Day 8 - Honeymoon Pool

Day 8 - Honeymoon Pool

Woke up early and feeling pretty good. Thighs not so sore and body moving ok. We were all feeling very hungry, so did a drive around to find a cafe for a good breaky to start week two.

The Goldfields Cafe just down from The Crown, did a very nice one, that got us ready for the day.

Nicole and Bazz dropped us back to pack the bikes and headed off home. We were both feeling a bit nervous after how we had been feeling last week, but headed off around 10:20am. 

To get back onto the track we would have had to back track over about 17kms of it, so we decided to head out on Coalfields rd and get back on the track at Wellington Dam road. There was one pretty long hill, but it was a pretty good ride, and although we had to stop and rest a few times, the "burn" wasn't as bad as last week.

Back on the track, and only 13kms to go, 10 of those through the "challenging" section. It was! Even the down hills were slow going, with tight switchbacks making it heavy on the breaks. Shoulders and arms really feeling it.

                               

Just before River road we seemed to sneak up on an old Bungarra digging a whole. He didn't seem too pleased that he hadn't heard us.

Right turn and 1.5kms downhill we're at Honeymoon Pool. Awesome.

Only bad bit is we have to ride back UP that 1.5kms to get on the track tomorrow. Bugger.

Day 6 - Clean Up In Collie

Day 6 - Collie

Yarri Hut is set in a really pretty spot. It has a veranda that makes you think you are up high in the trees (After getting up all those dam hills, I am sure we were up in the trees).

I had a pretty restless night, with cramping muscles and just plain soreness, so it was really nice to wake up to a cup of tea and a bowl of porridge already made by Will. He also had a restless night due to dreaded mozzies and soreness.

We both were wondering if we were going to make Collie today, feeling so exhausted, but we also really wanted a steak and a cold beer. Oh, and a nice hot shower. We were also on our last clean undies.

The start was 1.5km downhill, but that wasn't easy. Lots of breaking and slow going. But it did get easier, and we found a good pace. 

As we were coming around a bend Will was doing a strange wavey thing with his hands and shooshing me. I breaked and finally looked up to see a cute little wallaby just sitting in the middle of the path. Very cute.

  

There were lots of nasty hills, but absolutely stunning bush. We just rested lots and drank heaps and pedalled even more. We admired the amazing flowers and scenery and shit our pants when an enormous Bungarra ran across the path in front of us.

We found ourselves in an area of Banksia where we stopped for lunch (hardly any flies).....and found ourselves giggling stupidly as we savoured our last lunch of Baked Beans....I don't even like them but they were delicious...

I got really excited when were 5km out of Collie, it was going to be downhill the rest of the way! Lies, dam lies. Ewing street. Oh my god, who does that when you have just ridden 40km? An humongous thigh burning, lung burning, bastard hill of hills. Will just put his head down and got at it. I swore at it hoping that would calm it down, and had to stop once to allow my heart to calm down. 

But then there was a long long long downhill to town. Oh yes it was so good to make it to Collie and a hot shower. 46km. Our personal best.

Day 5 - Yarri Hut

Day 5 - Yarri campsite

We woke up feeling very stiff and sore after a pretty good nights sleep. Not sure how we would go today as it was supposed to be a 46km day on a "challenging" track.

Will had been studying the maps and had come up with a few short cuts if we were struggling.

We were struggling!

There were a few mining/logging diversions, which also saved us, one of which was down Stromolo road. Favourite part of the day (except sighting the hut). It was largely a nice downhill run in a beautiful scenic area at the back of Lake Brockman. Lots of fast fun.

The other big detour we took was down Miles Ave, which actually took us through a pine plantation behind Stirling Dam. It was a restricted area but we were buggered and didn't really care.  We took this to avoid the "challenging" section around Harvey Bridge and to cut off a few kays.

It was bitter sweet.....the biggest bastard hill that pretended to not be a hill by having a smaller gradient but it just went forever. We'd come to a bend and it would look like flattening out, but NOOOOO, it kept going up. There was much walk/riding in that area. Not sure what was harder, pedalling in 1st gear (granny gear) or pushing up hill on gravel having the spinning pedal knock into the back of my calf a thousand times.......it was hard.

We finally got to the last bit of track to get to the hut and it was 1.5kms of Devine downhill run through magic forest where Wallabies bound joyously across your path.

Never been so happy to arrive somewhere.

