Schafer Campsite
I told ya I was going to try and find this magnificent campsite again...and since the forecast was for temps in the 30s for the next few days (read 85-95*F), I decided to lay low and what better place to do it than here with a pond to swim in and lots of water? That's what I thought! But I didn't know how hard it was going to be to find it:/. It's roughly shown on the photo of a map I have and I remembered seeing a metal auto barricade and a back road of some sort as we left the shelter because I thought how close you could get to it by car if you wanted to stay here a few days. But I didn't know how to find that minor road and gate. So I found the gravel road off the main road and the gravel road off that the the Bibb parallel and crossed once. But I had no idea where the hut was or the even smaller dirt road leading up to it. So I wandered down roads that made no sense. And found another pond thinking that was this one. It's crazy in the woods with no waugals and no trail to follow. I finally decided to actually cycle the Bibb when it again turned off that more significant gravel road. And I decided if I didn't find the hut, I would just camp somewhere and find it in the morning. I left town at 4:15 with what I thought was an easy 7 km ride. Two hours later I was still hunting around when I turned a corner on the Bibb track and there was the metal gates remembered. I got Blaze under it and kept going down the track. Sure seemed short the morning we hiked out. Maybe that's not the same gate. The track was going downhill and since I didn't want to go down if I didn't have to, I got off and walked down...quite a ways! And there was the dunny! I found it! So back I went and got Blaze. Sure going to be not so easy getting out of here in a couple of days...but that's then and this is now. I'm here. And I'm happy! Spacey sure is bulky set up in the shelter. The mozzies were biting so I set here up to avoid fighting them all night. But it's hotter in the tent:(. Goodnight!
Next day.
Boy, was this day long! It started at 5 am when I got up to wee and was stunned with an amazing sunrise over the water! Sure did wonder if Waugal was walking around somewhere as he always was up about that time. But that didn't keep me from going back to bed:). At least until 6 am. This is crazy. My day off and I'm up enjoying the view at 6 am!! So un-BagLady-like! This girl likes to sleep in. But there I was. So made a cup of tea and went down to enjoy the water.
I had a couple of things on my To Do List today. Laundry. Check out the path to get out with Blaze if I go northward. Swim. Repair my umbrella. Read. Paint. Yup that's about it. They sure didn't take long. So I read a lot. Got a good book Comet gave me. Just had to suffer through the first 100 pages and now it's good. Cloud Atlas.
When I have slow days like today, I get to second guessing where to go, why I'm doing what I'm doing, I'm bored. I'm filling time. Is that really what life is all about? I've seen so much beauty in this world. When people tell me to go see this beautiful beach or cliffs...I'm like, ho-hum. Been there. Done that. I've seen amazing sunrises and sunsets. I still love them but... I thought it would be so great to have two days to spend in this sweet spot, but now that I'm here, I'm bored. Crazy, huh? Maybe I should go read more of Waldon Pond tonight.
Saturday
I was sure enjoying the peace and quiet if having that campsite all to myself. But good things all have to come to an end. I'd had a morning swim. Touched up some aspects of my painting and was attempting to figure out if I should start to knit the toe on my sock (I've been knitting this sick for 9 months:)), when up strode sweaty Brandon at about 10:30 am. Yup. He'd come from the next campsite. Wasn't staying...going on to Northcliffe. Yes, there's a mob coming to Schafer today:( Quickly I got Spacey moved to a tent site and my gear collected. I was rather spread out having had the whole place to myself. Now I had to learn to share. Before Brandon hiked on, Kurt came in. He was staying. After him a group of 4 women my age arrived. I'd met one of them at the Visitors Center in Northcliffe when they dropped a car. Then later 7-8 early twenties kids arrived. That made 12 in the shelter. Kurt put up a tent. I'd never seen it so packed! Everyone enjoyed a swim, that's for sure. And no one was upset I was biking and yet stopped here. Fun afternoon and evening just sharing stories.
And then today, Sunday, I pedaled my way out of the shelter and took gravel roads for 25 kms to Pemberton, another trail town. I struggled on those pearly gravel again pushing Blaze uphill and unable to get traction myself. Thank goodness all the long, steep hills went down:). Some of them I have no clue how I would have climbed them...really.
In Pemby, I stopped first at a cafe to get a smoothie and the woman recognized me from coming through there a month ago. "Still sleeping outside?" She smiled. That's a reference to my telling her I slept on the deck at the YHA cottage where we were staying. How crazy is that? So we had a bit of a catch up.
Met some fellow local cyclists that brought me a floor pump to finally top off my tires. My hand pump and arthritic hands just can't get more than 40 psi and they take 70. Been a bit soft. They also noticed my homemade camera case fell off as I pedaled away and brought it to me. I'd have lost my $500 camera without their help. The heat melted the duct tape and caused it to come apart. Think I need a backup system. Hmm.
After eating, and groceries, and watering up, and getting route info I pedaled on in the cooler afternoon. Originally I was headed to the southwest corner, Augusta, but have since decided to take a more direct route to Perth.
I'm struggling with direction: where to go, what do I want. I think I want to come home. But that sounds really hard. Where to go? What to do when I get there? I'm not sorry i sold my house. I've been getting updates on the high rise condos being built behind it. I sold in the nick of time!!
Its winter in the states. That's a challenge for my lifestyle. I think I need a big rest. Or better to be immersed in something totally different. Hope I can figure all this out.
For now, I'll sleep on the side of the road and pedal all day long. Good plan, BagLady!!
Livin' the dream,
BagLady
Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman
