Conawindra to Cudal…Sunday

The Age of Fishes museum photos….
Before heading off I popped into the local museum, Mim & Torin were very helpful in explaining the history & also topping my waterbottle up! Will fill in the blanks soon

His still hungry! This is the actual size of this prehistoric fish

Some interesting signs in Conawindra….Red meat feel good??Or not….

Is smoke house cooking a good thing??? Doesn’t spell health to me

Little bit of tenderness hey?…didn’t think a sharp knife, death & tenderness went well together…

kms: 33

Grenfell to Conawindra…Saturday

Ok lots of photos have been uploaded!

This is the Grenfell pub I stayed in, was a learning experience…

Just as I was about to head off to Conawindra a lady stopped me for an interview and photos for the local paper! Usually Im searching them out.

On the way to Conawindra

My poor little toes are suffering from the powerwalk in socks & thongs I did in Griffith!

Amazing scenery on the way..

Unfortunately a rare sight, a river with water in it!

More beauty…

The caravan park where I snuck into the laundry. It was actually the nicest caravan park I have stayed in, very well-kept and only $7 for the night.

Met 2 lovely Irish guys who are on a working holiday, they hired this van for about $1600 for a month!

Thought this was pretty cool

The laundry..

Beautiful Conawindra sunset1

& 2….

Quandialla to Grenfell

So if you didn’t guess, this is my bivy bag with frost all over it! Yep Quandialla ended up freezing over night. I had the option to stay in the pub (which was only $20 for the night) and I was going to take it until I say the beautiful green backyard & I asked the manager if I could camp there (its a VERY quiet pub), he said ‘Yeah just give us $5 for the shower then’. Cool I was happy! Although overnight I literally lost feeling in my feet, they were that cold, nothing I did would get them warm, I stuffed heaps of my clothes down in my sleeping liner, put 2 pairs of socks on….nothing worked so I barely slept all night.

On my ride to Grenfell.

As you can see the scenery was pretty spectacular! It definitely helps with the ride when my senses are stimulated like this. Although I just wasn’t feeling the best on the ride & I put it down to not enough water. I have been starting the day with 1.5litres and drinking throughout but today was a sunny day & I got slightly pink so I needed more water…lesson for the future.

Love the contrast with the colours in this shot.

I really like the gate opening up to this scene, such a postcard. I found myself stopping constantly to take photos and barely making any forward progress! Well worth it I was fully appreciating the moment.

I arrived in Grenfell quite weary & fully relieved to be there. As soon as I pulled up the locals were all over me with questions! Nice to get all that attention but I was pretty exhausted & got directions to the nearest fruit shop & loaded up. One guy admired my bike for a long time then showed me his invention of a bike with a side trailer fitted to it, very impressive, I have photos which I will put on asap.
That night I really needed a good sleep so I searched around for accomodation, the caravan park was a few kms out of town & I didn’t feel up to riding there so I asked in the local pub (which was ment to be very quiet), they had rooms for $20 so I took one. Oh never again!! A guy was vomiting outside my window for about 1hr! Followed by 2 brawls. It is amazing how a poison like alcohol can affect our senses in such a negative way, it just really drove home to me the importance of my health & the health message Im peddling.

kms-50.5

Ariah Park to Quandialla

Currently in Grenfell, feeling a little under the weather today so I will download lots of photos and fill in the gaps asap.

One of the best caravan parks so far at Ariah Park….
Had a pretty good sleep in the laundry of the caravan park. Patti a fellow camper suggested that I do, I was hesitant at first because I just love sleeping under the stars but the forecast of freezing conditons (which it did get to) made my mind up for me! I was so fortunate to meet Patti, he has been on the road alone with his little compact campervan since 2005. He has a daughter as well so he was quite concerned about my safety of the trip but I assured him that everything has been great, people are lovely & drivers are very considerate. He lent me his camping guide overnight to show me where free sites are but I couldn’t find a whole lot on my path.

Yet another beautiful sunrise…

My Bedroom for the night in the laundry, it was sooo cold that night….
I had reading material, a washing machine, toilet, shower & enough ventilation – WAY more than I really needed but appreciated all the same. I actually made a video of this bedroom which I will share once I can workout how to download it.

Such a nice little friendly town.

