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.