Wrap up and where to next
Well it's nice being back home after my first fully loaded tour. I felt it was great being able to stick with quiet country roads for most of the trip. It was also nice going through the smaller towns/villages and avoiding the bigger places. There were a number of highlights during the trip, but the one I really enjoyed (once I completed it) was riding up to Dead Horse Gap. That climb just went on and on but the scenery was just wonderful and made it so worthwhile.
The weather generally was pretty good and usually perfect for cycling touring. The bike performed really well besides the one broken spoke on the penultimate day. No punctures which was also a big plus.
I certainly took enough equipment, but on the next tour would leave a few items behind as they were not needed. These were the battery charger for the camera and ay-up lights (as I had spare batteries which were not needed) and an additional off-bike jacket (I could just wear my usual cycle jacket). Some of the equipment was new for this trip and will be coming with me on my next tour. These included;
- thermarest chair - felt this worked really well at campsites where there was either no seating or I wanted to sit up-right but resting my back. It hardly took up any room in the pannier and weighed only a few grams.
- iPhone - Only had it a few weeks and found it a very useful tool whilst touring. It meant I could keep this journal updated, look at the elevation profile before each day (as I had preloaded them onto the phone) and also check the weather ahead to help me pace my journey. It also help me find some campsites, back roads and shops that may have taken me a bit longer to find otherwise. An amazing bit of kit, but is a little fragile. I've got mine in an Otterbox Defender case, which when you are not using it covers both sides of the phone in hard plastic.
- rearview mirror - never cycled with one before, but found it really useful whilst touring. Saved having to turn my neck every few minutes and also meant I could keep an eye on anything happening behind me.
- MSR Stove - cooked up basic food/water in a matter of minutes. Was generally used when I didn't or was not able to eat out.
- ortileb 5l collapsible bucket - This was really useful when I wanted to do my laundry every couple of days or when I went to the shower I could load all my stuff in the bucket. Again it took up little space but was very useful.
- Powermonkey charger - Was able to charge the garmin and iPhone with this without it being recharged for a good three days. It did come with a solar charger, but I only used that once and it seemed to charge quite slowly. But as I was staying at campsites or having coffee at cafes I could normally get it charged without a problem. The powermonkey also takes up less space (thus less weight) than two seperate chargers.
Also I've learnt your lips can get sunburnt. I had been putting suncream on all my exposed bits during the day, but after the first week noticed my bottom lip had got sunburnt. Have since bought some lip cream to keep them moist whilst riding and also protect them from the sun.
Have got some more time off work in a couple of weeks. If the weather is okay am planning on riding out from Lithgow north through Goulburn River National Park, Scone, Stroud, Myall Lakes National Park and then across on the ferry to Port Stephens. Afterwards will follow the coast and get a couple more ferries (Stockton, Palm Beach and Manly ferries) to home. This trip would be a shorter distance compared to this trip, but it should still be mainly on quieter roads. Currently working on the route. Will be posting a new journal showing the planned route in the next few days.
And finally here is a video of the trip. Enjoy.
The weather generally was pretty good and usually perfect for cycling touring. The bike performed really well besides the one broken spoke on the penultimate day. No punctures which was also a big plus.
I certainly took enough equipment, but on the next tour would leave a few items behind as they were not needed. These were the battery charger for the camera and ay-up lights (as I had spare batteries which were not needed) and an additional off-bike jacket (I could just wear my usual cycle jacket). Some of the equipment was new for this trip and will be coming with me on my next tour. These included;
- thermarest chair - felt this worked really well at campsites where there was either no seating or I wanted to sit up-right but resting my back. It hardly took up any room in the pannier and weighed only a few grams.
- iPhone - Only had it a few weeks and found it a very useful tool whilst touring. It meant I could keep this journal updated, look at the elevation profile before each day (as I had preloaded them onto the phone) and also check the weather ahead to help me pace my journey. It also help me find some campsites, back roads and shops that may have taken me a bit longer to find otherwise. An amazing bit of kit, but is a little fragile. I've got mine in an Otterbox Defender case, which when you are not using it covers both sides of the phone in hard plastic.
- rearview mirror - never cycled with one before, but found it really useful whilst touring. Saved having to turn my neck every few minutes and also meant I could keep an eye on anything happening behind me.
- MSR Stove - cooked up basic food/water in a matter of minutes. Was generally used when I didn't or was not able to eat out.
- ortileb 5l collapsible bucket - This was really useful when I wanted to do my laundry every couple of days or when I went to the shower I could load all my stuff in the bucket. Again it took up little space but was very useful.
- Powermonkey charger - Was able to charge the garmin and iPhone with this without it being recharged for a good three days. It did come with a solar charger, but I only used that once and it seemed to charge quite slowly. But as I was staying at campsites or having coffee at cafes I could normally get it charged without a problem. The powermonkey also takes up less space (thus less weight) than two seperate chargers.
Also I've learnt your lips can get sunburnt. I had been putting suncream on all my exposed bits during the day, but after the first week noticed my bottom lip had got sunburnt. Have since bought some lip cream to keep them moist whilst riding and also protect them from the sun.
Have got some more time off work in a couple of weeks. If the weather is okay am planning on riding out from Lithgow north through Goulburn River National Park, Scone, Stroud, Myall Lakes National Park and then across on the ferry to Port Stephens. Afterwards will follow the coast and get a couple more ferries (Stockton, Palm Beach and Manly ferries) to home. This trip would be a shorter distance compared to this trip, but it should still be mainly on quieter roads. Currently working on the route. Will be posting a new journal showing the planned route in the next few days.
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| The cockpit |
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| Loved my rearview mirror |
And finally here is a video of the trip. Enjoy.