March 8th, Missing Most of March 9th, and March 10th

As I stood in my house, looking out the window, I noticed the buds were starting to come out on the trees and shrubs. While it is slowly becoming Spring here in the Pacific Northwest, it is now Fall in Australia (they don’t follow the solstice calendar exactly). Perfect weather for cycling...I hope. 

 

I’ve got a long way to go before I start pedaling, but I’ve crossed off hurdle number 1, getting to the airport and getting everything checked through to Melbourne. Tilmann weighed (in his 8 pound case) 45.5 lbs. The Chinese bag weighed less, but I didn’t see exactly how much. I was TSA pre-checked, which kind of surprised me. There was no one in the pre-check line, so security couldn’t have been any faster or easier. I love TSA pre-check!

 

The flight departed the gate about 20 minutes late. That was due to the incoming flight being late. Can’t board a plane if there is no plane! I had to cram my pannier under the seat because the bins were full. Fortunately, the gentleman sitting next to me let me slide my handlebar bag under his side with his backpack.

 

Last time I was at LAX, it was to go to New Zealand. I remember having to walk a long way to get to the International Terminal. This time, it seemed easier. It was a bus to Terminal 4, then follow the signs to the Tom Bradley International Terminal (Terminal B). I had plenty of time to wait. Also didn’t have to go through security again.

Tom Bradley International Terminal

Since the flight didn’t depart until 11:35, I brushed my teeth to prepare myself for “bed”. Unfortunately, I didn’t change into jammies. 

 

So much for that bedtime plan. A couple hours into the flight, they served “dinner”. I went with the lighter salad with chicken and quinoa (Qantas’ food is pretty good). I had overheard someone say they were going to watch two movies then go to sleep, to outsmart the jet lag. I thought that sounded like a good plan, so I watched “Wonder” and “The Shape of Water”. Then I tried to go to sleep. Let’s face it, it’s just not comfortable. I think I slept a little. Then I watched another movie, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”. Academy Award winner or not, I fell asleep during a good chunk. So that’s the ticket to sleep—watch a movie! I slept off and on during a few more movies. 

 

March 9th passed by in that way. After a very long time, the sun came up, and after more time, the plane finally touched down in Melbourne, Australia!

 

Sunrise over the Pacific (its purple because of the window dimmer)

 

Land Ho!

Melbourne

 

 

Yay, I made it! Now, I just had to go through Passport Control (a long line, but no problems), collect Tilmann and the Chinese Shopping Bag, go through Bio, and find my hosts, Natalee and Ian. Nat had made a sign for me which was awesome.

 

Made it!

 

 

Sign that Nat made

We stepped out of the airport into about 90 degree weather. That felt great! 

 

Nat and Ian had a plan to keep me awake as long as possible. We stopped for some lunch at a really good vegan cafe called, The Alley (I had a vegan Mac and cheese with coconut “bacon” on top. Not gonna lie, coconut bacon is delicious!) Then we drove around Melbourne picking up items I needed. We got fuel for my stove at an outdoor store similar to REI. We got maps of the Australian States I will be riding through at the equivalent of AAA, and I got Australian currency at an ATM.

 

Melbourne is a very large metropolitan area. The city limits of Melbourne are not that large, but there are a number of suburbs. Ian and Nat live in one called Doncaster East. After a tour of their apartment, we dove in to putting Tilmann back together. He survived his journey to Down Under with no apparent problems. The bead on the tubeless tires held up just fine, with no sealant leaking into the case (something I was a little concerned about).

 

By 8:00pm, I was still doing okay, so Ian and I went out for a little test ride. We rode a path called the Koonung Trail. It pretty much parallels the freeway, but you really don’t hear the cars. It went through parkland and along a creek. It smelled of Eucalyptus trees, and the still warm temps were delightful. It’s been months since I’ve ridden in short sleeves. It was so nice!

Following Ian on the Koonung Trail

 

 

 

The photos are a little blurry because it was getting dark

 

Sun almost gone as we crossed over the freeway

We turned around at just under 10km. It was getting dark. By the time we got back to the apartment, it was dark, but Tilmann’s headlight did its job.

 

Nat had dinner for us, and we watched some YouTube videos of Australia. One was on how Aussies abbreviate everything. It was hilarious....but true! It’s  going to take me awhile to get the lingo. 

 

The long hours of traveling, and not so much sleep was catching up with me. I hopped in the shower, then called it a night. I had managed to stay awake until 10:30!

 

 So, I made it! Having Nat and Ian pick me up and help me get what I needed was invaluable! I’m sure I would have figured out something, but it would have been far more stressful. Thanks go to my friend, Kim, for connecting me with Nat and Ian. What a great intro to Australia!