Day 12 – Miningie to Murray’s Bridge 82 K / 51 Miles

 

Peter is from Perth on Australia’s West coast. He is headed to Melbourne his home-town. In the past several weeks he has crossed the Nullarbor Plain of the southwest and made a right turn at Port Augusta and has been travelling through the Adelaide area for the last week. We met Peter on the road about 20 K north of Miningie. He was the first touring cyclist we have met and we were the first for him. One cannot pass the other without stopping. It is a very small fraternity and not doing so would be out of the question. At our impromptu meeting we exchanged information on the roads and routes from our perspectives. Peter provided us with a wealth of information regarding navigating Adelaide and moving on toward Port Augusta.

The first thirty plus miles went quickly today. We didn’t realize the promised tailwinds yet, but the calm and flat road was greatly noticed. We took our first break near the town of Wellington, then decided on one of two routes toward Murray Bridge. It was during this break that we noticed dark clouds approaching from the southwest. We made it another 10 miles before we were again subject to a punishing cold rain. We made it into Murray Bridge relatively early. It had been a goal for the day and we had arrived relatively early. Still, while try to check out lodging possibilities we were in and out of rain showers several times.

One decision that we agreed to was that tomorrow would be a rest day. We found regional bus service into Adelaide and a reasonably priced hotel that would be comfortable for two nights. While my knee pain was minimal today, Joe’s is flaring and David has quietly endured his own over the last several days. Rest is our friend and priority for the evening and tomorrow.