched with equal downhills, making the climb about 3 times as long as it needed to be. also, not cool. we stopped in the Snowy River so that Aaron could pretend he was John Riley for a minute and we stumbled across a tiger snake, just in the middle of the path. if that wasn't enough, we came across two more tigers mating. Eric was excited to finally get a few naughty pics in our collection, so he snapped away.
For the final climb, the weather acted up and the roads got steeper. at one point, the winds picked up enough to start tearing down trees. we came across a 50ft tree that fell clear 'cross the road. Hit with wind and rain, we couldn't pass the tree without trying to clear the road. it was an accident waiting to happen. so, in a gracious diplomatic maneuver, we threw our bikes to the side, wiped the sweat, sunscreen, and rainwater from our tired faces and tirelessly moved the trees. 2 minutes later it was clear.
Perhaps the highlight of the day came about 50 meters from the top of the never-ending hill when we heard a car horn and a guy yelling at us to hurry the hell up. who was it but Bruce from the pub in corryong! he drove past us, ran out of his car, placed a beer in the road, and waved his hanker chief in a dramatic push to the top. Before we even had a chance to park the ol' bikes, Big Bruce already had chairs, blankets, snacks, and beer set up for us! bloody fantastic! We couldn't help but laugh at the impeccable timing of our new friends as we arrived into Thredbo.
We are now at the base of Kosciusko and are about to set out on our day hike and trail run, though Aaron is in recovery mode from a wicked case of food poisoning from the Hawaiian pizza he woofed down last night. facing the first night of comfy beds and a temperature controlled room, aaron had to watch the sound sleep eric was enjoying while he was up every 30 min yakking his guts out. Not to mention the runs he couldn't control that well. We're having a hard time writing now, as Aaron has to make emergency runs to the toilet to open the ol' release valve, rapidly becoming dehydrated. he's been drinking, only problem is it seems to be going straight thru him. He thinks he might die, a slow and agonizing death. but my vast medical knowledge says he'll be ok. But the man's a champ and he's up for the challenge of Australia's highest peak in the world.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Leaving the Coast and Heading to High Country
So much for a flat island...we've left Melbourne after hanging out with Eric's friend Farah and have hit a few trouble spots along the way. We're still trying to figure out why the trouble finds us in the middle of absolutely no where. The good news is Eric is yet to get a flat, the bad news is Aaron's had 8 flats and he's gone thru all our tubes. The problem is the heat has shifted the rim tape, exposing the eyelets from the spokes, and we had nothing to fix it. suck. we think the problem's been worked out, though Aaron still needs to find a way to not have his ass hurt so badly. unfortunately that "hump" that we were supposed to push through keeps mounting for Aaron. the coming days through the mountains should be a bit of a challenge.
Outside of Melbourne we cruised through the quaint Yarra Valley on what probably is the most dangerous road we've ever biked on. At one point, a 36 wheel big rig could not have been more than 6 inches from Aaron's friggin handle bars. We were both ridden off the road by the f-ing wanker! :)
But, a few glasses of wine in the wineries was just enough to take the edge off. please refer to the pic for the details of this effect. after our 3rd winery, we completely lacked inspiration to ride much further, though Aaron made us continue. unfortunately dusk was setting in and the road was still dodgy. we needed to find a place to camp stat. heading into the first part of the high country, we found a clearing in the trees at just the right time. it was a beautiful, clear setting and we enjoyed a warm cup of tea. the view of the stars was quickly replaced by a less welcoming view of thunderheads. the night was spent with the hardest rain we've encountered yet. fortunately the fear of the campsite flooding never materialized, though everything was soggy and muddy by morning's light.
We decided to let everything dry out and in the meantime we went for a ridge-top jungle run. despite seeing koala droppings everywhere, the little buggers were no where to be seen. The rest of the day was packed with miles on the ol' trusty 29ers and our bob trailers. absolutely great farmland and high country riding with PERFECT weather.
Luck have it be, we arrived into Seymour in the knick of time to grab some fresh watermelon, a pint of ice cream, and pizza before catching the last train north to Wadonga. In Wadonga we were put up in a less than luxurious camper, but no complaints from these occasional transients!
Today we're off to the hardest sections of our ride, the mountains of the Great Dividing Range leading to the world's highest peak in Australia, a whopping 7,000 ft!! bikes and trailers make this peak a bit more like Everest. We're definitely recharged and we feel on the verge of hammering out these days. believe it or not, i think Aaron's spindly legs may actually be growing. I'll confirm later.
thanks to all those posting comments on this blog, we love hearing from you and we hope you're enjoying this rendition of our ride. we're spending those long riding hours talking about you all.
Outside of Melbourne we cruised through the quaint Yarra Valley on what probably is the most dangerous road we've ever biked on. At one point, a 36 wheel big rig could not have been more than 6 inches from Aaron's friggin handle bars. We were both ridden off the road by the f-ing wanker! :)
But, a few glasses of wine in the wineries was just enough to take the edge off. please refer to the pic for the details of this effect. after our 3rd winery, we completely lacked inspiration to ride much further, though Aaron made us continue. unfortunately dusk was setting in and the road was still dodgy. we needed to find a place to camp stat. heading into the first part of the high country, we found a clearing in the trees at just the right time. it was a beautiful, clear setting and we enjoyed a warm cup of tea. the view of the stars was quickly replaced by a less welcoming view of thunderheads. the night was spent with the hardest rain we've encountered yet. fortunately the fear of the campsite flooding never materialized, though everything was soggy and muddy by morning's light.
We decided to let everything dry out and in the meantime we went for a ridge-top jungle run. despite seeing koala droppings everywhere, the little buggers were no where to be seen. The rest of the day was packed with miles on the ol' trusty 29ers and our bob trailers. absolutely great farmland and high country riding with PERFECT weather.
Luck have it be, we arrived into Seymour in the knick of time to grab some fresh watermelon, a pint of ice cream, and pizza before catching the last train north to Wadonga. In Wadonga we were put up in a less than luxurious camper, but no complaints from these occasional transients!
Today we're off to the hardest sections of our ride, the mountains of the Great Dividing Range leading to the world's highest peak in Australia, a whopping 7,000 ft!! bikes and trailers make this peak a bit more like Everest. We're definitely recharged and we feel on the verge of hammering out these days. believe it or not, i think Aaron's spindly legs may actually be growing. I'll confirm later.
thanks to all those posting comments on this blog, we love hearing from you and we hope you're enjoying this rendition of our ride. we're spending those long riding hours talking about you all.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
39 Great Ocean Road
It turns out Australia isn't as flat as we thought, it is actually a hot place, kilometres are a bit longer than miles, and pounds are way heavier than kilos... and yes, our asses are still sore. but! we have seen an amazing part of the Oz coast.
Leaving Apollo Bay we had our best day of riding yet with remarkable views, pleasant rolling hills, a few head cam videos (thanks pat!), and plenty of picture stops. It was the sweetest ride yet! we jammed thru the hills but still made time to stop at the St. George river (barely a river, more of a creek) that was just off the beach. We cooled off a bit and then hit the road again towards lovely Lorne.
We arrived in Lorne around 6, both pretty exhausted from the sweet ride, and thought we'd top it off with a run around the bay and pier. We ran straight into the coolest girls in all of Australia just after 10. Aaron may not be coming home.
we just happened to have carried 2 bottles of wine and the ghetto blaster, which we all know is a party on 3 wheels. Sian, Steph, and Courtney were so cool they invited us back to their place to consume said wine and enjoy some beach side views, company, and music.
The next morning we had a great breakfast in town with Steph and Sian, though the OJ was not in fact complemented with champagne (as Eric thought and so chugged) but it was a bit off.
The weather finally turned on us, with the temperature dropping some 30 degrees and a fairly consistent rain. thanks to our recharge in Lorne, we were able to hammer out some good miles yesterday. oh! we had awesome Californian style burritos yesterday in Torquay, they were definitely really appreciated by these two Chipolte deprived Los Angelino's. we love chipotle.
