Grrrr. Another midnight wake-up on the way into Tumut. Have people never seen a tent? Why is midnight the time to visit?
Tumut, nothing special. Food, water, then off towards Batlow. Given where I'm headed, there is a lot of up hill, without much down. Seem to be spending more time walking than pedaling. Narrow roads, lots of traffic. 4x4, logging trucks, semi trailers. I bail off to have a rest under a tree. The day drifts into afternoon, then evening. I stay, watching the trees, clouds and butterflies. One night, two nights. Third night, kids turn up (again!) at midnight! Sleeping I don't hear them arrive, but yelling, car doors slamming, and music wake me. In the dark, they don't see me. I sit and listen to them. Lots of swearing; every second word. Is this how they talk all the time? After an hour, they leave and I fall back to sleep.
In the morning, with water running out. I continue on to Batlow.
Just happy days of normality. A stop in Jugiong to correct a new tire from the post office, then on to Gundagai.
Was no need to go into Gundagai. Would have saved myself considerable effort if I'd avoided it. But:
There's a track winding back
to an old-fashioned shack."
Along the road to Gundagai.
Where the gum trees are growin'
and the Murrumbidgee's flowin'
beneath the sunny sky.
So, I had to visit.
It wasn't what I expected. It's a small town nestled in the hills along the banks of the Hume highway..
Woke this morning to the birds singing in the trees. Looked out over the fields and breathed the cool morning air. Faint accent of hay. Peaceful start to the day.
120 km to get into Canowindra. I didn't take the short way. Will only stay a few hours before heading further south.
Weird thing leaving Orange; had a squeak. I thought it was the bags rubbing the plastic tubing on the rack. Eventually I decided to do something about it, and found to my horror that the rack was loose. Not just mildly loose, but really really loose. All the bolts holding it on. And the bolts on one side of the front rack. I checked everything then. Only the rack bolts, and only the one size Allen key. Someone playing a prank I think. They would have needed more than an Allen key to remove my racks. Only could have been the last night in Orange, as when I used the Troll during the day all was fine.
