A HUGE update! (public post)
Firstly:
This is Squeaky Squirrel. No, I am not sane... yes, I am straight. He causes more arguments than he settles... and yet I can't help but grin when I squeak him :D
At the Brisbane airport:
I'm freaking out here. Nothing major's gone wrong, just a whole lot of little things. The cab took longer than it should have (after getting there early and the driver knocking on my door while I was still brushing my teeth) then the baggage check-in for the bike took FOREVER (like really)... then security got upset that I had a med kit with a pair of scissors in it (how these could have been used as a weapon is beyond me - we're talking something that's about 2" long with rounded tips)... anyway they finally realised just how silly it was and let me through. So now I sit here waiting...
... nervous much? Fuck yes. But the beauty of throwing yourself headlong at life is that often by the time you have regrets about it, there's nothing you can do about it anyway ;)
At the Hobart YHA, last night:
Well that was one hell of a first day. After all the small drama leading up to the flight (and there was quite a bit, but nothing really worth mentioning) things just got more interesting from then on. The flight itself was pretty uneventful until the end, where the "we may experience some turbulence" that the pilot had foretold turned out to be the bumpiest ride I've ever been on. Not that rough flights bother me much though... and it was worth it to hear the four (?) year-old in the seat behind me scream, laughing, "we're all going to die!!!" I also had a bit of a chuckle at the way the hostess said in reference to the emergency exit (naturally, I go for the emergency exit isles) "but only open it if the crew screams at you to." Somehow I don't think the word "scream" is a wise word to use... but I thought it was pretty frikkin funny anyway :D
Anyhow, we finally touched down in Hobart. One of the hostesses advised us that we would all have to exit via the front door, as they were unable to open the back door due to the wind. Hullo.
And it was pretty damn wild out there. I knew from the moment I stepped out of the plane that the 20km ride into Hobart would be an issue, but hoped like hell that the wind would be behind me.
It wasn't.
But before that there was the issue of having not a touring bicycle but a box, a $2 luggage bag and a pannier bag.
DIY cycle touring, now available in kit form.
An hour and a bit later, it looked more like this:
No longer boxed...
Bike box and the luggage bag went in the bin... I nearly took off when the wind caught the bike box :D A very steep learning curve ensued in which aerodynamics of boxes were analysed to avoid repetition of this.
I also made the mistake of thinking (briefly, before I silenced myself) well at least the weather won't get any worse than this. I thought this briefly just before it started raining.
The first two minutes of the ride were awesome. The wind was behind me, strong enough that I honestly think I could have taken off from a stop without pedaling.
Then I turned the first corner, and it all went downhill (on the flat ;) ) from there.
Man... that was one hell of a ride. The first kilometer was straight into the wind, slogging along in a direction that apparently the Gods didn't want me to go in. Then I finally turned a bit away from it, which was even worse as the wind was constantly trying to knock me off my bike. I got to the point where I would feel a gust of wind come up and throw myself against it to stay upright... it was all I could do. And I swear it was tracking me as well - there's no way that should have been a headwind the whole way, but it was.
And then this came into view:
The bridge from hell (actually from the other side, as I wasn't feeling very photographic at the time. This was taken the next day.)
I had a moment where I thought, oh fuck, I can't do this. To ride over that bridge in a wind like that would have been suicide - a gust of wind at the wrong time would have sent me under a car wheel. I pulled over to the side of the road, wondering what the hell I would do and checking the few maps I'd grabbed from tourist brochures at the airport for alternate routes. Luckily, some guy came walking past and I found out from him that there WAS actually a footbridge going across on either side... it just wasn't obviously visible from where we were. I rode a bit further and sure enough, there was the entrance to it (whew!) Even this was a challenge though, as the walkway was only a meter and a half wide - not enough to ride across with winds like that. I ended up walking across, and was glad of it - there were a few times where I was literally pinned to the railing - not just buffeted but pinned. There's no way I could have stayed upright through that on a bike.
I finally got to the other side and headed towards the city proper... and had a tail wind!!! The 12-13km/h I'd been struggling to manage suddenly turned into a very easy 30. After what I'd been going through, this was heaven.
It was just after this that I decided to turn on my GPS... and found out I'd gone the wrong way as I turned off the bridge *grins* I'm sure someone up there was having a good old laugh at me... anyway backtracking wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be - I think the brief moment of tail wind gave me, well, a second wind.
