Apr 2: A Change in Terrain and a Change in Scenery

I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to Cam and Will this morning, but we had a nice evening last night, talking about our experiences on Tassie. I did realize that, with the time change, my riding day needs to be done by about 5:45 to have enough time to set up in the daylight. It was pretty well dark by 6:30 last night. 

 

I slept pretty good, even though there was a heavy snorer next door. That person seriously needs a CPAP machine! There was definitely stoppage of breathing! Reminded me of my dad before he got his CPAP machine.

 

While the day was sunny, the wind had kicked up pretty strong early on. I decided to skip Binalong Bay, and get going on the day’s climbing. The good news is that my calves, which were very sore from hiking Wineglass Bay, have mostly recovered. 

 

I said goodbye to the The Great Eastern Touring Route, and hello to the North East Touring Route. No more coastline until Devonport now. 

Goodbye East Coast

 

 

Climbing away from the Coast, I came to an area called Goshen  Scenic Pastures. Now, I’ve never heard of a Scenic Pasture (although I’ve definitely seen some). However, it was quite pretty, all green and hilly like. 

Land O’ Goshen Scenic Pastures

 

 

Before the long climb of 8km, there was a roadhouse. I stopped to fortify myself for the climb. There wasn’t a huge selection, but I had some cookies and a Coke. 

 

My biggest concern was not the climb itself, but the wind. Along the valley before the climb, the wind was brutal. Fortunately, the main part of the climb was not too windy. It wasn’t until I got to the last couple of kilometers that it was more exposed, and therefore more windy. 

I had been way down there!

 

 

The wind was really howling at the top. I stopped to put my jacket on for the descent, and also took the Da Brim off my helmet. 

 

About 3/4 of the way down, there was a short little walk in the forest. I stopped and did it. It was a forest of fern trees and myrtle wood trees. I saw a wallaby crashing through the underbrush. It was a nice, short break from riding.

A walk through the fern forest

 

 

My destination for the day was Weldborough. I’ve now entered the Mountain Bike Mecca of Tassie. There are lots of trails, and tons of mountain bikers. In Weldborough there is camping behind the pub. I’d heard it was free, but it really costs $10. It’s fine. There are showers and toilets, and it’s quite nice...worth the $10. I wanted to get some food, but they were very busy, and the kitchen closed at 3:00. Even though I came in before 2:00, they were already not taking anymore food orders because it was already an hour’s wait for food. However, the lady told me to come back before 3:00, and she would make me some chips. I did, and she made me a big bowl of sweet potato wedges. They were quite filling. 

Oh wait...these aren’t mountain bikes!

 

 

It’s so popular, they even have racks for the bikes

 

   

The mountain bikers have mostly cleared out. Today was a public holiday, but I suspect most people have to go back to work tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will continue to work my way toward Launceston. I think today’s long climb was the last climb of that length. I have a climb tomorrow, but it’s not as long.