16-1-2010 Difficulty- Shanna 8, Sam 9 Weather- Sunny with some cloud 31c Distance- 48 km Well, we've experienced our first two days of real cycle touring!! And made it to Newcastle. On Friday we arrived at Pete (Sam's brother) and Rochelle's late in the afternoon. We spent the evening going through our stuff to eliminate any unnecessary weight and we packed and repacked the panniers. In the morning we loaded our stuff into the car and got driven to the ferry wharf at Palm Beach where the tour would begin for real. We were running late and got to the ferry less than a minute before it was leaving. Pete and Chelle helped us run all our stuff onto the ferry just as the boat was leaving the harbour. The next ferry wouldn't have left for almost two hours so it was a close shave and the adrenalin was still pumping by the time we finally sat down (kind of, Sam had to stand at the back of the ferry with the bikes). The ferry arrived in Ettalong on the Central Coast and when we finally got all of our gear off- in front of a massive audience waiting for us to remove our things so that they could get on- we packed our bikes and tried to ride... It was the first time we felt the weight of the loaded tour bikes and wondered how we could even make the bikes move, let alone push them up mountains!! After wobbly starts (getting used to the balance) we set off up the coast towards Newcastle. The day was spent tackling the hills around Kincumber, Avoca and Terrigal and while it was tough going, it was easier to keep the bikes moving than we'd feared. It also took some getting used to with the gears and Shanna's chain came off about 5 times on the first day. It was hot and we hadn't slept much for days so Sam took advantage of a beckoning slab of concrete under a tree right next to a busy road to catch up on some much needed sleep. On the first day we made it from the very south of the Central Coast to the northern point at Nora Head. At Nora Head we found a nice beach and picnic area to have a swim and cook our dinner. The swim was short-lived though when Sam looked down to see a sting ray right where he was about to plant his foot. After eating we decided to set up camp so we found a nice overhanging tree where we could set up without being seen. Unfortunately it was close to the road though and all night we could hear the bogan drivers and drunkards of the area (of which there are apparently many). 17-1-2010 Difficulty- Shanna 9, Sam 8 Weather- Hot and Sunny 35c Distance 55 km In the morning we loaded up to head to Newcastle. On the way Sam made friends with a magpie that was eying off his bike. Despite our initial fears, that it wanted to open his pannier and eat our food (if you've been to Wilsons Prom you'll know what we mean!) he soon realised that it had actually spotted a huge huntsman (spider) on his bike. Sam and the bird made eye contact and had a silent understanding that the bird could approach and eat the spider while Sam was still holding the bike. The magpie circled the bike and followed the spider, eventually jumping up on the handlebars and grabbing it. It then jumped off the bike and promptly munched it's snack. It was a tough day of riding. Very hot and some big hills on the Pacific Highway between Lake Munmorah and Swansea. Shanna lost a pannier at some traffic lights but everyone politely waited for her to collect it from the middle of the busy intersection, rather than honking or running her down. All in all - the facilities for cyclists on the Central Coast and Newcastle have been great - lots of wide shoulders and marked bike lanes. The drivers have also been very considerate - much better than Melbourne. We arrived in Newcastle at Stewart and Michelle's (Shan's sister) mid-afternoon, about five minutes before a torrential down pour. We've since caught up with Shan's school friends, family and enjoyed sleeping in a bed for the first time in about a week. We'll spend a couple of days catching up with people here before setting off for Brisbane.
4 Comments
Emma Milne
1/17/2010 12:11:16 pm
Had I known you were going to be riding straight past my house (in Kincumber) we would've come out to cheer you on!! :) Emma and Daniel were even here, it was Sophie's 2nd Birthday party!!
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1/17/2010 03:14:16 pm
ha ha ha i'm just imagining Sam and the magpie having a silent conversation except in my head, there's a bit of ninja/asian type music playing as a soundtrack :)
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Emma (again)
1/17/2010 07:06:57 pm
Just looked at the pic's! Did you know that Sam fell asleep not far from our house!! You guys could've come in and crashed on a bed!! hehe!! Bit more comfy than slab of concrete!! :) Anyway... Maybe when your passing through next time, on your way home!! :)
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Dad Clough
1/19/2010 08:54:16 am
It was great to see you guys. If you need anything...just call. Hope to see you in Brisy in a few weeks.
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AuthorSam and Shanna Evans are from Melbourne, Australia Archives
September 2012
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