I was feeling a bit couped up at home as the first decent rains of winter have been upon us and the winter is closing in. However, with a fine day forecast, I decided to go for a ride. This was not to be anything of IBA proportions, but simply an opportunity to make the best of the last decent day that we may see for a while.
My plan was to ride from home to Balranald in NSW and back again. There's a good bakery at Balranald, so that was all the excuse I needed. My ride would take me through the Mallee and through three states. I left home at 0600hrs, and rode east into the dawn glow with a sliver of moon above the horizon. There were several photo opportunities along the way including the Big Mallee Stump at Ouyen which I had never seen before, despite passing through Ouyen many times. The bridge at Toolebuc is always a highlight of this ride. I arrived at Balranald right on lunch time, and sampled the coffee and food and had the following conversation with a bloke walking down the street.
“Nice bike”
“Thanks”
“Where have you come from?”
“Adelaide”
Where are you heading?”
“Back to Adelaide”
“What brought you to Balranald???”
“The pies and coffee are great, and it's a nice day for a ride”
He walked off chatting with his mate and shaking his head. Clearly he didn't get it, but I know that everyone on this forum would understand.
For the return trip, traffic was light and the afternoon was a glorious 25 degrees with a clear sky. As I crossed the border back into SA, it was obvious that the Western Sydney Wanderers fans had been through a few days before, as the “Welcome to SA” sign was plastered with their bits and bobs. Tailem Bend was my last rest stop where I had a cuppa and a snack before riding the last leg home, arriving in time for tea. A great day out .
Here's link to my ride route.
https://goo.gl/maps/hQPcnJio8JJ2Note that I've also published this ride on the FarRiders Forum.
