Pics

How lucky am I?






Don't see this sign anywhere else in the world.



10 ft guesstimate maybe was generous:)



Just like on MacLeod's Daughters station, Drovers Run.















A homeless man living on a bike. So much stuff he has to pull it and not ride it.


Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

Sandy Point to Bairnsdale

March 28, 2015
Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia
Holiday Park

38 years ago today my first baby was born. What a happy mommy I was! Thank you, Avery, for choosing me to be your mother! No matter how far apart we are, you're still right under my heart. Love you, Sweetie!!

First night out from Sandy Point was a short ride into Foster, a darling town I'd had lunch in when the Coupers gave me a tour. And I had spied the town park by the creek as a possible tent spot. Since it was Friday and there was a farmers market scheduled for Saturday morning, I decided to hang out. And who did I run into? Keith Couper! He's a park ranger who's office is in Foster. And he spotted Blaze and couldn't miss my voice:). I also decided I needed a project for the long winter nights and there was a yarn shop in town. Sox are a good project to carry on the bike, don't ya think? The yarn is heritage wool yarn from Italy and knits up into a Fair Isle like pattern. The needles are so small I feel like I'm knitting with miniature needles:). And now that I gave most of one cuff done I think the sizing is off. Yes, I did a test and it looked like I would run big which would be fine. I may be ripping these out. S'okay. I've got lots of time:))!!

The market was a bust. Few veggies and that's what I wanted. They say it's been a poor growing season this summer with little rain.

Along the road into the forest, I met a farmer and chatted. A while later he pulled up behind me. He said he just had to tell me how dangerous it was to bike the Grand Ridge Rd. And now at least he can sleep because he warned me. Ok. But that's the route I want to take. Appreciate the warning.

That night I was camped on the side of the very, very quiet road overlooking a beautiful valley. Got to watch an amazing sunset. About 9:30, after I was asleep I hear a car pull up and some guy talking to me. "No camping." Really. I think it's all right. The police told me it was. "Ok, if the police said it." Then he wanted to know where I was headed. And I explained my route. "You can't go up in there! Gravel road. Big boulders. Dangerous logging trucks!" Ok. Thanks for the warning. "How old are ya?" Old enough, I replied. Didn't want him thinking I was some daffy grandma:). Then he told me his farm was across the way if I needed anything. Just need some sleep, I replied.

So in the morning, I'm thinking: two locals have told me it's dangerous "to go in there"! Hmmm. Wonder what it's like. Let's go and find out! If it's bad I'll turn around... like I've ever done that:)). I hate retracing my steps. Just ask April;)

I did get water at the first farmhouse I saw. Not his. And that was good because it was the last one I saw all day. But I saw forest views and wallabies and a black snake. All too fast for pics. The road was packed gravel and like a wide bike trail. One of my better decisions!

Camped again right on the side of the road. We're talking 10 ft off. No other options. And in the morning didn't a truck fly by. I had no trucks the day before because it was Sunday. None on Monday either. Or not many. That day the forest road ended and I was back on farm roads. Paved. Minimal traffic. Late in the day I was looking for water and stopped at several houses with no answer. The 4th house was a charm. A delightful 2 women, mother-in-laws. I got offered the lawn to camp but said I just needed someplace quiet so I was going down to the swing bridge. Another good idea. Delightful place with mowed grass and picnic tables. So nice I stayed 2 nights. Some times I just need a rest and I'm learning not to pass up great places. But 2 nights was enough. I was ready to go on.

But my bike needed attention. Still grinding gears. Bike shop in Sale, Darren aligned it and fixed the cable. All no charge. I went to the cafe next door where I had had lunch and chatted with the owner and got Darren's favorite thing and took it back to him. One good turn deserves another.

Back on the road out of town I camped on the mowed grass on a side road. Right near the firehouse and wouldn't ya know it had bright lights on all night :/. Oh well. It was quiet.

The next day had WIND! Tail winds that blew me into Bairnsdale where I needed to get chores done before the mountains. Also needed laundry and a shower so I booked into the Holiday Park for 2 nights. Ahh. A resort!


Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

Pics from Sandy Point

My first koala (not-a-bear)!





Sea life




Line kilns




Pelican






Samphire



Speaks for itself:)




Dinner with Ron and Deborah



School kids all must wear hats.



Little Oberon Bay at Wilson's Prom




Lunch with Ron and Deborah




Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

Friends at Sandy Point

March 25, 2015
Sale, Australia

Can ya tell I'm taking a zero day today? Getting caught up doing over my blog posts. First I'll write the journal. Pictures will come in another post. Hopefully reducing my frustrations. I've learned that the less stress I have, the less well I deal with stress. Hmm?

