After getting to the hotel.. we went on a short walk around the area. We wanted to see what had changed.. and what was no longer there. We decided to go to the local cheap bar near the hotel – thankfully it was still there and consistent as ever.
Beer was $2 (yes you read that correctly)… and food was tasty as always. Thankfully- short walk to the hotel.
… on the walk earlier we found a pudding shop open, so we bought a couple for dessert. So tasty!
I can’t say I’ve been one to believe in enjoying the journey… it’s a plane ride. Okay I acknowledge it’s impressive flying actually happens… but it’s not something I enjoy.
The flight was a daytime flight from SYD to HAN (Haneda, Tokyo) as when we booked there were limited flight options. One the benefits of the flight was not having to ‘attempt to sleep’… which is never an easy task. We watched a Japanese movie ‘one second in ahead, one second behind’.. which is a quirky rom-com fantasy. Kym watched ‘Monsters’ (also Japanese film) and said it was one of the best films he had seen in last ten years – big call, might have to watch on way back.
Being trapped for a defined time provides you with limited options to occupy your time. Apart from listening to an audio book (Kym actually brought a library book… ) we also watched one of our favourite shows. Solitary Gourmet.. and discovered a new one where Japanese TV crew asks cab drivers to take them to best restaurants… very enjoyable.
The flight itself was not too bad from a ‘turbulence perspective’ … thankfully. Once landed, and off the plane… the walk to the passport entry point was wonderfully silent.. and all I could of ah… Japan at last.
Ah.. one of the benefits of having to go via SYD is catching up with friends. Last night we caught up with one of Kym’s oldest friends Peter at restaurant Kiln.
The views were impressive… and so was the food… I got personal satisfaction getting all the meat off the bone (apologies to non-meat eaters).
Definitely enjoyable experience… the environment is full of hard surfaces, and when the weather is finer the roof can open. But if you are not keen on restaurant loud talking and music maybe it’s not for you… but the food is fabulous!
It was also great to see the updates to central train station in Sydney… the vibes were so much like Tokyo station… ah… can’t wait!!!
… good to catch up Peter – hopefully see you at Christmas.
It’s been a long time between o/s holidays with our bikes, thankfully we are heading back to our favourite place – Japan.
Talk in the office the other day was around half the fun being the planning … while that might be the case – but right now I have to admit all I feel like doing is going to my favourite coffee shop Glitch, enjoying a coffee and staring out at the world walking by… we will get there! But being based in ADL.. it’s a step process, SYD first.
Cycling on gravel roads for me on this trip has been all about finding the right line. I do not like corrugations… I suppose if I had a bike where the seat was responsive to the conditions – maybe I might find it more enjoyable.
The above photo has some good options… I say go on the right. I know it’s wrong but…
…. And they call this a re-done road. This infact is the most unpleasant surface. Sigh. Okay I know I shouldn’t complain- but trust me I said worse while cycling it.
Oh… I have one more request- if you are a driver out on one of these types of roads and you see a cyclist – please slow down. Nothing worse than giving your fellow road user a cloud of dust. lastly if anyone knows the people who own a trailer with “Tilly turtle” as it’s name – these guys get the gold star award. They stopped about 500 meters in front and waited until we past before driving again. That’s gold standard!
Even out here near Corny Point there are roadworks – just not any occurring on a Saturday!
I will acknowledge cycling on a road surface feels like heaven after days on dirt roads.
…especially when you have a tail wind.
We took the Marion Bay Road – out of Marion Bay – and surprisingly they call it a scenic drive. Given you don’t see much apart from farmland… I guess it’s different to the usual views of the ocean.
But finally we did make it to the lighthouse.
… and for that view alone I think the scenic view was definitely worth it.
Every tour needs one of those days to remind fellow riders how tough and competent they were. Well … the final day of the Southern Yorke Peninsula was going to deliver. After all thus far we had pretty good weather, some amazing tailwinds, and even the corrugations were manageable.
Today an Antarctic wind was blowing – good news was we rode with it behind us most of the way – bad news it brought with it random showers and some light hail!
I ended up riding with two pairs of pants on (the water repellent variety and the wet weather pants) and two jackets on (my regular rain jacket and a spray jacket). Without my think thermal I am sure I would have frozen to near death. I can also vouch for the fact that walking into light hail is not a pleasant experience.
On this day, I put in practice lessons from M & D about riding into gravel. Go fast and don’t thing about steering – I reckon thats what they said and that what I did. I seemed to skim over the tops of the corrugations. I am not sure all the parts of my bike are still on it – but enough to get home were!.
The GPX file is available from Strava – Day 7 – Corny Point to Point Turton.
There is not too much accomodation available on the South Western part of the Yorke Peninsula so it’s difficult to have a reasonable length ride and go through the national park. That’s why we chose to have the national park on ride on the rest day and take the sealed (but only since 2002) Marion Bay road most of the way.
We left early (8:00am) to avoid traffic – although it was hard to imagine too many people leaving Marion Bay that early on a Saturday. The road itself is quite wide with pretty good sight lines most of the time. It also helps that there was wind behind us and not in our faces. We flew up that road!
Our route couldn’t just be direct there had to be a scenic bit thrown in! We achieved this by following West Coast Road to Corny Point past Gravel Bay and Berry Bay. Unfortunately the turn gave us a big head wine and dirt road. But it was worth it with lunch overlooking Berry Bay South with the added benefits of toilets. (hey YP council why not proper shelter?)
Corny Point lighthouse was a highlight of the day. It looks good from so many angles.
The GPX file is available from Strava – Day 6 Marion Bay to Corny Point
Technically we only had to cycle 12 km to move locations – and this is what makes it a rest day. But given we were in Marion Bay it was best to take advantage of our location and go through Innes National Park.
As we had done this park of the ride before… we knew where we were heading. We entered the park the back way… and these bikes were certainly perfect for the terrain.
As expected- the views were stunning…
The dirt roads were smooth (oh if the whole ride was like this..)…
And then the wildlife also did not disappoint…
… and the a proper road on the way back – just bliss!
…if all rest days could be as good.
