A Weekend to Relax

Mally and I have been spending the last two days rejuvinating at the Dales. It is nice to break up the travels with a bit of time to just "chill" in a home. Geoff has ensured that we don't get too bored by taking us on a couple more fun rides around Melbourne.

Yesterday, we went back to Beach Road... the hotspot in town for cyclists of all sorts. We thought we saw a lot of cyclists last time we went, but this time they were out in even more massive numbers - packs of 20 to 100 could be seen all around. Who knew so many people cycled in Melbourne? (I need to open a bike shop in this town!) We rode the same route as before... getting off to an early start to avoid the predicted heat wave... we ended up riding in quite pleasant temperatures with the sun shining down, but the way back gusts of ocean winds blew in our faces. Overall, we had another very pleasant ride and we ended our ride with another scrumptious meal at Cafe Racer where we hung out with crowds... people wearing brightly colored spandex, men with smoother legs than mine, and lots of two-wheeled vehicles all around. I could go for this routine every Saturday!

The remainder of the day was spent relaxing... reading, planning our trip to Sydney, eating a delicious BBQ with Nick and his friends (thanks to the cooks... Nick and Johan!) and watching season one of Seinfeld. I suppose you are supposed to be out and exploring when you are on the other side of the world, but after travelling for so long, it is nice to have a lazy day.

Today was much of the same. We woke up early and headed out for a new ride outside of Melbourne with Geoff. The weather was looking pretty grey and gloomy, but the radar reports predicted an early clearing. We drove to Kangaroo Park... about 30km outside of the city, parked the car, and prepared to brave the elements. Luckily, the pouring rain had slowed to a drizzle and the skies looked promising ahead. We were all decked out in our rain gear and Mally and I sported some bright new tail lights that Geoff was kind enough to give us for dim days like today (Thanks Geoff!). We set out on our ride along some rolling hills... passing feilds of grapes and lemon trees. The rain continued to slow and the grey skies faded a bit as we rode along. A short ways down the road, we pulled into a small cafe to join some fellow cyclists that we had run into at the start of our journey. We had a nice chat with these three guys and enjoyed some warm drinks which got us going.

Then off we went to head up a mountain to Kinglake (approximately 600m. above sea level). This being Geoff's first mountain climb, it didn't take long for him to realize what he was getting into after climbing about a "k" up the mountain. We thought perhaps we should turn it around and call it a day, but Geoff insisted on pressing on up the hill ("Good-on-ya!" as they would say in Aussieland). We settled into a comfortable pace and pedalled 10km up a quiet road through beautiful forest scenery until we reached the top (woohoo!). It wasn't until just before the top that Mally and I figured out that "King Lake" was in fact just a town called Kinglake.... no lake here... oh well - at least there was some splendid scenery. We stopped for a break at the top and the rains began once again - this time with force. After a bit of a snack, we decided to head off quickly before we cooled off too much and before floods prevented us riding on the roads. We turned around and began our long zooming descent back down the mountain (Weeeeeeee!). By the time we reached the bottom, the rain gave way once again (phew) and the winds picked up the pace... luckily, they were at our backs (yay!). Towards the end of the ride, the sun even peaked out from behind the clouds and we had a beautiful day.

We arrived back to the car about 49.3 km later... only we couldn't stop... Geoff had not yet ridden a half century... we couldn't possibly let him stop at 49.3 km... nope - we had to continue on... down the hill in front of us... turn around and back up... Congrats Geoff on climbing your first mountain and earning your first half century - I am sure there will be many more to come! And thanks for another wonderful ride.

We all returned home a bit tired and ready for a warm hot shower (ahhh...). After getting clean and filling our tummies, Mally and I returned to our laziness... yup, season 2 of Seinfeld came out and we became glued to a big comfy couch with cuddly white doggies. Later on, we went out to eat for our one last dinner with the Dales and Johan (another Dale visitor) where we had one of our favorite meals - Pizza (MMmm!).

We've had a great weekend and are now rejuvinated for our next journey to Sydney. Thanks Again to the Dales!