Ten Days With Tim: Sydney to Taree

May 30, 2015
Smithtown, NSW, AU

I met Tim at a Warmshowers in Hokitika, South Island, NZ. He was on a 7 month tour of NZ, OZ, and Fiji. Staying in touch through Facebook, we hoped our paths might cross in Australia. And they did. We just happened to get leaving Sydney at the same time so we planned to meet up for a couple of days. His patience at waiting for me multiple times a day amazed me.





I'm half as fast as he could go. It's the best I can do.

But we had fun...the odd couple.

He rides fast heading directly to his destination. I stroll and like to stop often. He likes to sleep in hostels or over pubs and I prefer wild camping.


I cook and he orders out. He drinks beer and I like coffee. So we did a bit of it all:))




We took quite a few ferries going up the coast and sometimes Blaze had the best seat in the house.



And we found the Beach Tunnel in Newcastle after much searching just to see the artwork on its walls.



And one morning when we were camped near the beach I actually got up to see the sunrise over the Pacific. Don't plan on seeing many of these.



Lighthouse at Norah's Head at sunset.



And we found these incredible sand dunes that went on forever and ever.




Tim valiantly attempted to align my trike. It runs the best it has in months.




We found a bicycle path that had trees covering it from recent floods and locals out for a run lifted Blaze over the obstacles not obese, not twice, but three times!



And watermelon tastes so much better when shared!

But all good things must end. Tim had only 6 weeks left in OZ and lots of ground to cover and I really want to pedal all the way to Darwin, so we said goodbye in Taree and went our separate speeds northwards. Thanks for sharing my journey, Tim...I had a great time experiencing another way of touring!



Livin' the life!

BagLady

P.s. Interesting fact about Tim...he performs in a circus as an acrobat and trapeze guy. Fascinating!! Keep spreading your goodness!!!

My New Tent!! Thanks Big Sky!

May 28, 2015
North Shore, NSW, AU

Ya don't know how tattered something is until you see a new one. And that's true with my new tent. I loved my old tent. She stood by me through thick and thin, though she was duct taped where the mouse chewed through and where tiny holes were in the mesh, and she leaked a bit in the rain...but hey, she'd been through a lotta living over the last 8 years. And I loved her design. So when Bob at Big Sky International offered me a deal I couldn't refuse (and April helped me to see that), I ordered a Big Sky Revolution 2p (2 person, cuz I like to spread out). I have to say I loved my old tent so much



I cried when I had to cut her up (instead of shipping her back as a trade in)...and because I was worried that I might not love the new one as much.



But cut her up, I did. And into the trash she went.

And I love my new one!!! My old one was the Evolution model. The new one is the Revolution, where the mesh and tent stay hooked together and clip to the poles on the outside.



This is so much easier and quicker to set up and take down every day. Really love it! And I love the new color...gun metal grey, I call it. The inside has a yellowy green floor that makes a nice glow in daylight. Currently here in Australia the sun is setting at 5 pm so I'm not in my tent much in the daylight. With 2 vestibules (like my old one) I have lots of storage room. And it sets up so nice and taut.











And I was also surprised by how much lighter it was than my old tent. I don't have scales, but it was noticeably lighter. And I love how easily and one-handed I can unzip the mesh. The only thing I added was stake out tabs on both sections of the vestibule flys...it only comes with one and on the door I normally pull up.

There was a bit of a mix up with the fly style I wanted. I ordered the "porch" model that puts an overhang over the door so I can keep the vestibules open in the rain. Bob was very apologetic and I'm sure the correct one will be here in no time. It's a bit of a challenge getting things shipped so they arrive up the road ahead of me...but it's all part of the adventure.




Tonight's view is better than the road I cycled in on. I've gotten myself buggered as they say here. The road became 4WD and I'm not.






Thinking the sand would end soon, I pushed on. It didn't. So I quit for the night. I'll enjoy the view and push Blaze back out in the morning. I'll find a different route tomorrow.

