"G'day mate," said Adversity, searing my body with 110 degree heat and stripping me of every drop of hydration in my body.
This journey might be a bit more difficult to pull off than I originally thought.
One thing after another has obstructed me. The back of my helmet smacks up against the rack of my backpack - which, conveniently, is non-adjustable - and there's no way at all to get around it. I can't lean my head back... when going up hills I have to lean my entire body back, or cock my head to the side and look out the corner of my eye. Then my bike decided to have technical difficulties... downshifting below second gear would cause the chain to pop off the rear wheel and jam inbetween the gears and the shifting mechanism, a problem which I've still not solved.
Then came the hills. Gigantic, rolling monsters... half-mile inclines snaking through the mountain ranges as the terrain exploded from sea level to 500 feet above it in five miles. Absolutely grueling... yesterday, my second day on the road, I was trying to time the ride so I'd reach Wollongong by noon to avoid the heat. Ten kilometers out I completely ran out of energy... I could barely even push my bike up the hills by that point. I'd sucked all four canteens of water bone dry... dehydration was kicking in and I had the sunburn to beat all sunburns.
I swallowed my pride, stuck out my thumb, and caught a ride into town... if I'd been able to make it another hundred yards, the rest of the way was one long downhill slope to the Pacific coast. I checked into a local hostel, booking two nights at $20 a night... Sunday (today) was forecasted to reach a blistering 113 degrees. No way I'm riding in that.
So the end result is, I'm absolutely baking, and sore, and tired... but having the time of my life. I may have to plan the trip a bit differently due to the heat... it'll probably take me significantly longer to reach Melbourne than I'd originally though. I'll play it by ear. I picked the hottest summer in 70 years to come make this trip... you may refer to me as 'Master of Timing.' Thank you very much.
Pictures coming... as soon as I figure out how to get 'em loaded onto a regular PC. My PDA isn't being very helpful. Cheers mates
Good luck Phil! Hope you get the bike figured out soon.
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