Today should be a nice mixture of riding, breakfast in Geelong, trains to Melbourne for a bit of a city ride, then towards Healesville in the Yarra Valley for Eric's happy place: Wine Fest 2008 (a subsidiary of TheAustralianRide2008).
pics will still be posted, we are in search of a less lame internet cafe that gives us access to their computer.
We are both well and have a hard time shaking the perma grin we have from experiencing such a great place by bike.
we climbed two mountain ranges the locals call the friggin Alps (the equivalent to climbing Kanan maybe) in 95 degree weather. we did stop at the summit in Laver's Hill at a roadside bar/cafe called The Roadhouse! A great spot where we enjoyed a pint with two local guys who had plenty to talk about with us.
Leaving Apollo Bay we had our best day of riding yet with remarkable views, pleasant rolling hills, a few head cam videos (thanks pat!), and plenty of picture stops. It was the sweetest ride yet! we jammed thru the hills but still made time to stop at the St. George river (barely a river, more of a creek) that was just off the beach. We cooled off a bit and then hit the road again towards lovely Lorne.
We arrived in Lorne around 6, both pretty exhausted from the sweet ride, and thought we'd top it off with a run around the bay and pier. We ran straight into the coolest girls in all of Australia just after 10. Aaron may not be coming home.
we just happened to have carried 2 bottles of wine and the ghetto blaster, which we all know is a party on 3 wheels. Sian, Steph, and Courtney were so cool they invited us back to their place to consume said wine and enjoy some beach side views, company, and music.
The next morning we had a great breakfast in town with Steph and Sian, though the OJ was not in fact complemented with champagne (as Eric thought and so chugged) but it was a bit off.
The weather finally turned on us, with the temperature dropping some 30 degrees and a fairly consistent rain. thanks to our recharge in Lorne, we were able to hammer out some good miles yesterday. oh! we had awesome Californian style burritos yesterday in Torquay, they were definitely really appreciated by these two Chipolte deprived Los Angelino's. we love chipotle.
Today should be a nice mixture of riding, breakfast in Geelong, trains to Melbourne for a bit of a city ride, then towards Healesville in the Yarra Valley for Eric's happy place: Wine Fest 2008 (a subsidiary of TheAustralianRide2008).
pics will still be posted, we are in search of a less lame internet cafe that gives us access to their computer.
We are both well and have a hard time shaking the perma grin we have from experiencing such a great place by bike.
we climbed two mountain ranges the locals call the friggin Alps (the equivalent to climbing Kanan maybe) in 95 degree weather. we did stop at the summit in Laver's Hill at a roadside bar/cafe called The Roadhouse! A great spot where we enjoyed a pint with two local guys who had plenty to talk about with us.
Monday, February 18, 2008
The first week of The Ride
The flight from Fiji to Sydney was surprisingly eventful with two bottles of champagne, too many James Blunt videos, and the cameo appearance of the ghetto blaster. Brisbane Becky had the misfortune of sitting next to us while the Canadians, Devon and Kristin chilled behind us one row. A half bottle later, we pulled out the ghetto blaster to start the party...we may have been playing the music thru the landing of the plane, which Aaron and Eric barely remember happening. Customs was also a bit dodgy, as the pure euphoria of seeing our bikes in one piece sent us over the party edge.
We met up with Lisa the Rockstar and headed to bonzi Bondi beach for some slightly overcast but still warm skies. Our hostel had flocks of parrots chilling and singing in the trees above. The ghetto blaster made another appearance and enticed two girls from Norway to join us for the evening of dancing and late night kebabs.
The next day we set out on a slightly overcast day to explore Sydney central. A beautiful and spacious city and we hit all the main attractions, took our pics of the opera house, botanical gardens, Darling harbor, and harbor bridge, which we will soon be biking over. very cool.
After another day of Sydney seeing, we began our trip to Warrnambool starting with a taxi to a plane to a train then a bus and then finishing the day with a 2 hour assembly of our bikes at the train depot. Finding a hidden spot in a massive and beautiful beach side park, we crashed for the night.