These men drove to pick me some oranges & mandarins, bob was VERY full! The locals were great, the man on the left told me about a nerve problem that he had & how he was hopeful that an upcoming operation would relieve him of some pain. I feel very privileged that people tell me about the health problems a lot of the time even before they know about my healthy lifestyle, I really am blessed that they feel comfortable enough to open up to me

Interesting …

Wideload!!, it looks as though I didn’t get the best angle, as it approached me it was so wide that I got off the road. Probably had a grand total of about 5 cars pass me the whole ride into Quandialla! The ride was quite scenic but I suffered from a fair bit of boredom. My initial plan was to get to Grenfell but a detour (which apparently was unnecessary) took me towards Guandialla instead (everything happens for a reason) and I’m glad it did as I was treated to some fresh produce & awesome local hospitality.

I had a fairly challenging ‘chillout’ headwind as well but I put my head down and concentrated on each pedal stroke making sure I didn’t look at the speedo for too long & start adding things up (which I’ve become obsessed with) or look too far ahead in the distance…challenging!

kms-81
At first glance I thought it said Mongrell, unique name all the same

Ardlethan to Ariah Park, Wednesday

So here i am today in Ariah Park…

Woke up early & downed 1.5litres of water, that has been my routine for a couple of weeks now, hydration is so important on this trip. I said goodbye to my grey nomad neighbours and headed off to the local IGA to grab some mandarins. Was searching around for a rainwater tank to fill my bottles but there was none in sight, luckily a man powerwalking past stopped for a chat & offered to fill up a water bottle at his place and bring it back for me! How lovely! While I was waiting I did a little resistance routine in the park consisting of bench pushups, dips and static lunges. The other day too I forgot to mention that I got mum to send my resistance band to me so I can keep up my muscle-building. I have used it a couple of times over the last week and have been feeling sore muscles in return! A great feeling though.

I grabbed some mandys and waited for the guy to come back. He’s name is Popeye! We had a great chat and he gave me some alternative directions but unfortunately they included some gravel so I opted out. I then checked out the newsagents and found my article on Page 2, quite big actually which impressed me but no blog details!! Ah well Im going to approach more papers and news as I go so just early days.

Today Im feeling very tired and as a result made a few silly mistakes with my directions consequently seeing me back track over the same 5kms of road 3times! Ah the joy! Also underlating hills are coming into play now, the scenery is definitely nicer but Im paying the price! It’s all good, fitness inducing. I have decided to stop in Ariah Park and head off towards Barmedman (could’ve spelt that wrong but rushing) tomorrow. The local caravan park has a free spot for me to pitch my bivy which is great. There are 2 other travelling grey nomads which Im sure I will chat to. There’s definitely some very interesting people out there to meet.

The goal tomorrow is to get to Grenfell then head towards Forbes then probably across to Orange but I don’t want to get to ahead of myself!

kms:50.5

Griffith to Ardlethan…Tuesday day 20 I believe

Just saw my picture on page 2 of the local Griffithh Paper, the photo is pretty unflattering but hey the message was clear, the title read….Riding her bike to save the planet! Haven’t received the PDF yet and unfortunately the Editor didn’t attach my blog or any contact details.

Had a great couple of sleeps at Robin & Rhonda’s place in Griffith, said my goodbye’s & headed for Coles to grab some melon. Had a chat to a nice man in Coles and got directions to the bike shop to pump up my tyres, they almost looked as though they had a slow leak puncture (turned out to be fine).
The man cut me a fresh half a watermelon & was amazed that i was about to eat the whole thing! I said ‘watchout I may be back for the other half’! he sortof looked at me cross-eyed & laughed

I grabbed some mandarins as well and was loading up bob when a man from Wendy’s Icecream came up…’Would you like a coffee’?…No thankyou don’t drink Coffee….’Would you like a hotchocolate’?….No thanks I am a vegan and only eat fruits, greens & some seeds…. Another shocked look then…..’How about bananas??I have some pretty ripe ones here’….I was all excited then! he produced a couple of kg of fairly spotty ripish bananas, i thanked him profusely & squeezed them into bob to ripen over the next couple of days. We had a quick chat about nutrition & he informed me that his wife is vegeterian & he believes its the way to go.

