Cobargo to Bega Australia

I left the Cobargo Hotel early hoping to get a good distance in today. My plans did not work out. I stopped early yesterday not only because I liked Cobargo as a small village but because I wasn’t feeling 100%. Today I melted down even more. I started to cramp up in my stomach and also in my legs. I do not think climbing up all the hills was the problem, I think it was the plate of jumbo shrimp I ate in Narooma that got me. So I only ended up going 30 miles or 50K today.

I stopped in Bega known for its large and popular cheese company. I stopped at the cheese company for a taste and they do have lots of good cheese. Information was also located at the cheese company so I checked out with them if there were any backpacker places in town and there was one just up the road. So that is where I am today. I will stay here until I feel better. Not more than two nights I hope cause there isn’t much around here except the cheese factory.

The ride today had some big long grades going over the Warrigal Range but they were fairly easy spins to the top. At one point about 15K before Bega there was road construction and no shoulder for about 5K. That was a bit worrisome for my safety but all the cars and trucks played well. I did jump off the road a couple of times to let lines of cars and trucks go by. The scenery along that stretch was nice but I did not get a single pic because I was concentrating on my safety. I did take some pics of some farms today. I just love the classic wrap around porch on the farm houses. Some day I want to build one to live in, including the sheetmetal curved roof. More later...

Narooma to Cobargo Australia

I was a bit chilly in my tent last night as it went down to -4C. I need to rethink my warmth methods. My sleeping bag is not rated that low so my feet got chilly just before sunrise. I guess I need to buy some warm socks.

I left the campground early with all my clothes washed. My tent was still wet as I packed it up but it will dry quickly later in the sun. I ate breakfast at the bakery in Narooma and enjoyed chatting with the woman that served me. She was very interested in my bike ride and pumped me with all the usual questions. Her coffee was good too.

The ride today was a bit harder than yesterday was. The hills were higher and some a bit steeper. The longest one was about a half hour spin to the top. At the top there was a car waiting to talk to me. A young couple that stopped to watch me climb the grade were stunned that I rode all the way up the hill without stopping and that I was not breathing heavy or looking tired at the top. They too gave me the usual list of questions which I happily answered. After all it was a good rest for me while we talked. They finally drove off when I told them I had to start riding again or my muscles might lock up on me in the cold temps.

I came upon a small town that I liked called Cobargo and tried to find a place to camp but there was none in town so I checked into the hotel for $60 for the night. I had intended to ride to Bega another 25 miles down the road but after eating lunch, I liked this little burg so I stopped. It wasn’t because I was dog tired from all the hills today, well maybe that had something to do with my liking the town and stopping. I also want to point out that there were about a dozen dead roos along the side of the road today all of them very stinky.

Ulladulla to Narooma Australia

I enjoyed my respite in Ulladulla while I waited for the rain to let up. The hostel owners were very nice people and ran a good clean place. I had it to myself for two out of the four nights I was there.

I finally left on a bright sunny early morning from the hostel. No rain in the forecast for 4 or 5 days but cold temps just below freezing are forecast.

The ride was rolling hills all day long. I rode about 65 miles to get to Narooma so about half of that was spinning uphill after hill after hill. There was no flat road all day. The hills are all between 4 and 6 percent grades so it was a workout. Reminded me of West Texas a little bit only it wasn’t 110 degrees it was 32 degrees.

I took a scenic drive turnoff not knowing what to expect. So far in Australia every scenic drive I have taken has been more or less a scam to get cars to drive through and hopefully stop at some of the smaller towns to give them some business with nothing scenic about the detour. But I am glad I took this one. It led me to a short bike trail that ran right along a beautiful coastline for 7 kilometers. I enjoyed the trail and the scenic views.

The trail led me right to a campground in Narooma where I pitched my tent for the night. Sure enjoyed the shower there.

Huskisson Bay to Ulladulla

I enjoyed my night in the hotel. My neighbors were a couple of women from Toronto and I enjoyed their company. I never left the hotel since it was raining. In the morning it was clear so I took off at sunrise. I wanted to ride to Batemans Bay today. The road was all hills with a mix of small ones or long ones with easy grades to big ones with steep grades. It was a harder ride than I expected. I had no problems on the ride. There was a bike trail along the road for the first few miles then plenty of room on the shoulder for my bike except for a few short stretches where the road was narrow with no shoulder at all. The cars and trucks all played well and there were no problems even on the narrow stretches.

