Nice Day To Be Out and About

Today is a day that I'm glad to have a digital camera. The views today on the Ocean Road were gorgeous! But, I get ahead of myself.

Woke up today in my warm and cozy motel room wondering about the conditions outside. I poked my head out to spy a clear sky with the moon setting in the west, but it was really chilly, my bike temperature gauge would report 45 degrees F an hour later. Time to pack up and bring the bags out to the truck. Coffee and breakfast would be waiting. Did I tell you about our cook? This morning besides the usual cold cereals and such he had prepared hot oatmeal with hot caramelized bananas on the side. I've never had caramelized bananas before, but the were delicious!! It was still so chilly that several of us retreated into the motel rooms to eat.

We departed about 7:30 or so and followed the course that Emily the ride leader had outlined. Out the motel, heading East with some turns to the North and additional turns to the South, but mostly South East. Luckily, the wind was coming from the North West, pushing us along.

The big attraction for this portion of the ride is the Ocean Road. We entered the Ocean Road at 30 km which is also where a cafe called "Pavilion Cafe and Bar" was located. We climbed to the second floor where the cafe was and had lattes and cakes while watching race horses being worked out in the ocean surf. A very unique sight.

We then jumped on a bike path that wound it's way along the beach with views of what looked like a surfing class.

The path ended and we headed north into the headwind for a couple of kilometers followed by some nice tailwinds into our lunch spot at Bay of Islands. Sorry for all the photos today, but the views and sights were the high point of the trip so far. With the ocean waves crashing into the cliffs.

The day was made of just for lollygagging. Taking in the sights and not rushing the ride. Though the ride was only 100 km (62 miles) we finally arrived at the campground at 4 PM. Enough time to put up the tent, shower and start this blog entry before dinner.

The ride briefing did not promise good weather for tomorrow's ride Apollo Bay. Though only another 100 km ride, the conditions are likely to be windy, cold and rainy. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Photo Link:

Happy Biking,


Brian