Eeek Eeek a rodent of some sort savaged our lightweight rucksack it it’s effort to eat one of our apples. Rivet Rivet (no not a dock worker building ships) but a frog coming to see us, frogs good rodent bad.
Frog
A fairly leisurely start, a check over the bikes, inflate tyres to road pressures (you run a lower tyre pressure on tracks and loose surfaces). Julie was off to work for 7.00 am (on a Sunday eek!) an early goodbye was said.
Janet and our new favourite barista John
Another one I hear you say, it was just so nice to have a proper bed after a month of sleeping bags and mats. We had another cycle into town to pick up some fresh fruit, rolls and lots of comfort food.
This is what Janet looks like eating a chocolate croissant
Returning we just chilled out, did the online banking stuff and some other necessary things, now all up to date.
That is it for today, enjoy, we certainly did.
It was a joy to wake up to the magnificent songs of so many birds, in fact it must have spurred us on as we readied ourselves or maybe it was the 8°C temperature, our earliest start yet.
Returning to the Harewood Road where we left off yesterday it was a coast to the sealed Scotsdale Road.
This is actually a very steep track
Again it rained on and off during the night sometimes heavily but as the kookaburra crowed at dawn it had cleared and only a slight chance of a shower today (we were no where smelly enough yet).
Straight on to the final section of Middle Road, this was meant to be very sandy and difficult to ride but the rain had worked it’s magic and only two small sections were push worthy. Rain really does make a difference to the tracks.
Following the usual brown road we made good time, until on Nornalup Road where bad washboarding (American) or corrugations (Australian) heeded our progress.
The views were more open today, each side more of a flood plain, often we passed flood warnings, it is hard to believe that cyclists in the Spring or Late Winter have to wade across waist deep water.
Currently dry as a bone
Again it rained intermittently during the night along with an increasingly strong wind, rain is bad wind is good. The tent dries very fast in the wind so when we were ready to leave it was almost fully dry. In case you are wondering why a dry tent is so important I keep on about it, think weight and a wet tent can be an extra 1 kg I have to carry.
Having studied the route it became apparent just how hilly quite a large section of the trail was, not so much fun on a road touring bike. A road bypass works for us, not too far after the Coalmine Caravan Park (named as people thought they had discovered a rich vein of coal, but it was very poor quality and amounted to nothing, not unlike year 11 coursework) we turned on to the South Western Highway. This time of year is is not very busy and the riding was very easy .
Crossing the Frankland River which looked lovely, I am surprised that a main road (equivalent of a UK A road) has a timber constructed bridge, it is a thing of beauty though (as long as you like impressive timber constructions that is).
Lovely timber constructionon the Frankland River bridge
It rained on and off all last night but it had cleared up for when we stirred, or heard the first kookaburra whichever comes first. After 4 weeks of packing we are finally getting better at it, ready at 7.50 am how about that!
From the hut we would have quite a long backtrack unless Base Road actually proved to be a road, in fact it was overgrown and would only just qualify as a footpath for the brave, so it was extra miles for us.
Copeland Road
We were probably our most organises this morning, just like a well oiled machine. Done and out for 8.00 am. Back on to Beardmore Road where there is a sign pointing up Pitcher Plant Road which we ignore following the one pointing up the road. Joining the track a couple of miles later, it was another meadow we cycled across, then back on to tracks. There were some switchbacks (for all non mountain bikers these are hairpin bends (for all non drivers these are very sharp bends (for all PE teachers do not worry about it))).
Nice road
Having carefully studied the map, only a 20 km day for us. There is a Department of Parks and Wildlife campground at Fernhook Falls looking very near and inviting.
Once again goodbye Sarah, she was off first, then us leaving Mark and Karl to a very leisurely start, later we found out that Karl had a bent chain link they had to replace before starting out.
The road was pebble and rock strewn, not difficult to ride on just uncomfortable. It did give was to a lovely meadow, meadow being the best way I can describe it. It did make a nice change from forest forest forest.
Look no forest
A type of bottlebrush, that is a flower by the way
The recreation site had got very busy indeed with all the competitors arriving for the race, we packed up and hung around to watch the start. More people than we have seen for a month. A couple we had been talking to gave us their number, they live south of Perth, than you Janette.
On your marks, get set
Go
Cycle Travellers 