Sunday, June 28, 2015

A Weekend in Yamba

Yamba, NSW, Australia

(This was a bit ago...I thought I'd already posted it:/)

I met up with my wonderful friends from Sydney, Carina and Gabby, up in the Yamba area for the weekend. When I left their house three weeks ago, we never thought this might work out. We all expected that we'd just pass on the roadside as they came up here to look at a possible place to live and get out of Sydney some day. And since they'd just heard about Air Bnb for accommodations, they decided to give it a try so they had their lodging booked and I had to figure things out. Ask them if I can camp in the yard, I said. Yes, but we also have a single room. No camping I prefer.

I slowed down a tad or I'd have been past the area before the weekend. Slowing down is never a challenge. Not when I can find spots like this to camp...just before the rain hit.




And a strange bloke came over with a handful of mandarins for me to "keep off the cold"...he later came by with white bread and jam that I politely declined. Then he bent my ear and I didn't understand anything he was saying. I understood the words, but they didn't make cohesive statements...at least to me. I finally broke it off and finished cooking my dinner. I think he was charging a generator off the town outlet at the barbecue.

I got to Gerry and Liz's house (Air Bnb) ahead of Carina and Gabby and Gerry said he'd prefer I slept inside. No worries. It's easier for all, I'm sure.

Friendly, easy-going folks. Felt much like Warmshowers hosts.

I'm not going to bore you with our tours around the local area over the next 2 days. Let me just show some pics.



Strange rocks



Rainbow!


Kookaburra in the yard.



Wallaby in the yard.



Broomes Head.

The following are the amazing sunset we saw over Wooloweyah Lake:





















Gerry and Liz on left...Carina and Gabby on right. Lovely lanai to sit in for breakfast



The Three Musketeers!



Gabby wanted to ride Blaze a bit of distance because they are considering touring on trikes. Was a challenge for this big guy to even fit, much less pedal!





And I'll leave you with this pic of flying foxes. There were hundreds in the trees! Such a strange creature, like many here in Australia!!

Livin' the life!

BagLady

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Nimbin, Hippy Capitol of Australia

Nimbin, NSW, Australia












I cycled through the rolling hills and on again, off again rain into Nimbin, a world of tie-dyed shops, marijuana smoke wafting through the streets. Colorful, whacky, misfits! I fit right in although my clothes were a bit too conventional. The only thing I have near to tie-dyed is this wonderful knitted cap Sonja, the teacher way back at Jerangle School gave me...and I wore it to fit in:)). But seeing as it was pouring rain and I was soaking wet, all I wanted to find was a place to set up my tent and crawl inside to warm up and dry off. Quick. Google campgrounds. There's one right on the edge of town within walking distance. The others are further away. Head there, I tell myself. I did want to wander around a bit, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving Blaze unattended, and I usually do. So I headed to the campground. $17 a night. Not bad. The camping area is basically a swamp. Oh, this ought to be fun. Before I can set up, a woman in a beat up old van with stuff trashed all around calls out "Hi!" I go over to chat with Karen. Inside is worse than outside, from peering in. Can she really sleep in this trash bin? Is it drivable? Food and junk, like a horder, everywhere! But what a sweet woman. She came up here 9 months ago and moves from one campground to another every week or two, depending on their policy. She's got it all figured out. She likes this place because it's clean with showers and an outdoors, fully-equipped kitchen...if you call a toaster oven, toaster, hot water pot, sink, one gas burner, and a BBQ grill fully-equipped.

During breaks in the rain, I got my tent (Big Sky Revolution 2p, you remember...It's designed for easier setup in the rain because the fly says attached and I have to say, it worked!) set up under a tree in the driest spot I could find. In the three days of rain we've had since I've been here, she never flooded so I guess the spot was good.


After getting set up I crawled inside and other than going out to the john and shower, I was tent bound for 18 hours! It rained and rained and rained, rarely stopping the whole time. And I was mostly dry inside, other than some dampness showing up under my sleeping pad. I expected much worse. I even had all my wet clothes and towel hung up and 2 days later, they were dry! It's a miracle!! The only thing still wet is my silk liner that I slip my air mattress into to make a bed. It's right on the ground on the side towards the hill. Could have been so much worse.

