Ride for Water II Journal

Day 11 – Salt Creek to Miningie 62 K / 38 Miles

Tonight we’re at the Backpacker’s Hotel above the Miningie Pub. It was another short mileage day, into a brutal headwind, complemented by a large dose of cold rain. It is definitely winter in Australia. Our progress is getting a bit depressing. We are all really starting...

Day 10 – Kingston S.E. to Salt Creek 87 K / 54 Miles

As I ride in the morning I am typically thinking of things to share in the journal. Mornings are good. My mind and legs are fresh. By the end of the day neither is true. Today seemed especially difficult for no other reason than the...

Day 9 – Beachport to Kingston S.E. 94 K / 58 Miles

The votes are in… the sausages win. At least according to ABC Australia News. Today was Election Day in Australia. According to reports, sausage festivals are a traditional part of the Election Day festivities, and used as fundraisers for a variety of causes. Like in...

Day 8 -Mt. Gambier to Beachport 87 Km / 54 Miles

As we rolled into Beachport there was a little car park and beach access on the left. Beachport is on a small peninsula that juts 3 K into the Southern Ocean. From the beach access I could view to the right the small village with...

Day 7 – Rest Day – Mt Gambier

There was a fine mist falling last evening as we walked from the Nelson Pub restaurant to our room. I awoke briefly sometime this morning to what sounded like torrential rain hitting the roof and walls outside. I turned over and went back to sleep....

Day 6 – Wednesday June 29, Narrawong to Nelson – 82 Km/ 50 Miles

What did we just do? It seems we were all feeling a bit harried from the ride today. I hope it does not come across as complaining. I realize that any ride of such ambitious proportions, will have bad days, they are to be expected. In...

Day 5 – Tuesday June 28, Warnambool to Narrawong – 98 Km – 60 – Miles

It took only a few turns of the peddles before I realized that the last two days of tortuous climbing and a long hard push into the wind had taken its toll on my right knee. I hadn’t anticipated that Joe was in equal pain....

Day 4 – Monday June 27, Lavers Hill to Warnambool – 119 Km / 74 – Miles

I usually check e-mail first thing in the morning. After yesterday, we were all feeling a bit low. My spirits were lifted however with e-mails confirming donations to Ride for Water. Definitely an inspiring way to start the day! We used every bit of daylight...

Day 3 – Sunday, June 26, Apollo Bay to Lavers Hill 50 KM – 31 Miles

This ride seems to be kicking our tails. Our daily mileages are nowhere near what we had expected. The Great Ocean Road has been an unexpected challenge. We had hoped to make it as far as Port Campbell today; we are significantly short of that...

Day 2 – Saturday, June 25, Lorne to Apollo Bay 47.2 KM – 29.32 Miles

There are a variety of smells in the air as I write this, and the sound of dishes and kitchen-ware intermingle with a variety of languages, Chinese, German, English and of course Kiwi. It’s dinnertime and everyone is gathered in the kitchen and dining area...