Day 3 (Sept 12) - Apollo Bay to Laver's Hill - 50k

The morning dawned over Apollo Bay. The bed was superb and the body wanted to stay in bed. The day was overcast, but.....no wind! The bike was ready and we rolled out of Apollo Bay about 8:15am. The tone for the day was immediately set, with a long, straight steep climb away from this beautiful Ocean Road hamlet by the sea. Looking at the GPS profile later, the climb from sea level peaked about 400mtrs before plummeting back to sea level again through a most beautiful Scottish valley .

Anyway, despite the long climbs away from the sea, the scenery was outstanding. It was wet, but the real rain was still yet to come. From Apollo Bay the road goes through another hamlet of Marengo, and then climbs again but into the Great Otway National Park, cutting away from the coast above the point where the Cape Otway Lighthouse is located. The rainforest bwas beautiful, just dripping with the wet with constant ups and downs but mostly ups. Like all long climbs, the descent eventually came with a long, treacherous descent into the beautiful Glenaire Valley. This is dairy country, but sheep and Llamas are also plentiful, many new lambs also evident. The run through the Valley was glorious, but I knew it wouldn't last. I crossed the River Aire and eventually came to the little village of Glenaire at the very end of the valley, the climb lurking ominously beyond the innocent little village.

 The beauty of the valley was only contrasted with the beginnings of the massive climb out past Castle Cove lookout. The photo above was taken looking back from where I stopped to enjoy the view, the 'castle' I now learn from the pub historians is an apostle rock formation tucked away behind the lookout along the shoreline. From there the climb seemed unrelenting. According to the GPS later, I climbed to almost 500 metres from sea level in this last 20k. The rain started again, the only consolation was the continuous pristine rainforest and occasional breakout views to the ocean dimmed by the weather.

Climbing with such huge weight on the bike is no fun. On these climbs the bike is down to 5-6kph and you just patiently churn it out. Sometimes though the frustration climbing is such that you feel like yelling at the hills, especially when they never seem to stop. I watch the computer. Sometimes the k's pass ever so slowly, but gradually the goal gets closer. I was hanging out for Lavers Hill, the very top of the pinnacle of this pasrt of the country. The rain was incessant. I was frozen, especially the feet and I longed for a shower. The last lift into Lavers Hill seemed like a last attempt to punish and break the spirit of cyclists, but not this cyclist. I was tired, but never broken. It was tempting to get off and walk, but as the old song goes "Yield not to temptation".

 Yes finally it was the loveliest of sights. This sign looks back over to Apollo Bay, but lost in the mist. I went to the General Store (above), walked in and was greeted by the warmest of smiles by Sue who said "You want coffee dont you"? She couldn't have been nicer, especially with the news that the Roadhouse where I was booked was only several hundred metres down the road. Sue took extra care, setting me up with coffee, the local paper and conversation as if we had known each other for years. Meeting wonderful people is one of the joys of cycle touring. It was hard to get back into the rain for the final few hundred metres.

 The Lavers Hill Roadhouse is a run-down but warm Aussie pub perched on top of the Hill. Paul runs it, and has 'rooms' for $20. Actually they are not bad. In my room is a double bed and a single, a heater and a TV that doesn't work. Paul wasn't in, and the room had not been made since the last guests. I was so cold, shivering and wet that I didn't care. I said to the young Luke who was the only staff at the pub, just give the sheets etc to me and I'll make the bed. He was obliging and hardly embarrassed. Despite giving me single sheets, I didnt complain and made them fir the bed the best I could. It was home, it was warm with the heater, the shower out back worked a charm....and Luke made me the world's biggest and best chicken burger that I have ever eaten!

Today was only 50k. It took 4 hrs of slow climbing at 12.5kph av. I am back in rythm with my timetable, but a day behind. When I plan these trips, I trust the Lord for the detail. The Scripture says to thank the Lord in every circumstance, and I have learned to do this despite apparent disappointments. If I hadn't have been held up on day 1, I would have been battling the Lavers Hill climb at the end of a long ride from Anglesea, and it would have been a different story. For today, this ride was perfect. Tomorrow they tell me "its all down hill to Port Campbell and the 12 Apostles (but thats a car driver!). I am aiming for Warnambool, some 115k away.

In seeing such spectacular sights as today, I couldn't help reflecting "This is my Father's World..."

KRA