June 19th, 2011
Shannon to Pemberton
Distance: 66km
Total distance: 5957km
Great sleep last night! I remembered listening to the rain just before I slept, am so glad to be in a hut instead of a tent. Thanks to the fire, I wasn’t feeling cold at all. Also, thanks to the fire, every piece of my clothing now smell of smoke.
Left Shannon campsite at 9.15am and I resume my ride on the highway with a steep descent at first, and then it was ups and downs throughout. And of course, mother nature didn’t forget to serve me my daily dose of shower today. Nevertheless, feels great to know that I didn’t have long to ride before getting into the town of Northcliffe. Since I didn’t ride past any town yesterday, I’ve been craving for a hot meal and cold chocolate milk for quite a bit.
At Northcliffe, just when I finished an awesome sausage roll lunch and ready to get back on my trike, it started pouring again. I left Northcliffe in the rain, no better options as a delay wouldn’t prevent riding in the wet. Stopped a couple of times to take photos of flower and farm animals despite the rain. Wind at times was very violent, and can be totally absent at times too, very unpredictable. As soon as I passed the turn off to Nannup (the road I’ll be using tomorrow), the next 2km was a steep descent and then a short steep ascent afterwards into Pemberton. Naturally, on the high speed descent, I cringed for tomorrow morning’s slow and painful ascent.
It was only 2.30pm when I reached Pemberton. I remembered Karen and Corinna mentioned that the YHA here is very nice, so I was very looking forward to this. When I arrived at the YHA though, I was a bit disappointed. The longish dorm buildings here looked just like any other cheap backpackers. But the staff pointed to me on a map that I have to ride further up the road to get into a YHA cottage where I’ll be staying. A cottage? That’s new. “How many are staying there” I ask, “You are the only one” NICE! As soon as I got the keys, I rode up and checked out the place. First impression was good, I’ve got my own garage! The moment I step into the cottage, I was pleasantly surprised! It’s got everything and it feels so cosy! The best part is I have the whole house by myself! The cottage is also conveniently located directly opposite the town’s supermarket, so that’s another plus. Since I have a nice kitchen to use, I decided to cook up some pasta with mince lamb and mushrooms, YUMS.
Tomorrow will be a big day. As there won’t be any hostels between Pemberton and Augusta, I shall be riding the 120km straight to Augusta, which means an early start and possibly dipping into the night sky in the evening. 190km a day is a thing in the past now, as there are no more flat roads and tailwinds are rare nowadays.