A collection of long distance ride reports by Melvyn Yap
Day 95: The Epitome Of Campsites!
June 18th, 2011
Walpole to Shannon
Distance: 70km
Total distance: 5891km
First thing I did when I got up was to check the weather forecast on my phone. It reads 56km/h northerly wind – okay, I’m a DEAD man now. Greg was literally laughing and kept reminding me how ‘great’ today’s weather is. He and Kathy will be in Walpole for 3 nights before heading south-east and the wind would be in their favour. As for me, it wasn’t just the headwind that I have to endure but heavy rain was expected as well. To say I felt so miserable is an understatement.
I stayed at the lodge for about an hour chatting before I gathered up enough courage to leave the comfort of the lodge, haha. Oh, Greg and Kathy have a travel blog too, check them out at http://www.2tyred.org/. I also learnt that the two other hostel guests were here to walk the Bibbulmun Track, hoping to reach Albany in 12 days. After completing this stretch, they would have completed the entire 1000km Bibbulmun Track. Madness!
Greg and Kathy, toured from Sydney via Cairns, Darwin, and Perth, totalling a distance of 20,000km over the past 3 years! Their bikes were custom built for this tour, handsomely equipped with trekking handlebars, rear rack integrated to the frame, Brooks saddles, and Rohloff hubs! I'm sure every touring cyclists who have seen this machine have drooled muchJulie and Steele, owners of Walpole Lodge. I really enjoyed my stay at this lodge despite a brief one. The facilities and services were top notch. They have great books in their shelves too! This morning I read Calvin and Hobbes while having breakfast!
As expected, 30 mins after leaving Walpole, it started pouring, not just a mere shower mind you. It stopped for a while but came back with a heavier downpour. It reminded me of the thunderstorms we frequently had in my hometown, KL. Definitely not a cyclist-friendly type of weather. The rain, coupled with strong winds and hilly road made my riding seems impossible. No chance for me to take shelter under a tree as falling branches can even be more deadly. What’s more within 10 seconds, I was drenched down to my underwear. Left with no other choices, I kept my spirit strong and just pushed on.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine~~~What? No more sunshine? No worries! This is an adventure afterallA roo about to cross the road and then saw me, hesitated for a while before turning back, probably couldn't stand watching this crazy cyclist riding in this weather condition, haha
Thankfully after 2 hours, the heavy rain reduced to a drizzle. And I finally get to enjoy taking some photos of the magnificent Karri forest.
Riding all by myself in the magnificent Karri forest. Peaceful and tranquilNo words can describe the experience of riding through this forest
70km was the distance I was told from Walpole to Shannon, so I did the count down as I didn’t want to miss the turn off to the campsite as I wasn’t sure if it was clearly signposted. Turns out it was, and the campsite was absolutely mega-fantastically gorgeous!
THE BEST CAMPSITE EVER. Period.
I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
The campsite lies within Shannon National ParkGorgeous (wild?) flowers at the driveway to the campsiteTa-da!!! One of the two huts at the campsite where I'm staying tonightThe front view of the hut. The one I'm staying is called the Acacia Hut.How it looks like on the inside. 3 bunk beds. Very neat and tidy.It even comes with a pot-belly fireplace! This hut is the perfect shelter for any campers!All set up. Cosy!A trike under a roof is a happy trike!This is the toilet. Male, female and a disabled toilet. No power available at this campsite, so the hot water must come from...That's right - a boiler! It uses firewoods instead of gas. So first I must start a fire before I can enjoy a hot shower. After two unsuccessful attempts, I just showered in the cold water. Because afterall, having a cold shower in winter is a 'unique' experienceThe disabled toilet where I took a shivering cold shower. I would highly recommend campers to get the boiler running no matter how desperate you need a showerOkay folks, here's a mini how-to guide on lighting a fireplace, an amateur's version. First I need to gather some solid fuel - firewoodsThankfully, the campsite was well-stocked with firewoods. Slight problem though, they were all in big chunks. Saw an axe there, and hence a solutionExplore the best posture to apply the maximum chopping force, especially if you're like me, someone who has never handled an axe beforeInevitably, you would fail in your first 20 or so chops, making embarrassing chopping marks all over the wood. So it's a good idea to do this when there's no one aroundSoon enough, you would start to discover sweet spots where a single chop would split the wood all the way. Sweet spots are located near the edge, so chopping off small chunks is way easier than splitting it into equal halvesFill up the bucket with firewoods. A full bucket like this should give you approximately 4 hours of burning timeFinally, like up the fire with a match, preferably with the aid of liquid fuel like methylated spirit and enjoy a warm night stay!
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