After yesterday’s surprise epic ride, I woke early and prepped for another big day. I had a small win when I came to tune my bike gears (they were slipping yesterday) and had a moment of pride – I had no idea how to do this a year ago!?
The morning was cold and I rode out in jumpers and a jacket. I’d promised myself to get to Mason Falls, which was completely in the wrong direction. However the waterfall was delightful and included the small bonus of riding the Heritage Trail back to Kingslake. I learnt that this trail transported timber from town to town in a previous life. Children of the local school had created ceramic tiles to adorn the information boards which was all rather heartwarming.?
Three things that went down today:
- Microwaves. In the afternoon, I wizzed past several sweeping driveways and vineyards, each with beautiful backdrops of forest and rolling hills. To my surprise, I noticed that there was quite an array of post boxes at the end of these lovely driveways. Among the traditional boxes, I spotted microwaves mounted on posts. Before I could think it was a joke or that my eyes had deceived me, I rode past several more microwave postboxes, each with their residential address scrawled on the front. This made me chuckle and I entertained the thought that perhaps it was quite a good idea. A large space for mail and parcels, kept out of the rain. However, the rusty junk look of these old broken appliances didn’t quite tie in with the beautiful houses.
- Is downhill better? I’d prepared myself for another surprise assent day, however it never came. After the morning of cycling uphill to the waterfalls, I was treated to an afternoon of full downhill. I almost couldn’t believe it. A nice wide road with a good surface, beautiful views and fast freewheeling. It was the dream. Until a large insect flew into my eyeball. Now, don’t get me wrong, I probably should’ve been wearing sunnies but it wasn’t quite bright enough. As a result I experienced outrageous pain. Too fast to blink, the critter hit may actual eyeball, causing me to scream and nearly fall from my bike. Luckily I kept it together and managed to steer one-eyed to the side of the road to determine whether I was now blind (I love an over-reaction). One bleary roadside eye-test later, I fumbled for my sunglasses and secured them onto my face. Turns out eyeballs are bouncy and within 10 minutes I was back to free wheeling down the hill without too much pain.
- Mansplaining. I’ve been lucky to have cycle partners who empower me to ride long distances. I've been shown the ropes and learnt how to handle, fix and get the best from my bike. I'd say after a year of cycling, I know what I like and comfortable with the choices I make. So far, I’ve yet to experience mansplaining in the world of cycling, until today. Lunchtime started with a lovely chat with fellow cyclists. They’d been up to this town several times from Melbourne and were willing to share their top road picks and I was enthusiastic to hear their thoughts. Unfortunately I was then subjected to some class A mansplaining about how I should be touring (at times, like I wasn’t even there “yeah, but she’s thinking of going over Chum Creek and she should definitely go …”).? Despite sharing some of my stories and experience cycling all over Indonesia (hilly), Malaysia (remote), and Thailand (mental traffic), it seems that my bike pack was ‘too big’, my route choice ‘too hilly’ and solo travelling ‘not worth it’.? Thank you gentleman, for giving me more motivation to crack on.
Not one to miss an opportunity, once I'd checked into my accommodation 3 hours early and went to explore the town of Healesville. A delightful mix of florists, boutiques and wine bars. My evening was spent relaxing with a cider and the most delicious lamb wrap.