Our ride started off with a coastal cruise, then a slightly undesired detour inland and up hill. Off the bat, Eric's trailer mysteriously came off the rear axle of his bike, nearly sending him pavement-side. Fortunately the doctor said most of his injuries were emotional.
After a long and hot day of riding on seriously back country roads with next to no cars we were dumped off onto The Great Ocean road. Aaron nearly hit a kangaroo when it jumped across the road in front of him on a dirt road. We later saw two more chilling countryside.
After another day of riding along the coast, stopping at small towns along the way, we finally arrived at one of the highlights of the entire Australian coast: The 12 Apostles. We were chatting on the trail to the beach and as we turned the corner we were awestruck at the beauty of these limestone monuments. We decided to stay the rest of the evening for epic sunrise and sunset pictures. We biked to a lovely nearby town of Princetown and went for a coastal trail run before heading to dinner at the only restaurant in town, deservingly named "The Talk of the Town". amazing views and surprisingly tasty food.
The following morning was a ride and a half, complete with heat, hills, too little water, and a well deserved beer at the summit in Laver's Hill. A few times we stopped and picked dozens of fresh blackberries, which line the sides of the road. Finding a hot spot of gorgeous berries, Eric felt a pinch of sorts on his ankle. Low and behold, he was bitten by a quarter sized brown spider. not cool. But no worries, spiders here aren't as bad as the snakes. Having no idea what to do, we wet napkin wiped it, and road into town. After a final descend into Apollo Bay, we were able to enjoy a setting sun over the mountains off the bay. after a little laundry, food, wine, and these written words, we're off again. We're both doing well and are still friends.
till next time...
eric & aaron
PS pics will be posted soon...you're gonna love them!
We met up with Lisa the Rockstar and headed to bonzi Bondi beach for some slightly overcast but still warm skies. Our hostel had flocks of parrots chilling and singing in the trees above. The ghetto blaster made another appearance and enticed two girls from Norway to join us for the evening of dancing and late night kebabs.
The next day we set out on a slightly overcast day to explore Sydney central. A beautiful and spacious city and we hit all the main attractions, took our pics of the opera house, botanical gardens, Darling harbor, and harbor bridge, which we will soon be biking over. very cool.
After another day of Sydney seeing, we began our trip to Warrnambool starting with a taxi to a plane to a train then a bus and then finishing the day with a 2 hour assembly of our bikes at the train depot. Finding a hidden spot in a massive and beautiful beach side park, we crashed for the night.
Our ride started off with a coastal cruise, then a slightly undesired detour inland and up hill. Off the bat, Eric's trailer mysteriously came off the rear axle of his bike, nearly sending him pavement-side. Fortunately the doctor said most of his injuries were emotional.
After a long and hot day of riding on seriously back country roads with next to no cars we were dumped off onto The Great Ocean road. Aaron nearly hit a kangaroo when it jumped across the road in front of him on a dirt road. We later saw two more chilling countryside.
After another day of riding along the coast, stopping at small towns along the way, we finally arrived at one of the highlights of the entire Australian coast: The 12 Apostles. We were chatting on the trail to the beach and as we turned the corner we were awestruck at the beauty of these limestone monuments. We decided to stay the rest of the evening for epic sunrise and sunset pictures. We biked to a lovely nearby town of Princetown and went for a coastal trail run before heading to dinner at the only restaurant in town, deservingly named "The Talk of the Town". amazing views and surprisingly tasty food.
The following morning was a ride and a half, complete with heat, hills, too little water, and a well deserved beer at the summit in Laver's Hill. A few times we stopped and picked dozens of fresh blackberries, which line the sides of the road. Finding a hot spot of gorgeous berries, Eric felt a pinch of sorts on his ankle. Low and behold, he was bitten by a quarter sized brown spider. not cool. But no worries, spiders here aren't as bad as the snakes. Having no idea what to do, we wet napkin wiped it, and road into town. After a final descend into Apollo Bay, we were able to enjoy a setting sun over the mountains off the bay. after a little laundry, food, wine, and these written words, we're off again. We're both doing well and are still friends.
till next time...
eric & aaron
PS pics will be posted soon...you're gonna love them!
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