Day 1 (Sept 10) - Tullamarine to Geelong - 95k

Well......it was 'the best of times, it was the worst of times'. With apologies to Dickens, it is the only way to sum up today. The day started well. I would like to acknowledge my wonderful neighbor Mike Bell who didn't 'Bat' an eye when I asked him a few weeks ago if he would take me to the airport with all my gear - he has the car for it. He was out the front this morning before dawn (it was a 5:30am start) with lights on and engine running waiting for me. The fun started at the airport. My son Doug booked my seat and assured me the night before that the plane was only half full. What Doug didn't know was that Virgin cancelled it's morning flights and I was greeted with an airport literally crawling with people. After wrestling with my bike, external wheel, plus 4 panniers to the counter, I was then informed the flight was full and I didn't have a seat until at least 10am. I felt desperate. It was no good begging, or pleading my case about the 125k I had to cover that day.

Anyway, I suspect the Lord does this - I managed the last seat on the plane in Business, and enjoyed the cooked breakfast on the flight. sadly though, Qantas charged me for the 4 panniers (exorbitantly!). However, the breakfast was nice....also the fresh milk.

It was a joy to see my little yellow babies come out first on the baggage carousel, then my packed wheel. The bike came too, dripping with water. I suspect I didn't empty my drink bottle!

It is always a joy when the bike assembles perfectly, and I was ready to roll at just after 9am. I was starting to feel a lot better. The weather however looked foul. It got foul too.
I wobbled away with all the taxis. Getting the balance is not easy. The bike with gear was weighing about 50kg, including the tent on the back and my backpack, also sitting on the back. Imagine a pack mule. It takes a while to get the balance right, although the bike rolled along very nicely.

It was windy, and....it was threatening to rain. I was on the minor roads leading away from Tullamarine, and all was going well. However barely 5k down the track my rear tyre was flat. I couldn't believe it. Murphy's law - it's always the rear tyre because it requires unpacking the entire bike. Off again, and now found my self up on the Melbourne Freeway. It was the way to Geelong, but it clearly didn't cater for bikes. Cars were objecting to my presence, but I now had no choice - I was locked in on the Freeway. When I passed the stationary Police car who was doing speed checking, I tried to make myself look as if a bike on the Freeway is normal. I didn't see him for 5 mins or son, but sure enough here is not one but two Police cars with lights flashing - I tried to make my "is there a problem officer" sound very innocent. What a nice Policeman. He gave me instructions to get off the freeway, but was clearly troubled about letting me ride to the next exit. I asked for Police escort - and he was wonderfully obliging. Try to see the humour here - I am occupying a whole lane now of the Freeway - cars racing by at 100 kph - I have a police escort covering me with lights flashing. I savoured the moment.

The next exit took me to ballarat, and then I was lost. Then it rained, and then the 2nd flat tyre, the new one I had just replaced. It was very distressing. Time was passing all too. Quickly.

I managed to cut across country - the irony being I had to ask a Pakistani couple for directions in my own country! Third flat, and I was very distressed. The k's were climbing nicely now, but I was into a strong wind from the south, and the Highway to Geeling that I had finally reached was straight, flat and hard work. There was clearly something wrong with the tyre - it was depressing slowly and I must have stopped to pump it ( sick of changing it) several times. Then it bucketed down. I was black with road muck and starting to think there was no way of making Anglesea like this. I needed a new rear tyre - I just couldn't keep going through spare tubes like this. The weather was now a misery, the speed down to 12 kph at times, and at that rate Anglesea was impossible especially with the ever deflating tyre.

I looped back to a bike shop I passed, only to find it was already out of business. It was hard to see, and I was struggling now with the load on the bike and probably the concern about whether the bike would make Geelong. I decided to take the Geelong exit rather than the Great Ocean Road, thus sealing my fate for the night. I limped into Geeling to find the bike store, only to find it had shut 30 mins earlier!

The tyre was now flat, and I was walking the bike. I visited every pub in town to find them all full, until eventually I found this quaint little Motel, and Linda, who apart from booking in guests and sponsoring a wedding at the Motel, had time to help me hose my very filthy bike and blackened panniers as if she had nothing else to do.

So it was a day of 'the best of times and the worst of times'. I have felt very physically challenged today. I'm disappointed that I am slightly behind my schedule also, although I can still make it up.

The weather tomorrow is more of the same. However I'm safe, happy and if I can sort out the bike tonight am eagerly willing to be back on the road tomorrow.

Sorry for the long blog. I had one beautiful moment today - just before the heavens opened, I saw the first of many beautiful canola crops in the field beside the road. It deserved a photo.

Until next time. KRA