So I left the Coupers' Farm heading south to Sandy Point. I love it when I have local contacts and will go out of my way to meet up with them again. April and I met Ron and Deborah Gilchrist at a campground in Scotland and later stayed with them at house they were borrowing. I had to cycle down to Sandy Point to say Hi. Too close not too!

We had a good time: reminiscing about when we met, sharing stories about bike touring, site seeing the local retired lime kilns, hiking the coast at Wilson's Prom, and eating kangaroo! Saw my first koala (not-a-bear) in their backyard. They're as sweet in person. He just sat there munching his eucalyptus leaves while we walked around him taking pictures.

And besides eating kangaroo (which is available in grocery store, organic, and plentiful here...but tough, I thought), I had samphire, salty green twigs growing near the shoreline. My first samplings of "bush tucker"!

Well rested and ready to attack Australia, I cycled away. But since I'd planned on camping in the Foster town park that night (in order to shop at the farmers market in the morning), I didn't go that far. Gotta break myself in slowly.

Besides: I'm retired!!


Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

Angels Falls


Glenda and Keith




Glenda and Natalie making dinner.




The Couper family...son Tim is missing.




Australian stock saddle





Proof I rode in Australia!


Narelle riding off with me!


Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

The Coupers

March 25, 2015
Sale, Australia

Okay, that worked. Must be something in that blog post that won't let me open it. I sure hope folks read these posts in order or they won't make sense. That's your problem:)

Five years ago, 3 young women were riding their bikes across the US and just happened to be on the Main St of Fairport (my hometown) when I was driving home. And ya know what I did? Dragged them home for the night! Narelle, Carmen, and Kathryn. An Aussie and 2 Americans. And the next day I loaded my bike and pedaled away with them, not knowing if I was going for a day, a week, a month, or all the way to California! I only lasted one night cycling with them, but the friendship formed has lasted these 5 years. And Narelle, the Aussie, and her family live near Melbourne so I changed my route and stopped in to meet everyone. Drover's Run (McLeod's Daughters reference...a great Australian TV show available on Netflix...be careful, it's addictive!) had nothing on the Couper's Farm. Keith and Glenda welcomed me with open arms even though I didn't bike in. And it turns out, Harry's sons (the bloke who changed my derailleur) work on the Coupers' computers. Small world.

I got a tiki tour the next day to the outlook over Corner Inlet and Wilson's Prom, a National Park; to Angels Falls; and down to a small harbor on the coast. Riding in a car is quite challenging for me due to the speed. My eyes can't focus on anything. Too fast. Makes me nauseous. But I like being able to see things I otherwise couldn't do I'm always grateful when shown about. (I'd like to post pictures but am afraid of crashing so I'll post them separately for now.)

That afternoon Natalie, Narelle's older sister, arrived laden with veggies for a Thai Curry. Yum! Thai is my favorite food! And she's as sweet as her sister, though they've led very different lives. Strong, capable, young women! YES!

The next day I got to ride one if the horses. It's been a long time but he didn't buck me off. He wanted to though. And Australian stock saddles are sorta like our English saddles but with wings that grab the legs. Glad to have the extra support. Rusty was a bit rusty not having been ridden in a year but it was a treat just the same!

Let's get this posted and I'll follow with some pics. That way I won't lose the text. Hey, it's my blog. I can do what I want!


Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

BlogPress App Crashing

March 24, 2015
Sale, Australia

Arghhhh! I wrote a lovely blog update a couple of days ago. Ya know. Pictures and stories of these two families I stayed with last week and every time I open it to publish it, it crashes:(. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is? Do you?!?!? Really frustrating!!!!!! It's hard enough to write something once, but Do Overs are the PITS!! Always shorter. Less detail. Just a get it done attitude. And the Coupers and the Gilchrists deserve better.

So with this blog update I'm going to test and see if the app will post text. Maybe it's the pictures crashing it. Here goes!



Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

Getting Out of Melbourne

March 17, 2015
Buffalo, Victoria, Australia
Town park on the Great Southern Rail Trail

I can't change gears smoothly! New chain and rear cassette in Wellington, NZ, but it keeps skipping and slipping. So frustrating. I've moved on to Warmshowers hosts in Cranbourne, Mike and Heather, and Mike's offered to see if he can help. Thanks, big time! I also use the wonders of the internet, whether it be googling the problem or emailing my bike mechanic in the States. A big shout out to Peter Stull of The Bicycleman in Alfred Station New York!!! All things recumbent, he is. And chatting with him that night he suggested that the chain may be too long or the derailleur sprung. Ok. We can figure this out. Mike with his bike repair books and me with Google are sitting on his garage floor determining proper chain length and how to actually shorten a chain.