And for the record: GPS on bike = fucking awesome. Most impressed at how well it worked. It's not something I want to use all the time (it drains the batteries something fierce) but I knew I was going to have access to a power point tonight so it wasn't an issue.
Finally got to the hostel... found that my booking didn't go through for some reason. It was at about this stage that I realised I'd called the second hostel on the page instead of the first one because I couldn't get through. Yup, I is smrt. But the girl at the reception called the other hostel, and transferred my booking across. Just as well someone takes pity on us poor idiots *grins*
So now things are better. I'm sitting here writing this while I wait for my phone to recharge... just spend half an hour or so talking to my roommate, a packpacker from Switzerland who seems like a really nice guy. Also I guy from Adelaide... another older guy from Germany... a family from Melbourne... I love hostels (except the one in New Farm.) You meet such a great bunch of people there... it's awesome.
Well, my battery's finally charged and I'm out of things to say :D More as it happens!
(man I write a lot... this wireless keyboard rocks! :D)
And at the net cafe, today:
Well, I'm now fully stocked up with everything I'll need for the ride, at least to start with. Today's been a pretty cruisy day, looking around Hobart, doing a bit of shopping, talking to people at the YHA... it's all good.
The wind has died down a bit today, and it's sunny... the better weather conditions have brought on a better spirit - I no longer think I'm completely screwed like I did yesterday :D Mount Wellington, shadowing Hobart, still looks very ominous though:
Mount Wellington, in the background. In the time I've been here I have yet to see it without clouds around its tip.
I've planned tomorrow's ride: Hobart to Port Arthur - about 95km. Hoping like hell that if the wind is still there that it'll be in the same direction: I'm going back the way I came from yesterday.
The day after will be back to Eaglehawk Neck... straight-line distance would only be 20km or so, but I'm going the long way around the penninsula. At a guess I'm thinking it will be about 80km... but I can adjust that as I see fit.
After that, it's off to Orford - about 75km, 40km of which will be interesting as it's apparently on quite challenging dirt.
After that... well, ask me that in a couple of days.
This is Squeaky Squirrel. No, I am not sane... yes, I am straight. He causes more arguments than he settles... and yet I can't help but grin when I squeak him :D
At the Brisbane airport:
I'm freaking out here. Nothing major's gone wrong, just a whole lot of little things. The cab took longer than it should have (after getting there early and the driver knocking on my door while I was still brushing my teeth) then the baggage check-in for the bike took FOREVER (like really)... then security got upset that I had a med kit with a pair of scissors in it (how these could have been used as a weapon is beyond me - we're talking something that's about 2" long with rounded tips)... anyway they finally realised just how silly it was and let me through. So now I sit here waiting...
... nervous much? Fuck yes. But the beauty of throwing yourself headlong at life is that often by the time you have regrets about it, there's nothing you can do about it anyway ;)
At the Hobart YHA, last night:
Well that was one hell of a first day. After all the small drama leading up to the flight (and there was quite a bit, but nothing really worth mentioning) things just got more interesting from then on. The flight itself was pretty uneventful until the end, where the "we may experience some turbulence" that the pilot had foretold turned out to be the bumpiest ride I've ever been on. Not that rough flights bother me much though... and it was worth it to hear the four (?) year-old in the seat behind me scream, laughing, "we're all going to die!!!" I also had a bit of a chuckle at the way the hostess said in reference to the emergency exit (naturally, I go for the emergency exit isles) "but only open it if the crew screams at you to." Somehow I don't think the word "scream" is a wise word to use... but I thought it was pretty frikkin funny anyway :D
Anyhow, we finally touched down in Hobart. One of the hostesses advised us that we would all have to exit via the front door, as they were unable to open the back door due to the wind. Hullo.
And it was pretty damn wild out there. I knew from the moment I stepped out of the plane that the 20km ride into Hobart would be an issue, but hoped like hell that the wind would be behind me.
It wasn't.
But before that there was the issue of having not a touring bicycle but a box, a $2 luggage bag and a pannier bag.
DIY cycle touring, now available in kit form.
An hour and a bit later, it looked more like this:
No longer boxed...