So on the next day, Friday, I said "I've got to go touring, rain or shine." Raincoat, umbrella, sandals, pants rolled up (to stay out of the water), a book (for sitting in a coffee shop), a charger ( because I know my phone will die...it always does)...there, I was set for anything.

Lots of shops. Shops selling hippy stuff. Shops selling marijuana paraphernalia. Coffee shops. Grocery shops. Real estate shops. And more hippy shops. A visitors' center and a community center.











And I was early. They didn't open until 10 am. So coffee it is. Let's try a soy latte. OMG! What have I been missing? I loved it!! And without sugar! I was afraid it was going to taste weird, but it was yummy. Great. Now if would just remember to order decaf:). Gotta go back to "home-style" eating and then some. And dairy is part of the and then some. At least cow products. As best I can. I never drank caffeine at home, for years. But traveling, decaf is often impossible to find. So I gave up asking for it. Bad idea.

When the shops opened I started wandering and chatting, as I do. And I met so many of the town folks. What fun hearing their stories. Came here to study. There's a govt uni in a nearby town that offers hippy type courses. Came here because of my friends and never left 20 yrs later.












There's dinner and a movie tonight at the Bush Theater down by the candle factory, which I had toured earlier in the day. $10 for each. "20 Feet from Stardom" is playing. Great. Sounds like that would be fun! And it was. Outdoor venue for dinner by candlelight with a great band playing. Then the movie was in a refurbished theater with the original beach chairs and long padded benches for seating! Was fun feeling like a local with my new friends! I turned down an offer to drive me back to the campground. It's a nice night...and they laughed. Well, it wasn't raining...then. One of the women was worried about me because she thought this guy was sketchy. Don't worry. I'll be fine. When I got to my tent, I realized I'd left my backpack at the theater. Oh no! Gotta hoof it back there and hope someone is still around. It was about a 10 min walk. Not far. And he was. And I got it. And then the skies opened up. And I got drenched on the way home. But it was so nice to be out and about after sunset. Not something I do. It was a lovely night...even with the rain.

Today I wanted to go to an event at the permaculture center, the largest one in Australia I was told. So I paid to stay another night...it was raining, anyways. And after dropping off a book I'd finished at the book exchange and getting the low down on much of the area north of here from the woman there that grew up in Cairns, I hoofed it down to the permaculture center. About a mile away. Feels good to walk. And I learned about a wicking garden, passive solar design, slate splitting, and foraging. The wicking garden was most useful. Lovely place they have there. Courses, tours, classes. Rustic gardens. Bamboo fencing. Paths going this way and that with lots of different gardens and learning stations. Made me eager to get back and plant a garden:)















Off towards Gold Coast in the morning.




And here's a little of my own camera art sitting in a coffee shop on a rainy day in Nimbin!


Livin' the life!

BagLady

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Smithtown to Coffs Harbour or Two Host Families

Coffs Harbour, NSW, AU

It's 5:30 pm, dark, and I'm fed and in my tent. I'm trying to eat crackers, peanut butter, and honey for a dessert but it's so messy I have to keep them outside the tent door and carefully apply the concoction to the cracker and get it in the tent and in my mouth without dripping it worse, letting in any mozzies. Life is a challenge.

When I got to Eileen's house on Smithown it was after my longest day on the trike and I was whooped. She met me outside with the warmest of hugs, like a long lost friend and I reciprocated. I was glad to be there. Cycling up to her house, I was a bit worried about the conditions I would be staying in. I guess as a camper, I really shouldn't be conconerned...and I'm not...not really. But the town is a bit rough around the edges as rural towns can sometimes be. And most of the homes on her street have seen better days. But Eileen's house is brand spanking new. Built by her son. She moved in just 8 months ago. And beautifully designed and built. A lovely 2 bedroom with an open floor plan and a wrap around veranda (as many Australian houses have, to keep out the blistering sun and provide a delightful place to congregate). And she's even gotten gardens well established and the chook house built. Well settled, I'd say. Her husband died a few years ago, quite suddenly, and she couldn't keep up the farm they had. So she sold the place and spent a year traveling in a campervan until 1 Main St was completed. I felt like we were kindred spirits having many similar views on life which led to many great conversations. And what a wonderful cook, accommodating my vegetarian needs. Yum! Initially I said I'd be staying 2 nights, allowing time for clothes to dry and see the local sights. Arriving on Friday, we spent Saturday going down to South West Rocks and lovely shore town nearby where her son, the builder, lives. Living where she does, she's close to all her kids and grand kids. Two grandsons are living with her now because their house, up the street, is under renovation...and besides, gramma spoils them. What bright and engaging teenage boys, Luke and Toby were, one having to give up his room for me. Thanks, Toby!