Livin' the life!

BagLady

Bush Walking in the Blue Mountains

May 15, 2015
Blackheath, NSW, AU

In the USA it's called backpacking...in New Zealand, tramping...and here bush walking.

Adrian, my Warmshowers host from Cooma, insisted I come into the Blue Mountains to see their wonders and he was right. He had an old friend, Stu, who lived in Blackheath so I took the train with my backpack and he drove up 5 hours and there we met up again. Brrr. What a difference in temperatures from Sydney! And the wind was whipping. They guys met my train Monday afternoon and gave me the grand tour of the overlooks. This place looks like the Grand Canyon all full of gum trees. Gorgeous red rock cliffs with lush green valleys. Breathtaking. The blue hue of the trees gives it it's name.



The three of us!


The Three Sisters.



Blue Mountains is a misnomer to me...more like a Grand Canyon...red cliffs with green trees filling it.



After a night at Stu's place where we watched a movie called The Edge about the Blue Mountains and ate another wonderful dinner prepared by Adrian, we packed up our backpacks and got dropped off at Mt. Victoria Falls.


Down, down, down we trudged to the valley floor. Everything is so different down at this level. The river through here wasn't even obvious before.

The trails here are not as maintained so scratchy bushes and branches leave their marks on my arms and legs...which of course are bare. And the twigs and gum bark strips keep catching in my sandals.


I've never had such difficulty hiking in sandals before. Very challenging here. Adrian is a quick hiker and my legs are just not keeping up. But I'm trying. Once down along the river, the hike is fairly flat but has it's ups and overs. Eventually we come to the Blue Gum Forest a National Heritage site.






These trees are magnificent and majestic. So tall! A bit further on is a campsite and we set up. Adrian loaned me a backpacking tent as my 2 person tent would be to heavy for my small, tattered backpack.



And he just used a tarp and Tyvek ground cloth. Guess the snakes and spiders aren't really an issue. I wanted a fire since the sun sets early, it's getting chilly, and there's someone to chat with. I never have one usually.


The fire is noticed by another camper and he comes to join us. How nice. He's a doctor from Perth (other side of Australia) and his wife is visiting family here, so he took a mini bush walking trip.

That night was rather warm, surprisingly. The valley must be why. The next day we continue along the valley. Steep red rock walls loom above us. Waterfalls are plentiful. I couldn't be happier. But my legs are killing me. I have biking legs!!!












Lots of waterfalls!








Lunch break


And stream crossings.


Further on we come to their Grand Canyon: a steep, narrow canyon some places only 15-20 ft wide. And the bottom isn't in view. We're hiking a rock ledge. This part is a day hike loop that's been "paved" with good steps and a rock footpath. Quite nice. But it ends with a long, steep, many-steps climb up out of this canyon. Whew! Now my legs are screaming.

An absolutely amazing Australian trek. If the weather had been warmer I would haves to have done some canyoning: abseil down into a canyon and swim your way out of it. Their are many up here where you have to do that. The canyon hike book mentions whether or not abseiling or swimming are required and how many and how long! Too bad it's cold here now!

For our next activity we drove out further north and camped for the night way back in off a dirt road, then the following day drove 35 kms down the same dirt road that was poorly surfaced and full of pot holes. We went to the Glow Worm Tunnel and tramped an old railway line. This was a day hike and again beautiful views of rocky cliffs and lush valley floors. We even did a scamper up the rocky outcropping to get better views.

But all good things must end, so I said goodbye to Adrian as he put me on the train back to Sydney before his long drive back to Cooma.


And I can't forget to mention finding a leech attached to my leg that Adrian had to knock off. Yuck!!!!! I didn't even know it was a concern but they're everywhere in the bush I was later told. And I only thought snakes and spiders were an issue.



Random pics...














Livin' the life!