Ate my melon in the Coles Carpark because that was where the sun was, was a local spectacle again…:-)
I then pumped my tyres up and headed off to meet Luke – a fellow cyclist & 811er (low fat raw vegan). He rode with me until Yenda, I was craving more sugar so we stopped in the local park & ate & chatted for about an hour about life. He is an amazing young guy, at 17 he is already eating what I believe to be natures perfect diet. He looks so healthy & is very switched on, it was a pleasure to meet him. We parted , promising to stay in touch and I headed for Ardlethan.

Say this 4times fast….

An interesting find….



The road was a popular route for road trains but I had no problems. Was fortunate enough to have a slight tailwind. I have a little routine I have been doing for the last couple of weeks….everytime I get a wave off a motorist or a beep I get out of the saddle and do 20′stomps’ as Harley would call it, with the pedals, it works well because it helps avoid a sore bottom from sitting in the seat too long & it’s fun!
Oh dear…

Barallen was a cute little town, I stopped & filled up on oranges & water. When I arrived in Ardlethan the sun was nearly down so I rode around looking for somewhere to camp, ended up camping beside a couple Kev & Jude, we shared some on-the-road stories while Jude lit a fire. I haven’t sat infront of a fire my whole trip & there is a reason for it, because the burning of wood fumes contribute a lot to global warming and I don’t want to support it. It was a little hard to avoid as we spoke & later on I was punished for it! My lips peeled, my hair stunk and I became dehydrated. I have learnt my lesson for the future.

I had some dates just before bed and they kept me awake almost all night, obviously not a good idea so today I am sleep-deprived.

I have updated other days with more photos if you want to scroll down….

kms: 102.5

Day in Griffith – Monday

Spent the day in Griffith today. Stayed a second night at my mums friends place, they are so lovely & have made my stay here amazing!
I walked to town which was about 20mins (I wanted to do some cross-training) Got a few things done, like lots of internet time, lots of eating (found some organic produce in FoodWorks & a local Cafe), a bit of sight-seeing, chatting to the locals & I also arranged an interview with the local paper in Griffith.

I spoke to the Editor about my journey & story, he was like ‘Oh yeah! that sounds like a great positive story, where can we meet’? So out he came with his photographer & interviewed me for about 20mins, it was great to know that my message will get out to more people through the newspaper. Comes out tomorrow & he will send me a PDF of it so I will post it on here if I can.

It was pretty cold yesterday so I eat my melon in the Griffith Complex, it was the only way I could fully enjoy it!

Anyway Im off for now

Kms? Bout 10 + 40min powerwalk

Suays Poem to me

Check out the great poem my friend Suay wrote for me!

Free rides with glee

near and far she rapidly disappears
never ever showing her fears

strong and able
she rides with muscles as tight as a cable

feasting on fruits as bright as a jewel
her hands and fingers are her own built in tools

empowered and victorious in her journey of discovery
there is never a hint of uncouth sculduggery
only when a fruit heist is a must
and the bike and her throat is gathering dust

the cooling victory of a thirst well earned
and muscles that ache from so many turns

to rest her weary body in a place of safety
to be fully charged again ~onward to victory

its not a race of pace
but of mental endurance that she will ace

fully supported and loved~respected
it is a fool thats sees the shining example,and rejects it

take strength courageous Free
i am watching for your next installment with glee

xxoo

Darlington Point to Griffith….Sunday

Today was an easy day I sailed into Griffith with another great tailwind. After a great breakfast of citrus compliments of Bob & Eve I jumped on the bike at about 11am. I have to say I was in a blissful state! I realise that overdoing the avocado for those few dinners in a row really dulled my senses down, I really didn’t feel too excited about much! But today I was buzzing, feeling literally electric & powerful as I sang out loud to the Pussycat dolls, I used to bodyjam at the gym to there music with my girlfriend Frances & have the best time ever so it is a powerful trigger for happy emotions within me. It is amazing how music can bring back memories and feelings instantly. Actually a great thing to do when your feeling down, put your favourite tune on and get taken to a better place straight away.

I asked a few locals if there was any organic shops around but they pointed me towards the big supermarkets so I headed there for some melons. Ended up taking a few melons back as they were just bland as & they happily refunded so I went & got some more! I sat in the full sun for the first time in ages. I think the locals thought I was mad because I sat outside the local woolworths eating a couple of honeydews with a spoon, always attracts some interesting looks.