Dam - It's Good To See You

Day 4 - Logue Brook Dam

Will filtering the tank water for tomorrow. 

Bit of restless sleep with sore tired body and woke up feeling body tired. My legs were already feeling fatigued and we were in for a day of mostly "medium" track conditions.

Alan and Julie - So great to meet you both. 

We headed off with Alan and Julie as they were heading the same way as us. They are both a lot fitter than us as they cycle to work everyday but they were also a bit tired from their three days on the track.

I am looking and feeling buggered. 

We spent the whole day riding up hill, when we finally got downhill section, we had to go slow as there was soft sand, or deep pea gravel, or rocky riverbed type surfaces. Ripped off. 

It was a really tough day and we made many stops to catch our breath and re-fuel or just let the burning ease in our legs.

Our fitter comrades went ahead of us after about 10kms, after helping us push our bikes up some steep slippery hills, and also took the optional detour for sight seeing. We didn't see them again, until after we arrived completely exhausted at the dam.

About 9kms of track was closed so we had to ride along Scarp road. It was a life saver as the closed section was the only "Challenging" section marked on today's ride. The whole bloody thing seemed challenging to me!

I was so so relieved to see the bitumen and the entry to the

Lake Brockman Caravan park. Shattered is all I can say. Totally. 

We bought a nice cold drink, not water, and after the other couple arrived an ice cream. Much deserved.

                   

It was really nice meeting Alan and Julie and discussing what food and gear we all had and what we thought was good. 

Hope we run into some more mad Munda biddians.

Day 3 - Bidjar Ngoulin Hut

Day 3 - Bidjar Ngoulin

We rode from Dwellingup today, to one of the huts along the Munda Biddi. It was a total of 28.5 Kim's. The first bit was pretty easy ( thank god, as I was feeling pretty tired from yesterday's baptism of fire, in the legs and butt), but after we met up with Alan and Julie (who had already done two days riding nu from Jarrahdale) the track became "Challenging". What they meant was thigh killing hills you have to use 1st gear to get halfway up then push your bike with 20kgs of crap the rest of the way, whilst trying to suck in some oxygen to feed the fire in your legs.

 

Again, there was barely enough air in my lungs for cursing.

Just as we were at the end of our challenging section, we came across another rider heading to Dwellingup. Walter was from the Netherlands, and was doing the whole track by himself. He looked super fit and gave us the joyous news that the rest of day would be easy. Thank you Walter.

We stopped at Nanga for lunch, and a nice rest. Then the next 12kms was easy (inclines mostly) and lots of nice cruising to take in the sights.

After sweating up the hills we decided to have a wash in Dawn Creek, which was super refreshing, before we rode the last 5kms to the hut.

Today's ride including stops for food and swearing, took us 5 1/2 hours. But it was really ok and we enjoyed ourselves a bit more.

I am so tired but the sun is still up so I have to try to stay awake for a bit longer....ugh...knackered!

Is There a Pub at the top of these f#*@ing Hills?

Phew, second day down. I am sure we picked the hardest part to do first when we are the most unfit we have ever been. The first 16km wasn't  bad and then we got to the hills. ....ugh!

The first one wasn't too bad and I was really happy to have pedalled all the way up it. Minor cursing was involved of course.

We caught or breath,  had a drink and got at the next one. All I can say is we continued on in a walk /ride fashion, too breathless to swear and resting a lot. Then it leveled out and we cycled the last 2.5km into Dwellingup.  To the pub,  just as it started to drizzle.

Some stats for day one. Will's top speed 52.2, mine 50.1km/hr. Front wheel speed wobbles pulled us into line. We rode 27km in 3hrs. Doesn't sound too flash but them hills are nasty and we're unfit. Can only get better from here.

Day 1 of cycle adventure, headed for Munda Biddi only made it to Pinjarra

Very easy day, Murray the young bloke who is house sitting for us arrived around 10am. We gave him a quick run down of how every thing works. Jenny and I departed smack on 12noon as per the plan, 40 minutes later and 13.3km we arrived at Jenny's Mum & Dads place in Pinjarra. Few beers/wine a lovely dinner and our last real bed for a while. Plan to head off tomorrow for Dwellingup at 8am. We are just taking it nice and easy to begin with as our fitness level is very low.

Well I think we are ready for a 3 week bike ride. 30112014

                                               

And we are off. Right on 12 noon. 30112014

Hey Jen, does your bike feel heavy?

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