BagLady

Two Weeks in Sydney

Ok. So I'm busy living and not writing. And I'm sorry. Life's getting in the way. Cycling up the coast towards Sydney was fun because I was back at the coast. What is it about the ocean that soothes the soul?

Had some road excitement when the only road was a highway which started out with a nice wide shoulder when I first got on it. Then got narrower and narrower until it disappeared and I was riding straddling the storm drain. That worked until I came to a grate with the slots running parallel to my wheels. Yikes. Can't roll over that. On a blind curve. On a 4 lane divided highway at rush hour. No space for me in the road and I have to move into the road to get around the grate. A break. No cars. Quick. Out. And around. And back in the gutter. Whew!! How did I get myself into this predicament? This is a dangerous place to be. But the only thing I can do is keep moving forward until I get to the next exit. OMG. A tree across the ditch. Now I've got to get around that too. And this is the only road between Gerringong and Kiama. Hard to believe. Well I made it off that crazy road alive, obviously, and found a delightful spot to camp in a town park overlooking the water. How lucky am I?

I spoke with my friend in Sydney and she insisted on picking me up the next day. Let's see how far I get. I'll call ya at 2 pm. By noon the next day I was soaked to the bone, tired of the traffic and no shoulder on the roads. Tried to catch a train but couldn't get my bike to the platform. Called Carina and she said she was on her way. But it would take 1.5 hours to get to me. I kept pedaling north. Long climb. No room for me. Ugh. Got to top of hill and I had a flat. Rain. Rain gives me flats. That's twice it's happened. I'll wait here for Carina.
I met Carina on the Camino. She was hiking with her sister-in-law. They're both from South Africa but Carina now lives in Australia with her family. She invited me to visit if I ever came here. Little did she know I take people up on their offers:)

Driving in to Sydney made me awfully glad I wasn't biking. Very busy place! Would have been an interesting challenge. Not fun in the rain.

What a wonderful welcome I got at the house. She lives in a suburb called Thornleigh right on the train line. A husband, Gabby, and three kids: Gustaf, 28; Ruan, 26; and Carli, 18 (2 boys and a girl). Lovely, lively, and engaging family. I had the most marvelous time! Got chores done, stuff repaired, body rested. Played with the dog, Bella who was so sweet and patient when she'd bring me her soggy ball, drop it at my feet, and wait patiently for me to play with her.

We had wonderful discussions over meals. Felt so great to be part of a family doing normal things even if only for a little while.

One day I went down into Sydney and met up with Sven. He was the young German lad who crashed his bike into a hole and was hospitalized in Cooma. He invited me to come play when he got to town. We spent the day seeing the Harbor Bridge, the Opera House, and riding ferries around the harbor. Great fun!


Harbor Bridge!


Sydney Opera House



Sunset over the Opera House



Sven and me picnicking in the park.

Carina and I spent several days touring the numerous harbors and places around Sydney. Forests and water views are just a stone's throw away. Quite an amazing city.



Carina and me playing around.



View of Palm Beach where I will cycle north through in a few days.




Feeding the birds has a whole new meaning.



Met up with Mark Carrington, a Facebook friend, and got the scoop on cycle northward up the coast and through the Outback.


One day I had to ride my bike about 12 kms to a shop for repairs. I had to time it for after rush hour and it was still crazy. Then I got pulled over by the police with lights and a siren. Always exciting! Do you know you ran a red light back at Fox Valley Rd? I did?? Wait a minute. I crossed at the crosswalk with the traffic that had a green light then flowed on with them. Oh, he said...I didn't see that. Ok. Did you know we have a helmet law? Yes but I have a medical exemption. But it's with all my gear at the house where I'm staying. You should keep it with your passport. Ok. Good idea. Thank you, officer. Have a nice day. Whew!!! (Not appropriate to film the officer, I guessed :))

While parked in Sydney I took a side trip up into the Blue Mountains ...next blog post.




Thank you Van Wyk family for making me feel so welcome and truly "at home"! You guys rock!!!


Livin' the life!

BagLady