My mum has friends here so I gave them a call & headed for their place. The couple is just lovely & very hospitable. The house is massive & has about 6 beds in it, I made the most of being inside & put on washing & washed my hair as well. I don’t watch TV usually but I love the nature documentaries & discovery on foxtel so I watched a fascinating doco on the difference between Apes and humans…not much! Another doco on the state of the planet which nearly brought me to tears. We need to start making a collective effort now, we could make a massive impact if we only just gave up meat. Im not going to sit here and preach but a big part of my trip is to inspire people to cut meat from their diets…..
My ability & health since giving up meat has skyrocketed…I can now perform feats of strength & endurance happily, I look better than I ever have, I feel more alive every meat-free day I live, no living creature has to suffer in agony & fear then ‘give up’ its life so I can eat. Methane gases emitted from cattle is the largest contributor to global warming, a vegetarian diet can reverse health problems. There are so many more great reasons I could go on all day but I will leave it at that, please consider the impact you are having on this beautiful Earth & its creatures & the future you are creating for your children (or maybe lack there of) & realise you have the power to make a difference….but action is needed now.

Jerideree to Darlington Pt…Saturday

Woah catching up on blogging can be challenging! Unfortunately the computer I am on has some bug issue so I can’t download as many photos as I want to but I can still type in my journal so that’s the main thing

Before setting off to Darlington Point I grabbed some breaky from the local IGA. Clara from the local newsagents donated $5 to my cause! I tried to give it back but she was adament that I must take it (thankyou Clara) so I spent it on breakfast melon it was soooo cold outside that I couldn’t find a warm place to eat it so I asked the ladies in the IGA if I could maybe eat it in there, they were so kind, found me a nice warm place in the corner…it was funny It was sortof like I was a sideshow attraction. Everyone who walked past was like ‘Hey where are you heading??’ I told them & they looked at me in shock after my response & then offered there well wishes. I seem to be shocking everyone at the moment! Most people say…’Oh I could NEVER do that’! Its a real pity people don’t have more faith in their abilities & more confidence, I believe that a lot of peoples lives will change as soon as there minds do. We can achieve so much if only we believe.

Melon Breakfast at Jerilderee….

Well the gods were on my side for the ride from Jerideree to Darlington Point! I had a fantastic tailwind for the most part. All the same I found the ride very challenging, it is almost dead straight all the way for nearly 100kms!, the scenery was fairly interesting in spots but same same most of the time. There were lots of what looked like ant nests hanging in trees, massive bag-like structures (i will put photos on soon) & 3 cornered jack lined roads. I had plenty of time alone with my head which is just what the ‘dr ordered’ really….I practised controlling my focus onto things, people, experiences that I want in my life and I visualised for what seemed like hours on how I want my life to pan out.
Getting good at taking photos on the bike!

Each morning & night I have been enjoying listening to subliminal recordings from Kelly Howell (highly recommend these for life changes) and I feel myself changes at a very deep level. I was cycling a long throughout the day just LOVING life, I had this overwelming sense of joy & gratitude for the path I am on, truly an awesome feeling.
A typical roadtrain….

I arrived at Darlington Point just before sundown, this time I consciously shifted my focus from hating the last 5kms to loving it & celebrating my success of coming over 100kms that day, it worked a charm for my mood was great as I rolled into Darllington Point. I stayed at a little caravan park on the river there for a negotiated $10. As soon as I arrived a lovely couple came up and asked if I was keen for a pasta dinner, i thanked them but informed them of my preferences.
They were fascinated & asked me into the campervan, as soon as I walked in I felt like I wanted to be outside, nothing to do with the lovely couple but the stale muggy air & overpowering smell of chemicals & toxins was overwelming…they had just purchased the van so it was probably still off-gasing a lot of fumes. I just love being under the stars, more and more everyday, the air is fresh, the birds are celebrating overhead all day…its just a truly beautiful simple experience. We had a good chat about my diet & life & they looked shocked, impressed & confused all at once!

I met another lovely couple Bob & Eve, fellow tent-dwellers they could fully relate to my experience mentioned above. We chatted for a while about cycling, my diet & life in general & they filled my trailer with the most awesome oranges and mandarins from Mildura (thanks so much ) . Im really enjoying meeting random people at caravan parks, all experiences have been positive & self-developing.
I slept quite soundly that night, sleeping better and better lately.

kms: 105