Sitting down to dinner...salmon!!


I like the window under the cupboards!! Gotta remember that!


Sunday arrived having rained all night. Rain's always a hard one for me to decide what to do. When it stops I feel I should push on. And it stopped some times during the morning. I also had 2 days ride to Coffs Harbour where I was staying with a lovely Aussie couple I met on a bus in California 5 years ago. And they had a tight window because they were leaving Wednesday morning. I had hoped to get in Monday night to have 2 nights there. This rain was screwing up my plans. No worries. Eileen offered to drive me halfway on Monday morning so I could cycle in and stay on schedule. Thank you! Thank you! For everything!!



You go, Eileen!

Riding into Coffs Harbour was mostly on the Pacific Highway. This is the road that funnels all the traffic up the coast. It's sometimes 2 lanes and sometimes 4 lanes. Sometimes divided. Sometimes not. Sometimes has a wide shoulder for bikes and sometimes it doesn't. And it's always noisy. There's a loud high pitched whirring noise that car and truck tires make on a highway that is ear piercing, especially if you have to hear it for long stretches. Luckily as I got close to town I found a way around. A bit further but easier on the nerves.
And a nice steep climb up to their house:).

Another warm and tender welcome, after so many years, and such a brief meeting. Was so nice to see them again. After I got settled, David whisked me off to see the sites, most importantly, The Big Banana. I had just read about these"big" things in Bill Bryson's book, Down Under (or A Sunburned Country, as it's called in the States). And here was the original one!


Then we caught sunset at the harbor. I never tire of sunsets. Never.



I also got a chance to meet a couple that I'm Facebook friends with the wife who lives up the street. They came down and asked all kinds of great questions about my travels. Always nice to share stories. Nice to meet you in person, Judy and Barry!

And then back to the house for another delicious dinner. These meals sustain me! On the road it's a lot of salads...just salads. Nothing fancy. Anne, those scalloped potatoes made me drool. I haven't had them in years, I don't think. The ones I took away, I ate cold for lunch and they were nearly as good.

Anne had plans to got boot scootin' the next day and asked if I wanted to join her. Do I?? !!!! A 2 hour class at the community center in town. Filled with ladies of all ages including one woman 90 years old. Could she dance! Never quit. That's the answer.



The rest of the day was restful. My kind of day. David had collected maps of the area for me and had great ideas of places to consider seeing. They travelled for 2 years around OZ in a campervan before buying this house. So they were able to give me the low down on many things. Since they were driving to Canberra the following day, they wanted an early start. 7:30am!



Thanks David & Anne for a wonderful time...short but ever so sweet!!! Til we meet again...


And we got a full moon one night! (Fun with my new camera:))


So off I pedaled on my way to Yamba and meeting up with Corina and Gabby, my friends from Sidney. I feel like such a social butterfly! Here I am in a foreign country and I have a full dance card. The world really is quite small.


Livin' the life!

BagLady

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Taree to Smithtown

June 1, 2015
Smithtown, NSW, AU

Bam! Hit a pot hole on a dirt road. My trike has locked up! What's wrong NOW??!?! Won't know until I pull all my panniers and bags off so I can see the back end. Oops! I don't think the cylinder is suppose to be hanging out like that where the rear suspension is. It's falling apart! Fingers crossed that if I can get that cylinder back into place, that's all that's wrong. I'm getting so much more calm when these catastrophes happen. A small "oh shit" and get to the fixing part.


Ok. I can see what needs to happen. I need to align these parts an d put that cylinder through those holes. But hard as I try, I can't figure out how to make them line up. I let one car go by with a thumbs up, but with this second car I might be able to use some "testosterone thinking":)).