I was sweating profusely after only a few minutes riding today. The hills kept me sweating all day. I kept stripping off clothes until all I had on was a thin long sleeved T-shirt and I was still drenched in sweat. When I stopped for lunch the woman at the cafe asked me if I got caught in rain or fell in some water. I laughed at that cause that is what I felt like doing at that moment to cool down. My lunch was a veggie wrap with a fresh juice of apple, orange and mixed berries. Good lunch and healthy.

I did see a few mobs of kangaroos today but they were too far away for good pics. I also spotted a snake in the bush along the road but before I could get my camera out it disappeared into the bush. With 8 out of 10 of the most dangerous snakes in the world including the taipan which is number 1, I am not going to go rooting around looking for the snakes here.

When I arrived at Ulladulla I decided to stop for the day. It is another 30 miles to Batemans Bay and I expect to get stuck there for a number of days while I wait out some bad weather in the forecast. It is forecast to be clear in the morning tomorrow then rain for several days with thundershowers and cold temps which could cause hail storms. Not my favorite riding weather...Not much for pics today

Wollongong to Huskisson Beach Australia

Today I left the hostel early hoping to beat the rain that was in the forecast. The ride was going quickly with not much to see. The main road runs about 10 kilometers or 6 miles inland and to get to the coastal towns you have to ride in and then back out again. I wanted to make it to Ulladulla or maybe even Batemans Bay which would have been a long day. The clouds started to build so I turned off the main road and headed to the coast to find a campground. I stopped at Huskisson Beach and looked around for a place to stay. Nothing cheap in town. I went down the road a little bit and it started to rain harder and harder on me. I am tired of riding in rain so I stopped and checked into one of the places along the beach that I was told was the least expensive one in the area. It cost me $100 Australian or $80 American. I can't afford to be spending that much on a daily basis. I like the backpacker places not just because they are cheap but because they are more fun and social also.

I piled up the miles today and it feels good to ride hard again after so many interruptions to my raiding lately. I am not complaining about the interruptions because I did all of them of my own free will. I just missed my riding is all I am saying. Hello, my name is paparoach and I am addicted to riding.

Not many things along the main road to take pics of and right now it is raining so I am just sitting in my room catching up with the net instead of being out enjoying this nice little slice of Australia. A few birds did stop in to say hello while I was eating dinner. I hope the rain lets up so I can get further down the coast to a cheaper area to stay in. Otherwise, pretty soon I will be selling my body to stay alive until I fly back to the US. Such is the life of a wandering biker.

Sydney to Wollongong Australia

I left the hotel fairly early this morning and headed through Sydney toward Wollongong. Getting out of the busy commuter traffic between downtown and the airport was intense riding as I had to be extra careful with such heavy traffic. I found my way despite many of the key intersections where I needed to turn did not have street signs with names on them. Named intersections are very hit and miss here. I don't know if the signs get stolen or they never put them up but either way it is irritating.

Once I past the airport I rode a bike trail for a while before jumping back on the main road. I took a longer road through a park expecting to find ocean vistas but all it did was make my ride longer and did not have a single decent view for all my extra effort. I ended up back on the main road anyway. I did get a good view at Bld Mountain Lookout. There were a lot of hang gliders sitting around with all their gear moaning that there was not enough wind to fly. Maybe no wind to fly but good view looking south toward Wollongong. After a couple pics and a quick chat with some motorcycle bikers that stopped me to talk, I hit the road again. The views the rest of the way into Wollongong were great. There was even a smooth flat bike trail that ran right along the beach all the way into Wollongong. I enjoyed that ride even though I had to dodge a lot of dog walkers and stuff.

Once in town I checked into a backpackers hostel because rain is predicted. There is five days of rain in the forecast. So much for me riding. I did enjoy all the birds including budgies, lorikeets, parrots and tons of very loud cockatoos which were everywhere and screamed loudly at me as I rode past them all day. Here are some pics