Pushed out of Laura after a shitty night sleep. My ear ache gave me hell until about 4AM when it stopped for some reason. I was cursing the local doc all night.
Was compensated with a strong tailwind early (the change passed through last night) helping me up some long hills. But once over the other side of the range the wind swung and turned into a side/head wind, and a bloody strong one at that.
Into Bundaleer forest over a locked gate (with a please close the gate sign!). Fantastic country but was really slow going into the headwind. Granny gear, and almost coming to a standstill when a bigger gust and steep bit could combine forces. Add to this numerous gates and my resolve was well tested today. Was hard to get into a rhythm, hopping on and off all the time. Some of the trail was really indistinct in the long grass.
Had a halfway stop near Curnows hut for a coffee brewed on my stove and to munch some calories huddled behind a whopping big gum tree to get out of the wind.
Pushed up over a ridge on a muddy farm track and back down onto the valley below, smashing into the headwind (a severe weather warning was current for strong winds). The Bundaleer channels gave me a change in direction. Saw loads of rather pissed off lizards which made me wonder about their legless friends in the long grass I was riding through.
Detoured a few hundred meters to the freshwater weir "campsite" (marked on the map as such) to find very prominent "CAMPING PROHIBITED" signs on display and SA Water signs forbidding entry etc. So much for that camping option. Continued on to Spalding because apparently you can camp near the oval. However I didn't count on the Spalding Rodeo being on that weekend - at the oval!
Instead I fluked the last room in the pub and ate in their dining room.
This was a hard day...completely stuffed!
not pleased about the locked gates, no friend of the bike
ReplyDeleteThey are probably there to be no friend of the trailbike and 4wd. They need a ramp like those near Castambul so you can get your bike over without having to unload everything. I heaved my bike over without detaching the bags but nearly put my back out doing so. Probably not such a good idea :-(
ReplyDeleteYeah they werent there in late 2006, but had appeared by 2008 I think when I first heard reports of the locked gates. I think management here is complicated, between the owners the State Government, United Water I think for admininstration, the regional council, Department for Environment and Heritage for the trails, Bike SA and Friends of the Heysen Trail... and then the local bordering farmers, any one of those parties more or less have the right to padlock it. No idea who did, but I suspect cos they have been there for a while now it is an issue that hasnt been too easy to resolve
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