Bike box and the luggage bag went in the bin... I nearly took off when the wind caught the bike box :D A very steep learning curve ensued in which aerodynamics of boxes were analysed to avoid repetition of this.
I also made the mistake of thinking (briefly, before I silenced myself) well at least the weather won't get any worse than this. I thought this briefly just before it started raining.
The first two minutes of the ride were awesome. The wind was behind me, strong enough that I honestly think I could have taken off from a stop without pedaling.
Then I turned the first corner, and it all went downhill (on the flat ;) ) from there.
Man... that was one hell of a ride. The first kilometer was straight into the wind, slogging along in a direction that apparently the Gods didn't want me to go in. Then I finally turned a bit away from it, which was even worse as the wind was constantly trying to knock me off my bike. I got to the point where I would feel a gust of wind come up and throw myself against it to stay upright... it was all I could do. And I swear it was tracking me as well - there's no way that should have been a headwind the whole way, but it was.
And then this came into view:
The bridge from hell (actually from the other side, as I wasn't feeling very photographic at the time. This was taken the next day.)
I had a moment where I thought, oh fuck, I can't do this. To ride over that bridge in a wind like that would have been suicide - a gust of wind at the wrong time would have sent me under a car wheel. I pulled over to the side of the road, wondering what the hell I would do and checking the few maps I'd grabbed from tourist brochures at the airport for alternate routes. Luckily, some guy came walking past and I found out from him that there WAS actually a footbridge going across on either side... it just wasn't obviously visible from where we were. I rode a bit further and sure enough, there was the entrance to it (whew!) Even this was a challenge though, as the walkway was only a meter and a half wide - not enough to ride across with winds like that. I ended up walking across, and was glad of it - there were a few times where I was literally pinned to the railing - not just buffeted but pinned. There's no way I could have stayed upright through that on a bike.
I finally got to the other side and headed towards the city proper... and had a tail wind!!! The 12-13km/h I'd been struggling to manage suddenly turned into a very easy 30. After what I'd been going through, this was heaven.
It was just after this that I decided to turn on my GPS... and found out I'd gone the wrong way as I turned off the bridge *grins* I'm sure someone up there was having a good old laugh at me... anyway backtracking wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be - I think the brief moment of tail wind gave me, well, a second wind.
And for the record: GPS on bike = fucking awesome. Most impressed at how well it worked. It's not something I want to use all the time (it drains the batteries something fierce) but I knew I was going to have access to a power point tonight so it wasn't an issue.
Finally got to the hostel... found that my booking didn't go through for some reason. It was at about this stage that I realised I'd called the second hostel on the page instead of the first one because I couldn't get through. Yup, I is smrt. But the girl at the reception called the other hostel, and transferred my booking across. Just as well someone takes pity on us poor idiots *grins*
So now things are better. I'm sitting here writing this while I wait for my phone to recharge... just spend half an hour or so talking to my roommate, a packpacker from Switzerland who seems like a really nice guy. Also I guy from Adelaide... another older guy from Germany... a family from Melbourne... I love hostels (except the one in New Farm.) You meet such a great bunch of people there... it's awesome.
Well, my battery's finally charged and I'm out of things to say :D More as it happens!
(man I write a lot... this wireless keyboard rocks! :D)
And at the net cafe, today:
Well, I'm now fully stocked up with everything I'll need for the ride, at least to start with. Today's been a pretty cruisy day, looking around Hobart, doing a bit of shopping, talking to people at the YHA... it's all good.
The wind has died down a bit today, and it's sunny... the better weather conditions have brought on a better spirit - I no longer think I'm completely screwed like I did yesterday :D Mount Wellington, shadowing Hobart, still looks very ominous though:
Mount Wellington, in the background. In the time I've been here I have yet to see it without clouds around its tip.
I've planned tomorrow's ride: Hobart to Port Arthur - about 95km. Hoping like hell that if the wind is still there that it'll be in the same direction: I'm going back the way I came from yesterday.
The day after will be back to Eaglehawk Neck... straight-line distance would only be 20km or so, but I'm going the long way around the penninsula. At a guess I'm thinking it will be about 80km... but I can adjust that as I see fit.
After that, it's off to Orford - about 75km, 40km of which will be interesting as it's apparently on quite challenging dirt.
After that... well, ask me that in a couple of days.