Him: Have you loosened those screws?
Me: What screws?

See what I mean? I didn't even notice that screws were there even though I saw the gap in the metal and checked to be sure that it belonged there and wasn't a break. So with Don's help, I was able to get the cylinder back into place...and all is well. Yahoo!!! Thanks Don and Bev for stopping to assist me!



And guess what? Blaze is pulling left just a bit less. We have been just rolling along so much easier with new tires and a good alignment. Still haven't figured out what's causing the leftward pull, but it's not the alignment. It may be the cable routing but every bike shop that I've pleaded with to correct the cables per the manufacturer's instructions refuses to do it saying they aren't causing the pull. I've got some replacement parts coming to Gold Coast and when they get mounted, I WILL HAVE THE CABLE ROUTING CORRECTED!!! I need that eliminated as a cause so that I can discuss with ICE other possible issues.

The ride today has been through luscious gum forests and down dirt roads, my favorite place to ride here. Get me off the main roads and away from those cars!

I scooted into Laurieton, got some groceries for dinner and cycled across the river to find a place for the night. No Camping! Not again. Really? What about if I find a place away from the signs and pretend I didn't see them? Picnic table, johns, lovely waterway...home for the night.



Continuing north, I was headed up through Port Macquarie and beyond for the day. I'd made plans to stay with a Warmshowers host the following night so I needed to get halfway there today. Should be no problem. My mileage has been getting up to 50-60 kms a day since I'm not dealing with the alignment issue. Big difference! Easy rolling. Port Macquarie is a good size town but I didn't need anything so I rolled on through headed to the ferry that crosses the inlet. But I missed a turn and didn't notice it until I wondered why the sun was on my right and not in front of me. Oh no! 8 kms out of my way! Should pay more attention. C'est la vie!! Go back. I hate going back! Shut up, buckle up, and get on with it. O..K.....

I love these small ferries that carry 6-10 cars. This one was free to bikes and walk ons. How nice is that?

Went left towards the coast and stopped for a quick lunch before heading up another dirt road. This guy comes to chat about my trike and when I asked about the road, he said, "It's bad." How bad? "It's corrugated." Oh, that's bad in a car, but I can handle that. I'll give it a go.

And yes, it's corrugated, and potted, but easy on the bike...at first. But then...oh, no!...what's with this sand? But Tim messages me that he'd gone up a dirt road this morning and never said anything about sand. It must be just a short distance. And large puddles. What fun. Soggy bike shoes. But the sand is a major issue. I can't steer Blaze from the back and can't push her from the front. And it's very deep.








This is no fun! I'm in quite a pickle! It's 5 kms to the campground I was thinking of using and I'll never get there through this mess. Arghh! And now it's getting late and the sun will be setting soon. Time to find a place to camp. But the roadside is bush with no good camp spots. Keep on pushing. Something will show up...and it did:)




But I still had to face my predicament in the morning: continue forward (unknown how long this road is like this) or go back (and anyone who knows me knows how much I hate to how back!)... Hmmm... I pondered this question all night, but in the morning the answer was simple: go back...get on the other dirt road and pedal your little ass off to get to Smithtown and Eileen's house before dark. But first, get this bike out of this mess. It's funny how once you know what yore facing, and out your mind to it, the situation isn't as bad as you (I) imagined. Yes, it was 1.5 kms of deep sand. But I found that if I stacked the panniers on the seat, I could manage (with much difficulty and consternation) to push Blaze through the sand keeping to one trip instead of two. Whew! Was I glad when we broke free!

8 kms back to where I had lunch yesterday and on to the Maria River Rd, the one Tim had actually taken. So nice. Packed dirt. Few cars. A pedaler's delight. About halfway, I met some roadside workmen who gave me suggestions on another way to go to Smithtown than what Google was telling me. A bit longer. On paved roads. Is the road I want to take a good dirt road? No loose sand? Ok, then I'm going to continue my way. And I did. And it was sweet!

Pulled into Eileen's about 4 pm, 70 kms done!!! Longest day this entire tour!









Yup, I saw camels one day!



Another cycle tourist!!

Livin' the life!

BagLady