A couple of hours later, job done...but now I have to stay another night. Poor me. More delicious home-cooking by Heather and sharing of stories of their 18 month bike ride from Australia to Ireland, via Beijing, China. Does it get any better?

Seems to be working better when I ride around the block, so I take off in the morning.




Pedal. Pedal. Pedal. Not great but functioning. Stop for the night on the side of the road.



And folks stop by: Sue and her dingo dog. And doesn't her dog per on my food bag?!?!? So Sue takes the wet bag and drives down to a neighbors to wash it for me. Then she and the neighbor walk back.



Argh!!!

I had just written a long extension of the continuing story to this and when I went to save it, didn't the app close and it didn't save. I don't have patience for this. I'm way behind in writing and then having to write it up twice just ain't happening now. So I'm going to be further behind. So I'll be brief, less detail than I wrote before. Sorry.

Did have a visit from the cops while the girls were there. Said I was okay.



Long story short, derailleur failed me the next day. Manually shifting in rear on hills. (Getting off, running around, moving chain to large sprocket...reverse on hill top.). Don't know what's wrong. In rural area. Can't find bike shop. Keep moving forward. Meet a local triker (upright, rear wheels) in town and she hooks me up with Harry and Liz who let me camp on their lawn while Harry spent hours trying to first fix the replace derailleur with one from his bikes. To no avail.



Next day I played on the farm with Liz








and also picked up new derailleur in town which Harry mounted then gave me a lift to the next farm where I was expected.



So grateful to all the help I got getting out of Melbourne!

Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

A Week in Melbourne

March 11, 2015
Side of the road
East of Melbourne
Australia









What a vortex! A week in Wellington, then 11 days here. Whew! Thought I'd never break out:). Pat Ruys, my Warmshowers host in Melbourne made it all so easy and relaxing. I had gear to fix, a body and teeth with issues, and sights to see. Plus I just needed down time. And I got it all done.

In addition, a couple that I'd only known on Facebook were staying with Pat when I arrived. I was tickled pink to cross paths with John Butcher and Anna Dingemans! So fun to have people pop off Facebook into real life. We shared stories and food and hugs. Wonderful to connect. Have fun in the Netherlands and maybe I'll see you again in Darwin. Anything's possible!



I needed to follow up with a dentist in Melbourne but by this time I'd had time to get smarter about what was going on in my mouth and options. And I needed antibiotics in case I had a flare up. So I saw the one the Wellington dentist had hooked me up with. I liked him. He seemed acceptable of my approach of doing approach nothing right now since everything seemed quite all right. And he gave me antibiotics to carry. Ok. That's done. Then, he agreed I needed to see a doctor because my popeye elbow was getting hot and red...septic. Not sure why this elbow has deformed over the last 18 months. But infected us not good. The dentist said got to A & E. Accident and Emergency. For bursitis??? Yup. So his receptionist helped me find one one the train line (my means of transport around Melbourne). So off I go.



Met a beautiful African woman and get baby on the train to the dentist. Kinja was the little girl's name.



At A&E, the woman explained this was not where I needed to be. $400 to walk in. Go to a medical clinic. Ok. She explained there would be one when I got off the train back in Noble Park, home. Found it. Walked in. Got appt in 1 hour. Went for lunch at Vietnamese restaurant. Very Asian neighborhood. Back to clinic. Saw elderly doc who chatted mostly about my trip and his horses:). Got more antibiotics. Done.

Another chore to address was my stove and lack of a pump and fuel bottle that the airline confiscated. There is a Backpacking Light store in Melbourne that Bob from Big Sky International, my tent supplier, asked me to say Hi to. While there, drooling over Big Sky's tents on the floor getting more excited about my new one coming, they showed me a Muka stove made in Japan. Very similar to the MSR International that I had except no priming, no soot, adjusting valve that bleeds the fuel line and pressure and emergency shut off. Well designed and smaller! Running on unleaded gasoline now.

And while with Pat, he gave me a tour of the Dandenongs, a hilly range east of Melbourne and another day, a tour of the coast line.


















And finally the time had come for me to move on down the road and say goodbye to Pat.




Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman